next to you ❀ l.s.

fourteen - friends & fears

Harry spent the next few days on a bittersweet high, even though he barely saw Louis (who was overwhelmingly busy with classes and some research project that he had finally turned in earlier that Thursday). He floated through Tuesday and Wednesday in a dreamy world of gentle touches and beautiful words and soft lips and blue eyes even as anxiety coiled up inside of him, dreading the moment that his feet finally touched the ground again.

"Harry, quit daydreaming and help us choose a film, will you?" Niall prodded, nudging Harry's shoulder with his own. The Irish boy's lips were turned up into an amused smile as he observed his friend, who was clearly lost in thought.

With a blink, Harry snapped out of his daze, focusing his attention on the TV screen in front of them. He was sat on the couch with Niall and Liam in Louis's apartment. He had only seen the older boy for a split second before Louis had run out the door to get snacks after Niall's endless complaints about how starving he was.

His lips pursed outward into a tiny pout, and he curled further into himself, struggling to pay attention to his friends' unnecessarily-heated debate about movies. He felt silly, but he couldn't help missing Louis. The blue-eyed boy had only come into his life a few short months before, and somehow, everything had changed in ways he hadn't even thought possible.

"Haz, seriously. You're on a different fucking planet right now, mate," Niall interrupted Harry's train of thought once again. "Something going on that you're not telling us?"

"No." His own voice sounded a bit foreign and unfamiliar, and he pinched his thigh, forcing himself back to the real world. Thinking about Louis usually gave him a tiny piece of comfort, but his head was growing too hazy. He gave Niall a reassuring smile. "Just a bit tired, I guess."

"You've been working too much," Liam observed, not even looking away from the TV screen.

Harry didn't deny it; as usual, Liam was right. The bookstore had lost an employee who moved away with her new husband, and Harry had jumped at the rare opportunity to take on a few extra hours a week. For the first time in his life, he had a real use for some extra money -- he wanted to take Louis out on a real date. Not a burgers-and-fries fast-food date, but a real one. A date that would show Louis how much he cared about him, since he didn't think he could say it properly.

As if reading his mind, Niall pointed out casually, "You and Louis seem to be getting on well."

Harry shrugged, heat instantly rising to his cheeks. "Yeah, I guess we kind of are."

"You seem to like him. And he seems to like you."

"Do you think so?" Harry asked, genuinely curious. Of course, Louis had told him outright that he liked him, but maybe the older boy was just being kind. Had their friends really noticed -- or had Louis talked to them? His cheeks burned an even deeper red at the thought.

"Of course, mate. It's pretty obvious to literally everyone around you," Niall laughed, earning a pointed glare from Liam. "What? It's true, isn't it?"

Harry bit his lower lip, the memory of Louis's against his own making it tingle, a mix of surprise and embarrassment. "Oh. I didn't know."

"Oblivious," Liam mumbled, shaking his head in fond disbelief. Luckily, Harry didn't hear.

Niall, on the other hand, studied Harry curiously. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know," the younger boy repeated. He folded his legs up to his chest, resting his chin on his knee. "I, uh . . . I think Louis is really wonderful, but he can be a bit nosy."

"Well, you need someone nosy."

"True!" Liam voiced his enthusiastic agreement. He clicked the remote to pause his scrolling on an animated film clearly intended for children. "Thoughts?"