Temptation (Larry Stylinson) ✅

24. Space

"Hey, mate!" Niall said, giving Harry a slap on the back as he entered the room. "Good night last night? You didn't come home!"

Harry grinned and laughed at Niall who was making an outrageously exaggerated wonky face.

"Yes. But Not in the way you think," he said, chuckling. He wagged a finger at Niall, who was still in his pajamas - a too tight white T-shirt and boxer shorts.

"Ah, well I'm glad it went well," Niall giggled. "Even if you didn't bang."

Harry shook his head, raising an eyebrow at Niall and lunging towards him, forcing him into a pretend headlock. Niall laughed and played along, pretending to tap out, and then pushed Harry off of him, sending him stumbling and crashing lightly into the dresser.

"Wanker!" Harry groaned, shooting Niall a dirty look.

"Sorry," Niall said sweetly, flashing him his famous Irish smile. "But seriously, I'm kidding. Tell me what it was like."

Niall followed Harry over to his bed and took a seat next to him. Sometimes Niall could be too eager... Harry felt like he had just come home to a golden retriever rather than a roommate.

"I, well, it was nice," Harry began, suddenly feeling overcome with emotion as he thought of Louis. He had experienced a whirlwind of feelings in the past 12 hours.

"We went for Italian food. He was super charming and funny, as always. Then We walked home and kissed on the sidewalk..." he continued.

"And..." Niall asked, his blue eyes lighting up in suspense.

"And then we went home and kissed some more. And we had this deep talk — I realized he's really sensitive, Niall," Harry said, his green eyes lighting up. "Under all that attitude and sass and confidence — you'd never believe it but he's insecure. About his body of all things."

Harry cringed at himself, instantly regretting sharing Louis' personal info with someone else, when it was clear it was to be kept between them. But he knew that Niall would never tell a soul.

"Really? But you said he dances shirtless and all," Niall questioned, wrinkling his brow.

"Yeah, but... he says he starves before every show. And he restricts his calories and uses most of his daily calories towards alcohol.... I think he's really sick, Niall," Harry said, his face falling. "I don't know what to do."

Harry put his hands over his face, trying to conceal his tears, and Niall put a hand on his back, rubbing it slowly.

"Hey, It's okay, Harry. It's not your fault he's struggling," Niall said softly.

"I know but I also want to help him and I can't," Harry replied, lifting up his face to reveal his now puffy green eyes.

"You can't fix him harry. You just have to convince him he's worthy of getting help," Niall said, his voice cracking a bit. He knew from years of experience that forcing recovery upon others was not the answer.

"But what if I can't," Harry quipped. "Niall, you had to see him sobbing onto my chest, he was so broken. He's falling apart, but he's so good at putting on a happy face that no one can see how much he's hurting."

Niall nodded. "I know mate," he replied. "My sister had bulimia. We didn't know until nearly a year in. We had no idea - she was so good at hiding it...."

Harry's eyes widened and he turned to face Niall. "Really? Oh my gosh, Niall. I'm so sorry," he told him. "Is she okay now?" He didn't even know that Niall had a sister, let alone that she had been ill.

Niall nodded, though his face was rigid and unsmiling. "Yeah, she is," he said. "She still struggles from time to time, but is a lot better. But she wouldn't go to treatment or therapy. And she was over 18 so we couldn't make her. She finally checked herself in last year."