next to you ❀ l.s.

seven - saturdays are for the boys

"Seriously, Harry, what kind of person brings a book to a bar?" Niall groaned, burying his face in his arms as the four of them slid into an open booth in the very back of the crowded bar.

"I work in a bookstore!"

It was the weekend before midterms, and the boys had all agreed that they needed a break. The past few weeks had been a whirlwind of studying and late-night takeout and movie nights that no one actually paid attention to because they were busy doing homework. Except for Harry, of course, who had tried to watch the movie and fallen asleep part way through every single time.

According to Niall, the best -- and only -- way for them all to release some tension was a wild night out at the bar, so they had chosen the least popular one on the main crawl and dragged themselves out of their respective study spaces to go out. And maybe Louis had raised his eyebrows suspiciously when Harry pulled out a fake ID and an award-winning smile to get in, but he hadn't voiced those thoughts out loud.

"I need new friends," the Irish boy continued. "Cool friends."

"Don't listen to him," Louis instructed, shooting an annoyed glare at Niall as he slung an arm around Harry's shoulders. "You can put your book in my backpack for safe keeping."

Niall's eyes nearly bugged out of his head, peeking under the table just to be sure that Louis wasn't joking. "Why in the ever-loving fuck do you have a backpack with you?"

"I came straight from night class!" Louis exclaimed defensively. "And you were the one calling me about thirty times because I was late getting out, so I didn't have much time to go put it in my flat, did I?"

"Can you idiots stop bickering for one god damn night?" Liam exclaimed, returning to the table with their first round of drinks.

"Not to worry, Payno," Niall said, reaching for a drink and clinking it hard against Liam's. "As soon as we get some alcohol in our systems, we'll be hugging like brothers."

"Or fighting like brothers," Harry pointed out, looking up from his book for the first time.

"Oh, Christ. Give me that!" Niall exclaimed, snatching the book from Harry's hands. Harry grabbed for it, but he was too slow. He sank back against the seat and crossed his arms over his chest, pursing his lips outward into a pout.

"He's right, you know." Louis patted Niall's cheek hard enough to catch him off guard, then ripped the book from his hands, handing it back to Harry with a proud smile.

"Thank you." Harry's cheeks flushed with happiness at the thought of Louis defending him, even about something so simple and playful. He tucked the book safely into the small amount of space between his thigh and Louis's, and then he reached for his drink, sliding it across the table to sit in front of him.

"Anytime, sweetheart."

They spent about an hour just drinking and gossiping, mostly about the girl in Niall's maths class who he had decided was moderately cute enough to maybe ask on a date. Which, naturally, soon turned into Louis vowing that if she became Niall's girlfriend, he would snitch about what Niall had said on the first day of school about having no cute girls in his classes. Which, naturally, led to Niall calling Louis a "bloody worthless homewrecker" and valiantly defending his hypothetical girlfriend, emboldened by the liquid courage now fueling his body.

As the alcohol started to course through his veins, Harry too grew a bit bolder, and he blurted out suddenly, "Liam, did you drop something off at my apartment a couple of weeks ago?"

Liam furrowed his brow in confusion, taking a sip of his own drink as he pondered Harry's curious question. "No, I don't think so. Why?"

Harry looked puzzled. He thumbed over the folded corner of the book's cover absentmindedly. "No reason." Then the curly-haired boy folded his knees to his chest, settling more comfortably into the booth as he directed his attention to the worn pages in front of him, shutting out the loud noises of the bar and his arguing friends.