I Know You, Lou // l.s.

2.

Present Day 2015

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Harry's beat up old car broke down twice during the long drive up to Leeds. What was supposed to be a two-hour drive, had turned into a four-hour one in his little shit-box.

Once he finally pulled into the university, he was much later than he wanted to be.

And with Harry's anxiety, the delay only served to spike his nerves. He always wanted to be early, because he had a fear of being late, all due to his anxiety.

When he found the car park nearest to his dorm, there were a very limited number of car spaces left, making him even more nervous.

So he had to park a while away from his dorm. Even as close as he could manage, was still quite a walk away. When he parked, he took a few deep breaths, resting his head against the steering wheel.

"You can do this." He chanted to himself, before getting out of the car and opening the boot.

He piled up his bags so that he wouldn't have to make two trips back and forth from the parking lot, and started making his way to his building.

He got a few odd looks from people as he struggled across the campus, but he tried to ignore them, even if his face was burning red.

When he finally got to his dorm and had lugged his suitcases up the stairs, he turned the corner and stopped in his tracks. The hallway was packed full of people, moving things into their rooms.

He was greeted by a peppy little red-headed girl, who told him his room number and gave him his key, accompanied by a wink and a little flirting, which made him a little uncomfortable.

He thanked her as quickly as possible, and moved along, trying to breathe deeply and stay calm.

There were people everywhere, hanging in doorways and throwing things around the small space. Harry was a little intimidated, so he kept his head down as he moved through the crowded hall.

Something hit the side of his face, he thought maybe it was a pair of socks or something. He didn't react though, he just squeezed his eyes closed and let out a shaky breath as his heart began to race. He was so nervous, the anxiety getting the better of him.

He stopped walking for a second and regained control over his shaking hands before continuing.

Once he finally found his room number, he unlocked the door and rushed inside, closing it quickly and leaning his back against it, breathing deeply as he tried to calm down.

He knew that moving away from home was going to be hard, considering his level of anxiety and the way he reacted in some situations, but it was something he was determined to do. He really wanted to prove to himself that he could do it.

He closed his eyes as he dropped his bags and then slowly opened them, looking around the room.

That's when he noticed the blonde boy staring at him.

"Hi." He said with a hesitant smile. "You okay, mate?"

Harry nodded and stood up straight, smiling back to mask his nervousness.

"Y-Yeah." He laughed awkwardly, stepping forward to shake his roommates hand. "It's a l-little crazy out there."

"Yeah, I much prefer to stay in here, in the quiet." The blonde laughed along, extending his hand. "I'm Niall."

"M'Harry." Harry mumbled, feeling better after he'd bet someone who wasn't crazy, and was sorta like him.

He grinned as Harry shook his hand, and then turned around to his unmade bed.