ACT II
— Scene 16 —
P O V : L O U I S
The four of us were in the queue for the ferris wheel, when Niall ran up behind us.
"Where were you guys?" he asked, out of breath, "I've been searching all around the park for almost an hour."
Guilty looks spread across all of our faces, and Liam looked at Niall with gritted teeth.
"Sorry about that," he apologised, 'We thought it would be best to, well, leave you to your 'studies'."
Niall rolled his eyes, "Is that all I am to you? A Jesus lover?"
We all nodded.
"Yep, pretty much," I said, "It's practically all you talk about."
He sighed, "I love ferris wheels, though. Next time, call me over."
We reached the front of the line, and the ride manager spoke up, "I'm sorry, but the limit is three people per cart."
Liam gasped, acting as if he were in genuine shock, "Well, I guess I'll go with Niall and Zayn, which leaves the two lover boys together."
Before either of us could argue, Liam pushed the two of us into the cart.
"Bye, kids!"
I frantically turned to glare at Liam, who just smiled and gave me a thumbs up. The worker shut the gate, and soon we started our ascent.
So this was his plan.
I turned to Harry to see him shaking his head, giggling a bit.
"What's so funny?" I asked him.
He looked back at me, "Nothing."
At first, I was annoyed at Liam. Did he seriously think this awkward situation would cause me to ask Harry out?
Harry gripped the handle bar tightly, his eyes widening.
"Look at the view!" He beamed, swinging his legs and pointing towards the skyline.
I scoffed, "Wow, you can even see the toilets from here!"
"Shut up," He giggled, nudging me playfully. I smiled.
We sat in silence, and a sigh escaped Harry's lips as he rested his head on my shoulder. I felt my heart beat louder in my chest.
I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath.
"So," I started, biting my lip, "Liam's drag show is next week."
Harry nodded.
"And um, I was wondering..." I trailed off, fearing I was making a mistake.
Harry lifted his head to squint at me, "Go on."
I looked him in the eyes, and said it, "Would you like to go with me?"
Harry's eyebrows furrowed.
"I kind of assumed we were going together, considering we're both friends with him," he said, confused.
"No, Harry," I explained, " I mean, like, a uh..."
I looked at my feet.
"Like a date," I admitted, holding my breath.
I felt my hands start to sweat, clinging to the bar in front of me. What was he going to say?
"Oh," he said, "Yeah, that would be... nice."
I turned back to him, my lips slightly parted, "Really?"
His eyes met mine, and he nodded, a small smile appearing on his face.
We didn't have to say much to understand what was on our minds. Maybe we were only meant to be friends, but it wouldn't hurt to try something more.
Harry placed his hand on top of mine, looking away in embarrassment.
"Your hands are sweaty," I told him, giggling.
He sighed, "They always are; Don't ask why"
We stayed like that for the rest of the ride, and everything felt okay.
---
P O V : H A R R Y
After a long and somewhat exhausting day, we all said our goodbyes and Louis and I went back to our flat. We didn't mention the whole "date" thing once, and it felt like we were pretending nothing had happened. However, I could feel there was some sort of tension between us. Good tension, I mean.
"What do you want for supper?" Louis asked, looking through the cupboards.
I thought for a bit, before replying, "Spaghetti hoops!"
"Sure thing," he smiled, relieved I hadn't pestered him for a fancy meal, "I'll have to go buy a few cans."
I nodded, "I'll stay here, I have a, uh, painting to finish up."
"Alright," he said, grabbing the keys, "I'll be back in 20."
With that, he stepped outside, shutting the door behind him.
Immediately after, I took my phone out of my back pocket and dialled Liam's number.
"C'mon, answer," I mumbled, pacing around the living room. After a few seconds, he picked up.
"Liam, you'll never believe what happened today," I blurted out.
Without hesitation, he replied, "Let me guess, Louis asked you out?"
"Wait, how did you know?" I asked, shocked.
Liam chuckled through the phone, "We were sitting in the cart behind you, you know."
I nodded, suddenly becoming aware that he couldn't see me over the phone.
"Right," I said, feeling embarrassed, "Does that mean you saw-"
"We saw, everything," he told me, trying to hold in a laugh.
I laughed, "You must be freaking out just as much as me right now."
"Hey, I thought you two were just friends," he teased, causing me to roll my eyes, "But yeah, I'm trying extremely hard right now not to scream at the top of my lungs. I'm so happy for you two!"
I blushed, staring at my lap, "I just don't know what this means for me and Louis, you know?"
"I know exactly what you mean," he assured me, "But I'd say to wait and see how everything goes."
I smiled, "Thanks, Payno. I'm gonna go now; Louis should be home soon."
"Right, talk later?" he asked.
"Of course," I told him, hanging up the phone.
---
— ONE WEEK LATER —
P O V : L O U I S
I pulled on my shirt, glancing at myself in the mirror. I had never been on a date before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I stepped out of the bathroom, immediately seeing Harry walk up the steps.
He wore a baby blue button down, with a black jacket and trousers. He paired the outfit with some matching black dress shoes. I began to worry. Should I be more dressed up? I was wearing a long sleeved black tee shirt and jeans, which was quite casual. What do people even wear to drag shows, anyways?
"You look great, Harry," I admitted, catching his attention.
He smiled, looking down at his feet.
"I was worried that I got too dressed up," he said.
I shook my head, "I was worried I did the opposite."
He chuckled, "Don't worry about it, I think we're dressed fine."
---
We got out of the cab, making our way to the venue and stepping inside.
The place was filled with drag queens, with the occasional normal-looking person, like me and Harry. Colourful lights filled the room, and cheesy pop music blasted from the speakers.
I grabbed Harry's hand, leading him over to the seats.
He leaned over and spoke in my ear, "Where do you want to sit?"
"Next to you," I answered with a smirk.
He shook his head, smiling to himself, "Look, there's two seats by the stage."
I nodded, giving his hand a squeeze, and walked towards where Harry was pointing.
We sat down, placing our interlocked hands on the armrest between us.
"Sorry, my hands are really clammy," he apologised, starting to blush.
I giggled, "It's alright, I'll just have to get used to it."
We sat there in comfortable silence as we waited for the show to start. Soon, the main lights went down, and the stage lights turned on.
'Womanizer' by Britney Spears blasted from the speakers, causing Harry's face to light up. The drag queens stepped on stage, one by one, Liam, or Lima Jemima, being the fifth.
"Superstar, where you from, how's it going," Harry sung, letting go of my hand to raise both of his arms in the air. I blushed in embarrassment. Harry Styles is a Britney Spears magnet.
I made eye contact with Lima Jemima, and she winked at me. It was strange seeing Liam as a whole different character, but at the same time, it was really funny.
The drag queens danced around on stage, lip-syncing dramatically. Harry sang along to every single word.
"You better work!" Harry screamed, a huge smiled plastered on his face.
I laughed, "Who even are you?"
"What? That's what people say on RuPaul's Drag Race!" he replied, yelling over the crowd.
Soon, the song was over, and one of the queens, who had long, blonde hair, scanned the crowd.
"She's looking for someone to read," Harry told me.
I furrowed my eyebrows, "Read? What does that mean?"
Before he could answer, the drag queen made direct eye contact with me, and started to giggle, "You seem rather... unenthusiastic tonight." Oh god.
I looked down at my feet, not knowing what to say.
"If your cock is as small as those wrists of yours, I'm surprised your little boyfriend hasn't left you yet," she snapped.
The crowd roared as I covered my face in humiliation. Harry burst out laughing. I stared at him, wondering why this was so funny to him.
"Sadly, the two aren't dating,' Lima Jemima said into her microphone. I looked at her gratefully.
"Yet," She continued with a smirk. I groaned, turning to Harry, who stopped laughing. He looked extremely uncomfortable. The crowd was dead silent.
"Okay... let's move on. Here's some Queen Bey," she continued, raising her hand in the air. The music turned on, and everyone started cheering again.
"C'mon, get up Lou!" Harry pestered, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of my seat.
I sighed as he waved my arm around, attempting to get me to dance. I didn't budge, as Harry continued shaking my arm around while dancing like a noodle.
I suddenly recognised the song, remembering when Grace ran around our dorm screaming out the lyrics. I slowly started to mouth the words, and eventually gave in and full on belted the song.
"Oh my god, you know this song?" Harry's eyes widened, turning to me in shock.
I smirked, "I may or may not know all the words."
Harry laughed, "Who are you?"
The rest of the night was full of awkward dancing and terrible singing, and by the end of the show, I truly understood the appeal of drag shows. Harry and I stumbled through the crowd and took a cab home, hand in hand.
We stepped out of the car and walked inside the flat.
"I'll heat up some mac and cheese," I told him, heading to the kitchen.
---
It was past midnight, and the two of us could hardly keep our eyes open. Harry yawned, "We should probably sleep soon."
I nodded, before we dragged our feet upstairs and got ready for bed.
I slipped into the bed in just my boxers, which was something I had been doing ever since the first time I tried it. At first, Harry was surprised, but was somewhat pleased that I agreed with him: that it felt way more comfortable.
Harry turned off the lights and got into bed. Immediately, I wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him closer to me. He softened at my touch, reaching for my hand to hold. Our fingers intertwined as I ran my thumb over the back of his hand.
"Hey, you're not as clammy as usual," I told him.
He giggled, "Goodnight, Lou."
I was about to respond with an automatic 'no homo', but I quickly shut my mouth, realising it wasn't necessary. For Christ's sake, we went on a date that night.
"Goodnight," I mumbled into his ear, before drifting off to sleep, not letting go of the boy.
AN: This is the last chapter of Act II, which means we are officially at the halfway point of the fic! I hope you're all enjoying it x
— Ava and Melina