"Why is he coming over?" Harry asked sternly. "And why am I always here when he does?"
"It's not like I invited him," Louis said. He and Harry were standing up in the small space between the couch and the coffee table, having a small argument. Niall, Liam and Zayn were sitting on the floor by the tv, looking between them like it was a table tennis match. "He needs to come over to get his Xbox."
"Why can't you like, send it to him?"
"That would be rude, Harry," Louis said.
"How could that be rude?"
"I don't know but it's weird! Plus he lives over at campus and that's only like fifteen minutes away."
"He's in love with you!" Harry said, jumping straight to the point.
"Harry, he won't freaking pounce on me!" Louis exclaimed in exasperation. "And especially not when Niall is here."
"Why wouldn't he do it because Niall's here?"
Riiiiiiiggghttt. Oh. Crap. Great. Oh, yes. Right. Brilliant. Um. And how do you explain to your boyfriend that the guy who is in love with you believes you're dating your best friend that you made out with to make your boyfriend jealous? Oh, right. There is no fucking way. Hello? God? Could you send me down a ladder because I'm kind of done down here? Louis thought.
"Uh..."
"Louis," Harry warned. "Tell me."
"Well, see..." He looked at Niall for help but he just smiled back, very spitefully enjoying the show. Louis gulped. Harry was going to be mad. So mad. "Umm, well... Darren saw me and Niall...uh, kissing at the party...and now he thinks we're together."
"Oh my god!" Harry exclaimed in utter annoyance and exasperation.
"Don't worry! He won't tell people! He promised me that!"
Harry stopped in his movements and slowly looked down at him. "He promised you? How could he have promised you?"
"Uhm, yeah, uh, we talked about it..."
"AND YOU DIDN'T CORRECT HIM?!" He exploded, using the same words as Niall had.
"Yeah, uh..." Louis took a few stapes back, carefully positioning himself behind Liam. He was the strongest of the audience members.
"Oh my god! Louis, I," Harry looked like he didn't know what to do with himself. "Just GOD!"
"Heh," Louis said, trying a smile a smile at him.
"I shouldn't be surprised. I don't know what goes on in your head," Harry glared.
"What a compliment, Harry." Liam said, eyes narrowed. LIAM, my prince! Louis beamed.
"Thank you, Liam!" he smiled with his eyebrows raised at Harry. "At least somebody cares about my self-confidence and feelings."
"There's nothing wrong with your self-confidence," Harry muttered and sat down on the couch like he'd just come home from a long day of work. His palm was covering his eyes as if he had a headache.
"Thanks, DARLING" Louis said.
"Why would he even assume you're together, like boyfriends? Friends kiss all the time."
"WHAT WAS THAT LOOK?!" Louis exclaimed loudly.
"There was no look," Liam said.
"THERE WAS A LOOK!" He was sure of it. Zayn's eyes flicked to Liam's once again. Louis who was resting his hands on Liam's shoulders, standing behind him, gasped again.
"There it is again!" He grabbed hold of Liam's face, hands clutching his jaw, yanking his head back. He looked down at him suspiciously, trying to find clues in his eyes.
"There is no look, okay?" Liam said in annoyance, trying to yank his head free.
"There most definitely was a look," Louis said darkly and took a few steps towards Zayn. Zayn seemed to take his approach as threatening and stood up, moved away and no doubt intentionally putting the couch between them. Distance was better when Louis was onto something. Niall was watching in interest, and Harry looked like he was dying on the couch. Louis turned to Zayn.
"Zayn, there was a look, wasn't there?" Zayn shrugged as an answer. Yeah, okay that was a definite yes. "Liam, dear. Would you please now tell me why you and your best friend share looks when talking about kissing friends? LIAM?"
"Fine. Zayn and I may have kissed," he confessed. Louis' eyes grew to the size of golf balls and he beamed. This was the best day ever! "ONCE! It was one time! And it was before Danielle so I did not cheat on her! It was one time!"
"Wow, Liam you're so convincing." Louis smiled sweetly, a smug expression all over his face. "Tell me more of how it only happened once."
"It was one time!"
"Tsss'yeah right," Harry scoffed. "Try twice."
"So we're all gay?!" Louis beamed. He clapped his hands together in a big gesture and held them clutched together at his chest. "Magnificent!"
"We're not ALL gay!" Niall interrupted as he stood from the floor. " I, my friends," he pointed at himself. "I am straight!"
"Really, Niall?" Louis raised his eyebrow.
"WE'RE NOT ALL GAY!" Liam yelled. "I AM STRAIGHT. STRAIGHT!"
"Again, I am very hetero!" Niall repeated.
"I've only kissed boys a few times!" Zayn defended himself.
"I'm bisexual," Harry offered lamely, raising a hand from where he was lying, face into a pillow.
"I'm not gay!!" Niall said.
"DO WE HAVE THIS SORTED?!" Liam yelled. "LIAM JAMES PAYNE IS NOT GAY."
"Oh come on! You're in a boyband!" Louis argued.
"Just because I'm in a boyband doesn't mean I'm gay!" Zayn exclaimed.
"No but kissing guys does!"
"CAN WE ALL JUST AGREE THAT I'M NOT GAY?!" Liam yelled, voice overpowering the others.
"No, we cannot!" Louis told him.
"Oh my god, I need to call my girlfriend!" Liam stormed into Niall's room, clutching his phone in a knuckle-whitening grip. Zayn and Niall we're yelling about not being gay and Harry still had is head in the pillow. Louis beamed as he took in the scene. Aaah, heaven. This was the best day ever. Very honestly, the best day ever. A moment later Liam came storming in to the room again.
"She's not picking up!"
"Maybe you can go cry on Zayn's shoulder?" Louis suggested.
"SHUT UP LOUIS!" Zayn yelled.
"ANYWAY, " Harry said, raising his voice for the first time. He sat up, hair a little on end and gazing tiredly at them all until they had shut their mouths. "My point was, if you can remember that far back in time, friends kiss each other all the time and I don't like Darren at all."
The three in front of him were silent for a bit and then nodded. It sounded reasonable.
"And you shouldn't just go assuming things. He can't just assume you're dating because you kissed. God, he's annoying," Harry added.
"He also said Niall and I look in love," Louis added. He realized he wasn't exactly helping. He offered a smile.
"For fuck sake. That guy is making my life so much harder," Harry groaned.
"I'm pretty sure that's Louis and not Darren," said Niall.
"And you," Harry turned the blonde. "Why in the world did you tell my boyfriend that he was a god in sex?"
Niall stiffened. "I'd rather not say," he said, head high and chin turned away. Harry waited for an explanation.
"I'll talk to you about that later, Haz," Louis said.
Niall's snapped in his direction. "You will not say word!"
"Don't worry. I'll just lie to him later," Louis reassured.
"Um, hi. I'm right here," Harry gestured at his own body.
"This is highly confidential stuff, babe."
"I thought best friends didn't lie?" Harry said, raising an eyebrow.
"It's okay when it's about other best friends," Louis educated.
There was a loud gasp. "You said he was your best friend?" Niall looked humbled.
"Umm," Louis said. Shit. Trapped. Cornered. In a reeaaal bad place. "Other kind of best friend. Uh, different levels? Like he's more on a boyfriendly kind of best friendly level?"
"So I'm not a real best friend?" Harry asked, arms crossed, looking at him expectantly.
"Uhhhmm." How the fuck to get out of this one? His homosexual heaven had all of a sudden collapsed and turned into a very best friendly hell. A bucket, a rope, a tree, a cliff, lightening...?
"What about us?" Zayn said, leaning on Liam's shoulder. The bulkier of them looked at him with puppy eyes. For Christ sake!
"Um, yeah, uh. I just haven't known you guys as long as these two so...uh, yeah?" Zayn raised his eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. Louis flopped into the nearest beanbag, totally giving up at life.
Liam laughed and Zayn snickered. "We're only taking the piss, Lou."
"I'm not!" Niall said. "Say I'm your best friend." Louis waved him off. "SAY I'M YOUR BEST FRIEND!"
"Niallyou'remybestfriendandIloveyouverymuchandofcourseyou'remybestestoffriends," he said, humdrumly.
"Hah," Niall smirked smugly at Harry. He propped himself up on the beanbag next to Louis, squeezing into his personal space as much as he could. "Take that, boyfriend!" His face was nothing but smug. Harry just shook his head. "And since Darren is arriving, I'll be having this cutie all to myself." He put an arm around Louis' shoulder and patted his hair. "All to myself." He whispered in Louis' ear. He shoved him off onto the floor.
---
"Hi, Darren," Niall said awkwardly. Too awkwardly. God, he sucked at acting. He was trying too hard. Louis stood heavily on his toe and Niall winced in pain but managed to keep his mouth shut. Louis plastered a smile on his face.
Darren pulled a hesitant smile, obviously embarrassed. "Hey guys."
Louis was standing next to Niall, who very beardily had his arm slung around Louis' shoulders. Zayn and Liam had under loud protests been stuffed into Niall's room, but Harry however had refused to leave Louis alone with two guys who already had "had their hands on him". So he was now sitting on the couch, arms crossed, glaring at Niall's arm. He shot small glances at Darren too and Louis wanted to kick him for being so obvious. And he was rude, he hadn't even said hello.
"I'm just gonna' get my xbox then..." Darren said awkwardly and shuffled over to the tv where the console was. Harry watched him unplug it from the tv, not letting him out of his sight for a second. When Darren was finished and the console was in his arms, he turned to Louis and Niall, shyly looking at them. He tried to ignore Harry's cold stare.
"Um, guys." He said, hesitantly. "I want to say something. Uh, I'd really like to remain friends. I know this is all awkward now... and you're together?" He nodded at their stance and Harry turned in his seat, looking back at the kitchen area where Niall was leaning on Louis. Harry raised an eyebrow that Darren didn't catch.
"We'd like that very much, Darren," Niall nodded seriously. We? WE? How coupley, Niall. But Louis couldn't help it, he felt so bad for Darren. This was awful. Awful. He looked all insecure and cute in a puppyishly way, cradling his xbox like his life was hanging on it.
"I just... Both of you are my friends and I'd hate to lose you just because...well..."
"Darren," Louis said seriously. He stepped out of Niall's arms and went over to him. He firmly took the xbox out of his hands and put it on the worn coffee table. "I assure you, one hundred percent that we'll still be friends. Don't worry about anything. It'll go back to normal, okay?"
"Okay?" Darren said.
"Yes." Louis pulled him into a tight hug. He felt bad for kind of everything. And if a tight hug felt a little like compensating for all the lies then Louis would hug him for quite a while. Darren was tall, but not as tall as Harry. He was also quite snuggly. The hug was nice.
Harry cleared his throat loudly. It appeared he had got up from the couch and now a hand was resting on Louis' shoulder possessively. Louis wanted to roll his eyes or punch him. He wasn't sure which.
Darren picked up the xbox again, confused by Harry's protectiveness but he seemed alright. He gave Louis a warm smile and told them he'd call later. As soon as he'd shut the door behind him, Harry was staring down at Louis.
"Really, a hug? Really?"
"Yes, a hug." Louis snapped. Harry opened his mouth to probably say something incredibly stupid and Louis cut him off. "No, Harold. That was about Darren needing a friendly hug. Friendly." He emphasized the word heavily. "And you're being a jerk to him and honestly your possessiveness is getting kind of old. Your jealousy deal can be cute and really sexy at times but not when it's about Darren." Louis was kind of sick of it.
Harry had shut his mouth and was now pouting at the floor like a child who knew they've been bad.
"And stop with that face! You know it makes me want to caress your curls and lick you!" Louis exclaimed exasperatedly.
"Back to the point. There is nothing for you to worry about. Darren and I are just friends and you know that. He knows that now too." Louis face softened at Harry's sheepish eyes. He felt like he had gotten through to him. "So please Harry, lay off about it?"
Harry bit his lip, eyes on the floor. This was the first time Louis had told him off for real. They had only had small, not very serious arguments before but this was the first time Louis had put things serious and hard enough for Harry to grasp that this was not to argue against.
Harry seemed to ponder things for a while. Then his eyes flicked up and met Louis'. "What about him?" Harry nodded at Niall who was looking through the fridge.
"Huh?" he said with a packet of crisps in his mouth.
"Niall. Can I slap him if he touches you?"
"Oh," Louis said. "Him you can slap any time." He shrugged.
Harry grinned back. "Good."
"You're the worst friend ever," Niall muttered. Louis just smirked and then Harry was all of a sudden fiddling with one of the loops in Louis' pants. He nodded his head back towards the bedroom. Niall rolled his eyes in the background, something Louis didn't even notice. Harry's hands were on his hips and all he could do was unsteadily on his feet go with him. As soon as the door was closed behind them, Harry had him pinned below him on the bed.
"Babe, I was thinking," Harry said in his ear as Louis ran his hands through Harry's hair. "Darren knows you're just friends now but that's because of Niall."
"Yes. And why are we in this position all of a sudden?" Louis breathed and Harry pulled off his shirt, revealing his toned stomach. Oh, that butterfly just get's sexier and sexier every time Louis saw it.
"Oh. This is because you telling me off was freaking hot." He explained eagerly and leaned down over him, his lips pressing into the hollow above Louis' collarbone. He kissed him in a way that would most certainly leave marks. "But I want people to know you're not just taken," he said between kisses. "Or that you're just unavailable. I want them to know you're mine. Mine. Harry Styles' boyfriend."
"But babe..." Louis hands skimmed over Harry's back, one reaching into his hair again, the other pressing him closer at the small of his back. "I know you do..." God, these neck kisses were really distracting. "But we can't until your management has approved. You'll have to talk to them and..."
Harry sat straight back up. Oh no. "Yes," he said. Serendipity.
"No?" Louis tried.
"Yes." Dammit. Harry's eyes were bright. "Yes. I need to talk to modest. Yes."
"Harold. Wait," Louis sat up as well, cheeks a bit flushed from the kissing and still half hard in his pants. "You can't just –"
"Sure I can!" Harry said, almost excitedly. Harry stood from the bed, looking for his shirt where it had ended up on the floor.
"Hello? Where are you going?"
"Talking to modest. Duh," he raised an eyebrow at Louis like "isn't it obvious?"
"Now??" Louis said, kind of horrified. He was not ready for this. Harry leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss on Louis' lips and then he was gone. Shit. SHIT.
"Liam?? Maaalik?" Louis could hear him yell outside his door. Oh mother of god.
Louis was so not ready for this. Fuck. Harry was really going to talk to them. Like, right now. What if they agreed and everything went to hell? What if Harry ruined his career because of this? And also his two other band mates'? And it was kind of Louis' fault. Fuck. No. No no no no no no. NO.
---
"How's your boyfriend? Oh, wait," Lindsay interrupted herself. "He's not your boyfriend. He only thinks he is." She leaned against the counter, watching Louis in a way that made him feel very uncomfortable.
"Actually I've sorted that out," Louis said, not even bothering with a glance in her direction.
"Sure, you did," she said, not believing a word.
"Um, I did."
"And how'd you do that?" She was not convinced.
"Well he thinks I'm uh...dating Niall now." Yeah that did not sound good at all.
"You're a prick." Wow, judgy. But sadly it was kind of true.
"Not usually."
"Why did you tell him you're dating Niall?" Yup, she was definitely judging him.
"I didn't exactly tell him that. He just assumed and I let him."
"Why would you do such a thing?" she sighed. "And why did he assume that?"
"He saw us kissing and –"
"Lewis, you're the biggest slut I know."
"Hey! Excuse you!"
"Really, Lewis? You can't deny that."
"Yeah, okay," he resigned. It was a slow day in the coffee shop, only a couple of girls were sitting in the corner. One was blonde and looked short. The other was taller and had long brown hair. Both were typing furiously on their phones. Louis started making himself a coffee while nothing was happening. Seriously, Wednesday nights were a bore to be working on. No one ever came in. He looked up from the espresso maker and immediately brown eyes were boring into his. He blinked in surprise and the girl's cheeks reddened and she looked away. Louis finished his coffee. Didn't he recognize her? The girl in the corner looked familiar.
Lindsay, who apparently was feeling the same boredom creeping upon her too, reached down underneath the counter and plugged her phone into cord that was connected to the speakers. "Let's turn some music on!"
Louis rolled his eyes but set his latte down. "I hope it's good music because I don't dance to crap."
"Don't worry, my playlist is awesome." Music started blaring out of the speakers and the girls in the corner jerked in surprised. Louis snickered but then he gaped at Lindsay.
"Shut your mouth. My music taste is good." She glared at him. And actually it was. Louis loved this song. The speakers were blaring Valerie with Amy Winehouse, the revisited version.
"You're right. It is," Louis told her, for the first time ever giving her a genuine smile.
"Woah." She feigned chest pains. "You're showing a lot of teeth there."
"That's my smile."
"It's ugly."
"I love you too." Louis told her and slipped out from behind the counter. They were closing in about twenty minutes and the place was pretty much empty, so why the hell not? He jumped up on a chair in the middle of the shop, gaining three pairs' of eyes worth of attention.
"Press replay," he told Lindsay. She rolled her eyes, but nonetheless did as told. The song started over and clapped his hand along with the rhythm of the song, fully aware that he looked like a dork.
"Well sometimes I go out by myself, and I look a across the water," he sang obnoxiously loud. Lindsay scoffed but broke into a smile. He pointed at her while he continued singing. "And I think of all the things, what you're doing, and in my head I paint a picture!" He kept going, singing Valerie at the top of his lungs while Lindsay laughed at him. One of his finer moments was when he put a foot on the back of the chair and pressed it down, making him feel like a rock star when he reached the floor. He continued his very exclusive show, running around, twirling around Lindsay in circles and did his best at worming. It didn't go well.
"Wow, Louis." Lindsay snickered. "You're really good. Maybe X factor is next for you?" The two other girls were laughing as well. He didn't know if it was at him or with him, but hey at least they were having fun.
"Next song, and don't kill me but I'm secretly a fan. I know I'm twenty but still. They're hot and the songs are catchy so," Lindsay shrugged and pressed play. Immediately Louis rolled his eyes.
"I've tried playing it cooooooool, but when I'm looking at youuuuu," Louis blared while pointing at one of the girls at the table. She blushed immensely. "I can't ever be brave, 'cause you make my heart rraaccceee."
"Shot me out of the skyyy, you're my kryptonite!!" Lindsay sang. Awfully Louis might add.
"You keep making me weeak, yeah frozen and can't breeeathee." Louis continued singing. He made a big show of wandering his way over to the girls and he lied down on a sofa by their table, resting on his elbow. He sang the song for them, and they giggle and even joined in on the chorus.
"Lewis!" Lindsay gasped when the song was over. "YOU KNOW THE LYRICS TO ONE DIRECTION?"
"Well I kind of have to since Ha –" he stopped short.
"Since Harry what?" Lindsay narrowed her eyes, sitting down by the table the girls and Louis were at.
"Uh, Harry is a massive fan. Yes, huge fan. He loves them. Yeah, he thinks- he thinks Liam is hot. Uh, massive fan, yes."
"Okay..."
"Huge fan."
"If you say so."
"Massive," Louis nodded, the conversation trailing off. "Oh, and hi girls. We haven't officially met. But hi!"
"Hello," they giggled. The brunette eyed him curiously and the feeling of familiarity came over him again.
"Do you guys go my college?"
"Uh, no," the blonde answered shyly.
"Oh," he said, thinking hard, trying to remember where he'd seen them before. "Are you stalking me?" he asked.
"What? No!" the brunette answered like he was crazy. It was a reasonable reaction to a question like that, Louis supposed.
"I just think I've seen you before, but whatever," he shrugged.
"Well, they're kind of regulars now," Lindsay told him. "They've been here pretty much every day for a while now."
"Oh. Sorry. I didn't recognize you." Louis squinted at them. Hm.
"No wonder. You have barely been here at all," Lindsay said.
"I've been at Uni!" he defended himself. What was she suggesting?
"Really? So you haven't been staying home to be with your boyfriend?" she raised her eyebrows. "Oh and while we're on the subject, which one are you staying home with? Darren? Niall? Harry?"
"Let it go," he dismissed her. "She's talking crap. Ignore her." He told the girls who were listening intently. He made a face at Lindsay while she looked away and the other girls giggled.
"You're a slut."
"So are you."
Louis childishly stuck his tongue out at her.