Larry Stylinson ao3 one shots.

and we live like legends now

GIRL LARRY

Written by:soleilouis

Summary:
harry works at a juice bar, and louis is the cute girl that skates at the park right next door. (girl!H/L)

----------

Work Text:
It's the hottest day of the year when Harry first sees her.
The Los Angeles sun is the only thing in the sky, bright and blazing, seeming to take no prisoners during its conquest to melt the entire city to a puddle before setting. Harry is almost to the point of hallucinating before it's even one o'clock. It's usually such nice weather around this time of year - just after the summer but not quite autumn yet - but today it's an ungodly high temperature for the area. "It feels like a sweaty ballsack in here", as her best friend, Zayn, would say, although she's not sure how much Zayn knows about ballsacks.
"Hey, princess," Zayn calls, as if hearing Harry's thoughts about her. She holds up a rag, waving it in front of Harry's face. "If you haven't melted just yet, you can help me clean the juicer."
Harry rolls her eyes and Zayn winks, pinching Harry's ass before walking behind the counter.
"There has to be a law somewhere that says it is completely illegal, not to mention immoral, to make someone work in this heat." Harry pouts in Zayn's direction.
"Liam will have both of our asses if she comes in and the juicer is a mess like it was the other night," Zayn says quietly, looking over her shoulder to make sure their boss isn't listening.
The two of them have worked at Main Squeeze for two years now, mainly during the summer months when they're on break from college. Their friend from school, Liam, started up the new place after her family's burger place moved to a new location - they still owned the lot, and it was prime location right next to one of the biggest parks in the city. Replace the burgers and fries with juices and frozen yogurt, and you've got Main Squeeze, where fresh fruits are squeezed for all of your juicy needs (Harry may or may not have come up with the store motto).
Harry wipes her brow with the rag and sighs exasperatedly before getting to work on the juicer. She maneuvers around the blades skillfully, careful not to chip any of her freshly painted lavender nails while cleaning the machine. Harry's manicures never seem to last very long working here, but she can't say she minds very much - painting her nails calms her after a long shift.
A loud voice brings Harry out of her concentration a few minutes later, along with the bell over the front door ringing.
"Can you believe that I'm going to melt right here in this juice bar?"
Someone groans in response, and Harry looks up to see who's walking in. She sees a girl, but the view is obscured by the juicer, so she can't see who exactly she's talking to. The girl has a snapback on, pushing back her blonde, straight hair. She's wearing a simple t-shirt and tight white shorts, but all eyes in the shop are on her. She smiles at Zayn, who has quickly stepped up to the register, of course, and flutters her eyelashes quickly.
"Hiya," the blonde says cheerily. Harry peers around the juicer to see her better - she's now leaning against the counter on both hands. She takes her bottom lip in between her teeth and hums. "What's good here?"
Harry rolls her eyes when Zayn freezes, opening and closing her mouth without saying anything. "Jesus christ," Harry mumbles, moving over to the front register quickly and slapping a hand on Zayn's back.
"Depends on what you like, really. The Vitamin Apple is a favorite, but I personally love the Almond Milk Banana-rama. Delicious and--"
"Sounds like too much fruit and health, in my professional opinion."
Harry nearly chokes when her eyes finally land on who the blonde was talking to earlier. A small brunette girl walks up to the counter, interrupting Harry in the middle of her juice spiel, and she smiles beautifully at the three of them. It's more of a smirk, really, a bit of a challenge behind it. Harry would tell her that you can never have too much fruit, thank you very much, if she weren't completely dumbstruck at the moment. She feels as if she opens her mouth to speak her jaw may very well fall right to the floor, so she'd rather not risk it.
The girl is stunning, with short, light brown hair that falls in her face every time she turns her head. Her hair just barely touches than the nape of her neck, and it's tousled wildly like she's been pushing it out of her face all day. She runs a hand through it now, and when Harry notices that she has a bit of an undercut, she takes in a very large breath to calm herself. A couple of the girl's baby hairs are stuck to her forehead, where there's a light sheen of sweat across her tan skin. Harry's eyes scan her entire face quickly, not wanting to skip over any of her features. She drinks in her incredibly blue eyes and the light freckles that spread across the bridge of her nose and the tops of her cheeks, the small silver hoop in the right side of her nose. She's intimidating and warm all at once, and Harry immediately wishes that she had taken the time to do her hair this morning. Fuck.
"Sorry, Curly," the girl says to Harry, definitely smirking now. "Were you saying something?"
"Oh, shut it, Louis," her friend says before turning back to Zayn and Harry. "Don't mind her. We hardly ever let her out of the house."
"Hey!" The girl - Louis, apparently - squeaks indignantly. Her voice is high and beautiful, and Harry would love her to insult fruit again if it meant getting to hear her voice.
"The Green Energy is my favorite," Zayn mumbles quietly, her eyes still focused on the blonde, who nods eagerly at the suggestion.
"Sounds good to me. I'll trust your judgement." She winks. Zayn laughs, punching in the order quickly before turning her back to the two of them and working on the juice.
"My friend here forgot to get your name," Harry leans over, grabbing a permanent marker from the cup they keep next to the register. "For your juice." She raises her eyebrows, waiting.
"'m Niall," she says, extending a hand like she's introducing herself instead of just ordering a juice. Odd. "And this is Louis."
Harry nods and shakes her hand, writing Niall's name on a plastic cup and handing it over to Zayn, who whispers her thanks. "Nice to meet you both. What about you, Louis? Dare to try anything?"
Louis wrinkles her nose, making her freckles disappear for just a moment, and shakes her head. "No thanks. Think I'll stick to my unhealthy, sugary drinks."
Harry smirks. "Suit yourself. You know where to find us if you need some vitamins."
She gives Louis a dazzling smile before turning around, throwing the rag over her shoulder. If she pops her hip a bit exaggeratedly while she's helping Zayn with the drink, it's merely a coincidence.
"I guess I do," Louis mumbles under her breath, and Harry smiles down at the counter before making her way to the back of the store.
___
Harry notices Louis a lot more after that. She and Niall spend most afternoons at the skate park right next to Main Squeeze, and they're there from lunch until sunset on the weekends. Harry can see them the whole time they're over there, basically, from the windows of the store, or from the back patio she and Zayn sit on sometimes after their shifts. It's all very lucky, if she says so herself.
Harry should've known from the first day she met them that they skated, just from how effortlessly cool they both seemed (even if the skateboard slung over Niall's shoulder had maybe been a dead giveaway). Louis' style had been simple but cute - Harry loved her The Rolling Stones t-shirt and meant to compliment her, but they had left so quickly after Niall got her juice. She hasn't been back in the store, and Harry hasn't had the nerve to go over to the park. Not yet, anyway, despite all of Zayn's valiant attempts at pestering her.
"She's really good," Harry says a few days later with a mouthful of sandwich. She and Zayn are taking their break on the patio, right before the sun is setting. Zayn takes a sip of her soda and shoots Harry a sideways glance.
"Who?"
Harry swallows. "That Louis girl. She's skating over there, see?" She points. "Been nailing this one trick for the last few minutes."
Zayn lifts a cigarette to her lips, sucking in a long drag and letting it out slowly. Harry watches the lines of Zayn's face as she blows out smoke - she's so naturally beautiful, it isn't fair. If they hadn't been best friends in high school, Harry would have been terrified of Zayn. She wears leather jackets like Harry could never pull off, and has on a pair of pink Doc Martens with nearly every outfit. She's wearing them now, actually, with black skinny jeans and a loose white tank. Everyone in town knows Zayn, and her features are so sharp that you can spot her in a crowd easily - dark, long hair that complement her olive skin and dark eyes perfectly. She must feel Harry staring at her now, because she turns her head and raises an eyebrow.
"You've been watching her a lot the last few days, you know."
Harry clears her throat and shrugs. "Yeah, I guess. So?" Zayn shakes her head, laughing, and Harry continues, "I happen to have a very big interest in the art of skateboarding, thank you."
Zayn smirks, lifting the cigarette to her lips again without responding.
What does Zayn know, anyway.
___
Harry flips the light switch in the lobby of Main Squeeze, letting the darkness fill the room entirely. She sighs loudly, leaning against the front door and reaching behind her expertly, locking it without even looking. It's been a very long night. Fridays are always the actual worst.
Liam lets her lock up a lot now, giving her a set of her very own keys and trusting her to be the only one left in the store at the end of the night. It's only eight o'clock, but it's plenty dark outside and the park is a ghost town now.
Well, almost a ghost town.
"Fucking fuck!" Someone shouts, and Harry lolls her head to the side lazily to look out the front window.
She squints to look where the sound is coming from, and sees a lone girl sat on the pavement in the now empty skate park. There's a skateboard slowly rolling away from her, apparently after a fall, and the girl kicks her foot out at it angrily.
Harry squints a bit harder, walking closer to the window. The girl, she recognizes, is Louis. She's running a hand through her hair in frustration now, standing up from the ground. Harry furrows her eyebrows, not liking the sinking feeling she gets in her stomach just from seeing a girl she barely knows feel any sort of defeat. It's strange, Harry thinks, that even after only meeting her once, she feels like she knows Louis in some ways already. With watching her skate most days, Harry's picked up on some of her habits, even. Louis bites her nails when she can't seem to land a trick, fiddles with the hem of her shirt when she's about to try something new, and usually shouts profanities before remembering that there are kids at the park and slapping a hand over her mouth. Harry shakes off her thoughts quickly and watches Louis kick at the ground for another moment before she walks behind the counter of the juice bar. Harry argues with herself for barely a moment before she's making a rash decision, and soon she's got two freshly made smoothies in her hands and she's unlocking the front door.
All of the sweat she'd lost during the day's shift must've drained her of any common sense, or something equally alarming that would make her do something so bold. Zayn would be proud, if only she were here to see it.
Harry's feet seem to move on their own, stepping one in front of the other until she's at the gate of the skate park. She takes a deep breath, clutching her hands around both of the smoothies, and steps through the gate.
Louis doesn't seem to notice her entrance, since she's gotten back up on the skateboard and is now facing away from Harry. She's not going anywhere, just standing there moving back and forth with her chin tucked against her chest.
Harry clears her throat loudly. "Hi."
Louis turns around too quickly, completely losing her balance and kicking the skateboard out from under her feet. She stumbles minimally, taking a few small steps towards Harry before gathering her footing again. She curses under her breath before looking up at Harry.
"Oops," Louis says, embarrassed. She raises one perfectly shaped eyebrow and folds her arms across her chest once she's standing in front of Harry. "What are you doing here?"
Harry's not sure if Louis thinks that she came over to make fun of her for falling earlier, so she quickly holds out the smoothie as a peace offering.
"I just-- Well. I saw that you were still out here, and thought you could be thirsty? 's hot out here. Made the sweetest drink I could, promise. Louis, right?"
Louis still looks slightly unconvinced, but she takes the drink anyway. "Yeah. You remember me?"
Harry almost laughs at that. I've only been admiring you for the last two weeks, she thinks but, luckily, doesn't say out loud.
"Of course. 'm Harry, I work over at--"
"I know, I remember you too." Louis smiles. Harry doesn't seem to remember telling Louis her name, but she's distracted quickly by Louis shaking the drink in front of Harry's face. "What's this?"
"Half of the fun is not knowing, I think." Harry deadpans, making Louis snort. "But it's a bit of strawberry and banana with a splash of almond milk. Nothing too healthy and absolutely nothing green."
"Ah, perfect, you remembered that too." Louis takes a long sip, her eyelashes fluttering as she swallows. Harry tries not to feel too satisfied with one of her decisions for the night.
Louis is just the tiniest bit sweaty, but it makes her tan skin glimmer in the glow from the streetlights above them. Harry has no idea how long she's been out here today, but she looks exhausted. She's wearing a loose black tank with completely open arm holes that swoop down to her rib cage, exposing a polka dot bandeau underneath. Her denim shorts are ripped and extra short today, making her tan legs look much longer than they actually are. There's a tattoo of some sort on Louis' left thigh, but Harry can't look at it for long enough to figure out what it is without feeling like she's being weird. Harry's a couple of inches taller than Louis, she notices, giving her body a look up and down subtly.
Or, not subtly, if the smirk on Louis' face means anything when Harry looks back up at her face.
Harry coughs, quickly taking a sip of her own smoothie. "Anyway, I'll leave you to it. Skating, and all that. Just wanted to offer this--" She gestures to the smoothie in Louis' hands. "Which you've clearly accepted. Just giving you that and, uh, saying hi? I guess--. I'll just see you--"
"Curly," Louis interrupts, laughing. "'s alright. I'm in need of a break anyway. You can stay."
Harry just stares at her, and Louis looks nervous for a moment before speaking again. "If you want? I mean, you don't have to. You barely know me--"
"I'll stay, yeah." Harry smiles, and Louis sighs quietly and takes another sip of her drink.
Harry feels Louis watching as she takes a seat on one of the rails next to where they'd been standing. It's not at all comfortable, but Harry's shorts barely cover her ass as is, and they'll do a fairly horrible job of making it comfortable to sit on the rough pavement.
"Why are you here so late?" Louis asks after she's settled on the rail across from Harry. It isn't awkward, Harry thinks. She thinks it should be, since they've never talked for more than a minute, but she won't question it away.
Harry watches Louis for a moment while she fusses with her hair before ultimately deciding to throw it up into a sloppy ponytail. Her hair is hardly long enough to be put up; most of the short hair falls onto the back of her neck and the ponytail is more of a nub than anything else. It's cute. She raises her eyebrows at Harry, awaiting a response.
"Yeah, I--" Harry clears her throat and looks down into her smoothie. "I work the night shift a lot. Zayn left like an hour ago, so it's just me over there."
"And you decided to have some pity and bring me a drink?"
Harry opens her mouth to protest, but Louis holds her hands up in defense. "Kidding, babe."
Harry's cheeks heat up at the pet name, and she ducks her head so that Louis doesn't see. When she looks back up, Louis is taking a sip of her smoothie, her eyes scanning across the empty park beyond Harry's shoulder. The skate park itself is illuminated by a few dull street lamps - those were put in after a lot of mothers made up a petition that it was getting too dangerous after the sun went down. Harry is thankful for them now, making it possible to admire the way Louis' long eyelashes fan across her cheeks as she looks down into her drink.
"This is pretty good." Louis says quietly to herself, smirking when Harry looks up at her in surprise. "Don't tell Niall I said that. Or anyone, actually."
Harry makes a gesture as if she's using a key to lock her mouth shut, and tosses the imaginary key over her shoulder. Louis laughs, and it's a pretty, light sound that Harry wants to make happen again and again.
"Your secret is safe with me. Do you and Niall come here a lot?"
Harry almost laughs as soon as she asks, as if she hasn't seen Louis here every day for the last week.
Louis shrugs. "I guess, yeah. We try to come every day after class, if we can. Niall bails sometimes, but I live just down the street," Louis points to her left. "So, you know. I'm here a lot." She bites her lip and laughs nervously.
"Hm," Harry hums noncommittally, twirling the straw in her drink with her middle finger. "It's nice here."
"'s alright. You've worked there for a while, haven't you?"
Harry nods. "How'd you know?"
Louis shrugs again, this time looking almost bashful. "I've seen you around. And my friend Niall has a huge crush on your friend," she says with a smirk. "So she's mentioned you, too."
Harry tosses her head back and laughs, the ends of her long hair tickling the small of her back. She left it down tonight, although it was a pain in the ass during her shift, in hopes that she would get to see Louis. Her curls are loose and she's got a black scarf wrapped around her head a couple of times to push the hair away from her eyes. She dressed a little nicer than usual for work, as well - she's got on a flowy shirt that stops just above her navel, showing off some of her midriff, and black, ripped denim shorts. She rubs a piece of loose string from her shorts in between the pads of her fingers before looking back up at Louis.
"She seemed pretty smitten the other day, too."
Louis giggles. "Smitten. What a word. I like that. Doesn't get used enough."
"I won the spelling bee in third grade with that word!" Harry says excitedly, clapping a hand over her mouth once she realizes she just practically yelled in Louis' face. "Sorry."
"Still a very proud moment for you, obviously." Louis chews on her bottom lip again, laughing. "Did you win anything?"
"Not a damn thing," Harry says sadly. "They let me have pizza for lunch the next day, though."
"Okay, that is clearly winning something, ungrateful." Louis kicks a foot out at Harry's leg, and Harry's shoulders tense.
They fall into a comfortable silence for a minute, and Harry takes the opportunity to text Zayn that she'll be a little later than usual coming back to their apartment. Zayn is most likely asleep already, but they still like to let each other know when they'll be late. They're quiet domestic best friends, the two of them.
She purposefully leaves out the part about hanging out with Louis, if it qualifies as that. Harry thinks it does.
"I'm guessing you saw me fall on my ass earlier?" Louis asks, shaking her head.
Harry nods slowly. "Well, sorta. I saw you on the ground after."
"Saved some of my pride, at least." Louis laughs. "Do you? Like, skate, I mean?"
"No, definitely not. I'm about as graceful as that little cartoon deer trying to walk."
Louis gives Harry a look. "That little cartoon deer? Bambi? Did you mean Bambi?" Harry nods and Louis gasps dramatically. "Oh my god, have you never seen it?"
"Uh." Harry takes a long sip of her drink and flutters her eyelashes innocently. "No?"
"Oh my god. I'm making you watch Bambi. I can't believe this."
Harry is definitely going to hold Louis to that, and is definitely going to take it as Louis wanting to hang out again sometime. She smiles and throws her hands up in the air. "I'm sorry!"
"You're forgiven, I suppose." Harry breathes out a dramatic sigh of relief and Louis laughs.
"But yeah," Harry says. "Skating isn't my thing. Never even tried. Because, you know, the whole Bambi thing." Harry moves her hands around in the air, gesturing at nothing in particular.
"I don't know. Can I try to show you how to do something, maybe? Not anything crazy, just like. Standing on the board and moving a few inches."
Harry starts to shake her head, but Louis is already standing up and placing her drink on the ground. "C'mon."
Harry stands up and follows her passed the rails to where her skateboard is laying on its side. Louis does a maneuver with her foot that has the skateboard popping up into an upright position, and Harry breathes out nervously. Logically, she knows that merely standing on the stupid board, she won't get hurt. Logically, again, she knows that she has gotten hurt doing much less before. But Louis, beautiful and cool Louis, wants to show her how. Plus, she will probably, definitely hold Harry's hand while she does it, so she can't just not do it, right.
"Okay, just like--" Louis kicks at the skateboard gently, making it roll in Harry's direction. "Put both feet on the board, obviously, evening your weight out. You can, like, put your hands on my shoulders if you want."
Harry nods, stepping one foot up before placing both feet on the skateboard's deck. The grip is just a plain black, but Harry notices a smiley face made out of white tape near her right foot.
She struggles to keep the board still, and she reaches out instinctively to grab onto the first thing she can - the first thing, in this case, being Louis. Harry rests the palms of her hands on Louis' shoulders, gripping maybe a little too hard at first. Louis breathes out a laugh, and mumbles "Alright, you're fine," when Harry yelps.
"Sorry," Harry whines. "I can do it."
"It's all about balance, really." Louis shrugs, and Harry rolls her eyes. Of course Louis thinks it's easy - she does it every single day.
"Which I don't have a lot of."
Louis tucks her chin against her chest to hide a smile, some of her hair tickling Harry's hand. "I've noticed, yeah. Here, just--"
Harry sucks in a breath when Louis reaches out and puts her hands on Harry's hips carefully. Harry's skin burns underneath her small fingers, and she can feel a spark of electricity racing through her body, the central point being everywhere that Louis is touching her bare skin. Harry squirms a bit, shifting the board underneath her feet.
Louis moves to the left, starting to walk slowly while still gripping Harry's hips. Harry follows on the skateboard, because she's got no choice, and she tenses when the board nearly comes out from under her. Louis laughs again, and Harry joins her this time.
"You're hopeless, babe." Louis shakes her head, slowing down her already glacial paced steps. "But it's cute. 's like watching one of those videos of the skateboarding dogs. Except they're a little better than you."
Harry pinches Louis' shoulder, making the smaller girl squeal. "Alright, let me off."
Louis stops moving, steadying Harry as she steps off the skateboard. It wasn't so bad, she guesses, and the skin of her hips is still on fire.
"Impeccable balance, m'lady," Louis says sarcastically, bowing once Harry is settled.
Harry lifts both of her hands triumphantly. "Listen, you're just lucky I don't have a busted chin or something right now. I'm telling you, I can make an injury out of anything."
It's true - Once in her senior year, Harry fell down the bleachers in the auditorium and broke her wrist. The year after that, she tripped on a curb and nearly broke her nose on the pavement. Zayn says that they need to put her in a bubble, and Harry agrees on most days.
"I'll believe it when I see it." Louis smiles.
They stand like that for a moment, smiling at each other in silence, until Harry shuffles her feet and clears her throat. She pulls out her phone to check the time and nearly gasps. They've been out here for nearly an hour.
"I guess I'd better get going. Zayn and I share a place, and I don't want to, like, wake her up coming in too late."
Louis nods, bending down to pick up her board. "Thanks for the smoothie. It was alright, I guess."
"Mm, you drank it down in about ten minutes, so I'd say it was more than alright."
"Okay," Louis says slowly with a smile. "It was more than alright. It was great." She smiles at Harry, her eyes roaming across her face. She whispers, almost too quietly for Harry to hear, "Really great."
Harry fiddles with one of the rings on her left hand. Louis' eyes on her make her nervous, like she should shield her face or do something exciting to impress her. Instead she just lifts a hand in an awkward wave.
"I guess I'll see you around?"
Louis nods. "Definitely."
Harry's stomach flutters, already thinking about next time.
___
Over the next few weeks, Louis takes up most of Harry's thoughts - both on the job and at home. She stops by Main Squeeze every night, requesting her "special drink", which Harry makes happily for her.
A week after their night at the skate park, there's a small slip of paper mixed in with the single bills Louis pays for her drink with. Harry doesn't see it until after her shift, when she's counting the drawer. There are 7 digits written in Sharpie, with Louis ;) scribbled off to the side in some of the cutest handwriting Harry has ever seen.
Harry texts Louis that night, initially worrying about coming off too desperate but in the end not caring at all (Zayn is no help when she asks if three i's are too many for her very first "hi" text, unsurprisingly). Harry is up until 3 in the morning texting with Louis, too excited to even sleep.
After another week of daily visits and constant texting, Harry feels like she and Louis are definitely what she would consider good friends. And maybe, just maybe, she feels like Louis is flirting back with her sometimes. Maybe. They flirt quite a bit through text, Harry thinks, winking emojis and little teasing remarks. Harry makes a point to compliment Louis' outfit a couple of nights at Main Squeeze, to which Louis blushes and mumbles a quick thank you. Louis is loud and bratty, in a way that makes all eyes focus on her and feel like they can't look away, but with Harry sometimes she seems almost shy. It feels almost like it's building to something, and Harry likes what they've got going, whatever it is.
___
Harry is locking up on a Saturday night when she hears light tapping on the front door's glass. She looks up, squinting to see who could possibly be knocking nearly an hour after close. There doesn't seem to be anybody there, so she continues to sweep, until there's another light tap on the door a few seconds later.
"Louis?" Harry whispers, straining to look out.
Louis is standing a bit away from the door, leaning on one of the bike racks. She's tossing something up in the air, what Harry presumes now to be tiny pebbles (of course), and she's wearing a smirk on her face.
Harry walks over to the front door and unlocks it swiftly, raising her eyebrows when Louis leans off of the bike rack and walks towards her.
"What are you doing here?" she asks, stepping aside so that Louis can come in.
Liam would kill her if she knew that someone, not an employee, was in here after close. They've done this a couple of times, mainly just Louis waiting by the door while Harry finishes locking up so they can walk home together. Harry almost rethinks it this time and suggests they talk outside, but then Louis turns to face her and she forgets who Liam even is.
Louis is wearing a black tank top dress, that comes to just mid-thigh (her thigh tattoo, Harry found out, is a line from one of Shel Silverstein's poems accompanied by one of the doodles from his books. She has quite a few tattoos, Louis does, but Harry has deemed that one her favorite). Her hair is in its usual style, messy yet styled to frame her face beautifully. Harry's never seen her in a dress, and it fits her body perfectly, flowing out at her waist and tight across her chest in ways that her t-shirts usually aren't. Harry gulps.
"I haven't had my special drink today!" Louis says cheerfully. "What, have you forgotten me already?"
Harry rolls her eyes, resting the broom she didn't even realize she was still holding against the wall.
"Yes, as if you'd let me do that. But it's, like, an hour after close, Lou."
Harry doesn't miss the way the corner of Louis' mouth twitches up when Harry lets the nickname slip. Hm.
"I knooow," Louis whines, pouting. "But I've just had dinner with my parents and I need something sweet for dessert."
"Might I suggest an ice cream sundae? Or brownies? I think they even sell the mix at Ralph's," Harry jokes, attempting to keep a straight face. She breaks when Louis crosses her arms and gives one of her signature glares. "Alright, fine. But don't tell my boss."
"Yes ma'am." Louis salutes, bouncing on her heels before walking right behind Harry towards the counter.
Harry moves towards the smoothie machine behind the bar quickly, rolling her eyes when Louis blows an exaggerated kiss from her where she's sitting on the counter. Louis swings her legs around until they're dangling on Harry's side of the space, the tips of her Vans knocking into Harry's knees. Her hem of her dress falls perfectly to rest just above her knees and her legs are so, so tan. Harry has to force her gaze back to the fruit she's pulling out of the mini-fridge. She curses under her breath while she's got her face hidden behind the door before leaning back out.
"Is the usual okay?" Harry asks, and Louis nods happily. "You owe me, you know."
Harry likes to act put out, but really she doesn't mind at all. She would probably hand over the keys to the entire store if Louis pouted her perfectly pink lower lip long enough.
"Mm, I know." Louis sing-songs, a twinkle in her eye. "How was your shift?"
Harry sighs. "S'okay. Long. I'm tired as hell."
Louis hums in response, kicking out a foot at Harry's leg. Harry gives her a small smile before looking back down at the smoothie she's making. They don't say anything for a minute while Harry makes Louis' drink. It's comfortable, Harry realizes. Normally she'd feel like she has to fill the quiet void with conversation or even music, but with Louis it feels good to just sit and enjoy each other's company. It's like they've always done this, like they orbit around each other seamlessly without getting in the way or making things weird.
"Ta-da," Harry says finally, pushing the smoothie into Louis' hands. "For you."
"I'm the luckiest girl in the world," Louis says, putting a hand to her chest for dramatics. "Thanks, H."
Louis takes a few long sips and groans happily, letting her eyes fall shut. Harry has teased her relentlessly about liking anything from Main Squeeze - she's even snuck a bit of spinach into the smoothies on a couple occasions. Louis didn't notice.
"How was dinner with your parents?" Harry asks after she's cleaned out the juicer. She stands in front of Louis, leaning back on the counter opposite her.
Louis shrugs. "It was fine. Mom's new husband came. He's really nice, my younger sisters all love 'im."
Louis' face seems to lose some of its light, and Harry raises an eyebrow, asking softly, "That's good then, yeah?"
"No, yeah. I just miss them, is all."
Harry knew that Louis' parents were coming into town - they'd texted about it just the other day. Her parents live in northern California and don't get to visit much, Louis said, so when they do come down for a day or two, she's always excited. Harry can imagine that the ends of those visits aren't particularly fun.
"I know that's rough," Harry says, smiling sympathetically. She sighs. "You could've just stayed with them tonight. When do they leave?"
Louis shakes her head. "Nah, they're leaving pretty soon. Only came down for the day for my mom to get a few pieces of furniture from her sister's house. Quick trip." She laughs nervously, and Harry can tell she's feeling at least a little bit off.
"I'm sorry," Harry says quietly.
Louis looks up at her then, smiling. "Thanks."
Pieces of Harry's hair fall into her face, and she quickly blows out a breath in frustration. She lifts her hands into her hair and starts fussing with it to pull it back into a ponytail, but Louis clucks her tongue disapprovingly and she pauses.
"Don't put it up, I love when your hair is down," Louis says quietly.
Harry blushes but lowers her arms, shaking out her hair. She'll have to stow that information away in the back of her mind for the future.
Louis' drink is nearly gone now, and she moves to set it on the counter next to her when she pauses and holds it still. "Do you want to try?"
"Sure," Harry says, walking forward. She stops in front of Louis, her elbow brushing Louis' knee, and takes the drink. She already knows what it tastes like, obviously, but she hums happily anyway.
Louis smiles down at her, her long eyelashes enhanced tonight by a bit of mascara, Harry notices. Louis is gorgeous, every part of her face is something that Harry could look at for an hour and still find a good thing to note down. The store is dark, only lit up by the glow of the smoothie maker's neon sign and light from streetlamps coming in through the windows. Louis must not be wearing very much makeup, because Harry could still count every freckle on her face if she wanted to. She's looking at Louis' face for a long moment when she suddenly finds some nerve.
"I'm surprised you're here. You could've just went home. 's getting late."
Louis shrugs, smiling wider. "Dunno. I wanted to catch you before you left."
Louis has her number, so it's not like she wouldn't have been able to find Harry and meet up, but that's besides the point.
"Yeah?" Harry says, poking Louis' thigh. "Can't get enough of me?"
"Believe it or not, I actually cherish our time together, Curly," Louis says indignantly, laughing when Harry rolls her eyes. "And I wanted to see you."
"Yeah?" Harry says again, intrigued by the sudden seriousness in Louis' voice. She can feel her skin warming up.
"Yeah, you're alright." Louis smirks now, setting her drink down on the counter next to her.
It's then, once there's nothing in between them, that Harry realizes how close they are. If Harry took even a baby step forward, she'd be pressed nearly front to front with Louis, her hips brushing against the inside of Louis' thighs.
Louis most notice too, because she looks down in between them for a long moment before slowly bringing her gaze back up to Harry's face. Harry watches her eyes fall down to her lips, and she licks her own quickly before looking back into her eyes. Harry isn't sure if she's still taking in breaths.
"You're more than alright, I suppose," Louis says quietly.
"Hmm, maybe. Since you came all the way over here just for a smoothie." Harry smiles and winks, too nervous to respond with anything besides more banter.
She doesn't even think, really, before laying a hand flat on Louis' thigh, right over the tattoo inked there. It's not completely uncommon for them to touch each other, but it's like a switch has been flipped and Harry feels the energy between them change almost immediately. There's been a lot of teenage-like flirtation with a dash of sexual tension between them, she'll admit, but Harry would never have made a move any of the other times she's spent with Louis. It just didn't feel right yet.
She would make a move right now, she thinks.
"Just a smoothie. Definitely." Louis nods, swallowing. Harry can see the tiny spark behind her eyes, thinks the same one is evident in her own.
"Definitely," Harry repeats.
The room is completely quiet, so the sound that Harry makes when Louis hooks her ankle around the back of Harry's thigh is loud to her own ears. She takes the baby step forward until she's standing just an inch away from Louis, now trapped in the V of her legs. She should feel strange or out of place to be this close, but Harry doesn't think it feels either of those things at all. She's only known Louis for a few weeks, has only been seeing her and talking to her every day for a little less than that, but already she feels like they've got this connection that she doesn't even know what to do with. It'd be silly not to test it out, to see if she's the only one feeling that. For science.
Louis looks at Harry and her face is completely open, like she's asking a question. Harry knows the answer, even if she's not entirely sure what she's being asked.
"Maybe I came just to see you?" Louis says. She inhales and exhales slowly, and Harry can feel her breath against her face.
Harry places both hands on Louis' thighs, drinking in the light gasp it startles out of Louis. She leans forward just enough that their lips are brushing before she mumbles, "I wouldn't mind that."
And then they're kissing, just like that. Louis pushes her head forward, connecting their lips together like she couldn't wait another second and Harry knows the feeling. They kiss gently and slowly, and it's like time has stopped momentarily. It feels a bit tentative, like both of them aren't sure if they're supposed to be doing this, not that they seem to mind at all. Harry opens her mouth just a bit to deepen the kiss, letting Louis' tongue inside when she brings a hand to the back of her neck and rubs her tongue along Harry's bottom lip. Harry presses her body into Louis completely, stroking her thumbs over the soft skin of Louis' thighs underneath her palms. She wants to spend hours tracing the lines of the ink on her thigh, with her fingers and her tongue. Louis bites at her bottom lip gently before pulling away from the kiss, mouthing at the corner of Harry's lips twice before leaning back completely.
"So," Harry says breathlessly after a moment, her eyes slowly opening. Louis is already looking at her, her cheeks a bit flushed and her chest rising and falling with heavy breaths.
"Let me take you on a date," Louis says quickly, like she has to do it before she loses her nerve. She sounds excited, though, and Harry smiles. "Like, a real one. Not here, not at the skate park."
Harry leans forward and kisses Louis' lips once. Her lips taste like strawberries and bananas and Harry's never tasted anything sweeter in her entire life.
"Okay," she says easily.
Louis smiles, nodding. "Okay."
____
Harry is nervous.
Not just a little bit nervous, like she gets before going to the dentist after not flossing well enough. Not the kind of nervous she gets before a big test, or before she meets with one of her professors - this far surpasses any of that, Harry thinks. She would gladly welcome any of those nervous feelings at the moment. Louis is going to be here any minute to pick her up, and Harry thinks she may sweat through her shirt before even leaving the house.
Zayn, of course, is teasing her mercilessly.
"Harry, will you fucking relax?" Zayn says with a laugh. She's got Harry's shoes in her hands though, bless her.
"I can't!" Harry nearly shouts, breathing heavy through her nostrils before taking the shoes from Zayn and sitting down on the couch. She starts to slip on her sandals, fumbling over the buckle for nearly a minute before Zayn sighs and helps her.
"It's going to be fine! Louis is, like, so gone for you. It'll be fun! You can't possibly mess this up."
Harry snorts. "How do you know?" she asks.
Zayn starts buckling her other sandal without having to even be asked. Harry really does love Zayn.
"Because Niall tells me. She says that Louis talks about you non-stop--"
Harry raises an eyebrow at that. "Niall? Since when do you talk to Niall?"
Zayn fish-mouths for a moment before clearing her throat. "Goddamnit," she mumbles. "We've been texting and hanging out a bit after work, that's all."
Harry bites the inside of her cheek. She'll have to remember to tell Louis this later. For now, though, she decides to let Zayn think she's won, and lets it go.
"I just want it to be good. The other night, like--. It was good, you know? It didn't feel like anything, even, just felt like that's what we were supposed to do. I don't know." Harry shrugs, feeling silly.
After they'd kissed at Main Squeeze, Harry told Louis that she needed to get home pretty soon, which had made Louis pout and kiss her again. Harry didn't complain. They'd ended up leaving a few minutes after that, though, going to their separate apartments and texting all through the evening. They'd decided to go out the very next day for their date, and Harry has been absolutely tackled with nerves ever since.
Zayn, never one to let Harry feel like her emotions are unwarranted (direct quote), puts a hand on her back. "Hey, no, that makes sense. I think you two are amazing together. It's gonna be fine, alright?"
Harry nods, letting out a shaky breath. She stands up and adjusts her dress, twirling in a circle in front of Zayn.
"How do I look?"
Harry's wearing her favorite summer dress - it's navy blue with tiny white hearts all over it, and it flows loosely on her body. She's even wearing her favorite bathing suit underneath it. Louis told her to wear one, conveniently leaving out what she would be needing it for, exactly. Most of her hair is down, but she's pulled up half of it into a bun on top of her head. It's too hot outside for all of this hair in her face, Zayn told her.
"Perfect, babe," Zayn says, whistling.
Just then there's a knock on the door, and Harry gasps involuntarily. "Oh shit."
She opens the door (after smoothing down her dress three times) and sees Louis, smiling on her doorstep and holding a beach bag. She smiles brightly, gesturing for her to come in.
"Hi," Louis breathes out, looking her up and down. She waves a hello to Zayn, setting the beach bag on the floor. "You ready?"
Harry nods. "Wait," she says, remembering something that Louis had told her on the phone this morning. "I packed the snacks."
Louis hadn't told her much about their date for today, but apparently it's going to be an entire afternoon event. It's only just after 1 o'clock now. She told Harry to eat a light lunch, wear a bathing suit, and to pack a bag of snacks for them, but that was all the information she'd offer up. Harry has a good idea of where they're off to now, and she feels jittery with excitement.
She pokes her head into the fridge quickly and grabs the two bags that she's packed full of snacks and drinks. Once she's got them, she meets Louis back at the front door, and they're ready to go. They say goodbye to Zayn quickly and shut the door behind them. It only takes a few steps before Harry's curiosity gets the best of her.
"Where are we going?"
Louis doesn't turn her head, but Harry can see her smirking. "You'll see, babe."
___
It turns out that seeing Louis in a bathing suit is one of the most incredible and also most horribly miserable experiences of Harry's life.
They'd driven for about an hour until they finally stopped at a mostly secluded section of the beach in Malibu, and parked right on the side of main road. Harry followed Louis down the long walkway to the actual beach - apparently Louis comes here all the time, and she told Harry about all of the weekends her and Niall have come here to blow off steam after a week of classes. They've just set up their area, with their beach towels and bags of snacks, when Harry looks up and nearly chokes.
Louis lifts her tank top over her head, shaking out her hair before pushing it out of her eyes. She adjusts her sunglasses and then shimmies out of her white denim shorts quickly. Harry feels like some sort of slow music should be playing, and also feels like she maybe should look away. She can't even stop herself from staring at Louis the whole time, her eyes roaming over Louis' tan skin. Her bathing suit is white just like her shorts, and even though it's just a plain bikini, Harry's never seen anyone look better.
"Well," Louis laughs nervously, and Harry snaps her eyes back up to her face. "You too, don't make me wait to run into that water." She winks.
Harry sheds her dress off easily, pulling at the bottom of her own bathing suit to make sure everything is in place.
"Cute," Louis says with a smile, her eyes giving Harry's body a once over. "Like a sailor."
Harry's suit is a high-waisted two piece, with navy blue and white stripes. She can see where Louis gets the whole sailor thing - there's even red buttons going down the front of the bottoms. She blushes at Louis' compliment and tosses her dress on top of their beach towels. She can feel Louis' eyes on her as she fixes the bun on top of her head, and she peeks at her from behind her sunglasses before sliding them off and letting them fall on top of her dress. Louis clucks her tongue like she's remembered something, then takes off her sunglasses as well.
"Ready now?" Harry asks, hands on her hips.
Louis nods once before grinning and breaking out in a sprint towards the water, giggling when Harry calls out a surprised, "Hey!"
Harry runs after her, chasing her into the water and jumping the first tiny wave with grace. Louis is farther into the water and continues laughing as she turns around to wait for Harry, the waves hitting her back and pushing her forward while she stands still. When Harry reaches her, she pinches her hip lightly, smiling down at her. Louis puts a hand on Harry's arm when another wave pushes her forward, and she laughs brightly.
"Do you like to jump the waves or dive into them?" Louis asks, tracing a pattern on Harry's arm mindlessly.
Harry shrugs. "Both. I just try not to get washed up onto shore."
"You gotta go in with a plan," Louis says seriously. "The gods of the sea will sense your fear."
Harry laughs, not sure if Louis is even joking or not. "Alright, I'll jump."
"Yeah, of course, with your long legs," Louis says, rolling her eyes. "I always dive straight into them. C'mon."
Louis takes Harry's hand, walking forward into the ocean and stopping in the water where the waves that curl seem to be the biggest. The water is calm today, the waves coming at a steady pace where they can still have a bit to swim around in between each new wave.
They jump and dive into waves for a while, Louis getting pushed back towards the shore twice during particularly a particularly big one. Harry whips her head around frantically looking for her, only to turn around and see her shaking out her hair and smiling, twenty feet away. She doesn't think the smile has left her face for the last couple of hours, not once.
The two of them move a bit away from the main waves, wading in the calmer waters and splashing at each other every few minutes. Harry can barely touch the floor, but she's mainly floating around anyway. She loves the water, always feels the most free in the ocean. She loses Louis for a moment after she goes underwater to dodge a random wave. Harry spots her floating on her back a few feet away and swims over to her carefully, not wanting to disturb her.
Louis is floating flat on her back, her limbs seeming completely weightless on her body. Her eyes are closed, and the look on her face is completely serene. The sun is dancing across Louis' skin, illuminating the freckles on her face and chest. Harry's eyes roam over her body, pausing on her breasts momentarily, and she wonders how anyone could be so beautiful. Louis' body is perfect, Harry thinks, her breasts a nice, average size, filling out the small bathing suit top perfectly. Harry gulps once, her mouth suddenly feeling very dry. She likes to think it's from all of the salt water she's accidentally inhaled.
Louis cracks one eye open, squinting against the bright sunlight. Harry is standing close to her now, looking down at Louis from her spot just next to her head.
"See something you like?" Louis asks, her voice dripping with something that makes Harry's skin prickle.
Harry smirks. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She ducks into the water quickly, swimming away from Louis and coming up once she's put some distance between them.
"You're an asshole," Louis laughs, swimming towards her. They can walk in this part of the water, and Harry stands tall. Louis stops just in front of Harry, looking up at her with a soft look in her eyes.
"Hey," Harry says indignantly, making Louis giggle and lean towards her. "'m very sweet."
"Mm." Louis rolls her eyes. She splashes at Harry, both of them laughing. "You're sweet enough."
Harry smiles and slowly wraps her arms around Louis' waist, pulling her closer until Louis lifts her legs and wraps them around her waist in one fluid motion. Harry loves the feeling of holding someone weightless in the water. Louis feels light as a feather, but Harry can still feel everywhere that their bodies are connected.
"So, the beach was a good idea?" Louis asks, wrapping her arms around Harry's neck. Harry can tell that she's trying to play off the question like she knows Harry loves it, but there's a tiny bit of uncertainty there.
"Yes, I love this. Thank you," Harry says, squeezing Louis' hip.
"This isn't all," Louis says. "Thought maybe we'd get some ice cream after this and then grab dinner."
Harry raises her eyebrows, making an impressed face. "And they say you don't know how to woo a girl."
"Who's saying that? Because they're lying to you, H. I can woo."
"I see," Harry says, laughing. She leans forward, pausing just before her lips touch Louis', making sure it's okay. She's not sure if it's good etiquette to kiss your date when the date itself has really just started, but Louis nods once, and Harry kisses her without a second thought.
Louis kisses a lot like she speaks, Harry thinks - slow at first, going with the flow of things and then getting more restless once she's got a point to make. Harry feels like they're having a conversation when they kiss and it's easy to get lost in it. The water laps up against Harry's back lightly, pushing them forward every few seconds. Harry holds Louis at her hips, slowing down the kiss and taking her lower lip into her mouth. Louis makes a small noise, tightening her arms around Harry's neck. Harry slides her hands from Louis' hips, resting her palms just above Louis' ass. Louis kisses hers lightly a few times and bites at Harry's lower lip gently before pulling away and tucking her face against her neck.
Harry holds them there for a moment, letting the water move around them and enjoying the feeling of Louis' skin under her fingertips. Louis is placing feather-light kisses on the skin of Harry's neck, just resting her head on her shoulder now. It feels like there's nobody else in the ocean but them.
"I packed us some fruit if you want a little something," Harry speaks up after a moment, clearing her throat.
She feels Louis breathe out a laugh against her neck before pulling back to look at her. "Of course you brought fruit."
Harry smirks, dropping Louis to float on her own. She nods towards the beach and starts to make her way in that direction, Louis not far behind. Once they get settled on their towels, Harry busts out the ziploc bags of sliced fruits she brought for each of them, also pulling out two bottles of cold water.
"Ah, you're an angel." Louis groans, grabbing one of the ziploc bags and bottles of water. "I'm so thirsty."
They snack for a bit, Louis finishing her bag first and putting it in the trash can right behind their spot. She lays back on her towel and fixes her sunglasses just right on her face, soaking in some of the sun while Harry finishes her snack. Harry takes the opportunity to quickly scan her eyes over Louis' body without shame - her skin is a bit more tan than it was when they arrived earlier, already, and she looks beautiful. Harry pops a grape into her mouth and looks back out towards the water, watching the waves coming in when she feels a hand on her back.
Louis moves her hand up and down with just her fingertips grazing Harry's skin, drawing patterns across the span of her back and across the fabric of her bathing suit. Harry turns her head to look at Louis, who is still laying in the same exact position with her sunglasses on, tuned out to the world. She must feel Harry's eyes on her though, because she looks over for a moment and smiles at her, continuing to trace lines on Harry's back.
"We can stay here for however long you want, babe," Louis says, her voice slow and syrupy already after a couple of hours in the sun. "We can get ice cream whenever you're wanting it, then grab some takeout and head back to my apartment. If that's okay?" She peeks over her sunglasses up at Harry.
Harry swallows a piece of cantaloupe too quickly. "You didn't have to do all of this, Lou--"
"Shh." Louis laughs and pinches at Harry's side, her fingers drifting only momentarily from the small of her back.
"I just--"
"I know."
Harry shakes her head, smiling down at her mostly empty bag of fruit.
"If I'm honest, I wouldn't mind having the ice cream soon? Like, I wanna spend some more time in the water, but now that you've mentioned it I can't stop thinking about it."
"God, same," Louis says, sounding relieved. Harry laughs as Louis sits up and grabs the sunscreen from their beach bag. "Here, we'll put some more of this on and go out for a bit, then leave, okay?"
Harry nods, taking the tube from her hand. They spend maybe another thirty minutes in the water, splashing and swimming around. Harry loves to watch Louis dive into the waves and come out of the water looking like some sort of gorgeous mermaid, her hair stuck to her face while she laughs beautifully. Louis ends up teaching Harry the perfect wave diving strategy, and Harry actually isn't too bad at it by the time they decide to get out of the water and pack up.
When they're walking to their car, Harry can feel the slightest sunburn already bothering her on her shoulders and maybe a bit on her nose. She forgets about it, though, when Louis nudges the side of her hand with her own and laces their fingers together. They walk down the long road to get to their car, hand in hand, and it's the most carefree Harry's felt in a while.
___
They end up getting milkshakes over ice cream, after they see a huge sign for "the city's best shakes" as they drove down the highway. Harry gets banana and Louis gets double chocolate. "I deserve this," Louis had said. "You've been filling me with fruits for a month."
They'd drink the milkshakes while they drive, windows down and listening to music that Louis had been trying to get Harry to listen to for at least a week. Harry likes a lot of Louis' music taste, surprisingly, since her and Zayn's tastes are totally opposite. She feels like her and Louis are enough alike to fit perfectly, but also different enough in small ways that there's something intriguing there.
"What are you feeling for dinner, babe?" Louis asks, turning down the volume on the radio. Harry shrugs, so she continues. "We can grab whatever, really. Fast food, takeout. I mean, we can go somewhere if you want, I just thought--"
"No, yeah," Harry says, motioning to her bathing suit and the sand that's still covering her legs somehow. "Takeout sounds good."
Louis laughs quietly and takes another sip of her milkshake. They discuss takeout options for a moment before enthusiastically deciding on chinese. Harry calls the place close to Louis' apartment, ordering way too much for just the two of them (the sun has made them ravenous, okay).
"I've, uh--. I've had a really good time today. So far, y'know."
Harry turns her head to look at Louis, blushing when she finds Louis already looking at her. They've just stopped outside of the chinese restaurant, and Harry is starving but she'd sit in this car for the rest of the night if it meant getting to have Louis' eyes on her like that.
"I have too," Harry agrees, smiling.
Louis pokes a finger into one of Harry's dimples. "I'll be right back."
When Louis gets out of the car and walks into the restaurant, Harry definitely does not notice how great her ass looks in those tiny denim shorts. Not even a little bit.
__
By the time they get back to the apartment, the sun is starting to set. Harry stands patiently, holding the bag of takeout, while Louis fiddles with her key to unlock the front door. Once she finally pushes it open, it strikes Harry that it hasn't even crossed her mind to ask if Niall would be home. They could've gotten something for her to eat, too.
"Is Niall here?" Harry asks quietly, not wanting the girl to hear her if she is.
Louis shakes her head, dropping the beach bag in the entryway. "Nah, she's out for the night. Wouldn't tell me where she was going, though."
"Hm," Harry hums.
She doesn't want to seem too pleased that they have the place to themselves for the night, should Harry even stay late tonight, but--. She's a little pleased.
"I think she's got a secret boyfriend or girlfriend or something," Louis says casually, gesturing for Harry to follow her into the kitchen. "She's been sneaking around too much."
Harry looks around the apartment while they walk to the kitchen - it's small but really cute, Harry thinks. There are little string lights running along the tops of the walls in the living room and entryway both, and the kitchen is a bright red color that makes it feel warm and inviting. It fits that Louis lives here, somehow.
Harry suddenly remembers something and drops the bag of food on the counter with a loud bang. "Wait."
Louis spins around. "Jesus christ--. What?"
"I think her and Zayn have something going on. Like, something something."
"Something something? That sounds serious," Louis deadpans, smirking.
Harry rolls her eyes and starts to grab some of the containers from the paper bag. They really did order a lot of food, but with the way Harry feels right now, she could eat every last bite.
"No, 'm serious. Zayn's apparently been hanging out with her and texting her all the fucking time, but she won't tell me anything either."
Louis raises an eyebrow, her mouth slowly opening. "I hate them."
"I know, right? That's cute though. We can tease them later."
"Oh, of course." Louis nods. She grabs her containers of food and turns to walk out of the kitchen. She calls over her shoulder, "Glad you already know my game."
Harry laughs, grabbing her own food and following Louis. They settle in the living room, on opposite ends of Louis' couch with their legs up and bumping against each other on the middle cushion. They dig into their food immediately, absolutely starving after a day in the hot Los Angeles sun, only having the fruit and milkshake earlier. Louis pokes her chopsticks around in Harry's food a few times, stealing bits of noodles and chicken and dropping her own "gross" vegetables into Harry's container. Harry rolls her eyes, but really she thinks it's incredibly endearing that Louis is such an adorable brat.
"Are you burnt anywhere?" Louis asks, once she's finished most of her food.
"A bit, I think." Harry peeks at her shoulders. "Little pink on my shoulders. And my face, I think, although I haven't looked in the mirror."
Louis sighs dramatically. "And here I thought I was just making you blush all day."
Harry laughs, tossing her head back. She kicks one of her feet at Louis' thigh.
"That too."
Louis takes a bite of chicken, smiling contently. She starts asking Harry questions about the school year that is quickly approaching, and conversation flows easily between them. It always does, even when it's just the two of them alone like this. The pauses in conversation never seem like awkward silences, and Harry hopes that Louis feels the same way.
Harry groans as she takes the last bite of her food, feeling as if she ate another bite, she'd explode. "That was so good."
Louis hums in agreement, setting her now empty container on the coffee table. She settles into the couch again and leans back, stretching her legs and knocking her ankles against Harry's thigh. Louis puts a hand on Harry's ankle, rubbing her thumb back and forth against the bone there. Harry's had Louis' hands on her in little touches all day today, even getting her fair share of kisses - it still doesn't stop her stomach from fluttering.
"I still have sand everywhere," Louis says after a few minutes of silence. The TV is playing quietly in the background, some sort of reality television keeping them entertained during dinner. "Worst part about going to the beach." Louis laughs.
Harry nods. They'd taken off the clothes over their bathing suits before sitting onto the couch, both of them tired of the wet fabric clinging to their bodies. There's still sand on her legs, somehow, and Harry can feel it rubbing the skin of her chest the wrong way underneath her bathing suit.
"I think I might take a quick shower, honestly," Louis says, sitting up straight.
"Yeah, sure," Harry says, nodding again. She could use a shower too - the saltwater has made her curly hair feel like straw, and her skin feels sandy and sticky. "I'll just clean up the food a bit."
Louis doesn't respond, just puts her feet on the ground like she's about to stand before leaning over and kissing Harry right on the mouth. Harry squeaks in surprise, lifting a hand slowly to Louis' face. Louis deepens the kiss immediately, pushing her body towards Harry and swiping her tongue against Harry's bottom lip. She pulls away without warning, Harry immediately leaning forward to chase the feeling of her lips, making Louis smirk.
She stands up, leaving Harry feeling a bit dizzy and wanting more. It's not the first time they've kissed today, by any means, but it's the first time Harry's felt so frantic to keep kissing her.
"I'm gonna get in the shower now," Louis says, walking away from the couch.
Harry watches her walk away, her eyes trailing down the smooth lines of Louis' back and hips, suddenly wanting to reach out and touch her everywhere. She scoots forward on the couch and reaches out to grab her container from the coffee table, her eyes still on Louis. Her hips sway as she makes her way across the living room slowly, and Harry vows right then to make sure Louis knows that she has the best ass she's ever seen. When the time is right, of course.
"Curly?" Louis asks, snapping Harry out of her trance. Harry's eyes lift to Louis' face and she hums in response.
Louis turns her head to look forward and lifts one hand to the strings on the back of her neck holding up her bathing suit top. She starts to pull at them and Harry shifts in her seat. Louis is going to be the death of her.
"You coming?" Louis asks, a smirk evident in her voice.
She tugs harder at one of the strings, the entire bow coming undone at once. Harry's eyes go wide, and she scoots further in her seat. The strings fall from Louis' shoulders, and Harry can't see, but she knows that the front of her bathing suit has fallen down completely to expose her breasts. Jesus christ.
Louis doesn't even wait for a response, just continues walking towards the bathroom, disappearing through the door not even a second later.
It takes Harry a few seconds to catch her breath, mostly, before she's getting up from the couch and scurrying after Louis. When she gets to the doorway, she sees that Louis is already in the glass shower, and she watches as a hand reaches over the top of the shower's door and drops the bathing suit top to the floor. Harry inhales sharply, noticing the discarded bottoms already on the tile floor next to the top.
"You're the worst," Harry groans, drawing it out. She hears Louis laugh before she turns on the water, the room suddenly filling with the sound.
"Figured we could save some time, ya know, and water," Louis says after a moment, but Harry is already stripping out of her own bathing suit.
Louis is bold, if nothing else.
It's just a shower, Harry reminds herself. A completely practical and innocent shower that Louis has very coyly invited her to. Everything is fine.
Harry's not sure if she should just open the glass door to the shower and step in - it's not very often that she finds herself in this situation. Luckily, Louis decides for her, and opens the door just the tiniest bit in invitation. Harry lets out a breath of relief, shaking her head once to rid herself of any nerves and walking towards the shower. She opens the door more fully now, nearly groaning audibly when she sees Louis' body sans bathing suit.
She could see her curves through the foggy shower's glass walls, but it was nothing to prepare her for how good Louis really looks. She's tan all over and her skin looks impeccably smooth. Harry wants to touch her everywhere, but she tries to remain at least somewhat in control of herself as she steps in the shower next to Louis.
The shower itself is big enough for the two of them - Harry praises any gods that will listen - and Louis turns her body around completely to look at Harry after the door is shut behind her. Harry's never been ashamed of her body, always liked being naked more than anything, but suddenly she feels nervous to be standing here completely bare. Louis doesn't even attempt subtlety as her eyes roam over Harry's body, and watching Louis watch her makes Harry feel like she's buzzing. She just wants to touch.
The water is hitting the tops of Louis' shoulders and running down her front, leaving little droplets on her tits. They're a perfect size, which Harry already knew, and her nipples are small and a dark pink. Harry wants to get her mouth on them the second that Louis will let her.
"'s not weird, right?" Louis asks, seeming nervous. She steps back into the water a bit, letting some of it hit Harry's front, the warmth welcomed on her skin.
Harry shakes her head. "No, not at all. I'm--." She swallows, watching the water run down Louis' face. "This is fine."
Louis smiles sweetly and puts her head completely under the spray, sliding her fingers through her hair. Harry just watches her, loves to watch the way her body moves, and then spots a bottle to the left of them. She picks up the shampoo, lifting it to eye level.
"Want me to?" Harry asking, gesturing towards Louis' hair. Louis leans forward out of the spray and widens her eyes, nodding.
Harry points for her to spin around, which Louis does quickly. Harry squirts some of the shampoo into her hand and lathers it a bit. She slowly massages it into Louis' hair, careful not to hurt her by pulling on any of the tangles. Louis makes a small moaning sound, tipping her head back a bit, and Harry has to bite her lip to keep herself focused. She shampoos Louis' hair carefully, brushing her fingertips over the tops of Louis' ears before whispering that she can rinse. Louis does so, running her own hands through her hair expertly. Once she's finished, she turns to Harry with a smile on her face and says, "Your turn."
They switch places, Harry scooting around Louis to be nearly under the shower head. She turns around so the water is hitting her chest, and leans her head down so that Louis can reach. Louis pinches her hip, whispering, "Shut up" before squirting the shampoo directly onto Harry's head. She massages it slowly, and Harry closes her eyes, enjoying the touch. Louis presses behind her as she does it, and Harry can feel her breasts brushing against her back. She wants to reach around and grab at Louis' hips, pull her in even closer, but she also doesn't want to get shampoo in her eyes. Harry leans her head away from Louis' hands, spinning around to let her head under the water. She rinses off quickly, making sure to get it all.
"That was nice," Louis says, her voice the same syrupy drawl that she had earlier today on the beach.
Harry steps forward to be more out of the spray, and finds herself front to front with Louis. Louis looks up at her, her eyelashes wet and stuck together. Harry puts both hands on Louis's hips, pulling Louis against her front completely. Louis makes a small, pleased sound, and that's all Harry hears before leaning forward and kissing her. She feels desperate for it now, like if she doesn't have Louis' tongue in her mouth in the next five seconds, she may actually die. Luckily Louis is in the same boat, apparently, because the kiss heats up quickly, their tongues sliding against each other's almost immediately. Harry squeezes at Louis' hip a bit hard, pressing against her, and Louis breaks their kiss to gasp. The water hitting Harry's back feels even hotter now, because she feels warm all over.
"So pretty," Louis mumbles against Harry's mouth, biting at her bottom lip quickly.
Harry slides a hand up Louis' side, resting her palm against her ribs. She moves her mouth to press kisses to Louis' jaw, trailing a line down her neck until she's sucking a mark into the space where her neck and shoulder meet. She hears Louis let out a breathy little gasp, and Harry moves her hand forward slowly until it's resting just below Louis' breast. She can feel Louis nod, and Harry groans against Louis' skin.
"Just tell me if anything is too much, okay?" Harry mumbles, walking her fingers up Louis' skin until her palm is covering one of her tits. She moves her hand slowly, rubbing her thumb across Louis' nipple, making her whine quietly.
"Will-- I will," Louis says, squeezing at Harry's hip. "You're good. Definitely good. Keep going."
Harry kisses down Louis' chest, getting her mouth on her other nipple and sucking it between her lips eagerly. Louis moans a bit louder now and she brings a hand up to thread into Harry's hair. Harry glances up at Louis' face as she grazes her teeth lightly over her now hardened nipple, and relishes in the way Louis' eyelids flutter shut.
Louis quickly moves her hand from Harry's hip to her ass, her fingertips pressing hard against her skin. Harry flicks her tongue against Louis' nipple, pinching the other one between her fingers, making Louis inhale sharply. "Fuck," Louis mumbles.
Harry brings her mouth back to Louis', licking into her mouth and drinking in all of the little sounds she's making. Louis presses her hips into Harry's, and Harry pushes back, using a hand on Louis' hip to guide her as she turns them completely. She presses Louis' against the shower wall, the water now hitting their sides and running down in between them. Louis grunts, quite cutely, and smiles up at Harry before kissing her again. They kiss slowly, Harry's hand still on Louis' tit, and her other hand slowly snaking down Louis' front. She stops and rests her palm against the softest part of her belly and bites at Louis' lower lip.
"This okay?" Harry asks.
"More than," Louis breathes out. She presses her hips up, trying to get Harry's hand where she wants it. Harry smirks. "Great, even."
"Yeah, fuck--," Harry says, sounding wrecked already, and Louis hasn't even touched her properly yet. "Okay, yeah."
Harry traces down lower and lower, met with smooth skin everywhere, until her middle finger slips between the folds of Louis' cunt easily. She groans, tucking her face against Louis' neck.
"You're so fucking wet," Harry says, punctuating her words with a bite to Louis' skin. Louis moans beautifully, moving her hips ever so slightly.
Louis only hums in response, so Harry slides a second finger next to her middle and rubs small circles into Louis' clit. Louis' sighs, lacing her fingers through Harry's hair again and grabbing at it. Harry drags her face from Louis' neck and kisses her, it becoming sloppy pretty quickly when Harry quickens the pace of her fingers sliding through Louis' slick. Harry fucks the tip of one finger into Louis tentatively, moaning at the way Louis' body jerks in retaliation and the needy whine she lets out. Harry fucks her finger in slowly at first, making sure it's okay, before moving her finger in and out quickly, her thumb continuing to rub circles into Louis' clit.
"Fuck--," Louis groans. She rolls her hips to rock against Harry's hand, letting out small sounds of pleasure when Harry finds the right angle to press inside of her.
Harry's own cunt is throbbing, and she almost feels like she'd come instantly if Louis' touched her. She's getting off on this, on making Louis feel good and hearing all of the moans slipping from Louis' lips. It's too much and not enough all at once. Louis must read her mind, because at that same moment she moves a hand to fit in between Harry's legs, kissing Harry roughly and squeezing her hip.
"Don't stop," she says against Harry's mouth. Harry presses her hips forward slowly, moaning at the pressure on her clit when she rubs against Louis' fingers. "Yeah, babe," Louis whispers.
Harry fucks her finger into her harder, moving her thumb in the same pattern over and over again on Louis' clit. Louis legs are shaking just a little bit, and she breaks the kiss and breathes out heavily. Both of them are rolling their hips forward now, Harry feeling close already from just this, and she can tell Louis is right there with her.
"C'mon," Harry mumbles, pressing her lips against the shell of Louis' ear. "'m so-- shit. 'm close."
Harry feels the heat building in the pit of her stomach just as Louis moans loudly, and she bites down on Harry's shoulder. She whimpers against Harry's skin and it's a gorgeous sound, her hips stuttering and her grip tightening on Harry's hip. Harry can feel her pulsing around her finger as she continues to slowly slide in and out of her. Harry pushes her hips forward only a few more times before she's coming, her sounds muffled as she presses her face against Louis' neck. They stand there for a minute catching their breath before she brings her hand up from Louis' slick, lifting her head and taking the tips of two fingers between her lips. She moans around her fingers at the taste, and Louis lets out a shaky breath.
"Jesus Christ," Louis whispers. Harry drops her hand and no sooner is Louis kissing her, pushing her tongue into Harry's mouth, like she wants to taste herself on her. Harry kisses her long and slow, stepping back and dragging both of them under the water.
They stand there for a moment, the water rinsing off their bodies and dripping down their faces. Harry's skin feels flushed and hot, and the water seems to cool her down somehow, even though it's probably hotter than her skin. Louis moves her lips slowly against Harry's jaw, kissing tenderly and biting at her chin before leaning back to look at her.
"You want to put on some dry clothes now? And stay the night with me?" Louis asks, a twinkle in her eye.
Harry nods, feeling suddenly like all of her bones are made of liquid, and there's nothing more she wants than to get dry and curl up with this girl.
They finish cleaning up quickly, Louis giggling and kissing at Harry's face the entire time she rinses off, acting as the best kind of distraction. They finish in the shower and wrap each other in towels before picking up their bathing suits from the floor and walking to Louis' bedroom.
Louis gets Harry a big t-shirt and some of her pajama shorts to wear, and Harry feels warm and comfortable. They do their normal nightly rituals together - brushing their hair, washing their faces - and crawl into bed not long after. Louis picks up her laptop off of of the nightstand once they're settled and sets it on her lap, patting the spot right next to her on the bed. Harry slides over, tucking herself against Louis' side. The room is lit only by the small lamp on Louis' bedside table and the glow from the laptop screen.
"Do you want to watch something on Netflix until we fall asleep?" Louis asks and Harry hums happily. "I'm pretty tired now, honestly."
Harry laughs, placing a light kiss on Louis' shoulder. "No, sounds perfect."
And it does. Harry's had the best day with Louis, feels like she can't stop smiling and wanting to kiss her. She never wants to leave this bed. If the way Louis turns her head and looks at Harry means anything, it seems like she feels the same way.
_____
Harry would wake up in Louis' bed every single morning if it meant waking up to Louis' lips on her neck. Louis is lazily mouthing at Harry's skin, her entire body wrapped against her side. Her leg is draped over one of Harry's, and she runs a hand across Harry's stomach when she feels Harry stir awake.
"Mm, morning," Harry says, her voice low and still thick with sleep. "This is a nice way to wake up."
Louis laughs against Harry's neck. "I mean, I thought so." She swipes her tongue out to lick over the spot she'd just been sucking a mark into. Harry groans, running her hand through Louis' hair.
"How'd you sleep?"
Louis kisses Harry's neck once more before pulling back to look at her. "Good. Better than I've slept in while."
Harry agrees, if she's honest. She says as much, making Louis tuck her face into her neck again and smile against her skin. Harry rubs at Louis' back, closing her eyes and feeling relaxed. Louis kisses her neck again, dragging her hand across her stomach. Her fingertips dip under the hem of Harry's shirt, and Harry makes a needier sound than she means to. Louis giggles, biting at Harry's skin.
"Do you want to go get some breakfast?" Louis asks, her fingertips grazing across Harry's lower stomach lightly. "My favorite diner is right around the corner." She runs her finger along the line of Harry's shorts, kissing down her neck until she has to shift her body to lean up and kiss at the place where Harry's neck and shoulder meet.
"Mm," Harry responds, not even registering that she's making any noise. She turns her face to press her mouth to Louis' forehead. "Sounds-- ah," Harry gasps when Louis tucks her fingers under Harry's waistband. "Sounds good."
Louis shifts again to sit up for a moment, tugging at Harry's shirt with the hand not currently occupied by teasing her. She huffs in frustration when she can't lift it up enough with just the one hand, and Harry laughs before helping her out. She lifts her back off the bed momentarily and takes her shirt off over her head, tossing it to the ground. She didn't wear a bra to sleep, and her tits lay full on her chest when she lays back down. Louis mouth is on her immediately, kissing her collarbones and leaning down to rest on her elbow.
"Could go now, if you want," Louis says, diving her hand down lower into Harry's shorts. She's not wearing underwear, and Louis groans quietly when she only finds smooth skin under her fingertips. She moves slowly, much too slowly for Harry's liking.
"Mmph," Harry grunts, shaking her head. "Stay."
Harry feels like her head is swimming. She's barely woken up and Louis has too much of an affect on her as is. Her skin is sensitive everywhere that Louis is touching, and she's acutely aware of the close proximity of Louis' hand and the place where she needs her to be touching. Like, now.
"Or I could take you to breakfast, with your cheeks all rosy and your hair a mess and everyone will know what we just did," Louis whispers directly into her ear, and Harry shivers.
Fuck. "Yes," Harry says, whining just a tad. "That."
Louis laughs, sliding her hand out of Harry's shorts, and then she definitely whines. Louis moves her hand up to Harry's chest, grabbing one of her tits and pinching her nipple between her thumb and pointer finger. Harry groans, squirming on the bed. She pushes the duvet off of them, leaving them on the bed completely uncovered. Harry moves her head and searches for Louis' mouth, kissing her hard enough to make Louis lean back a little bit. Louis mouth tastes like toothpaste just the faintest amount, and Harry wonders when she brushed her teeth this morning. She must've gotten out of bed before Harry woke up, planning this.
Harry should care that her breath is probably less than pleasant, but Louis' tongue slides against her own and she suddenly doesn't care anymore. Louis kisses her like she's saying good morning in the best way possible, alternating her hand between her nipples, pinching and rolling them between her fingers. Harry thinks sometimes that she could come just from this, if it went on long enough.
Louis pulls back suddenly, kissing Harry's face back to her ear. She nibbles at her earlobe before whispering, "What do you want?"
Harry shakes her head, already overwhelmed. "Anything," she breathes out. "Literally anything." She puncuates each syllable for emphasis, making Louis laugh again.
Louis traces her tongue against the shell of Harry's ear for a moment, her hand moving up to rest against the side of her neck. Harry tugs at the bottom of Louis' shirt until Louis lifts up enough to take it off, rubbing her hands up and down her sides once she's completely bare. Louis nipples brush against Harry's side and she breathes in sharply.
"Take these off, babe," Louis says, pulling at the wasitband of Harry's shorts. Harry obliges, slipping them off easily and letting them fall off of the bed and onto the floor.
She raises her eyebrows and shifts her eyes to Louis' shorts, and Louis huffs. "Shit--okay, yeah," she whispers, making quick to take her shorts and underwear off.
Harry turns onto her side, pressing close to Louis and kissing her. Louis hums against Harry's lips and pulls back slightly to mumble, "Want you to ride my face, if I'm honest."
Harry groans loudly, rolling her hips against Louis' instinctually. She doesn't know how Louis has managed this twice now, has made her feel like her entire body is on fire before she's even really touched her.
"Yeah, fuck, please," Harry whines already shifting to sit up.
"So polite," Louis says, shifting down lower in the bed and laying on her back.
Harry gets onto her knees and Louis grabs one of her legs, pulling it over her body so that Harry is straddling her hips. They kiss like that for a minute, Harry roaming her hands all over Louis' chest and stomach before she walks up Louis' body on her knees. Louis grabs the back of her thighs, pulling her to settle knelt over Louis' face. Harry steadies herself and tries to calm her breathing as she reaches out to grip onto the headboard in front of her.
Harry can only see Louis' eyes from under her, and it would be almost comical if it weren't so fucking hot. Louis slides her hands up from Harry's thighs to her ass, grabbing at it and kneading her fingers like she can't get enough. Harry bites her lip and looks down at Louis, almost regretting it when Louis starts to talk, her lips moving against her clit slowly.
"Such a nice ass." Louis' voice is mumbled and the reason why makes Harry's head spin. "'s like a fucking peach."
Harry knows that Louis curses so much more when they're like this, like she can't control the things she says. Harry whimpers.
The sudden feeling of Louis' tongue swiping over her cunt is overwhelming, and Harry's hips stutter once. She's so sensitive, and Louis is licking at her in long strokes that are driving her mad. Harry moans loudly when Louis sucks her clit between her lips, flicking her tongue over it quickly.
"Fuck," Harry says, gasping on the end of it when Louis grips Harry's ass hard and pulls her forward.
Louis hums underneath her, Harry's hips rocking forward in rhythm now. Louis' tongue is moving over her clit in long swipes, stiffening it to slip inside of her quickly when she rocks forward sometimes. It surprises her and makes her moan, and Louis's fingers dig into the flesh of her ass at the sound.
"Feels so good, Lou." Harry's hips are rolling quickly now, Louis' tongue moving sloppily and enthusiastically. She knows she's already close, and she tightens her hold on the headboard. She arches her back when Louis scrapes her teeth ever so lightly against her clit, pulling her face back to breathe.
Harry turns her head to look down at Louis' body, and groans when she sees that Louis' got a hand rubbing at her own clit, one of her fingers slipping in and out of herself slowly. She's bucking her hips up against her hand, and Harry has to close her eyes tightly to keep from coming at the sight.
Louis breathes out hotly against her cunt, mumbling, "Taste so good. So wet." She puncuates her words with a wet kiss to Harry's clit before picking back up with her tongue.
Harry really rides her face now, rolling her hips and moving over Louis' mouth just the way she needs. Louis is making the prettiest sounds underneath her, whining against Harry's clit as she sucks it into her mouth and licks across it. Louis moans particularly loud a second later, and Harry wonders if she's just come, the thought making her feel lightheaded and move her hips quicker.
Her thighs are burning but she can feel the familiar feeling building, her toes curling. She lets out a gasp, pressing down into Louis' mouth perfectly. "'m gonna come-- fuck."
Louis pushes her tongue flat against her clit, before moving her tongue in big swirls, like she's trying to get every last drop of Harry's slick. She's still making these desperate little noises that are making Harry's orgasm rush through her body as opposed to creeping up on her, and it feels like a shock when she comes. Her hips stutter above Louis' and her knuckles are white from grabbing the headboard so hard. Louis moves her tongue over her cunt gently, rubbing her hands down Harry's thighs. Harry breathes heavily above her, looking down at Louis. She comes down slowly, feeling like she's buzzing even after the moment of her orgasm passes. Once her breathing is even, she swings her leg over Louis' head and lays down beside her, nuzzling against her neck.
"Hi," Louis says, her voice scratchy and bright. She cards her fingers through Harry's hair, rubbing at her scalp lightly.
Harry kisses the skin under Louis' jaw once before kissing her lips, tasting herself on Louis' mouth. Louis smiles into the kiss and Harry can't help smiling too.
"That was amazing," she says, draping an arm over Louis' stomach.
"Mm, it was," Louis agrees, nodding. "Perfect morning." She smiles fondly at Harry, pecking her on the mouth quickly.
Harry never wants to wake up any other way ever again. Louis is so beautiful like this in the morning, her hair still tousled from sleeping on it the wrong way, and her skin looking bright and fresh.
Her stomach growls loudly, breaking their moment of looking at each other, and they both laugh, pressing their foreheads together.
Louis raises an eyebrow at Harry. "So, about that diner."
____
Harry wraps her arms around Louis' waist from behind, resting her chin on her shoulder. She looks up at the menu on the diner's wall, ignoring the impatient look from the cashier. It's been a long morning, Harry thinks, the decision she makes for breakfast is an important one.
"Screw it, I'm getting the Big French Toast Breakfast," Louis says, pinching Harry's hand. "I'm so hungry."
Harry laughs. "Okay, good, because I was thinking of getting the same thing."
They order their combos, Harry getting sausage and Louis getting bacon so that they can share, and they take their wait tickets from the cashier. They're waiting at the counter when Louis taps Harry's hip urgently.
"H, look, oh my god," Louis whispers, nearly squealing. She lets out a quiet laugh against Harry's shoulder, pointing subtly towards the back corner of the diner.
Harry's eyes move to look in the direction of Louis' finger, and she nearly laughs out loud when she sees them.
Zayn and Niall are sat in a booth eating breakfast, their ankles hooked together under the table. Harry rolls her eyes, because, honestly.
"Oh my god," Harry says, incredulously. "C'mon."
She takes Louis' hand and pulls her towards the booth. Zayn spots them first, her eyes connecting with Harry's and a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Oh, fuck," Zayn says, loud enough that they can hear. Niall's head turns to see what Zayn is talking about, and she laughs loudly when Harry and Louis walk right up to their table.
"Well, that didn't take long," Niall says, covering her face with her hand. "Hiya."
"Hi, Niall," Harry says with a sickeningly sweet tone to her voice. "Nice shirt." Niall looks down at her shirt, her face going white when she realizes that Harry must recognize it as one of Zayn's.
"Th-- thanks."
Louis punches Niall's arm. "You suck. You could've told me!"
Niall laughs, holding onto the hand that Louis punched her with. "I know! We just-- I don't know. It's not been a big deal."
Zayn smiles up at Harry, shoving a forkful of pancakes into her mouth and batting her eyelashes innocently.
She swallows her food and darts her eyes between the two of them. "You two look like you had a good night."
Harry blushes at that and clears her throat, but Louis just laughs and knocks her hips against Harry's. They hadn't even bothered looking in the mirror before they left, too hungry to remember that they probably look, and smell, like sex. Harry's still in Louis' t-shirt and a pair of her denim shorts, and she rolls her eyes when Zayn gives her a once over. So they aren't completely innocent, either.
"Well get your food and sit with us," Niall says, scooting her plate over and sliding further into the booth. "
Louis looks to Harry and smiles, shrugging. They go over to the counter and grab their plates that have just been set up, putting their tickets in the little basket off to the side. They settle into the booth with Niall and Zayn, kicking at each other's feet once they're sat across from each other. Their plates of food are huge, absolutely steaming hot. This is the best morning that Harry has had in a very, very long time.
"Did you guys have a good time last night?" Niall asks, her mouth full of food.
Harry looks at Louis across the table and scans her face - she's looking at her with bright eyes and she's already got a drop of syrup next to her mouth. Her hair is a bit messy and the shirt she's wearing is just an old sleep shirt, but Harry thinks she's the prettiest girl in the world.
"Yeah," she mumbles, looking down at her food before glancing back up at Louis. She wraps her ankle around Louis' and smiles up at her.
Louis smiles back at her, a fond look on her face. "It was a really good night."