"What? You know about Niall?"
"I...I'm not sure," stammered Louis. "Well tell me what you know? What are you waiting for?"
"I really hope I'm wrong Harry, I really hope so, but I think Nick might have something to do with this." I instantly stiffened at those words.
"Why am I not surprised?"
"I'm sorry, maybe I should have told you sooner, the thing is, I wasn't interested"
"What? What do you mean?"
"Dunno, honestly I didn't give a damn about what happened to Niall" saying this he shrugged.
"Nice thank you for someone trying to get to know you despite being terrified of you!"
"Nobody asked him!" I rolled my eyes. He just didn't understand the kindness concept!
"Whatever, anyway you still haven't told me how you know"
"Ok. Basically I was out for a walk with Josh, I came back and found Nick in the room. I of course ignored him completely and set about doing my own thing. He immediately started to interrogate me...
"Have you been with Harry?" I looked at him indifferently
"Are you interested?"
"If I asked you obviously I'm interested," he retorted harshly.
"My world doesn't revolve around Harry, Nick and neither should yours." He came over and grabbed me by the shirt. I continued to look at him with indifference.
"Tell me! Tell me you were with Harry!"
"If you want to hear it I'll tell you, but I don't see how it could help you. If you want I can also tell you that you have good hair if that makes you feel better"
"Shit Lou, are you completely crazy?"
"Oh shut up Harry and let me tell you!"
"What do you have against my hair?"
"Nothing, I just wonder if you've ever washed them. Then you wonder why Harry prefers to be with me"
"LOUIS!"
"Shut up Harry, let me finish"
"How dare you? You don't want to mess with me, Tomlinson!"
At that statement I laughed loudly.
"You're joking right? Do you know who you're talking to? Have you ever wondered why the whole school is afraid of me? I'd ask before formulating certain sentences. You don't know what I'm capable of" I pronounced the words in a tone between sarcastic and menacing and I could swear I saw a shiver run down his spine. It was better that way, it was better if he knew who was in charge of this school. I had always been above others, first with my jerk, with my joking and entertaining people I had gained fame and respect from all, then with fear, a different but equally effective method. After the Daniel thing there was no chance of me remaining popular unless I scared them more than they already were. As they say in Gossip Girl: 'You can't make people love you, but you can make them fear you'. The producers of that show are fucking geniuses. So far I hadn't met anyone who wanted to go against me. It could almost be funny, but one thing is for sure, I won't let him take my place in the school and especially I won't let him take my Harry. He could forget it. If anyone was going to get to the bottom, it sure as hell wouldn't have been me.
"I don't care what you're capable of" he mimed quotes with his hands "It only took me a few words to get rid of Niall, it won't take much longer to get rid of another beggar. I'm not afraid of you" I yanked, finally freeing my shirt from Nick's grip.
"Maybe you should start having some" I walked away heading towards the door, in doing so I saw his phone on the cabinet, I 'accidentally' dropped it and falling to the floor I saw that the screen was cracked. "Oops, I'm so sorry! I didn't do it on purpose!" I said ironically and to accentuate it I also brought a hand to my heart "I'll stay and help you try to fix it, but I have to go fuck Harry. Because I can" with this last sentence I left the room for good.
...that's all" he told me. I slapped him on the back of the neck as hard as I could.
"Ouch! What's wrong with you?"
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME? Louis, you're the one getting into war with Nick! Lou he almost raped me! I don't know if you fully understand the concept! He's dangerous!"
"I can take care of myself Harreh"
"No! I don't want anything to happen to you! And then, can I know why you go around telling everyone that you fuck me?" he winked in my direction.
"Okay honey, it means that next time I'll do it directly without saying it," he said in a mischievous tone. At those words, my eyes widened.
"Relax Harry, I was just kidding" I sighed, but I didn't know if it was either relief or disappointment.
"You're an idiot"
"Yes, yes as you want curly"
"Okay, but now let's move on to the important things" I said to get back to my main concern of the moment "Niall. Evidently Nick must have threatened him somehow... But why?"
"You still don't get it?" I looked at him confused "He wants to get away from you all the people who are close to you Harry! he started from Niall because he is the one who is closest to you and also because he is the weakest, then it will be Liam, then Zayn, and then maybe Josh too"
"But... There's... Are you sure?" He rolled his eyes as if he had to explain to a child how to do two plus two. "Harry, remember what I did to you when you first hung out with Josh?"
"You slammed me against the wall and almost hit me telling me to stay away from him but what... oh!"
"It's the same concept," he confirmed.
"Lou, please you have to help me! You apparently understand Nick much better than me, you have to help me get Niall back!" I saw him lower his head.
"Do you like him?"
"Who Nick? Are you crazy? I'm basically telling you I'm fucking terrified of him!"
"No, Niall."
"Niall? What are you.." an idea flashed in my head however absurd "Are you jealous of Niall?"
"No, what are you saying!" he almost shouted, then turned away and crossed his arms.
I slowly walked up to him and turned him back towards me. He persisted to keep his head down so I lifted up his chin with my fingers and looked into his eyes, softened by his reaction.
"I thought it was clear that I like you" I left him a sweet kiss that he reciprocated.
When I pulled away I saw that he had blushed, it was the second time in one day, I could say I was very satisfied.
"Ok, now let's stop with this fuss, we look like a sweetheart couple and let's see how to get your friend back"
Seeing his embarrassment I couldn't help but laugh.
I spent the rest of the day with Louis and I had to admit that at times we really did seem like 'a sweetheart couple' as he had called us. I didn't mind at all, but he didn't seem of the same opinion, he said we were too cloying and at that point he walked away from me. It was a bit of a contradiction since he was often the one to start, stroking my hair or playing with my hands, sometimes kissing my cheeks or neck. He seemed to do things and then regret it, like he was fighting with himself, but at least I was glad he hadn't run away yet like he always did.
"Lou, Niall, Liam and Zayn will be back soon" we were sitting under a tree in the courtyard, doing nothing, but it had been one of the best days of our lives. That's why I didn't want it to end so soon.
"Mmm... Ok, is that a nice way of telling me to leave?"
"No, it's a way of telling you not to" he looked at me curiously.
"But you also said that your friends are coming back"
"Maybe my friends could become your friends too" I said this very softly, scared of the reaction he might have.
As expected, he tensed all his muscles.
"No, that's not possible. Zayn hates me, Liam pisses me off and Niall is terrified of me. Besides, I don't want to be their friend. I'm not even sure being here with you isn't a mistake"
He stood up and I looked at him scared.
"Where are you going?" he smiled at me and this at least reassured me partly.
"You know, you're not the only one who has to welcome their friends, I too missed Josh"
"Oh... ok. So... see you tomorrow?" I asked him doubtfully.
"Harry..." he looked into my eyes and I felt the world fall on me "Today is Sunday and I was wondering... well... if you would like to come with me to..." he took a deep breath and I really didn't know where he was going. I thought he was going to abandon me again.
"Where?"
"To visit Daniel" I was amazed at that request. I knew he always went alone, he'd never even brought Josh. Did he really want to take me? Did he trust me up to that point? He wanted to share his pain with me?
"Sure"
I smiled at him and he seemed to relax a bit even though he still didn't seem very convinced of his decision.
"See you tonight then" against all my expectations he leaned towards me while I was still seated and left me a light kiss on the lips before turning and walking away.
As soon as he turned around, I brought my hand to touch my mouth where his lips had rested just before. It certainly wasn't the first time he'd kissed me, but he'd done it with a delicacy, a sweetness and a lack of malice that had blown me away. I smiled. I really wished we were one of those couples of sweethearts who disgusted Louis so much.
**
That evening I waited for Louis outside. He arrived late and without even saying hi, he signalled me to follow him. He was nervous, walking so fast that I almost had to run to keep up with him. My presence didn't seem to help him, in fact it agitated him more and more. I really wanted to find a way to make him understand that I was there, that I was there for him and that whatever happened I wouldn't have abandoned him. I took his hand. He stopped abruptly and turned towards me, visibly surprised. I gave him an encouraging nod and saw the ice in his eyes melt.
He smiled at me and that made me melt. Suddenly what seemed like a race to death turned into a tender walk in the moonlight.
We didn't talk, but Louis kept drawing imaginary shapes on my palm with his thumb. Once we got to the clearing he sat down and began to shiver visibly and not at all from the cold. His gaze was again lost in the void and his hands convulsively clutched the tufts of grass on the ground. I sat next to him and hugged him as hard as I could until he stopped shaking. At that point I released him, but kept my arm around his shoulders. He snuggled into my chest, he looked so helpless.
"You know Harry," he said at one point, "this place doesn't look that terrible. Look at the beautiful sky, the moon is shining, the stars are twinkling and lighting up the trees around us. In fact, I have to admit it's a really wonderful place, just that I had never noticed. For the first time it seems to me that what is past, is only past"
I didn't answer, I just stroked his hair and kissed him.
"Thank you Harry"