Look After You

Chapter 6

  *Sorry this chapter totally sucks. It's just a time-filler-upper chapter, just to fill in the gap between good chapters! So sorry again! It's gets much better, I promise! ALRIGHT! Carry on;)*

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The excitement and quiet mumbles of everyone rose dramatically when every guest had finally taken their designated seats. The boys fidgeted nervously at their table as the lights dimmed and the room filled with applause. The host walked out and stood before the podium and held up a hand to quiet the audience. "Welcome everyone to the 2011 Brit Awards!" His voice echoed, bouncing off every wall in the room. "We've got an absolutely incredible show this evening..."

   Louis sipped at his champagne throughout the host's opening speech, trying to calm his nerves, totally oblivious to Harry's eyes, which had fallen onto his face. Harry felt a slight grin start to tug at the corner of his mouth when he saw how nervous the usually confident lad was. He had looked Louis over many times that particular night, but couldn't get over how handsome he looked in his tuxedo. Lou always looks good, but tonight...hes stunning. Harry was examining Louis once again when he noticed something off about his outfit. He couldn't quite put his finger on what was askew as he watched Louis take another sip.

   Liam gently nudged Harry and winked. Harry scowled and chugged the last of the alcohol that was in his glass. He's not suppose to mention it, he promised he wouldn't bring it up! Harry screamed on the inside while shooting dirty looks at Liam, who gave him a thoughtful smile, this gesture made him relax his tensed muscles as he slightly grinned and tilted his empty glass towards the boy. Louis noticed the strange interaction, but shrugged it off thinking he had missed a joke, and continued to listen to the host announce the next presenters. Harry always caught himself stealing glances at his best mate before one of the crew members told the boys to head backstage and prepare to present the next upcoming award. On their walk backstage, the youngest couldn't stop smiling.

   A crew member handed Zayn a card that told them all what to say, and Liam received the envelope which had the winner's name inside. Niall was trusted with the award, which caused worried expressions to cover the other boys' faces like doubtful masks. After Niall reassured that he would be very careful, they all walked onto the stage, whose curtains had now been drawn. The boys positioned themselves around the podium and ran through the card Zayn was given. As Harry watched Louis shake his hands nervously, he noticed what had been bothering him. He waved Louis over to stand in front of him, not noticing the crew signal the countdown to showtime. "What's up, Haz?"

   "Your tie is crooked," Harry reached out and began straightening the piece of clothing. "It needed adjusting." He patted the tie against the older boy's chest.

   "Thank--" Louis was cut off by the sudden noise of clapping. The navy curtains had been pulled across the stage once again, the two boys hadn't even noticed.

   The others waved them over quickly and they obliged, taking their positions around the podium. Liam shot Harry a look which made the curly boy look at his feet, not meeting the accusing brown eyes. "Sorry, Harry was just fixing my tie. Such a nice boy, helping something this sexy look sexier!" Louis kicked on his charm as he apologized to the crowd which, in return, applauded and laughed. Zayn began to read what was on the small note card, quickly quiting the audience. While Zayn spoke, Louis kept glancing over at Harry, who either stared at his feet or straight ahead. Louis knew Harry  was upset with himself for delaying the boys' presentation. He felt his heart drop inside his chest, it broke him to see Harry look so sad.

   "And the winner for Best Female Solo Artist is," Liam paused to tear the envelope open. "Laura Marling!" 

   The boys clapped their hands as the woman walked onto the stage, accepting the award from Niall and kissing him on the cheek. They all hugged and congratulated her before vanishing backstage. Louis tip-toed behind Harry and wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders in a strange backwards hug. "It's okay, Harry. No one's mad at you."

   Harry accepted Louis' hug, but the sadness still swam underneath his flesh. He didn't respond to the comment, but walked with Louis back to their table, Louis' arm draped across his shoulders the whole way. Harry quickly sat down in his chair and drank all the alcohol that had been replaced in his glass. The boys occasionally patted him on the back, but Harry still just stared blankly at the table. Louis frowned and pulled out his phone, shoving it under the table to hide the glow, just like he had done when he was in school. He scrolled through his contacts until he came across the name 'Harold' followed by a heart and a smiley face. He lightly tapped on the name and began typing a message.

   Harry felt awful about their presentation. Guilty would've been the correct word to describe the feeling that was causing his stomach to twist into knots. His self-scolding was interrupted by a slight vibration in his tux pocket. He reached in and saw; New Message From: BOO BEAR:) Harry held the phone beneath the tablecloth, like a professional, and read the text from the boy across the table. 

   Harry, come sit by me. You look sad and I'm lonely :( xo

   Harry didn't respond, just shoved the phone back into his pocket and glanced up at Louis, who had been waiting to see his expression after reading the text. The curly headed boy nodded at Louis before quickly swapping over to the empty chair on his right. His heartbeat escalated slightly when Louis gave him a heart melting smile, not at all helping with the knots in his stomach. Harry gave a half-assed smile in return, not wanting to disappoint Louie, but he was still upset with himself. Louis patted his knee and whispered low into his ear. "Thank you for fixing my tie, Haz." Harry let a real smile crack through his teeth and onto his lips as he nodded at Louis. Knowing Harry was melting back into his normal self, Louis smiled. He wrapped a finger around one of Harry's signature curls and let it spring back to his scalp. Harry was use to Louis doing this, he always did it when he was bored, that or poked his cheeks. Louis chuckled at Harry's unamused expression at his actions, louder than he had anticipated. He was hit by all the dirty looks thrown his way and he hung his head. Harry laughed to himself and draped an arm over Louis' shoulders like he had done for him just minutes before. Louis thanked God for being in an almost dark room so Harry, and the other boys, couldn't see how red his cheeks had become.

   By the time their category had arrived, Harry had returned to his normal self, as normal as he could be so close to Louis. The boys watched the host with anxious eyes as he read off of his card, similar to the one the crew members had given to Zayn. The host read through the nominees and when he said "One Direction" Louis felt his heartbeat with sickening anticipation and as he looked at the other boys, he knew they were feeling the same way. His hand reached for Harry's and squeezed it tightly, his comfort, as the host began to open the envelope.

   "And the winner for Best British Single of 2011 is," A smile grazing his lips as he pulled out the slip of paper. "One Direction's 'What Makes You Beautiful'! Congrats, boys!"

   Louis stood up instantly and the others all screamed and huddled together in a giant embrace.  The crowd cheered as they ran up to the stage to accept their award. Zayn took the trophy from the nicely dressed woman and walked over to the podium, the boys quickly following behind him. "Wow, this...this is amazing!" Zayn started the acceptance speech while the others radiated pure energy and excitement.

   They thanked everyone they could think of before heading back to their table to finish watching the rest of the show. Louis hugged Harry closely before they sat back down, the curly headed boy returning the hug gladly, squeezing Louis. "I honestly can't believe that just happened!" Louis squealed, the other's all nodded their head in eager agreement. Wide smiles branded the groups' faces for the rest of the night. Louis' hand never leaving Harry's leg, but they were the only two to notice.