Harry's POV:
"Mum, can I please drink a fizzy drink?" I tug on her floral dress, looking up at her with the biggest puppy eyes I can muster, sticking out my bottom lip for added effect.
She glances at her watch and then back down at me with a small smile. "It's late, almost midnight, but tonight's a special occasion so go ahead, hun. I think they're in the fridge, but don't take long. The ball is dropping soon, you wouldn't want to miss it! After all, this is the first time you've ever seen it."
I hug her around the waist as a thank you. She and my dad never let me drink soda since I'm only 7 and still in primary school because apparently fizzy drinks have caffeine, just like the coffee Mum and Dad drink each morning. But New Year's Eve and my birthday are normally their two exceptions to the 'no caffeine' rule.
I shuffle through the crowd of friends and family that my parents have invited over for the night. I didn't invite any of my school friends because they weren't allowed to stay up this late because their parents said so, but this is the first New Year's Eve party I've been allowed to stay up for, so I'm excited either way.
I recognize a few of my parents' friends and a few family members as I pass by them on my way to the refrigerator. My dad's in the kitchen and I run up to him. "Dad, Mum said I could have a soda! Can you get me one from the fridge? She puts them on the top shelf in there and I can't reach it without a stool,"
He smiles and ruffles my curly hair before opening the fridge. But after a few seconds of rummaging around on the top shelf, he frowns and shuts the fridge door.
"There's none left down here, I think my friend from work drank the last one. We keep a few different flavors downstairs, though, so go ahead and run down in the basement to get yourself one," He tells me.
"Just one, though! Can't have you all sugared up when you're supposed to go to bed right after midnight," My dad laughs to himself.
"The basement?" You never know what kind of monsters are in the basement, it's dark and a scary unknown.
My one friend from school - Henri - told me that he once saw a zombie in his basement when he went to find a football to play with, and he never goes down there anymore.
But at the same time, I really, really want a fizzy drink.
"Yeah, you'll be alright I promise there are no creatures downstairs, okay?"
"Okay, I believe you," I nod slowly, "BUT if I get attacked by a monster I'm blaming it on you, and you better rescue me because my birthday is in two months."
"Sounds like a plan. But be quick, the ball is dropping in..." He looks over to the tv in the living room, where the program is airing, "Three minutes! Then it'll be 2002, isn't that exciting?"
"Yeah, I'm so excited! I made a resolution to hug my best friends every day in school," I beam fondly at the thought of them.
"That's adorable," He gushes giving me a little hug, "Okay, hurry up. I'm going to go join your mum and friends in the living room."
I thank him and make my way to the basement, speed walking to save time. My choices are Tango, Coca-Cola, or Vitmo. I grab a can of Tango because the bubbly orange-ness reminds me of a fizzy orange juice (my favorite juice).
Just as I've turned around, fizzy drink in hand, I hear loud, echoing footsteps descending the squeaky basement stairs. I freeze, trying to rack my brain of the zombie survival attacks I saw in the 'Buzz Buster's 101 Ways To Survive A Zombie Attack' movie last weekend.
The basement lighting is dim (all the more reason to be scared of monsters) and I squint towards the stairs, even though I know Buzz says I should use my ZomBuster™ gun to ward off all zombies that come my way.
However, instead of a zombie, I make out my Uncle Rob greeting me with an overly happy smile plastered on his face. I know I should be thankful there aren't any monsters down here like my dad promised me, but for some reason makes my stomach feel uneasy.
He reaches the bottom of the stairs, his arms outstretched as he continues to walk towards me. I soon find myself trapped between his presence towering over me and a few storage bins of Halloween and Easter decorations Mum and Gemma organized last month.
Uncle Rob peers down at me, as I hear everyone upstairs counting down from 60 in await of the ball drop. All I want to do is run upstairs and see the ball drop, but I can't. Uncle Rob must sense my anxiety over missing the New Year's celebration because he reaches out and strokes my arm.
"Hello, Harry. Fancy a New Year's hug from your favorite uncle?"
✰ ✰ ✰
Louis' POV:
"Guys, stop fucking around. Don't you dare make us late! It's Saturday and I told Harry I'd meet him and Niall at 10." I glance at the clock anxiously as I pace around the flat.
9:45 a.m.
"Let's goooo," I whine. Patience has never been a strength of mine. On the other hand, us running late will make Harry believe in excel in tardiness (which I do, but not on purpose).
"Hold on to your panties, my god. Why are you so excited anyway?" Zayn shouts from their bathroom. Liam walks out of their bedroom, ready to go. Zayn, however, doesn't follow and I'm willing to bet money that he's trying to style his hair into perfection.
"Yeah, why do you care so much? You're late to things all the time," Thanks, Captain Obvious.
"I've been 'holding onto my 'panties' for the last forty-five minutes," I half-snap at Zayn from across the flat, mocking his tone when mentioning the panties before turning to Liam.
"Maybe I'm just excited to see him and don't want to make myself look like someone who's always tardy all the time. It's not my fault we're gonna be late," I shrug.
Liam's slight hobble and look of discomfort are enough to tell me all I need to know. I roll my eyes. "Ugh, Li, did you guys really have sex this morning while I drove to refill the tank on your truck? Is that why you both suddenly had to take a shower when I checked on you to see if you two were ready to leave?"
His cheeks flush a bright pink, yet I can't find a trace of guilt on his face. "You two are so horny, oh my god." I let out a dramatic sigh. "Sometimes I wonder if you two actually love each other or if you're just in it to get one up the ass,"
Liam sputters but quickly speaks up to defend himself. "Deeply in love, no thanks to your meddling. The amazing and ungodly sex is just an added bonus," He mumbles the second part.
I don't question him further, however. I know they're head over heels for one another, I just like giving Liam shit about it. The source of my teasing may have something to do with my sex-deprived self., but I guess we'll never know.
"I'm ready, chill out you twat and stop insulting my boyfriend. We had a better morning than you," Zayn snaps, and Liam smirks at me, hooking an arm around Zayn's waist and placing a small kiss on his forehead.
"Fine, whatever. Li, can you drive, or is your ass too sore from getting it on?" I can't help but snicker at my own joke. I wonder if Harry's into sassy people with humor so terrible, it's funny. If he is, we're destined for one another.
He huffs but Zayn only smiles, clearly proud of what he's done. We walk to my car and I toss Liam my keys before hopping in the passenger seat, buckling my seatbelt after I plop down.
Zayn grumbles about sitting in the backseat but I kindly remind him it's my car and therefore my rules. The drive to the cafe doesn't take long and by something short of a miracle, we make it there with exactly two minutes to spare.
"I saved two booths for you guys: your regular booth and the one right next to it. I imagined it'd be hard to fit five people in one booth, so it's up to you how you want to split up," Jen tells us when we walk in. "Although I already know who's going in what booth," She winks.
"We'll have Louis sit with his boyfriend, and Zayn and I can meet Niall," This earns Liam a joking sucker punch to his stomach and he doubles over, laughing.
" 'S not my boyfriend," I grumble. Yet.
"Sure Romeo," I can hear Zayn whisper to Liam under his breath and he gets a sucker punch too.
"They ordered already, so I could just take your order here. The regulars, I presume?" Jen asks us, pulling out her little notebook.
"Yeah, that'd be great," I say and she nods. Liam and Zayn thank her and walk to greet Niall in the one booth, leaving our regular booth open for Harry and me.
I hang back and hover at Jen's post by the door. "Jen, can you bring Harry a croissant too? I'll pay for it but they're really good when they're warm and he should try one,"
She grins at me, briefly glancing over at the booth where I can see Harry turned around and greeting my best friends with warm smiles. "I would, but between you and me he's already ordered you one. He got one for himself too, and both of them are already at your booth. But I didn't tell you, okay?"
"Are you fucking with me?"
"No. But if you don't want it, then I can tell him and take it back into the kitchen. That'd be one way to make an impression, but not necessarily a good one,"
"No, no, I want it, especially if he ordered it for me," The small gestures makes me feel all warm and cozy inside, and I smile to myself. "It's unexpected, but a really sweet gesture," I blush.
"Alright, go flirt and I'll be out with your drink and food soon," I open my mouth to protest her assumption, but close it again realizing that she's not wrong.
"Mhmm, that's what I thought," She smirks and heads into the kitchen with a smug look on her face.
I walk over to the booth and see Niall, Zayn, and Liam already deep in conversation like they've known each other for years. I offer Niall a wave and he smiles at me (he winks too, but I pretend not to notice).
As my eyes quickly roam over their booth I can help but to notice Zayn's hand literally resting right on Liam's crotch. They really are horny bastards. I'll surely give them shit about making each other hard in public when we get back to the flat.
Our regular booth is right next to theirs, with Niall and Harry sharing the same backrest. Thankfully, the dividers are tall and you can't see over them which means Zayn and Liam won't snoop on Harry and me.
Harry greets me with a warm smile, his dimples quickly appearing as he steps out of the booth to give me a hug. I hug him back fondly, making it brief enough (against my will) too not seem to clingy before sliding into the seat across from him.
"Hi," My voice feels uncomfortably high and I clear my throat. I'm not sure why I'm suddenly nervous, but I need to get it together.
"Thanks for coming," I guarantee you if Zayn was in this booth he would've died laughing at that alone, "Niall's really excited to meet your friends too."
"They look like they're getting along," Harry peeks his head around the booth and his cute curls flop sideways as we do so. I steal a glance over the booth's dividing wall only to be greeted by Zayn making a mockery of kissy and 'love-struck' faces at me, and Liam faking an orgasm as Niall dies laughing across the table.
A classy bunch, aren't they?
"Sorry about them," I apologize, but Harry only laughs. "Sorry about Niall too. He's not much better, you thankfully just didn't see him."
The laughter finally dies down from their booth and it's replaced by friendly chatter and the occasional James Bond-themed exclamation from Zayn and Niall as Harry and I resume our conversation.
"I got you a croissant because I thought you might be hungry," He says quickly, pushing one of the white plates towards me. He looks fidgety and I wonder if he's just as nervous as I am.
"Aw, you didn't have to,"
"I wanted to." I wanted to.
"Plus, they look really good and I didn't want to try one alone," He adds, quickly, taking a bite of his own. I can't help but watch his jaw as he chews slowly, only to tear them away as Jen walks up to our table, placing down a mug of tea for me.
"Louis wanted to order you a crossiant, but you beat him to it," She blurts out.
"Jen!" I go to swiftly kick her, but she steps out of the way before I get the chance, grinning from ear to ear. My cheeks feel red hot and I shoot Jen a look that screams 'I'll get you back for this'.
She only smirks and excuses herself when a woman at another table asks for a refill of decaf coffee. Harry's cheeks have turned a shade redder too, but he doesn't say anything and instead gives me a grin before taking another bite of his croissant.
✰ ✰ ✰
We talk for over an hour, and I've already downed three mugs of tea. I'm surprised I don't have to pee yet. Harry's so unbelievably easy to talk to, and time flies by. Oh, and not to mention that I could stare into his green eyes for all of eternity with no complaints. That too.
"Do you want to come over to my house sometime to hang out?" Harry asks suddenly, and I'm surprised by the offering, but not at all opposed to the idea.
"What? I mean, yeah, I'd love to," I stutter, slightly flustered.
"I have a pool table and stuff and we could hang out or whatever, it'll be fun,"
"Should I bring Zayn and Liam?" Wow, Louis, nice move. Smooth.
He shifts in his seat looking down at his second croissant of the day. "Um, you can if you want." He says quickly, "But like I kind of meant just you and me. Of course, if you want to bring them though, that's okay. I can invite Niall and make it like a little party with all five of us if you'd prefer th-" He rambles.
"Just hanging out with you seems like the better choice," I grin and he smiles in relief, "I live with those two idiots, I don't need them coming with me to cute guys houses with me and stuff,"
SHIT, I just called him cute. I mean, it's probably the most obvious thing in the world, look at those curls and those dimples. And of course, it's not a bad thing, but I didn't mean to let it slip either. Meant to keep that one to myself, at least for now.
"You think I'm cute?" He asks slowly, biting his bottom lip.
I try to think of a cover-up but fail miserably. "Yeah, I do. But don't let it get to your head," I roll my eyes jokingly and he blushes.
"You're really cute too," He says at almost a whisper and my heart skips a beat. Actually, more like 15 beats. The butterflies are alive and well in my tummy, too.
"I know, I'm quite the sight for sore eyes," I joke, pretending to flip back my hair and he giggles.
Not a laugh, a giggle. And fuck, he's so adorable when he does. This man is going to be the death of me, and we haven't even known each other for a week.
Jesus, Louis, get a grip.
"Anyway," Harry says, taking a sip of his coffee, "Is that a yes to you coming over to my place and spending the afternoon?"
"I'd love to!" I say a bit too eagerly, but he just grins.
If Liam and Zayn hear about this, they'll call it a date. But it's just a fun get-together with Harry and me, so they better not get all up in my business about it.
It's just a get-together.
Right?
***
off topic but I wrote this original chapter in mmb back before zayn even mentioned a third album and I remember putting at the end "I need zayn to release z3, my sanity is depending on it" and then he announced it like a week later. OK ZAYN IM READY FOR Z4 BRING IT ON
Thoughts or comments?
VOTE if you're excited for the gEt tOgEtHer