The Ring {L.S}

Chapter 5: Dream Team

Harry showed up at Louis' home on Bellevue Hills Drive at 9:26 in his Corvette. Louis' parents weren't home and his little sisters were spending the night with their aunt across town so he wasn't worried about waking anyone up in his home - his neighbors were a different story. Seeing porch lights come on and screen doors open when Harry pulled around the corner made him laugh out loud. There wasn't anything better than seeing people get angry over something as miniscule as a loud car, there were more important things in life to be mad at.

When they showed up to Maui, it was already packed with college kids from surrounding towns and couples in their late 20s ordering drinks on their days off. Every so often there would be an older couple dressed to the nines enjoying drinks around the bar with the kids, this always made Louis smile. Having someone who is willing to be your date to a bar for the rest of your life is when he'll know that he found the one.

"I'll have a captain and coke and whatever he wants," Harry handed his card to the bartender. "Start me up a tab under Styles, please." Louis went on to order a Michelob Ultra with a lemon and scolded Harry for buying once they were out of earshot from the bartender. It became clear to him that Harry wasn't one to let anyone else pay.

"Louis, save your money. You have school to pay for - if you don't drink under my tab tonight I will never speak to you again," he said while a smirk pulled at the sides of his mouth. There was a table in the back that no one was on and Louis made a beeline for it before anyone else could steal it, this is where they would be all night anyway. Harry set his drink on the ledge next to him and grabbed a cue from the rack and handed it to Louis, "you break, I'll rack." Louis nodded his head toward the end of the table and walked his way to the front. Once Harry was done racking the balls, he went for it. The break was good, but not the best. No balls went in, and Harry chucked under his breath.

"What do you want to be? Stripes? You seem like a stripe kind of guy," Harry bellowed out with a laugh, "that's fine. I can be solids." Harry hit the 3 ball directly into the left corner pocket and chalked his stick in between hits. "2 off the four and they both go into the right pocket," Louis stood gaping at him waiting for what seemed like the impossible shot to go in, and it did. This is when Louis understood that this was definitely not Harry's first, second, or even third game of pool.

"You didn't tell me you played! No fair!" His head hung down and his arms slung across his chest in the middle of a pouty temper tantrum. Harry looked over to Louis like a deer in the headlights and shook his head. "Lou, I'm 23, worked in bars my whole life and went to school in Nebraska - there's literally nothing else better to do. Of course I play."

The 5 ball bounced off the corner of the middle pocket just as he finished speaking, Louis rolled his eyes and took his shot. The 10 ball bounced off the 15 and rolled in. "Nice shot guy," Harry mumbled under his breath. Louis smiled underneath his angry exterior. He wasn't actually mad that Harry was good at pool, just taken back. He wasn't sure what he took Harry for, but a pool shark wasn't it. He was a complex person, but Louis was so intrigued by him that he was ready to learn all that he could.

He followed the 15 all the way down and potted it into the right far corner. "Well, you're better than Zayn, Lou. When they get here I'll take you on my team." Under the light above the table Harry's skin glowed golden. His big green eyes with a slight water in them flicked to his almost empty captain and coke and black to Louis before he said anything else. "Once I miss, I'll get the next round," there was a chuckle between the two of them. "Wow, someone's cheeky tonight" Harry walked around the table to be next to Louis. Louis lined up behind the 9 ball and went for his shot. It ricocheted against the 1 ball and to Louis' surprise the 1 went in instead.

"Could've told you that was going to happen, captain and coke please," Louis walked away toward the bar and hid his smile until he turned around. Harry called out from behind him, "oh, and Lou, get something other than a beer please. It's on me," Louis shook his head and looked down, "don't cheat Styles, I'll be right back."