The Tiny Little Bungalow

Chapter 21

Once Christmas and Louis' sixteenth, is over and done with, the next thing to look forward to is Niall and Nat's big New Year's Eve bash. Well, it would be, if you weren't worrying about the fact that Nat may or may not have seen you almost kissing your step-brother. So far she hasn't brought it up, but that might only be attributable to the fact that Louis has made vehemently sure to avoid her at all costs. He has also avoided Niall, just to be on the safe side, since he's pretty certain that anything Nat knows, Niall knows too.

Harry doesn't seem to be the least bit worried. Louis isn't even sure he knows that Nat saw something. He can't be sure, though, since he hasn't asked and isn't going to. The less talk of it, the easier it'll be to fall into a gradual state of total denial and then live happily, as if it never even happened.

*

December 31st, 2.30 PM

On New Years Day, Louis gets a rather unexpected call from Niall. At the time, he and Harry are lying in bed, tangled-up and sweaty after a lazy morning-fuck.

"What's the time," Louis groans as his phone begins to ring.

"Half past two."

He sighs, rolls out of Harry's arms and takes the call. "What are you calling me at half past two pm in the morning for, Neil?" he hisses.

"Sorry, sorry," Niall laughs, "just giving you a heads-up; you might wanna look extra fuckable tonight."

Louis rubs at his eyes and then slaps Harry's wandering hand off his arse. "I'll be wearing a t-shirt and jeans and there's nothing you can say to make me go any further than stuffing a bit of gel in my hair," he tells Niall, "end of."

"My gay cousin Lucas is coming tonight."

Louis jumps into a seated position. "The competitive swimmer?"

"That's him. Just brought back gold from Switzerland and everythin'."

Well, then. That changes things.

"Right. Right, I-" Louis has stalked Lucas' Facebook before - just for research purposes, of course. He's basically a blonder, better-teethed, fitter version of Niall. He's really fucking fuckable, "- and you're absolutely certain that he's gay, right? Cause last you were wing-maning me you almost got us both beaten up by six rugby-players."

Niall laughs again. "Hundred percent. He had a boyfriend."

"Oh."

"But now he doesn't."

"Oh."

"They broke up just last week."

"Oh." Vulnerable.

Niall hangs up and Louis sits around chewing at his nails for a bit. He could wear those bright red jeans - provided his arse hasn't grown too much over Christmas. He could pair it with the tight black V-neck, that'd look sexy. And he could-

"Lou-eh." Harry pokes him in the flank, sharply.

"Ew, cut your nails once in a while," Louis hisses, irritated with being forced out of his head and back into the real world so soon. "What's with the face?"

"Wha'?" Harry rasps. He coughs, fakely, then mutters; "just asking who you were asking Niall about. Who was gay. Was it Niall's cousin? Luke?"

"Lucas."

"Yeah... that."

Louis looks him over. He doesn't look jealous, per say. Per say. "You jealous?"

Harry grins. "Oh, you'd love that, wouldn't you?"

"Piss off."

Louis lies back down with a long sigh, stretching so his joints give nice relieving pops. Harry runs his fingers down the lines of his stomach as he arches off the bed, then surges forward and blows raspberries on it. Louis groans and pushes him off, then catches him in a head-lock and bites him in the cheek. Harry bites him back and then wrestles onto his stomach, one arm twisted onto the small of his back.