Adore You [Larry AU]

Four.

I shut the front door quietly and rested my forehead against it, absorbing the events of the day.

"So? How was it? Did you make any friends? Were the people nice to you? Do you have lots of homework? What classes did you have? Are you hungry?" I sighed at Gemma's questions and opened my eyes before facing her. She was stood with her hands clasped together in front of her and was chewing on her bottom lip.

"Alright. Sorta. A bit. Loads. English, Football and History. Yes." She blinked rapidly at me and laughed. "Okay I got none of that. Start from the beginning." I led the way into the small kitchen and hopped up on the counter while she stood in the doorway, resting her weight on her shoulder on the door frame.

"The people are okay, it's okay. If I keep my head down I can make it through a couple more months. That's all I have to do right? A few more months." She nodded, "What about friends? Meet anyone you liked?"

"I...well." I thought about telling her the changing room incident but decided against it in case she would start worrying. "I met this guy, he's called Louis and he was very thoughtful and helpful. I think when the novelty of me being new wears off he'll forget I exist but he let me sit with his friends at lunch and yeah...he's a good guy." Gemma cocked her eyebrow at me and smirked. "Is he hot?" I took a deep breath as I thought about how to answer. "He's straight and has a girlfriend so it doesn't matter." She held her hands up defensively but giggled. "If you say so, good to have a friend though Hazza, anyway what would you like for dinner?"

As Gemma rustled through the freezer my phone vibrated in my pocket causing me to jump. I fished it out and read the notification out loud without thinking and Gemma jumped up screaming. "Louis Tomlinson has requested to be your friend."

"WHAT! And what was that you were saying about him forgetting about you. Harry have you just made a real life actual friend?! Babes I'm so proud of you!" She flung her arms around my neck and buried me in a hug while I re-read the notification over her shoulder.

She went back to preparing dinner while I hesitantly accepted Louis' friend request. In mere seconds a message popped up from him and my heart stopped for a moment.

Louis Tomlinson said: "Hey, you are nearly impossible to find on social media :D so here's Kendal's number, hit her up later."

Harry Styles said: "Aha hey, maybe I don't like to be found. I don't think she would be interested don't try and play cupid."

Louis Tomlinson said: "Well I found you so :P nice try!  I do have a bit of an agenda... She's the only single one out of El's friends and is too clingy ruining couple nights and stuff, be nice if she could have her own couple nights with someone. She does like you tho. She's normally so calm and collected and today she was just rambling in your face. Give it a go you have nothing to lose."

Louis Tomlinson said: "Oh and do you have the homework we're meant to do for English tomorrow? I think I've lost it."

Harry Styles said: "Yeah I'll link you. *Attachment sent*"

*****

I flicked through Louis' few short messages over and over again in the darkness around me. It certainly wasn't late but I was already in bed and reading his messages was better than staring up at the ceiling.

I copied Kendal's number into my contacts and clicked the message bubble next to it, before typing out the typical introductory message. "Hey this is Harry, Louis gave me your number I hope you don't mind :)"

Kendal Jenner Said:"Not at all, Hiiii so how was ur 1st day then? :P x"

Harry Styles Said:"Better than what I'm used to. I think I can survive here for the next few months. x"

Kendal Jenner Said:"Gd gd, you'll b surviving with us tho rite? Sit with us tomoz again? x"

I took a deep breath as I re-read her message, scared she was after more than just a friendship, scared she wanted something I couldn't offer her. I wanted to string this along and pretend like I was interested in Kendal, that I was interested in girls but it felt wrong. Fear was the strongest thing inside me and that dictated everything I did. If I had to pretend that I was dating someone to not go through a repeat of the hell I went through, then I was prepared to do that.

I just didn't want to hurt anyone along the way.

*****

I let the pencil glide across the soft slightly yellow pages of my notebook and I felt a small smile twinge at the edge of my lips as I wrote the words I was dying to, but hadn't yet got the chance to.

"...and suddenly, black wasn't my favourite colour anymore, but blue started to invade me. I noticed how blue the sky was, how subtly blue the veins under my pale skin were but most of all I noticed the shining blue of his..."

"Hey Harry." I slammed the book shut in front of me and pulled it closer to my chest before offering a smile small to Louis who had sat at his usual desk in front of me, with his back to the front of the class. He raised his eyebrow at me and I saw as his eyes flick down to the small black book but he didn't say anything about it.

"So, do you remember me mentioning Zayn throwing a house party the other day?" I squinted at him in thought and shook my head causing him to flick his hand at me in a 'nevermind' sort of way. "Doesn't matter, it was your first day you had other things going on. But you are coming right? Tonight I mean?" I opened my mouth to tell him no but the teacher walked in and he spun around to face the front.

My fingers danced over the top of the notebook too scared to open it and write the last word in case I got caught. Part of me couldn't decide what I feared more, the overwhelming feelings that inevitably would consume me, or someone finding out.

I hadn't planned on meeting someone like this. And I certainly hadn't planned on butterflies invading my stomach every time I saw him or for my heart to stop before tingling all over when he spoke to me, especially not this early on. I definitely hadn't planned any of this, and the fact I was still trying to wade through my first week made it all the more scary. I didn't ever catch feelings this fast and I was hoping there was an off switch to them.

The teacher left the room and Louis spun round in his seat, resting his arms on my desk and his chin in his hands. "I'll pick you up at 8 then?"

"I can't tonight." His jaw fell open and he pouted. "Why not, everyone's excited to get to know you, especially Kendal." He smirked and started prodding at me in a jokey laddish sort of way. I flinched under his touch and he pulled away, completely emptying my desk of his body. "Okay, no worries. If you can't come you can't come." He turned around to face the front once again and I grimaced to myself, squeezing my eyes shut behind him and trying to contain the massive sigh I wanted to let loose.

If only he knew just how badly I did want to go. I wanted to finally be a normal teenager and go to parties with friends but I just wasn't that person. If anything, I would make a complete idiot of myself and Louis would never talk to me again, and I just wanted a little bit more time with him.

The class seemed to last forever before finally the bell rang. Louis stayed in his seat instead of jumping up like usual and I extended my arm out to him, tapping him on the shoulder. He spun round and smiled a small sort of smile at me. "Louis, maybe I can move some things around and meet you there tonight?" His face split open into a glorious smile, his eyes creasing at the edges. "I knew I could convince you, and hey, I'll just pick you up at around 8ish?" He dashed out his seat and left the room before asking where I lived.