Songs For How You Taste | l.s.

Chapter 2

Louis never noticed that Harry was in this class. Perhaps it was because most of the time in his Public Speaking class was spent eyes cast down on his laptop, browsing through Reddit or Twitter. It was a core communication class, and Louis figured he was pretty good at talking out loud. He didn't really need to pay that much attention.

Plus, the tests were online.

But a couple days after standing between Harry Styles' legs to clean blood off his forehead, Louis alarm didn't go off; he was running late. And when he walked in 10 minutes after the lecture started, his eyes first fell upon the brown-haired boy, meticulously taking handwritten lecture notes, sitting in the first row, long legs stretched out.

Harry didn't catch his eyes, ring clad fingers wrapped around a pencil, quickly writing the words on the slide. And Louis hesitated for a second on his trip to the back of the classroom, sitting an empty desk against the wall.

And now Harry was all Louis could see in this class. He tried to go about his normal routine of pulling out his laptop and letting the monotone voice of Professor Raynor become white noise as he just read from the slide.

But then Harry would shift in his desk, he'd turn the page in his notebook, or he'd run his hand through his hair. He'd drop his pencil, bend to pick it up, take a sip of water, then write, write, write.

And every tiny movement, Louis caught in the corner of his eye. And every tiny movement drove Louis just a little bit insane.

So, he thought it was warranted when he quickly jogged over to Harry when class let out to talk to him. He packed up his stuff two minutes early to be sure he'd catch him, he did have to account for the fact that he was sat in the back of the class and that Harry had long legs.

"You do know," Louis began, legs moving quickly to keep up with the fact that one step for Harry was two for him. "...that the slides are posted online, right?"

Harry's head whipped towards him, eyes flashing in recognition and then confusion. "Uh, yeah?"

"Then why do you hand write everything?"

"Do you judge the way everyone does everything? Or just me?" Harry's voice edged in annoyance. He looked straight forward, but he did slow down just a bit, so Louis wouldn't have to struggle to keep up.

"Are you asking me if you're special to me, babe?" Louis teased, and maybe he was obsessed with making Harry flush, obsessed with the way the blush crept up on his cheeks and the way his eyes widened, the green darkened. And Louis couldn't decide if he cared whether Harry's cheeks were turning pink because he was angry or maybe because he liked being teased.

"Excuse me?"

"Where are you headed?"

"Away from judgmental people." Harry replied, with a pointed look towards Louis. And Harry was kind of running out of space to ditch Louis, because he was heading to the only on campus coffee shop. And Harry needed some coffee before his creative writing poetry class.

They'd already reached Harry's destination, Louis noticed he slowed down. "Roasted Bean? Don't think a coffee shop is where you get away from judgmental people, if I'm honest."

Harry sighed. He only had 30 minutes before his poetry class, he could deal with Louis for 30 minutes. "Coming in?"

Louis' sky blue eyes brightened up at that, and he nodded eagerly. And Harry may or may not have thrown a line out to him about Louis fitting in, since there were already judgmental people. The line, a bit to Harry's dismay, was long.