Dalliance

I've Been a Fool for Lesser Things

A/N: I hope it worked, but I added a video of a song that comes up during the chapter just in case someone hasn't heard it. It's my fav Billy Joel song <3 Also, this picture of Harry and Louis is too cute (I hope you can see it, sometimes when I look on my phone I can't see the headers, but I can on my computer, idk it's weird) Either way, listen to For the Longest Time just for kicks and giggles :)

Harry and Louis – ages 19 and 20 (part 1)

Harry hasn't really spoken to Louis in almost a year. Here and there he'll see Louis and they'll catch up. They'll talk and drink and Harry will end up grabbing his clothes and running away as soon as he realizes what a mistake he's made. But that last part only happened twice. Moments of weakness. He's been much more respectable the better part of the year. In that time, he's moved out on his own and tried his best to get over Louis Tomlinson. It's an impossible task he's decided. He tried to date. He tried really hard.

He dated a girl named Abbi for four months. She was wonderful, he genuinely enjoyed being around her. That is until he realized he wanted her around because he wanted someone to post to shove it in Louis' face. He wanted Louis to see them walking around town together, getting dinner, seeing them on Instagram. He wanted her for show and that wasn't right. He couldn't let himself do that to another person, not after what Louis did to him. So, he broke it off with her and cried when he didn't even feel bad about it.

Later, he dated a boy named James for two months. James was a total dickhead, but he was hot, so Harry dealt with it. When Gemma came home, she met James and immediately told Harry to break up with him. Harry didn't need any other excuse and did as she asked within minutes. James was fine other than the fact he was so caught up in himself there was no room for anyone else. He was so opposite of Louis that Harry jumped right in. Obviously, that was not the best plan and Harry was left at rock bottom once again.

That is what brings Harry to the coffee shop where he met Zayn. Harry had tried to flirt with him the first few times he came into the shop when Zayn was working, but he quickly shut Harry down in the nicest way possible, and of course, he fell in love.

Not in love like with Louis, but a deep friendship type of love. It's been four months of long days at the coffee shop, telling Zayn his latest love life drama and drinking his weight in London fogs even though he secretly hates them. But they're the only thing Zayn knows how to make well, so he bites his tongue and drinks them.

"It's infuriating, Z" Harry whines. "I can't get over him and it's driving me crazy. He's still with her and I can't find someone that I can be with longer than a few months,"

"You think about him too much," Zayn offers, not for the first time. "You're still in love with him. Let yourself fall out, give it time,"

"I don't have any time," Harry grumbles.

"You have all the time in the world, love," Zayn laughs as he wipes down the tables around Harry.

"I do not," Harry pouts. "Unless you want to rethink it and give me a chance?"

"Nope," Zayn ruffles Harry's hair and slaps his arm with the cloth.

"Gross, don't put that on me," Harry scrunches his face and wipes the water from his arm. Zayn brings Harry yet another cup of tea, although this time it's not a London fog, it's simple Tetley tea with the smallest splash of milk in it. Harry looks up and smiles at his best mate. "Tetley?"

"Figured you were tired of the same old thing," he jokes. Harry shrugs and gives him a sheepish smile. He thought he has been sly about it, but Zayn, of course, sees right through him. That or, he must have seen Harry dumping the tea in the slowly dying plant next to his favorite table. Harry's about to make amends and tell him to come up with a new drink for him to try, but the bell above the door goes off and Zayn is dragged back into actually working instead of socializing with Harry.