Look After You

Chapter 9

   "You told her what!?" Liam shrieked at the curly haired teenager, who was sitting cross-legged on his bed.

   "Well, she kept flirting with me and...and I didn't want her to feel bad." Harry stared at the carpet instead of the boy that stood in front of him.

   "Harry...are you? You know we'd accept you, no matter what," Liam was now crouched in front of Harry, his green eyes flushed with fear. "You can tell me, Harry. I won't tell a soul."

   Harry had never felt so sick in his life. His stomach flipped and twisted as his mouth became dry. He felt Liam gently squeeze his shoulder and his heartbeat rang inside of his ears. Deep breaths. You can do this, it'll be okay. He tried to calm himself, but his bottom lip began to quiver as hot tears rolled down his cheeks. Harry was disappointed with how many tears he had shed in the last couple of days, but it felt good to openly sob to the older boy. Liam hugged Harry tightly against him as he felt the younger shake with jagged gasps of air.

   "What...what are...the fans gonna think? What if...they don't like me...anymore because I think...I'm in love with Louie?" Harry sobbed, burying his face into Liam's shoulder.

   Liam rubbed Harry's back in an attempt to calm the boy. "If they don't like you for who you are, they weren't your fans in the first place."

   "We're gonna split up...because of me!" He wailed, squeezing Liam tighter.

   "The band will always be together, Harry." Liam paused shortly to pull away and give him a reassuring smile. "I think you should tell Lou how you feel."

   Harry recoiled from the older boy and shook his head frantically, his eyes widening with every shake. "No! No...no, I can't! He has...he has Eleanor!" His face scrunched up with the distaste of saying her name. "I can't risk our friendship, Liam, I can't..."

   "He looks at you like you look at him. He smiles at you the same way you smile at him. He gets jealous like you do. He watches you the same way you watch him. Harry, he only seems genuinely happy when he's with you."

   Harry tried to absorb everything Liam had just said when he heard the front door open and a pair of keys hit the counter top. Liam stood up and ruffled the messy locks of the now quiet boy. "We'll discuss this later, yeah?" Harry nodded his head at Liam, who smiled slightly in response. Harry looked worn out, his eyes were red and swollen from crying, and his breathing was rapid and shallow. Liam's older brother instincts kicked in. "Get some rest now, you need it. It'll be okay, I promise." And with that, Liam shut off the light and closed the door behind him as Harry climbed underneath his baby pink blanket.

   Liam walked down the stairs to find Louis sprawled out onto the couch in a navy blue hoodie and his favorite pair of red sweatpants. He had a water bottle in one hand and the remote in the other. Liam stood there, examining the boy that had broken down Harry into tears. It took a few minutes for Louis to peel his eyes away from the rerun of some reality show. "Oh, hey Liam." Louis grinned before taking a swig of his water.

   Liam waved a greeting as Louis looked him over quickly, scrunching his face, "why is your shoulder wet, mate? That's the weirdest place to sweat..." The older lad asked, cocking his head. 

   "Harry's had a long night. Quite upset, just went to sleep." Liam watched Louis' expression shift from laid back to worried. His features eventually settled into a blank look.

   "What's wrong with him?" Louis mumbled, hoping Liam didn't see how much he cared.

   "Just some personal stuff, he's just stressed." Liam sighed, leaning against the back of the empty couch. "So, how was Eleanor's?"

   "Eh, it was nice to get out of the flat." Louis shrugged, staring at the TV screen. He lied. Things were awkward between Eleanor and himself, but only he seemed to notice the thickened air. He hadn't intended on going home with Eleanor after the party, especially since she clung so tightly to him the entire night, like wet clothing, but he didn't want to go back to the flat after the Harry incident. Louis knew Harry hated it when he went home with her, Harry hated being alone, so Louis did it just to spite him. "You stay here all night?"

   "Yeah, Harry needed someone," Liam grabbed his sweater and pulled it over his head. "I'm gonna go grab a bite while he's asleep." Louis felt the sting of guilt rippling inside his chest. He needed someone and I was too selfish to be there. He heart ripped apart. "Be quiet, yeah? He hasn't slept at all."

   "Sure thing." Louis waved goodbye to the boy before being left alone to wallow in his guilt.