In The Still Of The Night

Clandestine

Louis lays on his bed after dinner, uncrossing and crossing his ankles, trying to get comfortable as he counts down the minutes until he and Liam can leave to meet Harry and Zayn. He can hear Liam talking with Maryanne and Lionel in the living area, words reduced to murmurs through the wall, the sound of metal on crockery tinkling as someone is making coffee.

"Louis!" His aunt calls out. "Do you want a coffee?"

"No thank you!" He shouts back. That's the last thing he needs, his stomach already in knots and patience wearing thin. He just wants to go.

He flips onto his side and glares at the clock on the wall, every tick of the second hand transposed to a thud in his chest. He groans and turns onto his back once again, staring at the ceiling. Closing his eyes, he takes slow, deep breaths, running through the steps he's learned for the dance in his head but he only succeeds in distracting himself for a few moments before images of Harry bombard his thoughts. He huffs out in frustration, pushing the heels of his palms into his eyes as if he could magically force the visions into the recesses of his brain.

Nothing helps, Harry is everywhere, and seeing him and Zayn dancing another exhibition over dinner in the main dining room certainly hadn't improved things. Having him in the same room, so close, but so far, not able to reach out and touch him or command his full attention had been excruciating.

Louis had been able to stare, of course, and stare he most certainly did, sure that his eyes never left Harry the entire time. Harry, for his part, had mostly been able to maintain his cool. When his gaze had first landed on Louis it had held for a beat before quickly sliding to Eric who was seated next to him at the table. It was entirely innocent, of course, but that hadn't stopped Harry from stiffening his hold on Zayn to the point where Zayn had stomped on his foot to snap him out of it. Louis had rolled his eyes and smiled sweetly, giving Harry a small shake of his head in silent reassurance. He's not sure it was completely successful with the way Harry had kept looking back, Eric taking great joy elbowing him in the ribs every time it happened. Had they not been where they were, with hundreds of eyes fixed on Harry, he's fairly sure he would've stormed over and thrown Louis over his shoulder, stealing him away and into the night, creating a whole other fantasy that Louis has added to his ever-growing list of things he very much wants Harry to do to him.

He glances at the clock again, barely a minute having passed, and pulls the pillow from under his head, shoving it on top of his face and holding it down tightly, screaming into the soft material.

He hears someone come into the room and sighs. "You alright there, Lou?" Liam asks, the words muffled to Louis' ears.

"No, Liam. No, I most definitely am not," he mumbles into the pillow.

"Lou. Look at me."

"No," he says petulantly before Liam tugs his protection away from him. He's sitting on the edge of his bed giving Louis a sympathetic look. Louis glares at him and crosses his arms over his chest.

"What's up?"

Louis huffs out a breath. "I think the stupid clock's broken."

Liam twists around to glance behind him at the clock and then turns back. The sympathetic look is gone and now he's just smirking at him. Asshole.

"I really don't think it is, but I get why you're antsy. I wanna see Zayn too," Liam says, eyes slightly kinder now in a show of camaraderie. So alright, maybe Louis was a tad hasty with the whole asshole thing.

Louis sits up and swings his legs off the bed, facing Liam, their knees almost touching in the small space between their beds. "I just... I just want to be with him all the time , you know?"