Sigh. Poor Harry. Never catches a break. SMH
//
The wind was crispy as it blew through the air and chilled Harry's bones, nipping at his face and turning it flushed red. There was snow on the ground as he walked outside, crunching underneath his boots. It was cold out, could even see his own breath every time he breathed through his mouth. It was mid-January, right into the heart of winter, and he was still crazy enough to spend his lunches outside in the stands.
It was his quiet place. His safety zone. The sun was shining in the sky, brighter than ever, but he was bundled up in a coat and scarf, so the freezing temperature wasn't too bad. Plus, he had his hands around a thermos, heated with hot chocolate that his mother made in the morning.
Harry walked up the stands and saw that the entire thing was about near covered in snow. He wen up a couple rows and then used his boots to shovel off so he could sit down on it. He was smart enough to pack a blanket for this, laying it down so that the cold metal of the bleachers didn't freeze his ass too much. Once he took a seat, he set his backpack on the other side of him and bundled his jacket tighter around his body.
His lips were already chapped, and his cheeks were stinging from the sharp slap of the cold wind outside. Liam offered for Harry to start eating lunch with them during the hour, but he had declined. He really did like coming out here, and he appreciated the vast difference between eating outside when it was hot and cold. Harry didn't mind. He enjoyed his peace and quiet out here.
He started eating his lunch alone when he heard the back door opening up. He didn't bother looking to see who it was. Louis wasn't in class this morning. All he sent Harry was a good morning text message and then never responded to the reply. It was their first day back from the winter holidays, and Harry hadn't seen Louis since his birthday. They got caught up with their family for the holidays and couldn't find time to meet up.
It was hard, at first, especially after they had such a good weekend together. The sex they had, it was amazing, and Harry was craving for more of it. Honestly, he was craving to see Louis, but he really didn't want to come off desperate or needy. It was only the first day back since the break - he could wait.
It was Zayn that ended up walking outside. He joined Harry up on the bleachers, but he remained standing by the fence as he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket. "You know it's cold as shit out here?"
Harry snorted. "You don't have to be out here."
"I needed a smoke break." Zayn waved the cigarette in his hand and then placed it between his lips. "You could eat with us. It's a lot warmer on the inside."
Harry shrugged his shoulders, eyeing past Zayn to look at the snow-covered field. "I like being out here. Honestly. It's peaceful."
"It's bloody cold, though."
"I have a jacket and a thermos." Harry took a sip from the thermos and hummed approvingly. "I'm good, Z. Really."
Zayn grunted under his breath, leaning his elbows on top of the fence and looking around the bleachers. His eyes trailed around the perimeter before looking across each bench. Once he finished, he looked back over to Harry, raising an eyebrow in questioning. "Do you and Louis have sex out here? Is that why you two sneak off?"
Harry snorted against the thermos, the hot chocolate getting stuck midway down his throat. He coughed a couple times and then used the collar of his shirt to wipe off his mouth. "No, Zayn. We don't have sex out here. We just have lunch and talk."
"It was a valid question."
"I don't think so," Harry frowned.
"I feel like you two have sex all the time."
Harry rolled his eyes, shaking his head and sipping his thermos again. It was warming his body up.
"Anyway," Zayn cleared his throat. He took a hit from his cigarette and blew the smoke up in the air. "You never gave us an update on how Louis' birthday went."
"Was I supposed to inform you guys how it went?"
Zayn scoffed. "Yes. After everything we did for him, it would be nice to know how it all went."
Fair enough.
The weekend was terrific, Harry recalled. They had a good time on the lake, riding the jet skis, successfully avoiding getting properly in the water. It was cold outside, much like today, but the fireplace they had running inside the house was enough to keep them warm. The weekend was truthfully very romantic, and Harry wanted to have a repeat of it.
The sex was something Harry could not get over. It was everything he imagined with Louis. It was what he imagined making love felt like. They showered together afterward, and then fell asleep in each other's arms. Harry finally got his cuddles from Louis, and he doesn't think he could get over the way his arms felt around his body. Everything about that weekend was memorable, and it just made it that much harder for him to resist.
The morning after was just as good. It was Christmas, and they had to get back into town to spend it with their family, but they definitely made the most out of their time together before leaving. Harry got to see a glimpse of waking up with Louis by his side and possibly what it was like to have him as his boyfriend. He was woken up with kisses and a warm set of arms around his body.
They ate breakfast together in the living room in front of the fireplace, a Christmas movie playing on the television. After they were done eating, Louis surprised Harry with a gift. A cheeky one. A pair of panties, Christmas edition, and Harry might have completely undressed and wore it around all morning just for Louis' delight. It definitely led to something further, especially when Louis followed up with another more appropriate gift. A paper plane necklace.
"It was a good time," Harry said after thinking about the weekend, his hand idly coming up to twirl the paper airplane pendant between his fingers. He smiled as he played with it.
"You two didn't argue at all?"
"We didn't." He smiled. They did quite the opposite. "He was proper sweet to me the whole time. Treated me very good. It was like - it was kinda like ..."
"It was kind of like the two of you were a couple?" Zayn finished for him, smirking.
Harry's face heated up. "It really was."
The thought was nice, now that it was out there. In the back of his head, Harry always kept saying that the weekend getaway was pretty romantic for two people who only sleep together. With how sweet and soft Louis acted the entire time, it did seem like they were a couple. They had a dinner date. They kissed a lot. Always touched. Slept together, in all aspects. They even showered together after sex. That was a big thing. Not even Harry and Reid would shower together unless it was to have sex.
But he and Louis actually showered, and they giggled, and they got each other soapy. And they woke up together the following day, all very boyfriend-like. Harry got to see the side of Louis that he always hoped for. It was like a brief glimpse of what life could be like if they were a couple.
"Did you guys have sex?" Zayn then asked.
Harry made a face. "Do you really need to know?"
"I'm just asking, mate." Zayn raised his hands up defensively. "I want to make sure that wasn't what the weekend was about."
Harry softened. "It wasn't." He whispered underneath his breath. He held on to the airplane pendant and lifted it up, admiring it. "We did have sex, but it was different."
"How?"
"He was so gentle and soft. Took real good care of me. He kissed me - touched me. It was just so romantic. "
"Wow," Zayn breathed.
"Right?" Harry agreed. "We also showered after together, which is not a thing between us, and we cuddled. Like, properly cuddled. We don't ever do that."
"You two proper made love, huh?" Zayn took another hit, a slow drag, and then blew the smoke above his head.
Harry wrinkled his nose. "That's what it felt like."
"So you two had sex the whole time?"
"No." Harry laughed, a cold shiver chilling his bones. "Just that night." Zayn raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "I mean, and the next morning. He got me a present so ..." Harry shrugged.
"You gave him the birthday lap dance, huh?" Zayn wiggled his eyebrows, giggling.
"Possibly."
Zayn finished out the rest of his cigarette and then stamped it on the ground. He pulled his jacket tighter around his body and walked over towards the stairs. "Alright, I'm going back inside. It's too bloody cold out here."
"I'll see you later."
Harry watched as Zayn walked back into the school building. Once he was left alone, he went back to his thermos and lunch sack. He continued eating his food in silence, trying his best not to get too cold by bundling his jacket tighter around his body. There was still quite some time left for the lunch hour, so Harry decided to pull his phone out to send a message to Louis. Just as he was about to type out a text, he heard shoes stepping across the snow, getting closer to where he was sitting on the bench.
"Did you miss me?"
Harry jerked his head up from his phone and saw that it was Louis this time. He had a smile on his face as he walked up the bleachers, heading directly towards him.
"I was about to text you," Harry admitted, waving his phone. "Where were you this morning?"
Harry watched as he walked all the way towards him. Louis smiled before he leaned closer to press a kiss to the top of his head. After he pulled back, he sat down next to him, scooting in close to his body.
"My mum had an appointment. I went with her after taking my sisters to school."
Harry's heart melted a little. "That's sweet of you."
Louis shivered in response. "It's bloody cold out here, baby."
Harry really liked when Louis called him pet names.
"You know I like coming out here."
Louis scrunched his nose as he wiggled his arms underneath Harry's jacket to wrap around his waist and cuddled in close. "It's warmer inside the school."
"You're warming me up."
Louis snorted as he nuzzled his nose along Harry's neck. "Can I ask you something?"
"If it's to go inside ... " He warned, making a face.
Louis smiled as he pulled back, reaching his hand up to cup the side of his cheek. "It's not that. Promise."
Harry raised an eyebrow, waiting. He could see the slight nervous twitch to Louis' eyebrows as he stared back at him. He was shivering, and part of it was from the cold, but he also thought that part of it was nerves. It was a bit confusing.
"So, it's not really a question."
"Louis," Harry laughed, holding on to his wrist. "Just get on with it."
Louis sucked in his breath. "Right," he mumbled, taking a moment, glancing out at the field, and swallowed. "I want to be with you," he then blurted out. Harry felt his entire body freeze. "I want to properly be with you, I do. It's just, I'm still not really out to everyone. It's not a good time for that to happen, and one day I'll tell everyone, but for now, I just know that I want to be with you - only you."
Harry felt like a fool when his eyes started watering up. He had been waiting forever to finally hear that. And now he did. Louis wanted him. Louis wanted them.
"Do you really?" Harry asked, an unexpected laugh coming out.
Louis smiled. "I do. Really."
The lunch hour ended shortly, and Harry and Louis walked back into the school building. After they kissed each other in the hallway, the two of them parted ways towards their classes. Harry was a smiling fool as he continued out his day. He couldn't stop thinking about Louis becoming his boyfriend. It was all he could think about, and it was hard for him to focus in class when his mind was constantly thinking about his boyfriend. He was in such a daze.
When school was finally over, Harry realized that North Bridge had a game today. He had been so focused on where Louis was this morning and so concentrated on being his boyfriend that it completely slipped his mind that there was a game. They had an away game, ironically, against West Point. And when Niall so gleefully reminded him that this was an important rivalry game, every ounce of happiness then drained from his body.
Not only were the four of them going to the game, but he was going to be at his old school. He was going to be around his old friends, and more worst, he was going to be around Reid. Harry hadn't seen Louis and Reid in the same vicinity since last year at the championship game.
Of course, their rivalry always brought upon harsh words and some pushing around. Harry was always on the side cheering for West Point. It was strange to think that things had changed, and he would now be rooting for North Bridge. For Louis. It was like he was walking right into his past life, the one he really wanted to forget about.
A lot ended up happening today, but becoming Louis' boyfriend right before watching him play against his ex-boyfriend was definitely not something he was expecting. It was sure to be an exciting night, and Harry could only hope that nothing too crazy would happen. He was expecting Reid to make a fuss, possibly cause a scene. He wasn't sure how Louis would respond to it all, especially now that they were official. He wasn't big on confrontation, and he really didn't want the thought of being around Reid and West Point to put a damper on what turned out to be such a good day.
Harry ended up riding with Niall, Liam, and Zayn to West Point's stadium. It was barely half an hour drive away, and since this was the season's rivalry game, North Bridge needed as much fan support as they could get. Plus, he was glad he would be surrounded by his friends and a group of guys that had his back, so it definitely eased some of the worry had had.
The four of them stopped at the food stand before walking up the bleachers. They packed a bunch of blankets and warm clothes to bundle up in. They bought hot chocolate to keep their bodies warm throughout the game, and they were able to find a spot in the top corner of the bleachers where they could huddle in close. The students on both sides of the stadium were already cheering loudly. The band on the field playing their instruments to get everyone pumped up for the game. The players on both teams were on opposite ends of the field, starting to warm up for the game.
Most of the guys had long sleeves and leggings underneath their uniforms, and Harry couldn't imagine playing football right now in the weather like this. He was bundled up in a blanket and a jacket, and he was still bloody freezing. All he could think about was Louis, hoping that he would stay warm enough throughout the game.
He was such a fool.
"So this is your old school?" Niall asked amid the silence, the students now settling down as the game ticked closer to starting.
Harry sighed loudly, glancing over to West Point's cheerleaders getting set up on the field. "Unfortunately."
"Which one is the bastard ex again?" Zayn wondered as he glanced over at West Point's team. He scrunched his nose once he looked their way.
"He's the captain - number ten."
Zayn grunted. "Looks like an ass."
Harry giggled under his breath, eyes drifting towards Louis, who was pulling the team into a huddle.
The game started shortly after, and the tension was thick with the back and forth battle of who had possession of the ball. It was a constant rotation of West Point having control and then North Bridge. Anytime North Bridge took a chance to score, West Point would swoop in and take the ball back. It was stressful, and everyone was sitting on the edge of their seats with the anticipation of someone scoring soon. Louis came close once. He was just about to take his shot, a wide opening.
Unfortunately, one of West Point's defenders intercepted him from kicking and regaining control of the ball. It caused a loud groan from North Bridge's side, and everyone cheering for West Point stood up and got loud when one of the players was guiding the ball towards the other end of the field.
When Reid got the ball back under his foot, the stadium erupted even louder. It was like West Point knew that if he was in control of the ball, they were bound to score. Harry hated it. He held his breath as Reid zoned in towards the net. He passed it over to his teammate, ran around a couple North Bridge players, and got himself into position off to the side. The ball was kicked back to him, and he made his shot into the top right corner of the goal, easily curving past the goalie's hands and hitting the back of the net. Harry deflated when the other side started cheering louder. Reid was joined by his other teammates to celebrate, and Harry tried his best not to be too disappointed. There was still a lot of game left.
Louis eventually got the ball again. After Stan deflected a pass from West Point, he ran the ball back towards the goal and set him up for his shot. It was like clockwork for Louis to score the next goal, firing back with a nice one that completely surpassed the goalie who made a diving attempt. The ball was kicked right past him, soaring into the back of the net and tying the game one to one. North Bridge's side all jumped up and yelled at the goal. Harry turned towards the lads and shared hugs and high fives while they celebrated the shot.
Harry turned back towards the field after the high of cheering with his friends, and he immediately saw that Louis was looking right back at him. Harry smiled brightly and turned into a pile of mush when he winked, sharing a private moment with him before he was turning back to his team. Unfortunately, the moment was ruined when Harry's eyes drifted to the side. He noticed that Reid was looking between him and Louis, a frown set across his lips and eyebrows scrunched.
Sadly, North Bridge ended up losing the game by one goal. West Point was basking in the post-game celebration by cheering loudly, having the band play some more music. The football team was going crazy on the field and taunting North Bridge for their loss. All Harry could think about was getting out of the area fast, so he didn't risk running into any of his old friends. At most, he wanted to see Louis after the game. He wasn't sure if that was allowed since they were a secret to everyone, but just being back at his old school has made him feel so tense. He didn't like that Reid saw him and Louis sharing a moment on the field, especially when they had been harassing each other the whole game.
It could only mean trouble now that the game was over, and Harry didn't want to be involved with it. He wanted to see Louis, and he needed his comfort. If he had the option, he would run and hide in the car, but he didn't want any cheerleaders or football players to think he was too weak to be around them. Harry was strong, or he tried to convince himself he was.
"Man, that sucks that they lost," Liam grumbled under his breath as they went towards the guest locker room. They lingered off to the side while other people joined the area and waited for the football players to get showered and changed.
"I know. West Point is always a tough team," Zayn added, tucking himself underneath Liam's arm and curling his nose towards his neck.
Harry smiled at the two of them. He really wanted to do that with Louis right now.
"How are you feeling right now?" Niall wondered, pressing his hand to Harry's back.
Harry blew out a breath as he turned around. He glanced ahead and noticed that some West Point players had already emerged from their locker room. Some cheerleaders were hanging around their area. He could see Cara, Kendall, and Gigi all huddled up together, laughing at something. There was a slight pang in Harry's chest when he saw how close the three of them still were. He was once a part of that group. He used to meet up with them after the game and just laugh about nonsense. Now, he couldn't imagine going over there and talking to them.
Then Harry looked over and saw Reid. He was talking to some of the other players on the team, but he quickly looked over at him as if he was expecting him to look. Reid's eyes hardened, and a nasty-looking grin made its way onto his face. Harry wasn't too sure what it exactly meant, but he quickly looked away and focused on his friends.
"It's weird," he responded, tightening his jacket. "I'm just hoping I don't run into anyone."
Zayn tilted his head in the direction Harry was just looking in. "Is that Reid?"
Harry bit his lip and looked over at him again, noticing that Reid wouldn't stop staring. He huffed and looked away again. "Yeah, that's him."
"He won't stop looking at you, mate," Niall noted.
Harry shrugged. "I don't know what he is up to."
When Harry glanced at him again, he saw that Reid was now occupied with his phone. Good, he thought. It was getting a little creepy. Harry really wanted to get out there. Right as he was deciding on waiting in the car, he heard a ping of message notifications going off around him, even from his own phone. He frowned as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, ignoring the other lads doing the same thing to see who it was who messaged him. He thought it would be Louis, maybe letting him know that they could meet up later, but what he didn't expect was to see a picture of himself airdropped to his phone.
"Harry?" Niall said slowly, turning his phone around. Harry glanced up from his own phone and widened his eyes when he saw that Niall had the same photo on his screen. "This just got airdropped to me."
"Me, too," Liam added, confused.
It was the picture. The one that Reid sent him on Louis' birthday. Harry knew no good could come from him keeping that picture, and he regretted it so much that he ever thought to do that for him. It was sickening that Reid still had it, especially now that they were broken up.
Harry's face started heating up when he looked around and noticed other people looking at their phone screens too. Most of them started laughing, others whispering to each other in secret. The majority, however, all looked over at Harry, slightly disgusted and a little bit mortified. He could relate. He was pretty fucking mortified right now that Reid had sent this picture to everyone in the area. He couldn't fucking believe it.
Harry shoved through the guys to storm over in Reid's direction. He was still huddled by the same group of guys, and they were now all laughing. Harry's eyes zoned directly in on him, and when he got close enough, he shoved everyone out his way and pushed harshly against Reid's chest.
"What the fuck is your problem?" he growled, pushing Reid again, causing him to lose his balance, and stumbled back against the building.
"What is your problem, slag?"
Harry saw red, and he refrained from punching him in the eye by clenching his fist together tightly. "Why the hell are you sending that picture around? You're a fucking pervert, do you know that?"
"Don't act like you don't like the attention, sweetheart." Reid smiled as he reached up to cup the side of Harry's jaw. The guys around them started to snicker, and Harry slapped his hand away. "I was doing you a favor."
Harry felt so useless when everyone around him laughed even more. He looked like a fool, and he was so flushed with embarrassment that he didn't know what to do. Everyone saw that picture of him. Everyone had it. Both West Point and North Bridge now knew what Harry looked like in lace panties. He could actually die right now, and he appreciated that his friends were at least yelling at everyone to delete the photo off their phone. It was thoughtful, and Harry really hoped everyone listened. He couldn't stand the thought of more people holding this photo of him hostage.
When Harry didn't have anything else to say, he turned away. He could still hear the guys laughing, could hear Reid catcalling after him and making nasty comments. It took every ounce of Harry to not break down and cry in front of everyone. He knew he should have waited in the car to prevent any of this from happening. That was where he intended to go. He didn't care if his friends had to hear him cry all the way home. That was what he needed right now.
On his way towards the car park, he saw Louis pushing past Liam and Zayn. Harry stopped in his tracks when he closer to where he stood. He looked angry, flushed red, and Harry thought the anger was directed towards him for a moment. However, Louis walked right past him, his pace quickening up. When Harry turned around to see what he was doing, he saw that Louis was going towards Reid.
It was instant the way Louis shoved Reid's friends out the way before sending a solid punch to his jaw. He didn't even hesitate. He sent his fist flying, pushed Reid on his ass, and then turned to walk away. He didn't stop to talk to Harry, didn't stop to talk to their friends, he just continued to walk until he was disappearing in their travel bus.
//
Soooooo, it's probably obvious why Louis punched Reid.
If not, then oooooooh the suspense. (;