The X-Factor Experience | L.S

Thirty Five: June/July

Harry woke up to something wet hitting his face. He twisted his nose up and peeled his eyes open. He took in his surroundings.

Tall trees and berry bushes circled him. A bunny emerged from the mass of mushrooms and drops of water dripped from the leaves above him. He looked around. The studio wasn't in sight. 

He realised that it was raining lightly, its classic scent filling up his nose.

The next thing he noticed was how his head was pillowed on something warm and soft. He looked down and was met with the beautiful sight of a sleeping Louis.

He remembered what happened last night and smiled to himself. Never had he experienced a night to be so magical. Never had he slow danced with someone in the woods and enjoyed it as much as he had.

Another droplet fell on the tip of his nose and then it escalated dramatically - the rainfall grew heavier and started to pour down on them both, drenching their clothes. Harry shook Louis awake. 

He had never slept with him before so he had yet to find out if he was a morning person or not.

A deep grumble came out of Louis' throat. His eyes were still closed. Rain had caused dampness on those dark eyelashes that swept over his cheeks with ease as he hid his face in Harry's abdomen.

"Lou, it's raining, come on." The rain continued to shower them in its persistent, endless flow. Harry's curls were soaked. When Louis still wouldn't wake up, Harry glared and pushed him off of him. "Louis! You'll get cold."

"Then you'd better warm me," Louis just slurred.

Harry rolled his eyes, "wake up or I'm stealing your car and driving home without you."

"You wouldn't," Louis said but pushed himself up on his elbow anyway, rubbing his eyes sleepily. 

Harry looked down to hide how cute he thought that was.

The dirt lying around them had now turned into miry mud, and the sound of rain meeting with the grass blurred into a loud, hissing noise.

Harry stood up and helped Louis to his feet. They started running towards the studio, hands adjoined. As they sprinted through the woods like the main leads in a Nicholas Sparks movie, Harry got major flashbacks to boot camp where they had also escaped from the rain after a walk in the forest just before Harry's performance with Ronja and Stuart

He paused to wonder how those guys were doing.

They made it to the studio, panting heavily from the running they'd done as they stood hunched over the railing of the terrace. Harry turned his head to get a look at Louis. His mouth was parted open as water beads trickled from his hair, onto his nose and all the way down to his glossy lips.

Louis jerked his head towards him and his mouth quirked into a smirk as he started to move closer.

"You called me 'Lou'," he then acknowledged.

"Huh? Oh," Harry ran his hands through his damp curls, shifting glances all around the place, "um, yeah. What about it."

"Nothing," Louis shrugged. "It's just not like you to call me by a nickname, that's all."

"Maybe I just wanted to try something out," Harry said. "And do you have to sound so amused by it?"

"Sorry, sorry," Louis laughed. Then he put on a serious face. "You don't have to call me it just because Mark did, though."

"Oh, so you can call me babe and baby but I can't call you Lou? How is that fair? And I'm not even jealous of Mark!"

"I never said you were, honey. You can call me Lou, I just prefer Louis when it's you. The way you say it makes me love my name."