Holmes Chapel, Cheshire | four years earlier
“Do you think it’s strange, Haz?”
“What?”
“That you and I are friends.”
They’re lying on Louis’ bedroom floor, still dressed in their school uniforms. Harry’s in Year 10 now and Louis has just started Sixth Form. It’s strange, being this separated for the first time since they met. They’re still on the same campus, but they hardly ever see each other. Louis doesn’t know how he quite feels about it yet.
Harry cranes his neck to look at Louis. “No. Why?”
Louis only shrugs and changes the subject. “Met any girls you like yet?”
Harry laughs at that, cheeks tinged pink.
“Who is it? You have to tell me.”
“I do not. Besides, you don’t know her. She’s my age.”
“Well I know you, so maybe I know her, too.”
“You don’t. Her name is Millicent.”
Louis snorts, “Millicent? What is she, sixty?”
Harry reaches over to smack his belly and call him a twat and it only makes Louis laugh harder.
“Is she fit?
Harry shrugs, “Yeah.”
“Think she’ll blow you?”
“Louis!”
“What?” Louis laughs, “S’just a question.”
Harry rolls his eyes, sighs and goes back to staring at the ceiling, “I don’t think so. I’d have to get her to look at me first.”
Louis’ eyebrows crease and he smirks to himself. Somehow the notion that Harry can’t get someone to notice him is something that doesn’t really make sense to him.
“Well, just wait till you’re in college like me. I bet you’ll pull better than anyone.”
“Yeah? And what makes you say that?” Harry turns on his side, propping up on his elbow. Louis smiles lazily up at him, considering.
“Because you’ve got curly hair.” He reaches up to take one of Harry’s curls between his fingers, tugging gently. “And dimples,” he adds, “Birds love dimples.” He pokes Harry in the cheek and Harry’s smile is suddenly big and too bright and Louis feels warm all over.
When he looks back on this moment years later, he’d like to say that this is the first time, but he doesn’t think it is.
Essex, England | Present day
Louis feels like shit the morning after the party. He hadn’t even had that much to drink, but he feels like he’s been hit by a truck or something. He honestly doesn’t know how he made it up for his morning classes. Luckily, he’d managed to avoid basically everyone that morning so far, slipping from lecture to lecture unnoticed by any of his friends. He thinks if he can just get through the last five minutes of his World Lit lecture and get back to his flat, this day will be exponentially better. Luck doesn’t seem to be in the cards for him these days though. As soon as he steps out of Henderson’s class he’s met with a pair of pretty doe eyes.
“Hey, Lou.” Eleanor looks so happy to see him he struggles for something to say back. She doesn’t seem to notice, hooking her arm around his and pulling him to the doors at the end of the hall.
“So, I was thinking. My cousin Moira is having her rehearsal dinner this weekend in Manchester. Will you be able to make that?”
Louis’ whole body stutters. “Rehearsal dinner,” he parrots, sounding like a right idiot.
