Stars, stripes and student life [Larry Stylinson]

Chapter 9

Here you go! Got my English exam tomorrow, wish me luck!!!

"I am so sorry how this went down, H!" Niall says immediately when they are out of the café, walking to their room. "This really didn't go as I planned."

"It's not your mistake I guess..." Harry sighs.

"Were you really considering this meeting with Nick a date?" Niall asks then. Both boys are walking side to side, quite quickly. The sky is dark and the rain is falling down on their bodies. Harry chose LA because the weather is supposed to be nice, but apparently it just changes with Harry's mood.

"Of course not. I don't like Nick like that, Niall. I barely even consider him a friend."

"Then why didn't you tell Louis that this wasn't a date? Because that's clearly what made him upset."

"I'm not used to this, Niall." Harry raises his voice a bit. "I'm not used to hang out with people my age a lot and if I do then it's within the walls of the White House. I don't go out, I never had someone flirting with me. This is all new to me, okay? And I like it, I do, but I have to get used to this. This is not the lifestyle I'm used to. Louis is angry with me and I have no clue how to fix that and I only made it worse, that's how socially awkward I am, Ni. My father is a charisma bomb and I can't even keep a person that was firs willing to risk his own life for me. That's how much I suck." Harry is biting his lip to keep the tears in and Niall's look goes soft.

"Go to our room, H okay? I'm going to the supermarket and buy us loads of snacks so we can watch a movie. How about that?"

Harry sighs but nods.

"Yeah, bring M&M's please..."

"Will do." Niall smiles. "I'll see you in a bit."

And right on cue the rain starts falling down even harder and the few people that are outside, are running. Not Harry though, he doesn't really care. He'll take a hot shower once in the room.

After a five minute walk he is at their building and his eyes go wide when he sees a figure sitting against the pillar, right before the entrance of their building.

"Lou?" Harry's voice is weaker than he thought but it makes he older boy look up anyway.

"Hazza..." he breathes out as he stands up.

"What are you doing here? It's raining cats and dogs, Lou! You'll get sick."

"Why did you go on a date with him?" Louis ignores completely what Harry just said. "Do you like him?"

"I don't... Lou, it was not a date okay." Harry confesses.

"It looked like one. You were alone with him and..." Louis' hands are shaking and Harry isn't sure if it's because of the cold or the situation they are in now.

"I was with him because of you, okay." Harry exhales, closing his eyes. "Because Niall said that you are jealous of Nick he made this plan to "bump into each other" and... You haven't talked to me for more than a week, Louis! You have been ignoring me! You know how shitty that made you feel? Why are you now reacting like this? Why does it has to take a fake date with Nick for you to talk to me?" Harry sounds frustrated and he is on the edge of tears.

"I don't want to see you with him, okay!" Louis shouts. "It makes my blood boil. He is not good enough for you!"

"But why do you care? You ignore me yourself!" and now Harry shouts as well. It must be a sight, two boys screaming in the rain.

"Because I am also not good enough for you Harry! Taylor has already done my background check and when you ask for the results you will also have my past on paper, knowing what a fuck up I am. And I basically blurted out that I always liked you Harry and I can see the look in your fucking eyes okay! I know you kind of liked me as well. But you don't know me! One read in my past and I'm going to lose you, Harry. Of course you are going to ask for my files before..." Louis can't speak anymore but his finger points between the two of them. "And I just... Losing you and ignoring you... It hurt anyway okay, but you leaving me because of how I used to be... I couldn't handle that. I lost too much because of that already."

It's hard to recognise Louis' tears because of the rain, but Harry does and he pulls the boy, the boy that always looks so strong and confident but is utterly broken now, in his arms.

"Why don't you see what you have been meaning to me from the moment we met?" Harry whispers into his ear, hands in Louis' soaking wet hair.

"You don't know me..." Louis sobs. "You haven't found out yet what a fuck up I am." Louis sobs. "And now I was just selfish because I know I'm not good enough for you but I can't stand... I.... I can't see you with someone else..."

"I want to get to know you, Lou." Harry pushes the boy a bit away from him so he can look into his eyes. "I want to get to know every single bit of you. Your favourite food, best memory, worst nightmare, everything. And I want to know all of that by talking to you, being with you and have conversations with you, not by calling the CIA and ask a background report. You are not just... You mean a lot to me and you ignoring me hurt. You know why? Because even though the first time I saw you is a bit later than you saw me, I also have liked you from the first time we met and made my fire alarm stop. Whatever your past is, it's your past. If you want to share that, I'll be here. If you don't, then don't Louis. The person you were doesn't define the person you are now and the person you are now doesn't define who you will be."

"That's pretty deep, Styles." And for the first time Louis sounds playful. "Almost as deep as your voice."

"There you are." Harry rolls his eyes fondly, hiding a smirk. "The sass is back. I've been missing that."

"I missed you." Louis breathes out. "I was always close though, you just didn't see me. Couldn't completely stay away from you. Harry, look, we basically confessed that we like each other but... We don't know each other that long and I want to get to know you, everything about you like you just said, and I want to show myself to you as well."

"I would really like that too..." Harry blushes. "But I'd like to do that inside. It's raining like crazy, Louis! Why did you decide to sit outside!" Harry complains.

"I wanted to be sure I didn't miss you coming home!" Louis shrieks.

"That could be perfectly done in front of my door, Lou, inside!"

"But would that have had the same dramatic effect?" Louis wiggles his eyebrows.

"You are a dork." Harry smiles fondly at the boy.

"Can this dork maybe hold your hand?" Louis bites his lip and looks from under his lashes at the curly boy.

"This dork can very much hold my hand..."