Hate That I Love You

Chapter 12

Harry's seat was, of course, in the front rows. From where he was sitting, you could see everything, really, and all the players could easily have overcome the barrier with a small jump and go to communicate with them.

Harry kept moving his eyes furiously from Xander to Louis when the game hadn't started yet, anxious. Honestly, he never wanted the two to talk to each other, or even just look at each other.

Louis became an irritating type very easily and Xander had never been known for holding onto his anger. A fight was not quite what he wanted.

"Still, Louis is a really nice guy!" Liam exclaimed, sitting next to Harry. A little farther on, next to Liam sat Zayn.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Liam, don't pretend you've never seen him. He ends up in some tabloid magazine every other day. Only Paris Hilton can compete with him."

"I said, he's even more handsome in person," he shrugged. "Louis could become my celebrity crush," he announced.

Zayn stared at him indignantly, folding his arms. "Are you kidding? He's not that handsome!" He exclaimed.

Liam sighed deeply, shaking his head. "Are you an idiot, or what?" he mumbled to Zayn, pointing several times at Harry with his eyes.

"If this is a vague attempt to make me jealous, I warn you it's failing miserably," Harry interjected. "I mean, why should I be? Do you know how many people say much more extreme things about him? How many comments they make? Louis will be half of England's celebrity crush. Not considering the fact that he changes boy and girl like he changes his underwear. And therefore, every day if not more. Louis has a weird obsession with intimate hygiene."

"Harry's duller than a goat, though," Liam complained to Zayn.

"And you didn't see anything!" he grumbled.

"SORRY!" cried a voice. "Excuse me! Let me pass, come on, move your little asses."

A blond boy, not too tall, and with an extra large pack of popcorn in his hand, was walking straight towards them, carelessly moving the people who prevented him from walking decently in the stands. Harry immediately recognized him as Niall, Louis's best friend, whom he had seen often walking in and out of his house. In addition, the two were often papped together around nightclubs.

Here, at that moment, he wondered without understanding why, if Niall was just a friend for Louis, as Zayn was for him, if maybe it was something more important that he kept to himself to prevent the paparazzi from destroying him with all its flames, as they had done with Xander since the two of them were together.

On the other hand, the Ritz family was noble but not famous, not in vogue at the time, their glory days in which the press preferred them were over for a while. Since, however, Count Xander Ritz had managed to win the heart of young entrepreneur Harry Styles, the sexiest heir in the world, suddenly the media had begun to talk about them.

Harry could understand that such a thing for ordinary people like that blond boy or Zayn could be annoying. Harry had always jumped through hoops to protect Zayn from vultures when he was younger and, shortly after he came out, the media claimed that the dark-haired man was his new boyfriend. It was a matter of principle, did they want to annoy him? Of course! But they shouldn't have dared to touch his loved ones, people who among other things had nothing to do with that world.

"Finally!" Niall exclaimed, sitting down exactly next to Harry. "It was a problem having to change seats! Hi!" he smiled then, at Harry beside him.

"Er" Harry found himself suddenly taken aback by his strange behavior. "Hello to you" he greeted him with a wave of his hand.

"I'm Niall" he introduced himself. "And you must be Harry Styles, because it is impossible to mix you up with anyone else!"

"Thanks, I think," he wrinkled his nose.

"Quiet, it's not your fault. I just picked an idiot friend" he smiled again. "I'm Louis's best friend, so to speak," he explained.

Harry just laughed. "I can understand," he nodded. "They are Liam and Zayn, anyway"

"Hi guys I only saw you in pictures because of Harry" he greeted him with his hand. "Anyway, I'm on a mission. I have to give you something to wear."

"To me?" he asked, arching his eyebrows.

"To you," he nodded. Then, from under the jacket he wore on his shoulders, he pulled out a red T-shirt with white writing and handed it to him. "I think you can understand who sent it to you."

Harry grabbed it and opened it so he could observe. The front obviously showed to be a football player's shirt, but it was very simple. The only number that was written, white in color, was twenty-eight. Then Harry turned it over and blushed furiously as he noticed Tomlinson.

Harry automatically lowered it suddenly, his eyes wide. "I can't wear it!" he exclaimed, while Zayn had started laughing heartily, accompanied by the giggles of Liam trying to contain himself.

"Why not!" Niall pouted.

"Because my boyfriend is playing there! On his opposing team!" he pointed out. "And Louis is already an idiot because he keeps hitting him with the ball since the start of the warm-up, the last thing we need is me wearing this thing!"

"Oh" he exhaled. "Did you say your future husband has a small one?"

"He doesn't have it small!" Harry immediately protested. "He is just differently gifted!"

Zayn laughed even more, collapsing completely on the body of Liam who, at that point, was holding his hand over his mouth so as not to show his laugh too much.

"Anyway, Louis is better than that hypotensive count," Niall shrugged. "He will also be an idiot, insecure, too sarcastic, immature, big child, pedantic, irritating ... what was I saying?" Niall froze. "Oh well, he may be all those things, but he has a big heart."

"You don't know Xander," Harry pointed out, crossing his arms. "You can't make comparisons."

"You probably can't make comparisons either," the blond replied.

"Why not?"

"Because if you still hate Louis, it means you don't know him well," he asserted. "Every now and then I really wish that idiot would show himself for who he is."

Harry bit his lip, looking back at Louis who, at the moment, was making passes with a teammate of his. He sighed deeply as he fully understood Niall's words. He had just got to know him and, what little he had seen, he had begun to like him to death.