Here comes the sun - Larry

CHAPTER 15

I keep my word—Emily and I only make out for a few minutes before we head back out. Both Harry and Noah seems out of place, probably because they aren't regular members of our friend-group. I can only imagine it's a little weird for them, but at least they have each other. Niall and Lily are still in a honey-money kind of phase, so naturally, they're glued together. It was surprising he chose to drive with me instead of her and Noah, but perhaps it was for Noah's sake. Liam and Zayn, however, are definitely eyeing each other, but they're keeping their distance. I don't think they're quite ready to engage in public affection yet.

"Did any of you bring your swimsuits?" Emily's asks.

"No," we all say in unison.

"Do you mind swimming in your underwear? Because the weather is really nice, so I figured we could go to the lake."

No one protests, so we lock the door behind us and head towards the lake. I mainly focus on undressing myself when we get there, yet I can't help but watch the others as I do so—Liam and Zayn are watching each other like their lives depend on it. Niall can hardly keep his eyes off Lily, but he tries to be subtle about it, yet he's frozen in place, so it's not working for him. I know I should be watching Emily the same way, but Harry is currently half-naked. He's looking at me, too, letting his eyes gravitate down my body. I blush furiously in response, but I don't even fucking mind that he's watching me. I can feel Noah's eyes on me, though, so I look his way. He's frowning slightly, looking between Harry and I as though he can sense the tension.

"Louis," Emily says, wrapping her arms around me from behind. "Are you ready?"

"Mmm."

I let her drag me down the pier before we jump in. I look at the others while they jump in after us, biting my lip when Harry's muscles flutter under his skin. I force myself to focus on something else by getting caught up in what we're doing. For a while, we just swim around while play-fighting and whatnot. Emily is on my back, holding herself up while I have a splash-fight with Liam.

It makes me happy that the others aren't bothered by Harry's presence. He mostly keeps to Noah, presumably because Noah feels a little misplaced, too. I had expected Zayn to feel the same way, but he has simply slipped back into the routine of being our friend, not to mention he's so caught up in Liam that it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

"Emily," Lily says. "You wanna see if I can wrestle you off Louis' shoulders?"

Emily snorts. "I'll kick your ass."

"Don't underestimate because I'm small."

I get her onto my shoulders while Lily practically crawls onto Niall's. Niall doesn't seem bothered, which is probably because Lily weighs less than a feather—she's fucking tiny. Niall and I walk closer to each other, grinning when the girls start wrestling above us. I let my eyes drift to Harry instead, just to make sure he's having a good time. He's not doing much besides chatting with Noah, but he's watching me while doing so. I'm so caught up in looking at him that I hardly notice it when Emily falls off my shoulders.

"That didn't go well," she says, running her hands across her face. "Lily is surprisingly strong."

"I wanna be on top now," I say, then catch Harry while he's trying to suppress a grin. I flip him off, but I know I could've phrased it differently. "That fucking mind of his."

"I suggest you find someone else," Emily says, kissing me on the cheek. "I'm not letting you sit on my shoulders."

"I agree," Lily says.

I look for Liam, but he's disappeared with Zayn—they might not be into public affection, but they're not very subtle while they're kissing under the pier. "Harry, come here."