The Art of Being a Gentleman

Chapter 9

On his second day on the road, Harry wakes up to Louis leaning over him, his eyes hooded and his lips set in a small smile. He smiles back at him as memories from last night flood his mind. One of the things he remembers is that they're somewhere in Vermont. He attempts to stretch out his limbs, grimacing at the lack of space he has at the very back of the van. He and Louis are the only ones in there. The others are probably blissfully sleeping away in their hotel rooms. Harry wanted to join them, but Louis insisted that they'd stay back, watch the stars, and screw around. The two of them were so exhausted afterward, they just fell asleep, paying no mind to their awkward positioning.

Harry groans as he massages his neck. "Hmm, my neck is killing me."

Louis leans down to give Harry's lips a lingering kiss. "Hmm, that's too bad."

Harry gapes at him. "You're not gonna do something sweet like, I don't know, offer to massage it?"

Louis snorts at that, pulling away from Harry with a poorly contained laugh. "Babe, if you want a massage, then ask for a massage."

Harry pouts. "But... I want you to offer it."

At this point, Louis doesn't even try to contain his laughter. It flows out and reverberates throughout the entire van. "Why do you want me to offer? Just tell me what you want me to do, and I'll consider doing it."

"No," Harry practically whines. "I want you to offer. It lets me know that you care."

"How is me offering to-"

"Louis," Harry interrupts, his voice deepening.

Louis can feel a familiar warmth coiling at the pit of his stomach. It causes his face to flush, his toes to curl, and his heart to beat just a little bit faster. For the first time this morning, Louis takes notice of just how angelic Harry looks. The sun streaming in through the windows create a halo effect on top of his nest of curls. His naked body is littered with purple and light red marks from last night, and they strangely make his body look a lot more pale than it really is. His eyes are slightly glazed over from the fact that he just woke up, and they seem to stare right into Louis' soul. Louis' breath grows more and more ragged as he takes in every small detail, receiving pleasure in knowing that Harry is looking at him in the exact same way.

Louis licks his chapped lips and sighs. "Do you want a massage, babe?"

~

After a rather eventful morning, Louis and Harry finally get dressed and get out of the van. However, Harry wants to get back in when he takes notice of how short Louis' shorts are, but Louis flat out refuses, complaining about how sore he feels. They stretch out their limbs, giving identical sighs as they enjoy the limitless space they now have.

Perrie comes out of the hotel first with bright eyes and a confident stride. Cara comes out of the hotel a moment later, followed by Zayn and Liam.

"Niall's still asleep!" Perrie giggles as she approaches the van.

"Are we gonna leave him?" Louis asks. "I'm not opposed to that."

Cara scoffs, waving a dismissive hand. "Nah, we wouldn't do that. We'd never abandon our favorite blon-"

Perrie audibly clears her throat.

"Our second favorite blonde." Cara corrects.

Zayn smirks. "Why would we leave him when we can... wake him up?"

Louis raises an eyebrow. "What's on that sick little mind of yours?"

"We're gonna soak him with the water in the cooler!" Perrie rushes out, unable to maintain the mystery.