Before Christmas

Two

Harry POV

"Here, you can hook up your phone if you want and play some Christmas songs." I said, passing the AUX chord to Louis. We were driving out of the university campus, on the way back home to Holmes Chapel. I was glad I could help make Louis' Christmas better and I knew it would be ok with my mum.

One slight thing was as good mates as I was with Louis, I had a crush on him. I had since he first arrived in our shared kitchen with one of his little sisters on his back, all jokes and laughs and smiles and that bloody Yorkshire accent that almost killed me every time he opened his mouth.

 Louis started playing Queen's Thank God It's Christmas and we both started singing as I drove us steadily through the London traffic and onto the motorway.

"Have to warn you Louis, my mum's hoping I'll get a boyfriend so she'll be a bit suspicious of us at the beginning but don't worry I'll tell her what's really going on, I don't want to make you uncomfortable." I told him.

"Well I could do worse I suppose." he said, grinning at me teasingly. My heart fluttered slightly but I just grinned back and turned up the Christmas music a little to drown out my thoughts about ripping that Adidas hoodie right off him.

It took about three and a half hours to get to Holmes Chapel. 

"Wow, this is a beautiful neighborhood." Louis said, peering out the window. The sun was slipping away and it was getting darker and darker even though it was only about half past five. Guess that was December in England.

The twinkling lights on houses certainly did look amazing as I drove through the streets towards my house.

"I worked at that bakery for a few years." I said, pointing out the little bakery.

"Cool, did you wear one of those cute little aprons?" Louis asked.

"Yeah." I replied. Louis was very flirtatious and this car ride has kind of been a test of my self control. Then again I was flirtatious too so I shot him back a innuendo and we laughed as I pulled onto my street.

"This is it. Home sweet home." I said, parking in the driveway beside my mum's car.

"Looks lovely." Louis said, pulling on his coat before opening the door and facing the cold air.

We grabbed our bags from the back and went up to the front door. I put one bag down and opened the door, leading Louis in.

"Mum! I'm here!" I called.

"Harry. Oh, I see you brought someone." she said, hugging me and kissing me on the cheek.

"Yeah, this is my mate Louis," I shot Mum a stern look during the word 'mate', "I told him he could spend Christmas with us because his family is stuck in Paris. Sorry I didn't tell you, it was kind of last minute." I said.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Nice to meet you." Louis said, flashing that wonderful smile of his.

"Louis, it's fine. It's nice to have you, I'm Anne." my mum said, stepping over our bags to hug him at his spot by the open door.

"Right then, tea's nearly ready so you boys take your things upstairs, Harry, show Louis the guest room." Mum said and she smiled and went back into the kitchen.

Louis slipped off his Vans and kicked them over to the pile of other shoes, then grabbed all his bags and managed to shut the front door.

I lead him upstairs and into the spare room, which didn't really have any furniture except a large double bed and a chest of drawers and a bedside table.

"Right, this is your room. I'm across the hall, make yourself at home while I unpack." I said and I gave Louis his space and went back into my room which was the same as always.

I threw my bags into the corner and took my coat off, hanging it on the back of the door and changed into some sweatpants, fluffy socks and a baggy t-shirt with a hoodie over the top.

"Didn't know you played the guitar." Louis' voice came from the doorway. I turned around and he pointed with his foot at my guitar, propped up in the corner of my room.

 "Yeah, Niall's the true guitarist of our friend group though." I replied.

Louis agreed and we went downstairs to the dining room where Robin and Mum were dishing out dinner.

"Louis, this is my stepdad Robin, Robin, this is my friend Louis." I said, introducing them.

"Nice to meet you Louis." Robin said, shaking Louis' hand.

"Bloody hell, it has to start snowing as soon as I try to get my stuff out of the car." came another voice I recognized from the hall. Gemma came in with several bags over her shoulders and snow in her hair.

"Uh Gemma, this is Louis, he's spending Christmas with us." I said.

Gemma raised her eyebrows at me and I shook my head slightly, hoping Louis' wouldn't notice.

"Well Louis, I'm Gemma, Harry's sister. Merry Christmas." Gemma said.

"Merry Christmas, nice to meet you." Louis replied politely, grinning at her.

"Gemma, put your stuff down, tea's ready." Mum said and Gemma dropped her bags in the corner, pulled off her coat and brushed the snow off her hair.

Dinner was a normal affair, Mum engaging us all in conversation and asking Louis questions about himself. Louis was very polite, which I was glad of, not that I didn't think he would be.

"Right, movie time. I hope you don't mind Louis but we watch Home Alone about a hundred times every Christmas." I said, finishing my glass of wine and getting up.

"That's cool, all your traditions are going to be my traditions this year. I want the full Styles/Twist experience." he said happily.

So we settled ourselves in the living room with our glasses of wine and the biscuits and mince pies that we'd made back at uni. The movie was good and afterwards Louis and I went back upstairs.

"What now?" I asked.

"I might have a shower and then go to bed I think." Louis replied.

"Alright then, I'll be in my room." I said and Louis went into the bathroom. I had barely pulled out my phone to check my messages when Gemma came hurrying into my room.

"What's the deal with the cutie?" she asked, lying down beside me on my bed.

"He's just my mate. We're roommates at uni." I said.

"Cut the bullshit Harry, you loooove him." Gemma replied.

"I do not love him... I like him." I admitted.

Gemma cheered .

"I knew it. So, why haven't you done anything about it?" she asked.

"Well first of all, he has a girlfriend, second of all, are you mad?" I replied.

"Ah, girlfriend." Gemma said thoughtfully.

"It's fine, just make him realise that he should be with you. We'll plot over this later, night H." she said and she gave me a quick hug and left, leaving my door open. I was  about to complain when Louis walked out of the bathroom with only a towel around his waist.

"That was a quick shower." I said.

"Yeah, I think I'll give Eleanor a ring before I call it a night. Night Harry, thanks for letting me stay here." Louis said with a smile and he went back into his room and shut the door. I grabbed a pillow and whacked myself on the face with it before going to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I heard Louis giggling through the wall in the bathroom while I was in there and quickly went back to my room, shutting the door firmly behind me and burying myself in the sheets.