âSo,â Niall shoved his hands in the pockets of his chinos and rocked back on his heels, âthat was fun.â
âYeah,â Harry nodded. âIt was.â He felt behind him with his hand and his fingers managed to wrap around the knob of his front door. Niall had walked him home from the movie theater. The walk had occurred in relative silence, their linked hands the only reassurance that the other was still there. But now Harry was home and he wasnât sure how this was supposed to end. Should he ask Niall out again?
âDo you want to come over tomorrow?â Harry finally blurted. âMum has this whole thing about Sunday brunch, she makes a ton of food and then we all sit around feeling fat for the rest of the day.â
âWe?â Niallâs teeth tugged at his bottom lip.
âMy family and Liamâs family,â Harry shrugged. âItâs tradition I guess. You can come if you want.â
âIntroducing me to the parents already?â Niall teased, a smile playing across his face for a second. âIâd love to.â
Harry smiled in response, glad that he hadnât messed up the first date too badly. Niall wanted to hang out with him again. That was good.
âWhat time?â
âEleven,â Harry began to open the front door, eyes still locked on Niallâs. âSee you then.â
âWait,â Niall grabbed Harryâs hips and pulled the taller boy to him, planting a kiss on his full lips. âOkay now you can go.â
But Harry didnât want to go anymore. So he closed the door and sat down on the top step, indicating that Niall should do the same. Once the blonde was settled Harry wrapped both arms around him and ducked his head so his face was pressed into Niallâs sweet smelling neck. He hoped the other boy didnât mind the contact. Niall just laughed and hugged him back, resting his head on top of Harryâs.
They were still there, two hours later, when Harryâs mum pulled up. She smiled softly at the tangled boys, noting that Harryâs eyes were closed and he appeared to be sleeping as Niallâs hands played with his curls. She didnât want to interrupt, but it was getting late and she figured Niall needed to get home.
âIâll take him,â she murmured gently to Niall, who had looked up with wide eyes at her approach. âHeâs asleep right?â
Niall nodded and slowly stood, cradling Harryâs body tenderly as he lifted him. âI can bring him up if you want.â
Anne held the door for him and Niall cautiously carried Harry up the stairs, laying him gently on the bed and ducking to press a kiss to the younger boyâs smooth forehead. âSee you tomorrow Harry,â he murmured before backing out of the room.
The response came late, minutes after Niall left, but at least it came.
âNight Niall,â Harryâs sleep lace voice was quiet in the emptiness of his bedroom.
-
âHey,â Niall smiled at Harry when the younger boy opened his front door the next morning, curls still tousled from sleep.
âHi,â Harry grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. âYou look fancy.â
Niall glanced down at what he was wearing, âWas the tie too much?â
âYup,â Harry laughed and loosened said object, tugging it up and over Niallâs head. Then he tentatively reached out and unbuttoned the first few buttons of Niallâs shirt. âThatâs better.â
Niall blushed slightly. He hadnât known if Sunday brunch had any relation to church or not, so he had decided to dress nicely just in case. But it looked like he overthought things because all Harry had on was a pair of plaid pajama pants. Niall had to say he did enjoy the view though.
âHey Niall,â Liam wandered over in a pair of baggy sweatpants and a tee shirt to give the smaller boy a high five. âGlad to see Harry didnât scare you away yet.â
âIâm not going to scare him away,â Harry responded rather quickly. He seemed offended by Liamâs statement. âHe likes me!â
âI know Harry,â Liam laughed and ruffled his friendâs curls. âIt was just a joke.â
âAll right,â Harry relaxed a bit and turned to Niall with a smile. He was starting to feel more comfortable around Niall. âI hope you like food; Mum cooks a lot of it.â
Niall grinned, âI love food.â
-
âI donât think Iâm ever going to eat again,â Liam moaned from the floor of Harryâs bedroom, his hand on his stomach and his eyes closed. âI feel like Iâm about to explode.â
âMmm,â Harry muttered, concentration focused on whatever he was sketching in the book that rested on his lap and not on Liam. Niall was watching him, smiling softly at the way Harryâs tongue poked out between his lips as he drew. The younger boy was sketching furiously, hand dancing over the paper and cheeks flushed with exertion. Niall sat next to him on the bed, shoulders bumping, and was doing his best not to sneak a peek at Harryâs drawing. The green eyed boy wanted it to be a surprise.
Niall would be lying if he said he didnât want Harryâs drawing to be of him. He knew how much art meant to the quiet lad and he figured if Harry was drawing him, then he must mean something too. And he wanted to mean something to Harry. He wasnât quite sure why, because he had just met the kid, but Harry had this mysteriously seductive air about him that had drawn Niall in from the minute he laid eyes on him.
The drawing of his eyes that Harry had presented him with yesterday was hanging on this bedroom wall, right above his bed, so he could see it before he went to bed. He had framed it and everything. It made him feel special.
âDone,â Harry added one more stroke of charcoal to the paper before sitting back and admiring the finished product.
âCan I see now?â Niall bumped his shoulder playfully against Harryâs. âPlease?â
Harry nodded and slowly turned the book until it faced Niall. He waited, nibbling his lip nervously, as Niall studied the drawing. âDo you like it?â
Niall responded by throwing his arms around Harry and pressing a sloppy kiss to his cheek. Harry laughed, that gorgeous perfect laugh, as the boys tumbled backwards onto the bed, the sketch of Niallâs smile falling forgotten to the floor. Harryâs arms were around Niallâs waist as the smaller boy lay on top of him, decorating his flushed face with kisses as Harry giggled slightly. Almost as soon as the giggle had escaped Harryâs mouth the younger boy pushed Niall off him and sat up, turning his head down to study his lap. He sounded like a stupid little school girl. Why did he giggle like that? Niall was going to laugh at him now.
âHarry?â But Niall wasnât laughing. He sounded concerned. âDid I do something wrong?â
Harry shook his head, eye still downcast, and wished this stuff would come as easy to him as it came to Liam. He wanted to be able to let go, to just forget himself and be happy with Niall, yet here he was questioning every single thing. Harry wished he wasnât so conscious of how he must appear to Niall, but he really wanted the other boy to like him. He wanted to be perfect.
âWhatâs the matter?â A delicate finger was tipping Harryâs chin up and seconds later he met Niallâs worried blue eyes. âAre you all right?â
âFine,â Harry muttered. âDidnât mean to giggle.â
âIs that what youâre worried about?â there was that beautiful smile again, tugging on Niallâs lips. âI thought it was cute. You have a nice laugh.â
âI sounded stupid,â Harry was even more embarrassed to find that he was blinking back hot tears.
âNo,â Niallâs hands were on Harryâs cheeks, dragging his face closer until the Irish boyâs breath tickled his lips. âYou sounded happy.â
