“I just thought he liked me!” Liam cried out, as tears rolled down his tanned cheeks. His brown eyes were full of sadness as he sat on his bed with Louis, crying onto the boy’s shoulder, while his best friend held onto him tightly. Liam’s shoulders shuddered against Louis’ body as he cried his eyes out over Harry Styles. After the small confrontation at lunch, Liam had never felt more hurt by Harry. He didn’t care whether he had almost broken the boy’s nose by shoving a hardback book into his face, he deserved it, but now, Liam was letting it all out. The tears that kept rolling down his cheeks were relentless.
“We all thought he did, too, hun.” Louis tried to comfort, even though it was no use. As he had spoken, he had reached over to Liam’s cheek to wipe a tear from his cheek, but the brown-eyed boy let out another groan and snapped away, being his dramatic self. Liam was normally the type to sort to hide his feelings away from those around him, but if he had a willing audience, he tended to pull out all of the stops.
“I just, I don’t get it! He used to hold my hand, he read all my books and left cute little notes, I thought he loved me!” Liam cried again, his bedroom being filled his own sobs and cries once more. A small whimper came from the bottom of the bed, and Niall reached up to grab hold of Liam’s foot desperately.
“Li Li, what’s wrong?” Niall pleaded, trying to pull himself onto the bed to comfort his crying big brother, but Andy wrapped an arm around his torso and pulled him away from the bed and onto his lap, where he was playing the Xbox. When it came to Liam’s feelings, Louis sorted him out, and Andy just carried out instructions, like getting food or telling a joke to consol the boy. He was a little bored, and had decided to tease Liam’s younger brother, who really was a thrill to tease. Niall’s small and skinny, fourteen-year-old body wriggled desperately against Andy’s as he tried to bat the older boy away.
“No! I want Li Li!” Niall struggled, his own eyes filling with tears, while Andy just kept holding onto him, like a child and a puppy. The older of the brother’s in the room ignored the younger sibling’s pleas for help. His parents were out, and Liam was babysitting, which was just another one of his problems.
“We all thought you guys were going to get together too, I don’t understand why he’s being like this, maybe he’s stressed and doesn’t know how else to take it out?” Louis tried to comfort his best friend once more, stroking his ruffled up browny-blonde locks. Liam whimpered again and nuzzled his face into Louis’ shoulder.
“We would have been perfect!” Liam cried out again, before he buried his face into Louis’ body and cried loudly once again. A look of bore flashed against Louis’ face for a moment, as he patted Liam’s back, rubbing soothing circles into the small of the boy’s back. Louis normally looked after Liam when he was upset or crying, but after a while he did get bored. Liam’s depressive moans did get repetitive, but if he dared show how bored he truly was then he’d get his head bitten off, and he didn’t exactly want that. Especially with Liam being so crazy at the moment.
“Who? Who!” Niall tried again, his small hands trying to prise Andy’s away from his body, even though it came to no avail. Niall knew that Harry would have never been as mean as Andy and Louis were, he didn’t like Liam’s other friends as much as he liked Harry. Harry was his best friend, and Liam needed him, he was so upset! Why wasn’t Harry here?
Any questions from Niall were once again ignored as Andy wrestled with the small boy again, only finding the boy’s childlike characteristics something to laugh over, as Liam and Louis sat on the bed.
“I just don’t get it! He’s already brought you a birthday present, so why would he treat you like this?” Louis spoke, before realising he had let the cat out of the bag and slapping his hand over his mouth. Liam’s ears suddenly pricked up, and he immediately stopped his sobs to process what Louis had just said. There was a silence around the small bedroom as Louis mentally slapped himself, the only sound being that of Niall struggling and trying to wriggle away from Andy.
“Shit! You didn’t hear that!” Louis yelled, looking at Liam in shock. Well, now Harry was going to kill him. Niall squeaked and quickly covered his ears and squeezed his eyes together. Harry would have never swore! Liam seemed to ignore any trace of his brother being in the room and looked up at Louis quickly, his eyes wide with surprise, even though tears were still flowing from them.
“He got my present? This early?” Liam asked, his voice interested, as broken as it was from the crying fit he had just had. Louis shook his head, even though he knew it was too late and that he’d end up telling Liam every detail, because he just couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Sadly enough, Liam knew this, and was now going to be hell bent on what Harry had apparently brought him for his birthday.
“What is it? Why did he get it this early?” Liam questioned, his brow furrowing a little so it was now sat in a stern line, and aimed directly into Louis’ face. Louis swallowed and sighed heavily, knowing that he would never be able to keep it from Liam now.
“He got you a camera, it’s awesome quality, and he spent a bit of money on it…” Louis answered, as he reflected on the day when he and Harry had gone off to choose the camera, and Harry had acted like the complete goon he is. When it came to technology he was an utter fool, and he should have been glad that Louis and his expertise was there; in Louis’ own opinion.
“A camera? Why would he buy me a camera? So I could take a photo of myself crying and send it to him because it would obviously make him feel so damn good about himself!” Liam whined, his eyes filling with tears once more. He gave another sob as he thought of how carefully Harry must have picked out the present, an expensive camera no less, and wondered if he would ever get the present now. He better do. Liam deserved an expensive present from Harry after all the shit he was putting him through.
“I don’t know why he’d buy you a camera, but he seemed like he put a lot of thought into it. Maybe he’s got some devious plan to get you together or something?” Louis suggested, not wanting to listen to Liam bathe in his own self-pity. Liam looked up at him once more with interested eyes.
“Explain.” He simply demanded, as Niall finally slipped through Andy’s arms, who was now bored of wrestling with the kid and was focusing more on what Louis was saying, and dived onto the bed, throwing himself onto Liam’s body. Liam let out a frustrated groan and pushed his baby brother off him, yet it came to no avail and Niall wrapped his arms around Liam’s neck and pushed their faces together.
“When are Louis and Andy going home, Li Li? I don’t like them, they’re mean, I want Mum and Dad to come home, when’s our Mum and Dad coming home?” Niall started to talk quickly; throwing question after question at his older brother in what he thought was a quiet voice. Liam’s large hands quickly wrapped around Niall’s upper arm and brought the boy away from his body in one swift push.
“He’s not our Dad, now fuck off in your own room or I’ll tell Mum you were naughty again.” Liam hissed quickly, his big brown eyes scowling into two small blue ones that were now filling with tears. Niall gave a slight whimper as Liam let him go, and the small boy took off like a shot, the slam of his bedroom door echoing around the house.
“Right, what were you saying?” Liam asked a little casually, looking at Louis once again like nothing had happened, and the three boys had been sat in their bedroom for the last few hours with no sort of emotional breakdowns.
“Like,” Louis started to explain, not finding the two brother’s behaviour unusual or extremely unfair at any point, “He seemed to be thinking about it as he went along, like he had some sort of plan. Maybe it’s one of those things where it’s like, lots of presents as clues? Or like, one of those treasure trails where you follow clues and shit, and eventually end up in his bedroom to find him naked and covered in rose petals or whatever gay guys like. Covered in gay porn maybe? Or meat,”
“Enough of that, jeez, I’m gay not a different species, Louis.” Liam quipped, hitting the backside of Louis’ head before he looked away from him and took in the first part of his words. If Harry had some sort of plan like that, then it would need some time to pre-plan, which would explain why Harry would have brought the present so early. Liam couldn’t help but smirk a little and look back at Louis with a wide smile.
“It has to be something like that…I can’t think of anything else. I bet this fight is all some sort of decoy.” Liam replied, before he bit onto his bottom lip excitedly, the thought of dozens of little love notes from the green eyed, curly haired boy himself started to fly around his mind.
“To get you off the scent?” Louis offered, even though he knew Harry would never have the brains to produce something as good as this. Harry had always been more of a ‘here’s your gift, it’s what you wanted, hope you enjoy it’ kind of guy. He aimed to please, not surprise.
“Mhmm, to get me off the scent…maybe all isn’t lost…” Liam smiled happily, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he leaned his head on Louis’ shoulder and closed his eyes in joy. Whatever Harry had planned, Liam just knew he had to play back, and then he’d finally get what he wanted all along.
~
“Mum! I’m home! And I brought a friend, hope you don’t mind!” Harry smiled, as he pulled Zayn through the doorway with a beaming smile. Zayn’s cheeks flushed pink as he smiled bashfully, keeping his hand inside of Harry’s as they both stood in the front porch of Harry’s house.
“If it’s Louis he better not make a mess of my lovely living room again!” His Mum quickly called, a playful tone behind her words, as Harry shut the front door with a chuckle.
“Nope, someone cleaner and quieter.” Harry replied, before squeezing Zayn’s hand and then letting go, so he could kick his shoes off and throw his school bag onto the floor by the door. The sound of his Mother making her way through the house sounded, and Anne walked out of the kitchen and looked over her son and his friend. Her face lit up.
“Zayn! I haven’t seen you in so long, lovely, you look so grown up!” Anne spoke excitedly, before dropping the tea towel she had been holding and opening her arms wide for the raven-haired boy, who hadn’t seen her since he was back in a primary school uniform. He blushed pink once more, a small smile on his face as he walked forward a little and slipped into Anne’s arms. She squeezed him for a moment before releasing him.
“I’m glad Harry’s finally brought you back, I hear about you and now I get to see you!” His Mum giggled, lovingly poking Zayn’s cheek and causing the boy to let out a giggle, his cheeks still flushed.
“Mum, quit it, leave the guy alone.” Harry laughed, and his Mother chuckled a little as she realised that Zayn wasn’t the only boy to be blushing at her words.
“I’ll go and get you some snacks, you go off and get out of those school clothes, it’s too hot to be sweating in those! Go and find some clothes for Zayn, love, you must be boiling in this weather!” Anne started, and Harry nodded and replied with an agreement before her mothering ways would go off like a steam train on the rails. If no one stopped her, she’d be mothering them all night.
“Thanks Mum!” Harry intervened with a laugh, before pulling Zayn’s backpack from where it had been over one of the boy’s shoulders and placing it carefully by his own, before he pulled the boy up to his room. Zayn still had his sketchbooks in his hands as he walked into Harry’s bedroom. The smell of the room made his smile grow wide with comfort, as it was a smell that the boy had missed. Harry opened his mouth to talk, when the sound of his Mother’s voice called up the stairs once again.
“Harry, is Zayn staying over for the night? Your sister is out, and he’s free to stay if he wants too!” Anne called, and Harry looked towards Zayn with a wide smile before answering for the brown-eyed boy.
“Yeah, he’s staying the night!”