back for you ➳ l.s.

thirteen - i know we only met but let's pretend it's love

Needless to say, when Harry came home and told Niall that he had not only taken Louis back but also confessed his love for him, Niall had been fairly upset.

"Harry, this is too much! This is all moving way too fast!" the Irish boy had exclaimed.

"I know," Harry admitted. "But I can't help it!"

Niall just shook his head in disbelief, folding his arms on the counter and hiding his face.

"You knew I was in love with him the minute he stepped back into the diner!" Harry accused. "There's no way you didn't see this coming!"

"Of course I saw it coming," Niall had replied, his voice muffled by his arms. "That doesn't mean I think it's a good idea."

So, after some serious convincing on Harry's part and a couple weeks of Louis "accidentally" showing up at the diner while Niall was working to chat with him, the Irish boy finally agreed to go to the bar with Harry, Louis, and Liam. On the drive over, Niall tried his hardest to act annoyed at Harry, but with his friend singing along energetically to the radio and poking him repeatedly to get him to join in, he couldn't keep it up.

As they walked up to the already-crowded bar, Harry slung an arm around Niall's shoulders. "This is going to be so much fun," Harry grinned.

"It better be," Niall grumbled.

Louis and Liam were waiting right inside the door. Louis's face lit up when he saw Harry, a goofy smile spreading across his face as he pulled Liam toward the other two boys.

"Hi!" Harry wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's neck as soon as he was close enough.

With one arm around tightly holding Harry's waist, keeping the boy solidly anchored to his side, Louis reached out to grasp Niall's shoulder firmly. "Ready for a fun night, mate?"

"You know me, Lou. Always ready for a good time," Niall replied, pasting a smile on his face.

"Hey, I don't think we've met. I'm Liam." Liam extended a hand for Niall to shake.

Surprisingly, Niall and Liam hit it off. While Harry and Louis hung out together by the bar, the two boys stood across the room talking for a long time. After a while, Niall made his way over to the couple. He was grinning loudly, and Harry could tell that his friend was already a couple drinks deep.

"Come on, Haz. Just because you're obsessively in love doesn't mean you can't dance with me!" Niall shouted. He grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him onto the dance floor.

Harry shot Louis a pouty look over his shoulder, upset at the thought of being apart from his boyfriend for even a second. Louis just grinned back at him, leaning his elbows on the bar behind him to watch.

Harry always looked a bit tense and uncomfortable when he first stepped onto a dance floor, but Louis knew it wouldn't take more than a minute for the boy to relax. Niall held out his arm for Harry to twirl, both of them grinning widely, and then the two boys were swaying in all directions.

Liam slid into the seat beside him. "What's got you so mesmerized? Acting like a supermodel just accidentally walked into this tiny little bar."

Louis just cocked his head in the direction of the two friends. He probably wouldn't be able to wipe the stupid smile off his face if his life depended on it.

"Wow," Liam said. He took a sip of his drink, joining Louis in watching the two boys. "They're just shameless, huh?"

Harry and Niall were dancing like complete idiots now, moving ridiculously to the beat of the music. Niall jumped up in the air to attempt some sort of ridiculous cheerleading stunt, and Harry threw his head back and laughed. Then Harry leaned forward to whisper something in his friend's ear, and Niall's face lit up with amusement. Before Louis knew what was happening, the two boys were trying to twerk, stopping every few seconds to either critique each other or laugh hysterically. Louis had half a mind to go over there and stop them -- he really didn't need anyone else in the bar admiring Harry's arse -- but he couldn't bring himself to actually do it. Not when Harry was having so much fun.

"Yeah, you'd think they had one brain between them," Louis joked to Liam, but he felt a bit dazed. Even his voice sounded far away as he focused solely on Harry.

At times like this, Louis knew that Niall brought out the best in Harry, letting the boy let loose and be unapologetically himself with no judgement. Harry was so unbelievably gorgeous and sexy when he acted like this, like the world around him only existed to make him look and feel good. Louis could feel his head growing fuzzy as he watched his boyfriend spin and jump idiotically without any trace of insecurities.

And then everything clicked back into focus.

Harry froze. The curly-haired boy gripped Niall's arm tightly, his eyes locked on something across the room.

Nick and his friends hadn't spotted Harry and Niall yet, but he knew they would. The bar was too small for them to pass the rest of the night there and not run into each other, even if Harry spent the whole time actively avoiding his ex-boyfriend and his posse.

Harry could feel himself spiraling into a state of anxiety. His head grew heavy, and a restless tangle of nerves stirred in his stomach. His thoughts were coming too slowly and too quickly at the same time, and he could feel Niall's worried stare heating his already-too-hot cheeks.

Then, even through his own nervous haze, and even over the loud chatter of the crowd and the pulsing music, Harry heard the sound of his boyfriend's voice. He spun around, immediately making eye contact with Louis, and he knew his boyfriend had caught a glimpse of Nick, too.

"H," Louis had called firmly, speaking loudly to be heard despite the distance between them. He opened his arms, a silent signal for the younger boy. "Come here, baby."

Harry complied instantly, weaving through the crowd and settling his back comfortably against Louis's front. His wide eyes followed Nick and his friends as they moved through the crowd.

"Alright?" Louis asked, tightening his arms around Harry's chest.

Harry nodded, raising one hand to grip Louis's forearm and willing his body to relax into Louis's touch. "I'm fine." He glanced back at Louis over his shoulder. "As long as you're here."

Louis smiled lovingly, pressing a firm kiss against the boy's head. "You're cheesy tonight."

"You love it," Harry grinned.

"Of course I do." Hoping to distract him from obsessing over Nick's presence, Louis leaned forward, resting his chin on Harry's shoulder so that his lips were right beside the boy's ear when he spoke. "You looked sexy when you were dancing."

Harry giggled, and he leaned further back into Louis's chest. "I did not."

Louis didn't respond verbally, just hummed quietly with amusement and let Harry process his words. Right as Harry opened his mouth to speak, Niall suddenly jumped out of his seat.

"Damn it!" the Irish boy shouted. He turned to Harry, running his fingers through his hair in frustration and stress. "I left my chemistry notes at the diner when I closed up. I need them for my lab report."

"I'll go with you," Harry offered. He glanced back at Louis. "Is that okay? I don't want you to feel abandoned."

"Of course, love. See you tomorrow?" Louis asked. He tucked a stray curl behind Harry's ear, studying Harry's face for any signs of stress or anxiety. He knew that the boy was hiding his true feelings about seeing Nick, but he wasn't about to pry. Especially in front of their friends.

"Tomorrow," Harry agreed. He surged forward to press his lips against Louis's, but only for a second, leaving Louis desperately wanting more. His hands lingered on Harry's hips for as long as possible before the curly-haired boy slipped away, shooting Louis an innocent smile as he followed Niall toward the door.

Louis groaned and leaned back against the bar, watching the back of Harry's curly head until the two boys were out of sight. "That boy will be the death of me," he sighed to no one in particular.