Yours sincerely, Louis

Chapter 9

song: surburban legends by Taylor Swift

Harry's POV

The clock on the wall seems to move at a snail's pace as I sit through my last class of the day. My mind wanders, thinking about the pile of homework waiting for me and being Louis later. I catch myself smiling at the thought.

Suddenly, I feel a pair of eyes on me. Glancing to my left, I see Lucas quickly averting his gaze. He's been doing that a lot lately, and I'm not sure how to feel about it. I try to focus on the lecture, but I can't shake the feeling of being watched.

As the professor wraps up the class, I start packing my things, ready to head back to my dorm. Before I can make my escape, Lucas approaches me, a nervous smile on his face.

"Hey, Harry," he says, fidgeting with the strap of his bag. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

I nod, trying to be polite. "Sure, what's up?"

Lucas takes a deep breath. "I was wondering if maybe you'd like to grab coffee sometime? Like, as a date?"

My heart sinks. I've been dreading this moment. Lucas is nice enough, but I don't feel that way about him. Plus, there's... well, there's Louis.

"Oh, um, I'm flattered, Lucas," I stammer, "but I'm going to have to decline. I'm sorry."

His face falls, but he manages a weak smile. "Can I ask why? Is it something I did?"

I freeze, my mind racing for an explanation. Suddenly, without thinking, I blurt out, "I have a boyfriend."

The moment the words leave my mouth, I want to take them back. But it's too late. Lucas looks surprised, then understanding.

"Oh, I see," he says, nodding. "I didn't know. It's Louis right?" He looks a bit mad or maybe jealous?

My heart is pounding now. What do I say now? I nod lightly because I'm speechless.

Lucas nods again, a bit doubtfull this time, like he can see right trough my lies. As Lucas walks away, I'm left standing there, my heart racing. What have I done? Louis isn't my boyfriend. But as I think about it, I realize that maybe, just maybe, I wish he was. And now, I've got some explaining to do.

Louis' POV

I'm sprawled out on my bed, mindlessly scrolling through my phone when I hear the door open. Harry walks in, and immediately I can tell something's off. His face is a mix of emotions I can't quite place, but it's clear he's troubled.

"Alright, Haz?" I ask, sitting up and putting my phone aside. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Harry hesitates, fidgeting with the strap of his bag. "Lou, do you know Lucas? From our Literature class?"

The mention of Lucas's name sends an unexpected wave of jealousy through me. Of course I know Lucas. I've seen the way he looks at Harry, all doe-eyed and hopeful. It makes my skin crawl. "Yeah, I know him. Why?"

Harry launches into a story about how Lucas asked him out, and how he panicked and told him he had a boyfriend and when Lucas asked of it was me he didn't know how to deny it. As he speaks, his words tumble out faster and faster, his hands gesticulating wildly. I can barely keep up with the flood of information.

"And now I don't know what to do, Louis," Harry rambles on, pacing the room. "Should I tell him the truth? But then he might ask me out again, and I don't want that. He already looked weirdly at me like he knew I was laying. Maybe I could avoid him? But we have class together, and that would be so awkward. Or I could transfer to a different class? But it's too late in the semester for that..."

I watch him, torn between amusement at his flustered state and a strange sense of... hope? The thought of having him as my boyfriend shouldn't make me feel this way. But it does.

"I'll do it," I blurt out, surprising even myself.

Harry stops mid-sentence, his brow furrowed in confusion. "What?"

I take a deep breath, committing to the idea. "I'll be your fake boyfriend. That way, you don't have to embarrass yourself or avoid Lucas. We can just pretend until he loses interest and stops hitting on you."

"Really?" Harry asks, his eyes wide with disbelief. "You'd do that for me?"

I shrug, trying to play it cool despite the way my heart is racing. "Sure, it's what friends do, right? Besides, it might be fun to see the look on Lucas's face when he realizes you're really 'taken'.

A slow smile spreads across Harry's face, and I feel a warmth bloom in my chest. "Lou, you're the best. Thank you so much."

As Harry hugs me, I can't help but feel a sense of excitement. **It feels like everytime he hold me, it hold me together.** It's just pretend, I remind myself. But the thought of being Harry's boyfriend, even if it's fake, makes me happier than I care to admit. And that scares me a little.

What am I getting myself into? These feelings for Harry... they're not just friendly anymore, are they? For now, I'll just enjoy this closeness, this excuse to be more than just Harry's friend. And maybe, just maybe, I'll figure out what these feelings really mean along the way.

Whatever happens, I know one thing for certain: being Harry's fake boyfriend is going to be an adventure. And despite my fears, I can't wait to see where it leads us.

---

"Okay Lou, this needs to be really believable. He's already doubtfull and I really don't want it to come out as fake." Harry says. We're sitting face to face on my bed.

"I think we should tell our friends because if someone asks them and they say we arn't dating because they don't know better, everything will have been for nothing." Harry nods in agreement.

"And what about boundaries?" Harry asks. I haven't really thought about it. It's not that I'm apposed to anything, I'm really comfortable with Harry.

"Well I don't know, it's not like we haven't hugged before. I'll just like put my arm around you and those normal couply things. Is there something I can't do?" I woudn't ever forgive myself if I made Harry uncomfortable.

"No not really, just, maybe ask if you don't know for sure." I nod.