There's More to the Picture Than Meets the Eye (Larry Stylinson AU)

Chapter Six

Wattpad maintence pisses me off. Well. Happy Reading!

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CHAPTER SIX

Harry wakes up, rubs his crusty eyes, and takes a look at the world around him.

"What the fuck!?" he yells, pulling his legs up on the couch. Louis laughs from his place in the recliner not far away.

"I saw you coming from the bar. Your friend was tired and wanted to go home. I'm closer, so I let you stay here for the night," Louis explains.

Harry looks around, adorably bewildered. "You live here?" he asks. Louis sees him flinch directly after, for the sentence came out ruder than he most likely intended.

"Yeah," he says. Harry opens his mouth but Louis cuts him off. "Its ok, I know it's shitty. If I wanted to, I could get a second job and afford a better place, but I like it here, so..."

Harry nods repeatedly, breathing out a quick 'sorry' despite Louis' reassurance. Louis supposes it's just Harry's personality, being afraid of offending people and constantly apologizing. Louis finds it admirable.

"But, er, why exactly did you take me to your place?" Harry ruffles his hair up in a feeble attempt to fix the bed head. Louis chuckles, moving to situate himself beside Harry and gently touch up the hair himself. Harry takes his own hands away and places them in his lap, staring at Louis who's sat rather close, now that he thinks about it.

"Like I said, its closer. And," Louis' voice drops to a whisper. "I wanted to make sure you were alright."

Harry hesitates before saying, "Why wouldn't I be alright? I drank some alcohol, not propane." Louis doesn't know what to say. "Thank you, though," adds Harry hastily. "I really appreciate it."

Louis' mouth quirks into a half smile. He pushes Harry's shoulder lightly. "You better." Harry smiles warmly at him. "Besides, you said you weren't the drinker type. I was just worried I guess." Louis feels self-conscious admitting it.

"I'm fine," Harry breathes, still smiling. "Better now, I was just upset and I needed to let it out. You know." Louis thinks of himself yesterday and wonders if Harry was upset for the same reason.

"What were you upset about?" Louis says cautiously. Harry stiffens beside him. His tongue flicks across his lips nervously. "Oh, you know, regular stuff," he says, trying to brush off the question. Louis doesn't push it.

"I've got to get ready for work, do you want me to drop you off at your flat?"

"We could stop at my flat and I could get ready too, and then go to work with you. I mean, it's not like I won't be going there anyway." His words give Louis butterflies, and he struggles to contain an insane smile.

"Oh, so this is a daily thing now?"

"What can I say, I like coffee. And you," he adds. Louis can't hold back the smile this time.

When they arrive at Louis' work, Jennette gives them a funny look. "Looking for a job?"

"No, Harry was already with me and decided to stay here until his shift," Louis corrects.

Jennette raises an eyebrow and gives a very suggestive, "Oooh."

Harry laughs nervously. "Like some coffee, Harry? It's on the house," Louis grins.

"Sure."

Louis gives Harry a cup of coffee, sitting down to chat aimlessly with him for nearly twenty minutes before the first customer enters the café, when Louis grudgingly leaves Harry's side. A few more hours go by before Harry announces that he has to leave for work. After he has departed, Jennette makes a beeline for Louis.

"What's happening here, eh?" she wiggles her eyebrows. "Is he your boyfriend now? You two were really getting along over there!"

"He's not my boyfriend, Jen," says Louis with a chuckle.

"Well you should get on top of that," says Jennette. "Or get to the bottom of it. I dunno. Whatever you prefer."

Louis rolls his eyes at the joke. "To be honest, I kind of want to."

She laughs. "Please, I kind of want to." Louis gives her a pointed look before she swats her hand about "Not that I would, calm down. He's just hot and I think you should go for it."

"Really?"

"Of course! I mean, he clearly wants you too."

"How do you figure?"

"Well," Jennette begins. "He takes any chance he can to touch you. Brush your arm, play with your hair. He is constantly trying to make you laugh or give you compliments. For goodness sake, Louis, he comes in here every day to buy our crappy cup of coffee. Take the hint!"

Louis has noticed these things too, and he's constantly returning the gestures. He wants to make Harry feel good, secure. He sighs. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I could ask him on a date."

"Yes," Jennette says, "That'll work."

Louis sighs again. "It's just, Jennette, I know you don't know me that well, and I don't know you, but I haven't been in a relationship in... a while. I don't know how to do this."

"Maybe a date is starting out too strong," she suggests. "I've never seen you with anyone else, I didn't know much about you for the first six months of working together to be honest."

Louis bites his lip. "I'm not the best at opening up, I suppose. I even had trouble getting closer to you, how am I supposed to approach someone I want to be in a romantic relationship with?"

Jennette thinks for a bit. "Look Louis, I'd like us to be friends. And I'd like to have Harry come in here every day to buy coffee from his boyfriend. It would make this place more bearable to work at. I'm only here to get through uni, and I would love to have memories, ya know? Something to look back on about my old friend Louis and his adorable boyfriend Harry." Louis smiles at her fantasy. "I say, you go down to meet him at the end of his shift today without letting him know you're going to be there. That lets him know that you want him around without you actually having to say it."

Louis beams at her. "Great idea, Jen, I think I'll do that. And, uh, I'd like us to be friends as well. I could always use a girl friend."

"Yeah, and I'm in desperate need of some companionship outside of clubbing and study sessions," Jennette adds jokingly, sticking a finger in her mouth and pretending to gag.

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"Harry! Oi, Harry!" Harry whips around at the sound of his name, eyes scanning the crowd before landing on Louis.

"What are you doing here?" he asks.

"It's lonely living all by yourself, you know. I wanted to see you," Louis says. He watches, mesmerized, as Harry's face grows into the most stunning smile he's ever seen.

"I'm glad you came. Work was boring, I needed something to look forward to."

Louis smiles back at Harry, not even trying to hide it. "Well maybe we can make this a regular thing, like at the café."

"I'd like that," Harry replies, as they head off in the direction of their homes.