next to you ❀ l.s.

thirty one - ice skate and chill

The books appeared throughout the day.

The doorbell rang more times in one day than it had in the two years that Harry had lived in his apartment. He had rushed to open the door each time, hoping to catch the feathery-haired gnome that was delivering the books. The closest he got was the resounding slam of Louis's front door closing behind him.

He had a pile of five on the kitchen counter, and it was only two in the afternoon. Louis was going above and beyond anything Harry ever could have imagined for their first proper date, even after Harry had explicitly told him not to plan anything over the top.

After the next gift appeared on his doormat, Harry had banged on the wall that separated his bedroom from Louis's, shouting, "Stop buying me books!"

The muffled reply came a moment later: "No!"

They had agreed to meet in the hallway at six, but by half past five, Harry was pacing restlessly in his apartment. He was fixing his hair for the tenth time and adjusting his light brown sweater when a sharp knock resounded through the small apartment. Harry pursed his lips, confused, and answered without even checking the peephole.

His breath left his body at the sight of Louis.

Louis always managed to make every outfit look effortless, as though he didn't do much more than run his fingers through his fluffy hair to style it to perfection. He had chosen a loose-fitting tank top with a scooped neck that accentuated his toned chest, topped off with a light-wash jean jacket -- and as much as Harry loved his outfit, he already wanted it off.

"I got impatient," the older boy said cheekily. His eyes flicked down Harry's body, shamelessly checking him out. "Looks like you're ready, though, so I don't have any reason to feel bad."

"You look so good," Harry gushed shyly. "Gorgeous."

"Thank you, love," Louis smiled. His tone was confident, but Harry didn't miss the subtle hint of color that spread across his cheeks. The older boy tugged at the low neckline of his top, asking, "You sure it's not too much?"

"No. It's hot. You look so sexy."

Louis's smile widened, and he took a step into the apartment, holding the door open with one hand. With his other hand, he pulled Harry in by the waist, pressing their lips together softly -- a simple, unspoken way to say "thank you."

"Where are we going?" Harry asked curiously when they broke the kiss.

With twinkling blue eyes, he responded: "You'll see."

Harry pouted, and Louis laughed.

"Grab a jacket, sunshine. It's cold out, and as much as I'd love to see you in my jacket again, I'd really prefer that my arms don't freeze off tonight."

Harry complied easily, grabbing a coat from the rack before following Louis out the door. The older boy had left the car running, and the quiet hum of the engine pierced through the otherwise silent night. Louis opened the door for him, pulling a funny face as Harry got into the car, then hurried around to the driver's side.

As soon as he dropped into his seat, Louis reached for Harry's hand. Harry had never felt so electrified and satisfied at the same time.

He clung to Louis's hand for the entire drive, nearly overflowing with questions about where they were going (which he didn't voice out loud, because he knew he wasn't getting an answer out of Louis until Louis wanted him to know). Instead, he asked about Louis's day and got an amusing story about Liam and Niall; since the college boys had just finished the last of their fall semester finals earlier in the week, they had apparently had a raucous lunch to celebrate -- where Liam had tried (and failed) to flirt with a waitress and Niall laughed so hard that he fell out of his chair backward.