how to: steal someone's boyfriend. [larry stylinson] ✔️

sixteen | buy a heart

This was it, Harry thought nervously as he looked at Louis from across the cafe table. This was the day I was going to ask him out.

"Why do you look like that?" Louis asked the question with a raised eyebrow and curious blue eyes, taking a sip of his tea.

Blushing furiously from being caught staring, Harry shook his head and looked down at his plate, the only thing on top of it being a blueberry scone he ordered. He wasn't able to eat due to his nerves and his thoughts getting the best of him, so the scone sat, half-eaten. "Like what?"

"Like you're angry with me or something," responded Louis conspicuously, squinting his eyes above his cup as he stared at Harry like he was being put underneath a microscope. "Are you angry with me?"

"No. Of course not. M' not angry." assured Harry with a smile, breaking off a piece of his scone and pushing it into his mouth; but Louis didn't look too convinced. The boy with the blue eyes blinked suspiciously and tipped his tea a bit farther up so that the rim hit his nose. "I'm not! I'm just thinking about...stuff."

"Stuff as in plans to murder me." Louis finished joyfully, reaching his hand over the table and breaking off a piece of Harry's scone, half expecting Harry to knock it out of his hand. When it didn't come, he stuffed it into his mouth and looked out of the window, watching as snowflakes fell from the sky and landed on the ground.

"Your birthday's tomorrow."

He cringed at the mention, locking eyes with Harry instantly. "And I don't want to celebrate it. Or be reminded."

There was something that Louis was hiding from Harry and it was obvious because he began to tap his fingers against the surface of the table. Harry couldn't help but wonder about what happened those months that Louis had been gone, and the reason why he was gone. "Why not? It's a special day, and I want to make it special for you."

"It's not...I'm just turning a year older, it's nothing. I'll still be the same person, I'll still have the same people around, and nothing will change but my age. Nothing worth celebrating." explained Louis quietly, then looking down at the stained table. "Plus, I never really celebrated before. I haven't done it...like, ever."

"Why not?" inquired Harry curiously.

"Because I had no one to celebrate with, Harry. My parents would always go out the night of my birthday and leave me in the house with cold pizza and unfiltered water." Louis responded hurriedly, in fact, so fast that Harry almost didn't catch it. "They didn't care, so I didn't."

And Harry suddenly understood why Louis always got uncomfortable when the topic of his parents came up in a conversation, and why he went stiff when Harry told him his father called. His parents must have treated him so terribly that he had no other choice but to shut them out and be on his own. "Well, now you have several people who care, and I want you to celebrate your birthday with me. No stale pizza or gross water, just you, me, and the moon."

"You're so..." Louis smiled while shaking his head, drawing the same pattern of a circle with his finger on the table. "Amazing. Utterly amazing."

"I just want to make you happy."

"You always make me happy, and that's what I love about you." answered Louis softly, and Harry's breath hitches at the mention of love. He knew that Louis didn't mean it in the way that Harry wished he did, but it still meant a lot and made his heart race. "I'll celebrate with you."

"Really?" asked Harry incredulously, which earned him a light smile from Louis and a nod. "Good, because I already had everything planned. I have two tickets to this ice skating show, and I didn't want to have to give them away on Ebay. Tomorrow, we'll celebrate some more."

"Nice. What time are we going?"

Harry checked the watch around his wrist and immediately stood up, holding out his hand for Louis to take. "We have to be there in less than thirty minutes so that we don't get bad seats. May I?"

"Don't mind if I do." replied Louis, grabbing ahold of Harry's hand and getting out of the chair; making sure to grab his beanie from the edge of the table before they left out.

Getting there didn't take too long, so they were able to sit in the front row, which meant that the ice skaters would glide past them occasionally through the show. Louis looked enthusiastic, but still a little nervous because he usually stayed in the house on his birthday, and this was all so different. Harry squeezed his hand and started talking about simple things to distract Louis, like how he always wanted to ice skate, but he was too clumsy.

"With those long legs? I believe it." remarked Louis with a snort, nonchalantly letting his hand slip from Harry's grip and resting it on top of his thigh instead. Harry tried to ignore the fact that it happened to be really close to his crotch, his eyes now glued to the front of him. "Are you okay? You just got really quiet."

"Yeah, I—" It came out high pitched, nevertheless, Harry cleared his throat and continued to speak. "I just have to use the bathroom if that's okay with you."

"Oh, sure. Come back quick though. I think that they're about to start."

There was a building located next to the rink that Harry ran into, and he was glad to see that the bathroom was empty when he got inside. He needed a minute to cool off or else he'd ruin this 'date' before it started, so he walked over to the sink and got a handful of water. His hands were still cold, but he splashed it on his face anyways, feeling less nervous than before.

"Pull yourself together." whispered Harry to his reflection before leaving the bathroom and the building; sticking his hands in his pocket.

When he got back to his seat, the show had already started, and Louis was watching the people so intensely that he hadn't noticed Harry come back until he got nudged in the side. Louis looked at him with bright blue eyes and nodded his head towards the rink. "You missed it. The lead skater guy just came by and winked at me. I thought he was slipping into a coma and asked if he needed assistance out there. Totally embarrassed him."

Okay, I can't wait anymore. "Louis?"

"Yeah?"

Harry rubbed his palms against his jeans and tried to figure out how he wanted to word this, looking up at the sky as if waiting for someone to give him the answer. Just say it. "Will you...will...you— me, date. We should— date. So will you, um, go out? With me? Not like...fuck."

Louis raised his eyebrow. "Are you asking me out?"

"Well, yeah. Kind of, yes." breathed Harry with uncertainty, keeping his eyes closed just in case he would have to face rejection. "But if you don't want to— date me, then that's completely fine. Actually, no, it's not. I'll break down in tears, but that isn't a threat or anything."

"Of course I'll go out with you, Harry. Now shut up so I can watch the show."

NOTE: so romantic i luv life <3333 this is almost over yay!!!! bye i love you