Oh I Do Like Guys, Just Not You (L.S)

Chapter 8

A/N So this is a long one because... you know what, you'll figure out why. Enjoy!

Harry is awoken by the pain in his neck - probably caused by his odd position on the couch. Apart from that, the first thing he notices is the coldness on his left side where he was pressed against Louis' body last night. The arm around him and the hand in his own are gone, and so is the other boy apparently.

Reluctantly, Harry opens his eyes to confirm the suspicion, and unfortunately, he is right. Louis is gone. The other boys however are still splayed across the couch, limbs almost in knots from the limited space they've slept on.

For a few minutes, Harry just watches them, trying to keep warm and comfy under the blanket Louis left for him, but it doesn't really work, so he flings the blanket across his shoulders like a cape and tiptoes into the kitchen, looking for tea.

He stops for a minute when he reaches the open door, not prepared to see Louis chatting away with his mom at the kitchen table while Liam's dad is making coffee. For a moment he's frozen, but then Anne notices him, and greets him with a smile. "Good morning, honey. You look like you slept well", she grins, and Harry's suddenly very aware of his uncontrollable morning hair and the pillow mark he can feel displayed on his cheek.

"Morning", he mumbles and kisses his mom's cheek, before pitter-pattering over to Geoff to steal his cup of coffee. Tea is not going to be enough to get through today, that's for sure.

The smell of breakfast and coffee seems to liven up the other boys, and they soon stumble into the kitchen in various states of disorder.

Niall and Liam heads directly for the table displaying bacon and eggs while Zayn joins Harry by the coffee maker. After the initial morning greetings, the room falls into a content state of silence, only interrupted by clattering of cutlery against plates and an occasional murmur.

Niall heads home shortly after breakfast while the other boys decide to play a game of football in the backyard - Liam and Louis against the younger boys which is entirely unfair teams, as Harry is a stumbling mess at football while Louis and Liam are quite good. So is Zayn, to be fair, and whatever team gets Harry will probably find it unfair.

They play for almost an hour, Harry and Zayn loosing profoundly, yet Zayn is a pretty good sport about it, making the game fun anyways. They play until lunch, Zayn leaving afterwards to spend some time at Gigi's house - they're not officially dating, but Harry knows for a fact that Zayn is working on it.

Even though Louis is still here, he and Liam retreat to Liam's room, leaving Harry to do things for himself. He gets around to a bit of homework and making a document for an assignment without actually starting it - though still feeling accomplished with the day's work.

None of the other boys are there at dinner, so Harry is left wondering if Louis will come back today while trying to focus on the conversation with his parents. When they comment on his distant state, he fumbles an excuse about being too tired, leaving the kitchen to supposedly go to bed early.

He does go to bed - in sweats and a T-shirt - but he doesn't sleep, just scrolls mindlessly on his phone with a movie playing in the background, until the clock is somehow displaying the time as almost one with big, lightened numbers he can't ignore.

Harry puts his phone down, well aware that he will not be able to sleep, as Louis has been clouding his mind all day. Worse, he doesn't have Niall or Zayn to vent to right now, or as much as distract him a bit. As if he will ever be able to fall asleep.

***

He has been tossing and turning for almost an hour when a streak of light suddenly hits the wall across from his door. As Harry's back is turned towards the entrance, he cannot see who opened the door, and assumes it's just his mother checking in on him. And surely enough, the door closes only ten seconds later, effectively leaving him alone once again.