Broken Soul (Larry Stylinson) Alpha/Omega

Chapter 13

Things changed after that. Not significantly, but enough for Louis to feel better. There was a prominent tension between him and Harry whenever they crossed paths in the hallway, but it was as though they had made a silent agreement that they wouldn't acknowledge each other. Every time they met, Harry looked away, and Louis kept his gaze forward while biting the inside of his cheek.

Louis couldn't deny that his omega was affected, though. Since he and Harry were both majoring in English, it was impossible not to breathe in his scent at some point, and every time it happened, the hairs on his body stood up and his mouth started salivating. It was embarrassing, but he couldn't do anything about it.

Another thing Louis couldn't deny was that his omega relaxed every time he was near Harry, as though it felt safe whenever he could sense that Harry was around. This was no news, but Louis thought the feeling would go away after a while of staying away from him, but apparently he wasn't that lucky.

What Louis was most grateful for, however, was that he barely saw Harry being affectionate with other omegas in the hallways anymore. Since their phone call, Louis had only caught him with one or two omegas, one of them being Nathalie. He was sure Harry still did whatever he used to with them privately, but Louis didn't care as long as he didn't have to see it. What his omega didn't know didn't affect him.

He appreciated that Harry had listened to him, though. It was the first time he had done so since they started talking, and he hoped it would stay that way since Harry wasn't alone in this. Whatever happened between them affected Louis as well.

Contrary to Harry, Derek had tried to talk to him. Louis knew he should tell him to stay away, but for some reason, he found it hard to be mean to people who were nice to him, and Derek had been nothing but nice since he apologized for his behavior. Louis still didn't enjoy his company, though. He was reminded of their first encounter every time he saw him, and it made him uneasy.

It had only been a week since then, but it felt longer. Liam and Zayn had grown closer, and sometimes they would spend their afternoons at his and Liam's dorm. The first time it happened, Louis had decided to spend time with Destiny since he didn't want to disturb them, but next time, he stayed to chat with them throughout the afternoon, and he ended up liking Zayn even more than he did before.

Sometimes he wondered how Zayn could be afraid of being alone when he was so genuine and had so many friends. Even if he had broken up with Gigi and hadn't found Liam directly, he still wouldn't have been alone. He and Harry were best friends, which had been confirmed by Zayn only a couple of days ago. Even if Louis didn't like Harry, he was sure he would never abandon Zayn, so he figured there was something more profound than that, something Louis probably shouldn't speculate about.

On Wednesday, Louis sat with Liam, Destiny and Niall in the cafeteria during lunch break. His day had been great so far. He and Destiny had chatted about what series they would start next during the morning lecture, and Niall had cracked jokes when he joined them in the hallway afterwards. Louis' lips had been twitched into a smile all day up until Nathalie decided to open her mouth at the table next to theirs.

"Harry asked me to go back with him after uni today."

He could feel his teeth clash as he turned to her, noticing that she was chatting with her friends. Her straight, red hair reached just below her shoulders, and he was glad he couldn't see her face.

"Oh, damn. About time, isn't it?" a girl replied, sounding slightly jealous, although happy for her friend.

Nathalie shrugged. "Yeah, but I haven't minded the wait. It's been completely worth it, and I have a feeling he won't drop me afterwards since we've gotten to know each other so well."