Hate That I Love You

Chapter 13

The first problems began when, as most people expected, Louis scored.

The audience stood up, clapping their hands and shouting Louis's name and Harry, for an involuntary moment, got up in turn, cheering. He only lasted a moment, though, because soon after he realized what he was doing and immediately sat back down. But the problem didn't stop there.

Louis immediately approached their stands and, pointing at him with a lot of smile, and said "For you, baby" before sending him a flying kiss.

Harry just tried to remain impassive, or maintain some kind of demeanour, considering the camera was shooting photos of him in the foreground. But, well, his cheeks were burning to say the least and his attempt to hide under his jacket failed miserably. The next day, the comments in the newspapers about what just happened would have been incredibly funny and tragic at the same time.

But anyway, the best part came towards the end of the game, when the entrepreneurs were winning two-for-one and there was a small pause.

Harry couldn't quite say what happened at that moment.

He simply saw Xander and Louis walking a few steps away and was talking almost quietly. Then, his usual irritating smile appeared on Louis's face and then, boom.

Louis was on the ground.

Harry immediately stood up, putting his hands over his mouth, because damn Xander had just punched Louis hard in the face and, yes, he knew it was a stupid thought, but it reminded him so much of Zidane's head at the World Cup 2006.

"What the fuck happened!" Niall exclaimed, immediately rising to his feet too, followed immediately by the rest of the stadium. Louis tried to get up but Xander gave him another kick in the belly and, at that moment (finally) teammates intervened to pull him away.

Of course, Xander was kicked off the team, although he was very close to the end of the game, while Louis was carried away by the stretcher and two men. An angry Xander immediately went to the locker room.

Niall immediately ran to the field, to be able to follow Louis and see how he was and Harry had a great desire to follow him, but he knew he couldn't, he knew it was right for him to join his boyfriend. So, taking a deep breath, he quickly made his way to his boyfriend's team locker room. Fortunately, no security guard had anything against it, but on the other hand everyone knew him.

Harry walked quickly down the dark and dingy corridor, until, finally, he reached a room full of metal benches and lockers, where an out of his mind Xander was kicking with fury whatever he met as he passed.

"Xander!" Harry exclaimed as soon as he saw it. "What the hell is wrong with you ?!" he yelled, angerly.

"That-that-that dwarf!" he said at the end. Harry didn't know if he should laugh or be serious. "He's an irritating being! Now I understand why you hate him so much!" he growled.

"You don't hit people just because you don't like them!" he protested. "Let alone live nationally!"

"Do you know what he wanted to do?" he asked him. "He wanted to make another goal and dedicate it to you!" he exclaimed. "And then, he would have told the whole world, live nationally, during the interview, that he would have dedicated the victory to you! Do you realize?" he blurted out. "You and I have been together for four years! What would the press have said if he had said those words?!"

"So you punch him for it?" he asked, bewildered. "He teases you and you punch him! Aren't you a noble and, I don't know, aren't you against violence?"

"I was defending your honour!" he asserted. "That's what nobles do!"

"No, you were defending your name!" he affirmed him emphatically. "If you hadn't done anything, tomorrow the press would have defined Louis's words as yet another provocation against me, because they know that he and I cannot stand each other! Instead, now, they will think that you beat him because of me. That you were fighting over me!"

"But that's why!"

"Yes, but the whole world will know, you idiot!"

"Do you think I care ?!" he asserted. "Do you think I don't know what people say about you?"

"What do people say about us?" he asked puzzled.

"They want you together, Harry. I can't believe that after all this time, you still haven't seen how many people want you two to be together. They call you the new Romeo and Juliet."

"Joke?" he raised an eyebrow.

"No! They all say that you are perfect for being together, that he looks at you in a special way in all the photos and videos of interviews you do together, that you give off a scent of absurd sex. They are crazy, I know, but how do you think I am? How I feel seeing him behave in a certain way in front of me?"

"Let me understand, you knew all these things but you never told me you were bothered by them and-now you do, yes?"

"I don't care what he does when I'm not here. I care that he wants to take me for an idiot in front of all of England!"

"So that's the problem." Harry blinked several times. "It's not that he's interested in me. But it's always a matter of honour."

"And what else could it be?" he asked.

"I don't know. Jealousy, perhaps?" he answered with obviousness.

"Between you and me? Since when should it be?" he asked.

"We will get married soon! Don't you think my future husband should be at least slightly jealous?"

"We were never one of those normal couples," Xander shrugged. "We have always based our relationship on something else."

"Based on what?" he asked, raising his voice. "About betrayals?"

"No, about pride, freedom. Our families."

Harry let out an amused snort. "This conversation is absurd," he said, turning away.

"Harry! Where are you going!" The boy exclaimed, watching him walk away.

"Go away" he answered only him. "Before I do anything I might regret it," he whispered finally.