Bound by Pages | larry

nine

He took his seat quickly but took lots of time thinking about this English room. The year had just started, but this room already felt like home. The way the beige paint chipped off the wall was unique to this room. In no other room was there a stickman comic series drown on the desk that was so good that Mr Wikards had gone over it in sharpie. This room was unique in the way it smelled, the way it felt, and the way Louis looked when he was in it.

Harry didn't see Louis in the school a lot. When he did, Louis always looked quiet, reserved. Sometimes, the smaller boy just looked miserable. In the English room, the real Louis came out. The happiest Harry ever sees the younger boy is the early mornings when the taller boy steals glances at the bouncing beanie. Louis was only truely alive when he's sitting in this room, scribbling away in his little brown journal.

Speaking of the smaller boy, Harry felt a presence beside him as Louis sat down, snapping him out fo his nostalgic trance. The younger boy didn't respond to Harry's smile nor his wave. He frowned, but perhaps Louis had just not seen him.

Harry didn't get a chance to speak before his teacher started talking. Just some general stuff about the debate, the essay, things Harry had already known. For the first time this year, Harry just wanted Mr Wikards to shut up. In no offence to the teacher, of course, Harry just wanted to talk to Louis.

Finally, the man left them to work. Louis stayed quiet, not looking up. He just continued writing into the journal type book he always had with him. It looked slightly more worn down than the last time Harry had seen it, proving how much love Louis had given it over the past few days.

"Louis?" Harry asked quietly. He didn't want to upset the boy. Louis didn't respond and Harry kicked himself for asking so quietly. He didn't know if Louis had heard or not. If he had not heard Harry could easily call the name again. If Louis had heard and Harry called his name again, that could just come across as extremely annoying.

"Stop staring at me, I heard you." Louis' voice whispered with a special kind of rasp. It made Harry happy hearing Louis' voice, but then again the smaller boy had also been ignoring him. Harry didn't really know how to feel about that.

"We finished our work, why are you still sitting near me?" Louis finally looked up, showing puffy eyes, and his bangs lazily placed under his beanie to hide the majority of his forehead.

"You sat next to me," Harry mumbled, which caught Louis off guard a little.

"Oh." The brunet sighed. As he started packing up his stuff. "Sorry about that."

"No don't leave." Harry hoped he didn't sound too desperate.

"Why?"

"I need help."

"With what?"

"The essay." Harry didn't think before he said it. He didn't think about the damage it could cause. He just wanted a reason for Louis to stay. And it worked too well.

Air whooshed across his face caused by the books Louis quickly dropped on his desk. As angry as the smaller boy seemed to be, he also seemed like he was about to cry. His chest was shaking, and his breathing was rapidly increasing in speed. Water lined his eyelashes as he started spitting words into Harry's face.

"You're asking me to help you write an essay? I literally spent hours writing the perfect essay for you but you don't take it! Not only do you not accept it, but you want me to help you write another one while a perfectly good essay goes to waste?! Let me get this straight, not only do you dare to show up every day with your stupid attractive face, but you think my writing isn't good enough for you Harry Styles?! You're really a jerk, aren't you? And you-"

"Louis." Harry finally recovered from the astonishment that Louis was actually yelling at him.

"You, you think you can just be that. Be a jerk. Fine, you expect better, but why ask me to help today?" Louis stopped yelling at this point. It sounded like he was trying to pose a legit question.

"Louis." The smaller brunet's head snapped up at the sound of Harry's calm voice.

"You don't deserve to be so calm Harry. How can you dare to be so calm when you literally make me like th-" Harry darted his hand towards the bottom of Louis' face, placing it under his chin. This is what his father did to him, but Harry didn't feel like his father. He felt calmer, more reassuring.

Or at least he hoped he wasn't like his father. He would never want Louis to experience whatever Harry's father did to him. It's just such a cold feeling when somebody places their hands on you. Honestly, Harry didn't even want to imagine anybody doing harm to Louis. The boy just seemed so small and fragile.

Harry looked Louis straight in the eyes with his hand still under his chin. Louis had beautiful eyes. They were dark blue but in a warm way. They had depth, they beautiful without even trying. Harry had seen hundreds of blue eyes in his lifetime, but Louis' was so special. By just looking at them, you can tell that he's an artist, a creator. His dark eyelashes also compliment the colour of his irises so perfectly.

He made sure Louis' wasn't going to burst out crying in the middle of class before starting to speak.

"Louis. You're completely wrong. I don't think your essay isn't good enough for me. I think it's too good, and I think that you're going to use it." Harry spoke in a very low voice, right into Louis' eyes. The younger boy was still too shocked to break eye contact.

Harry let go of Louis and shook his head in his hand, taking his hair with it. What had he just done?

"I wasn't going to hand one in," Louis whispered, flipping his hands back and forth, looking to distract himself from the situation.

"Sorry?" Harry asked a pardon.

"An essay. I wasn't planning on giving one in," the boy admitted.

"Hand in yours. Help me with mine." Harry smiled a reassuring smile at the boy. "Please?"

"Fine." Louis' pouted, and finally, the atmosphere didn't feel so tense. Harry was about to get to work when he remembered something Louis had screamed at him.

"Did you just call me attractive?" Harry smirked.

"No."

"You totally did."

"Fine, you're attractive. If that makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to talk to me anymore." Louis frowned and look at Harry's brown boots.

"Would you want to come over after school? Work on the essay?" Harry suggested. The look on Louis' face was hilarious just because of how shocked it was. Harry didn't expect much from it. He was just trying to show Louis that he didn't mind at all whoever he wanted to find attractive.

"Are you serious?" Louis asked.

"Sure" Harry shrugged. "Why not?"

"Okay then."

"Okay then."

Louis actually said yes. Harry wasn't freaking out. That was good. Honestly, Harry was expecting Louis to say no, rejecting his offer. It was a huge feeling of accomplishment to have the younger boy say yes.

For the rest of the day, Harry was giddy. He just hoped his parents weren't home for his after school work date with the beautiful Louis.

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