Dare To Love

5 - Large Americano

Light filled the room, waking Louis from his deep sleep. The soft sound of birds chirping mixed with the muffled chatter of students outside waking him.

With a grunt, he tried to sit up. Louis wobbled a little even in only a sitting position, quickly giving up and dropping back down onto his bed. The blankets were all pulled back from where he'd been sleeping, and he took a deep breath through his nose, his back arching as his arms went over his head, earning a groan as he stretched. He extended his arms across the mattress, his back arching underneath the soft covers.

After stretching out his limbs, he registered the throbbing headache, and it almost felt as if someone was squeezing his skull tightly and his brain was screaming at him. His mouth was dry, and he felt nauseous. All he wanted to do was sleep away the haze and never set foot outside.

He'd drank too much.

He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he relished in the darkness and silence of his dorm room. He was on the verge on sleep when the beeping of his phone brought him back to reality, cursing as he tugged the sleek device from his bedside table, glancing down and seeing his alarm flashing across the screen. He sighed, falling back onto his pillow and groaning.

He'd completely forgotten about practice on Saturdays, and the worst part, he was hungover.

Louis drowsily rolled out of bed, wobbling as he made his way to his drawers, frantically digging through his drawers to find something to wear to practice. He changed into a pair of sweatpants and a light grey sweater — he felt like shit and probably looked the part.

He walked towards the small bathroom, turning towards the mirror and shaking out his hair a few times to make it seem at least somewhat presentable. With a noncommittal shrug at his tired reflection, he couldn't help but think that he wouldn't look as worn out if he could sleep at least six hours a night. He rubbed at his bloodshot eyes, attempting to rub the tiredness out of them. He yawned once more, turning on his heels and gathering his belongings before strolling towards the small coffee shop he'd found.

He wouldn't survive without caffeine.

Luckily for him, the lineup wasn't long, and it was probably for the best that he didn't have much time to think about last night's situation because he didn't want to acknowledge the shadow following him this early in the day. He waited behind another student, letting out a breath of relief when the smell of caffeine hit his nostrils.

"Louis," Harry greeted, a shy smile on his face, green eyes landing everywhere but to Louis'. "Rough night, eh?"

"Pretty rough," Louis agreed, motioning towards his appearance. "I feel like the actual embodiment of death at the moment, so I'm not having the best day ever."

At that, Harry's face split into a smile, dimples appearing on his cheeks. "So, um," Harry started, leaning onto the counter. "What can I get you today?"

"I'll have a large Americano with a dash of cream, please," Louis ordered, fishing out his wallet from the pocket of his sweater.

Green eyes dropped to the cash register as he nodded, passing a hand through his curly hair as he punched in the total. Louis quickly fished out his wallet and paid for his coffee, moving to the side as he waited for the warm drink. A few minutes passed and he watched as Harry nervously bit his bottom lip, his gaze darting rapidly between Louis and the coffee he was making.

Harry handed over the coffee to Louis, their fingers brushing in the exchange as Louis wrapped his cold fingers around the steaming cup. Harry leaned forward on the counter, intense green eyes staring down at the young man across from him.