Shy Side

two

Harry's there, in the library. Except the time is different than when he was there the day before. Because today his free period was last period. That didn't mean he wasn't waiting for Louis to come back.

That's another thing about the boy. Although he gets anxious most of the time, when he wants something, he doesn't back off from getting it or them unless they do the job and tell him off. It's quite hard for him to do so, since he can barely talk straight without messing up out of nerves, but he gets by somehow. After all he managed to have one girlfriend in grade seven for two months, before he started hearing about how people knew about them and had talked about them. Then his social anxiety got the best of him and she broke up with him because of it.

Harry doesn't want that to happen. So, he doesn't go after Louis no matter how cute he thinks he is. He waits for him to come around instead.

And he does. A couple minutes later with a smile on his face. This time he has on his light coat since it's last period, and his hair is pushed up with gel or spray or paste or whatever boys use. Harry wouldn't know since he doesn't usually use product in his curls. He just lets them set on their own.

Louis chuckles when seeing Harry settled at one of the tables, looking down at his lap and mumbling things to himself. What he doesn't know is that it's just Harry trying to practice not stuttering. Which he does anyway.

"Hi, love," Louis sits down, setting his closed hands on the table.

Harry looks up at him, gulping, "Hello... Louis," he says.

Louis just smiles at him, and purses his lips, "Tell me about yourself," he says. Which catches Harry by surprise, because no one ever wants to get to know him. They just don't. Nor is he comfortable with it.

So, he struggles a bit, "Uh... what do you uh... what should you uhm, know?" he asks, folding his hands in his lap. And he doesn't know whether or not to cover his face or to just look away from Louis' instead.

The other boy shrugs, "Dunno. What do you do? Do you have any siblings? Any interests? Those kinds of things?" he asks.

Harry blinks at him, "No. I mean. Gemma. My sister Gemma. She's all," he says.

Louis nods, "I have four sisters," he shrugs, "but anyway, what do you like to do for hobbies?"

Harry purses his lips, shaking his head slowly, "Nothing. Nothing interesting," he says quietly.

Louis furrows his eyebrows, because everyone is interesting in his world. "There has to be something, Harry. Everyone is interesting!"

Harry gets flustered again, "No. No no," he argues, "students say that uhm, th-that I can't. Uh, I'm not interesting. They don't like my things," he tries explaining, but he's so not used to talking to people outside his family that he's so goddamn nervous, and anxious, and reserved around others. He doesn't truly know how to socialize, Louis observes, and that kinda breaks his heart a bit.

"Harry Styles. You are interesting. Those kids were wrong. Everyone has a different opinion, and theirs were just mean. Whatever you like to do is your interest as well as mine. They don't mean anything when it comes to liking things. They don't have to like what you like, and if they tell you not to do something or that you can't do something, then fuck them," he tell's him. But then Harry's gasping and gaping at him worriedly and frustratingly.

"You can't say that!" he whisper shouts, "that's just- like... not here! Not here, please, Louis!" he scolds, as if it's the worst thing someone could ever do. Because yeah, he's cursed. But never with that word. Mostly because it's also used as a word for sex, and sex plus that word in general are things he's uncomfortable talking about.