Lately Louis' mood has been really good. He doesn't know exactly why but he thinks maybe it has something to do with Harry because really, that's the only thing in his life that has changed.
Last Wednesday when he went to practice he didn't even dance. He spent the whole time talking to Harry about random things. When he came home Niall got so annoyed because he kept going on and on about him. Louis doesn't really care though. He hasn't met anyone new in so long so having Harry around is nice and worthy of being talked about.
Louis thinks that maybe after this Wednesday, next time he goes to practice he'll ask Harry to do something outside of the club. It doesn't have be fancy or anything but maybe they could just go drinking or something. He could even invite Liam, Zayn, and Niall to come because then it wouldn't feel as personal. All of that is for next time, though.
At this point Louis has just made it part of his weekly schedule for practice to be on Wednesdays. He's pretty sure Harry knows that too so hopefully that means he's at the club on those days on purpose.
Sadly, it's really cold out today. Louis doesn't really mind cold weather, he'd much rather be too cold than too hot but it's obviously still an uncomfortable feeling. It's also super gloomy out and that's always the worst because he never feels like doing anything on days like this. Oh well, dealing with the cold for a few seconds is worth it when right after he gets to see Harry.
When he gets to the club he practically runs from his car to the door trying to get inside where it's warm as fast as he can. He almost slips on a puddle in the parking lot but thankfully he doesn't. Once he's inside he sets his things down and rubs his arms to create some heat, and then brings his sweatshirt sleeves to his cheeks and just holds them there.
"It's that cold out?" Harry asks as he walks out from his office.
"Yes. It's freezing out."
"Oh, it must've gotten colder 'cause it wasn't that bad when I came earlier."
"Yeah well it's not warm at all anymore." Louis sits on the bar stool next to the one he set his bag on. He unzips it and then pulls out the sweatshirt Harry gave him. "Here. Thanks for letting me borrow it. Oh, and I washed it for you."
Harry takes the sweatshirt and folds it over his arm. "Thanks."
"Yeah. So not that it really matters to you but I can't make it on Saturday because I really have to study," Louis says with a frown. He hates that he can't make it but he's been slacking in some of his classes and he needs to start doing better.
Louis thinks he sees Harry frown a little bit he's not so sure. "Oh okay, that's fine," Harry says.
Louis' still very cold and he's trying really hard not to shiver. He can't help but to keep his arms tightly wrapped around himself. He assumes that his discomfort is quite obvious.
"You're still cold?" Harry asks when he notices the way Louis' still hugging himself.
"Mhm," Louis hums, so cold he doesn't even want to talk. It's crazy because it's not even that cold out. It's only November.
"Well...I'm uh, I have to go to the bank so maybe, if you want, I can stop and get you hot chocolate or something," Harry offers.
"Really?" Louis lights up. Is Harry really offering to go out of his way so that he can be comfortable? "Are you sure? You don't have to, I'll be fine."
"It's okay, really. It's not far from the bank and you've gotten me stuff before so I kinda owe you anyway."
Louis feels bad. He knows he really shouldn't because it's not like hot chocolate cost that much and Harry said he's not really going out of his way so it's not that big of a deal, but still.
Maybe it's not so much that he feels bad he just appreciates it so much. Yes, it may just be a cheap drink but it's the thought that counts. Harry's willing to go out of his way —even if it's not by much— just to make Louis happy. He very well could've just made Louis wait it ou,t but he didn't.
"Okay, thank you."
Harry nods before coming out from behind the bar and going to the door. Louis watches as he walks out of the club and to his car. The whole time he's gone Louis just sits on his phone to pass the time. And okay, so maybe by the time Harry gets back Louis might have already warmed up, but he doesn't tell Harry that.
"Thank you," Louis says again when Harry hands him the cup of hot chocolate.
"Yep. I have to go and make a few phone calls so I'll be in my office for a while," Harry says.
"Okay, have fun."
Harry disappears into his office so Louis figures it's a good time to start dancing. He finishes his drink and reluctantly gets up from the bar to go over to the poles. He keeps his joggers on because even if he's warmed up he's not warm enough to be in shorts quite yet.
During the whole time he's dancing, which is about thirty minutes, Louis' mind is filled with Harry. Part of him doesn't really know how he feels about it. He doesn't mind thinking about him it's just that now, that's all he thinks about.
Okay maybe not all but a good amount of his time is spent doing so. Louis knows that him and Harry probably won't ever be best friends, that's not the goal anyway, but the stupid feeling of being 'drawn' to Harry is only getting stronger.
Louis doesn't think, for two normal people, that they've been spending too much time together but the thing is, Harry isn't a normal person. He's pretty anti-social and the last thing Louis wants to do is overwhelm him. But Louis hasn't noticed Harry seeming like he is, so hopefully that doesn't change.
The next forty minutes of Louis time is spent dancing but then he decides that he's had enough of it and quits. In the winter time when it's all gray and gloomy out Louis always finds himself being so much more tired than when it's sunny out. Usually he could dance for much longer but today he just wants to be done.
He doesn't pick up his things quite yet in hopes of getting to see Harry for a little bit before leaving. To his luck a couple minutes after he gets done Harry comes out of his office with a paper cup from McDonald's that he throws into the trash.
"You should've recycled that," Louis comments as he watches Harry walk around the bar from his spot in one of the booths.
"Yeah well I didn't."
Louis frowns and crosses his arms. "You seem like you're in a bad mood."
Harry looks to Louis and then sighs. "No, I'm just tired."
"Oh, Why?"
Harry walks over and sits on the opposite side of Louis so theyre facing each other. "I stayed up too late last night."
"Yeah, that'll do it. Why don't you get coffee or something?"
Harry folds his arms on the table and rests his head on them his head facing down to the table. "I just did," he says, his words coming out muffled.
"Mm, okay well, drink more."
"I already drank it all."
Louis quietly chuckles at Harry's state. It's actually kind of adorable how sleepy Harry is right now. The image of Harry sleeping pops into Louis' head and he has to admit he definitely mentally 'awwed' at the thought of Harry all cuddly on the couch with a blanket wrapped around himself and his cat in his lap while watching a movie or something.
"So go and buy more," Louis says after his quick daydream.
Harry shakes his head that's still resting against his arms, "I don't wanna."
"Harry."
"Hm?"
"Why are you even here if you're that tired?"
Harry sits back up and blinks his eyes a couple times. He looks at Louis and hesitates but only for a couple seconds before answering. "I um had, calls to make."
Louis nods. "Oh, you couldn't of done that from home?"
Instead of coming up with some elaborate reason for not being able to do it at home Harry just gives a simple, "No."
"Oh, well it's not that far to McDonald's, I'll go get you some," Louis offers.
"But I was just there, and it's still cold out."
"Well you already drank the coffee you got earlier which means you need more. I'll even pay."
"I don't need more and you're not going to pay."
"But you want more, don't you? And I want to pay because I'm getting something too and it'll just be easier if we don't have to split the bill," Louis says. Harry still doesn't seem convinced so Louis adds, "Just think of it as me paying you back for the hot chocolate."
"You'd really go all the way to McDonald's just because I'm tired?" Harry asks like Louis' crazy.
"I don't see why not."
"But that's stupid."
"Well if you're that concerned about me going through so much trouble driving there then just come with."
Harry is quiet for a second but then shrugs. "Fine."
Louis stands up from the booth like a normal person while Harry moves so dramatically slow that Louis has time to go and grab Harry's sweatshirt and throw it at him. Harry catches it, well his face does, and then he slips it over his head. Louis smiles a little and walks over to him. He reaches over and fixes Harry's hair that got messed up from the hoodie, smiling when Harry reaches up and feels his hair as if he wasn't aware that it got messed up.
"Why are you willing to go with me but you couldn't go by yourself?" Louis asks, finding Harry's logic a little confusing.
"I'm too tired to drive."
Louis playfully scoffs. "Right, of course."
So they walk outside and Louis' very thankful that the sun has come out just a little. The weather hasn't changed much but at least it's not as cold as it was before. He leads Harry to his car and unlocks the doors for them both.
"Be careful sometimes the buckle doesn't go all the way in," Louis says to Harry as he starts to put his seat belt on. "You just have to push it in really hard."
"Got it," Harry says after buckling up properly.
Louis starts the car and backs out of the club's parking lot. He drives the mile or two to the McDonald's down the street, that has become a very popular place for him to go when he's with Harry. Louis pulls into the drive through and waits for the cars ahead of him to give their orders before it's finally his turn. He asks Harry what he wants so Harry tells him.
Louis decides that he's going to get fries so he asks Harry if he wants some. Harry tries to say it's fine because he knows Louis will insist on paying which he feels bad about, but Louis doesn't let him answer before he's already asking for another.
"Why are you like this?" Harry asks not looking at Louis but the tiny grin on his face obvious as they wait to be able to pull up to the window.
"What do you mean?"
"Let me pay you for it."
Louis rolls his eyes. "Harry stop. Just accept the coffee and move on."
"But I don't wa—"
"Too bad."
Harry doesn't try and argue anymore because he's knows there's really no use in trying. He lets Louis pay and then reluctantly takes the food, holding it in his lap as they drive back to the club.
When they get inside they go to the booth they were sitting at before. Harry sets the McDonald's bag in the middle and lets Louis pull out the two fries. He hands Harry one and then starts to eat his own.
"How do they make these so good?"
"Chemicals probably," Harry answers.
"Yeah," Louis puts another in his mouth. "Probably."
Harry shakes his head with a smile because Louis' just so amusing. He watches as Louis eats his fries. Harry notices that when he eats two at once he always tries to bite them evenly and when he doesn't he'll just take a tiny bite off of the longer one. Harry doesn't really like that he thinks it, but Louis honestly looks really adorable right now.
"I wish I remembered to get ketchup," Louis says with a pouty frown.
"There might be some behind the bar."
"Well I only have four fries left now."
"You'll survive."
"Will I Harry? Will I really?"
Louis gets up to throw his trash away. He takes the bag the food came in and then waits for Harry to eat his last fry before taking the container and adding it to the trash. When he's done he goes back over to the booth and sits back down.
"Is the coffee helping?"
"Not yet. While I'm drinking it, it always makes me even more tired because of how warm it is."
"Oh, that makes sense I guess."
"Thank you by the way."
Louis smiles, happy that Harry feels better now, or at least he will once it kicks in. "Welcome."
Neither of them say anything as Harry finishes his coffee. It's only like three in the afternoon and Louis doesn't have anywhere to be later so hopefully Harry doesn't mind him staying a bit longer.
Louis wonders how much longer he'll have to keep coming on Wednesdays before Harry fully trust him to the point where he's always himself. He's not really sure exactly what that means because he doesn't really know why Harry has a hard time opening up. He really has the urge to ask but he knows that won't do any good so he doesn't.
"We should play a game," Louis says.
"What kind of game?"
"Twenty questions."
"I don't think I'll be very good at coming up with questions," Harry says.
"C'mon, it's not that hard. They don't have to be interesting."
Harry sighs. "I guess, but you go first."
Louis gives a bright smile and sits up straight. "Okay, um, when is your birthday?"
"February first," Harry answers. "Can I ask the same question or does it have to be different?"
"You can ask the same one but it doesn't count as your turn so you'll have to think of another."
"Mm okay, then what's your birthday and if you could have one wish granted what would it be?"
"That's a good one, see, you're not bad at it," Louis says. "My birthday is Christmas Eve and for the wish I would write down everything I wanted on a piece of paper and then my wish would be like, 'I wish I had everything on this paper.'"
Harry gives a small half smile at Louis' clever answer. "Cheating the system. Do you like having your birthday on Christmas Eve?"
Louis shrugs. "It's not horrible. Sometimes it kinda sucks because most people are more focused on Christmas than my birthday but I think it would be a little selfish to get mad over that."
"Yeah. I don't think I would like it very much."
"Okay, it's my turn," Louis thinks for a second then asks, "What's your worst habit?"
"Uh, well I run my hands through my hair a lot so it gets greasy quicker, I guess."
Louis nods. "Well it's not noticeable."
"Thanks? I mean I do wash it."
"Duh, I just mean your hair always looks good so you shouldn't worry about it."
Harry looks down at the table for a second. "Oh, thanks."
"Mhm, it's your turn now."
"Right, um, if you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?"
"Like physically or personality wise?" Louis asks.
"Either one."
Louis thinks for a moment. He's thought about this before but there's more than one thing he would change so he doesn't know which to pick. He decides to go with the first thing that comes to mind because that's probably subconsciously the thing he wants to change the most.
"Probably my motivation, if that makes sense, like, to get things done."
"Like what?"
"I don't know, schoolwork and working out I guess, I always put it off as long as I can."
"I don't know why you think you need to work out." Harry says without any hesitation.
"Because I need to get in better shape."
"No you don't, you look fine the way you are right now. There would be a lot of people who would kill for your body."
Louis can't help the blush that creeps onto his cheeks. For some reason hearing that compliment from Harry means a lot more than it does when Niall or anyone else tells him. Maybe it's just because Harry is so good looking that him saying that he thinks Louis looks good makes Louis believe it just a little more.
"Thanks, I mean I don't hate my body there's just a few things I wish were a little different. I think everyone has that, though."
Harry nods. "That's true. My sister would always complain about how she looked and I didn't understand, I still don't, because she's beautiful."
Louis gives a sad smile. "Yeah, my sisters too. I think most young girls have body image issues. I think society puts a lot of pressure on young people, of any gender really, to look a certain way or act a certain way and it convinces them that they need to change themselves to fit that 'perfect' image of beauty."
Harry looks at Louis, that was a really genuine thing to say and Harry thinks that it proves how good of a person Louis really is. Harry hasn't met many people where he doesn't have any negative feeling towards them. Being with Louis is always a nice time and Harry doesn't know if he loves or hates that. It scares him because deep down he knows that he's attached and if Louis stopped coming in or talking to him it would hurt. Like a lot.
Harry has been ignoring that feeling and telling himself that Louis isn't that important and he doesn't have any sort of attachment to him at all but there's times, like this one, where it's much harder for him to do that.
"It's sad," is all Harry says back. It is sad and Harry doesn't really know what else to say about it.
"Yeah, I hope things—" Louis' interrupted by a phone call.
He pulls his phone out of his pocket and looks to see who's calling. It doesn't surprise him when he sees Niall's name on the screen.
"Hello?"
"Hi, what are you doing right now?"
"That depends, what do you need?"
"Well I guess I wasn't paying attention to how much gas I had and so I ran out and I'm like ten minutes out of town. I called Zayn but he's not answering and I know Liam's at work."
Louis shakes his head with a long sigh. This is the second time Niall has done something stupid causing him to have to leave.
"Yeah okay, fine. Just text me where you're at and I'll come get you."
"Thanks mate I owe you."
"Yes you do."
Louis hangs up and looks to Harry who already knows that Louis has to leave. "Sorry, Niall ran out of gas and doesn't have anyone else to pick him up."
"It's cool."
They both get up from the booth and say their goodbyes. Louis grabs his things and puts his sweatshirt on. He doesn't understand why Niall is like this. It couldn't of been any other time?