With Lips Like Fire He Burns Me

4. My Milkshake Brings All The Boys To The Yard

Harry started to inhale deeply and let out his breath slowly, pivoting his belly button to face his straight-leg knee. As his flexibility increased, he clasped his outer wrist with his thumb and middle finger around the ball of his foot. He drew in a deep breath again as he clasped, keeping his gaze forward, exhaling and bending his elbows wide to draw him deeper into the fold.

Harry stayed there for eight more long seconds before he heard the front door knob rattle and shake. He craned his neck to look up when the door unhinged open, cringing when his neck stretched in an uncomfortable angle.

"Ow," Harry muttered, knocking his forehead on the wooden floor and rubbing the back of his bruised neck.

"I knew that one. Why on earth did I change my mind? I knew that one!"

"Huh?"

"What are you doing?"

Louis' slightly irritated but moreover tired voice slipped out, causing Harry to shoot his head up again. Harry groaned weaker and rubbed his neck harder, digging his fingertips into the raw skin.

"'M doing yoga," Harry murmured.

"Oh look at me, I'm Harold and I do yoga in my free time," Louis chided in a deep drawl, mocking Harry's accent terribly.

"You asked..."

Louis narrowed his eyes, resembling an awful lot like a feral cat preparing to attack on its prey. He scrunched his mouth and turned to look at the door, look at Harry, look back at the door and look at Harry again.

"Did you forget to lock the door again?"

Harry craned his neck, his shoulders still rolled forwards in the Janu Sirsasana yoga pose. He rounded his mouth, his eyes skittering everywhere.

"I—"

"You forgot?"

"I'm stuck."

Louis rolled his eyes. He looked at Harry boredly and groaned, as if helping a friend out was the most time-consuming task in the world. He dropped his backpack haphazardly on the floor and walked over to Harry, bending down and prodding his fingertips into Harry's sides. Harry pressed his lips tightly together, refraining from giggling childishly from Louis' small fingers digging into his ribs. Louis grabbed a hold of Harry by his armpits and hauled him up.

"Thank you," Harry said awkwardly, smiling at Louis through his eyelashes.

"Don't mention it."

Louis picked up his backpack from the floor and spilled the contents onto the kitchen island. Textbooks and notebooks tumbled out along with black ballpoint pens and loose sheafs of paper. He half sat on the stool with his leg tucked underneath his bum, flipping through random textbooks. Harry stood next to him and leveled his voice to be even and confident.

"We should go for some ice cream."

"Can't," Louis answered distractedly, his eyebrows furrowed and his head hung down. "I have too much studying to do. It was a bad idea to binge watch Game of Thrones a night before a big test."

"You're stressed. You need a break."

"No, what I need is to cram for the pop quiz I'm sure we're having tomorrow."

"I'll buy," Harry replied cheerfully. In a moment of blind courage, he squeezed Louis' hip playfully. "Mint chocolate chip. Your favorite."

Louis turned his head slightly, his eyes focused on the point of contact. Harry removed his hand from Louis' side and cleared his throat. Louis' eyes slid up, blue meeting green for what felt like the first time. Subtly, Louis' eyes pinched.