Falling Again [Larry Stylinson]

Chapter Three-A Sleeping Boy

It's weird, being here. The boys are all trying to make me feel welcome, but I just find it odd being around a group of people I don't remember.

I often catch Louis staring at me. It's still my first day of being here, in the flat, Louis and I live in. I had left the picture of us in my room.

We all had dinner, Niall can eat more than I thought possible for a small kid-although apparently, I'm the youngest. They all still refuse to tell me how we came to become a band. They all just say "Uncle Si will tell you" yeah, because I know who Uncle Si is.

I sigh as we all go sit down, turning on the radio. Liam, Niall and Zayn soon leave, leaving just Louis and me.

Well.. This is awkward. He's on his phone, tapping furiously away.

"What's wrong?" I ask, watching his brow furrow.

"Um.. Nothing, I just-" his phone rings. "Hey, Lottie, now's not the time.. Well, no but-" he walks out of the room, leaving me alone.

Lottie? I sigh. Why am I so hurt that he's talking to a girl? I'm so stupid.

"Well make them a snack then!" I hear him say as he walks back into the room. "No, I don't care-because they're seven! Yes I know.... But you're watching them.... It's not my responsibility.... No, I can't come and help you. I know we don't have a time difference between Doncaster and London, but it's still quite a drive.... Well, when does mum get home?"

I look quizzically at him. He just sighs, smiling at me.

"Well, where's Fizz? Mum's home now? Okay, good, put her on... Yeah, love you, bye. Let me talk to mum.... Hey, mum.... Um, yeah.... Well, NO! I hope... Mhm, love you too, and make the twins a snack, Lottie's being an idiot.... Yeah, love you, bye." He hangs up the phone.

"You alright?"

You're lucky you only have one older sister, and not four younger ones!" He groans.

"Why were you talking about Doncaster?" I ask.

"That's where I'm from."

"You're not from London?"

"Nope. Non of us are." He smiles, eyes shut.

"Really? Where are Liam and Zayn from?" I ask, knowing Niall's obviously from Ireland.

"Zayn's from Bradford and Liam's from Wolverhampton." Louis says. I'm sitting across from him and want so badly to go sit with him. "You know, curly, it's not polite to stare." He smirks.

"I.. I wa-wasn't staring." I stutter. Why am I stuttering? Why does it matter if I was staring? WHY IS HE STILL SMIRKING?!

"It's fine." He sighs, his face dropping back to the sad expression I'd gotten used to. "I'm going to bed now. Night, Haz." He gets up, walking out of the room.

***

I wake up early the next morning. I can hear whimpering from Louis' room. I get up, and sneak out of my room.

His door is open a crack, so I gently nudge it open a bit more, looking into his room.

I look at his sleeping form, the blankets pushed off most of his body. He's just in pyjama trousers, so I can see his bare chest, which I must admit, is not a bad view-wait what? Since when do I think guys are attractive?!

I'm snapped out of my thoughts when he starts to whimper again. He's moving around a lot, his face twisted up, his hands balled up into fists. I step into the room, unsure of what I plan to do.

I get closer and realise that he's sweating, I unconsciously reach out and brush his hair off his face. It's only very momentarily, but I see it. For the few seconds my hand touched his face, I saw his entire body relax.

Did I actually see that, or was my mind playing tricks on me? I look at the clock, seeing that it says three in the morning. I sigh.

I want to see if anything happens again, so I reach out to his face again, and run my fingers along his cheek. I watch as he calms at my touch again, his entire body relaxing. I gasp, pulling back.

It's almost like an electric current just ran through me.

I see his face scrunch back up again.

"No.." He whimpers in his sleep, rolling over and curling up into a ball. I can see his back shivering and his muscles tightening at points.

I sit down on his bed, and reach my hand out, rubbing his warm back gently, ignoring the fact that my heart is now beating at twice it's normal rate.

I can feel him relaxing under my hand. And soon enough, I can hear small snores escaping him.

Why do I feel so proud? And protective... I shouldn't feel like this. I know he said we were mates, but this... This is not how I feel towards my other mates.

I sigh, still rubbing his back, liking the feel of his skin... Wait-what? Why do I keep thinking like that?

Suddenly, he rolls over, closer to me. I gasp silently as he rest his head on the bed by my knee. His face looks calm now, like he's sleeping peacefully.

I reach my hand up to brush the hair out of his face once more, noticing how his lips are slightly parted, and the movement behind his eyelids.

I wonder what he's dreaming about.

Suddenly, a new fear pops into my mind. What if he wakes up and I'm here? What will he think?

Slowly, I start to stand up, feeling regretful as soon as his face turns sour again.

"No... Haz, don't go..." He whimpers, reaching for me, his eyes fluttering half open.

His beautiful, pleading, blue eyes. I felt my heart flutter briefly, before I let him take my hand and pull me back down.

As soon as I'm lying on the bed, he cuddles right up to me, his face on my chest. I can feel his heartbeat, it's steady as he drifts to sleep.

I want to move to avoid explaining this in the morning, but I can't. It's not that he's too heavy, I just don't have it in me to move him and disturb his sleep.

So I decide to let him sleep like that, and I wrap my arms gently around him, listening to his steady breathing as I play with his hair.