More Than a Best Friend

Chapter Five

Much contradictory to Harry’s ideas that panicked him, things didn’t get awkward or tensed. He really did stop, like Louis wanted him to. And Louis, well, he did just about everything except put on a monitor on Harry’s wrist to make sure he didn’t do anything stupid.

Yet, Harry was Harry. And Louis was Louis. And that bothered Harry now more than ever. Louis was the caring self, trying to cheer him up and make him laugh and it made everything spiral downwards, instead of upwards as he tried to show it off. He laughed at Louis’s attempts, even the failed ones, to make him laugh, he smiled and went out in larger companies more. But, truthfully, it was only the facade that changed.

Louis was still a mess, Louis still had this burden with him, and now one more – Harry, as it was projected in Harry’s mind. And Harry still put Louis first. And maybe it made Louis better when he laughed, so he laughed. And it made Louis smile when he smiled, so he smiled. He smiled constantly, his cheeks almost hurt from the smiling. But it did him nothing, but consumed him. But, if it made Louis better, he was able to pass through the tiring torture that slowly resolved before him.

Harry hated nothing more than fake smiles. He gave his share of them. He practiced them to perfection, and he didn’t have an easy time with it, since he was completely see-through when it came to emotions. But, it came to a point Harry could fake smile and believe it, believe all of the shit that everything is fine.

Nothing was.

He was in love with Louis. He was trying to cope with something stronger than him. He was trying to make everyone happy.

And how much happier would everyone be if the reason for a lot of their problems, him, was gone?

~

“Harry!”, Louis exclaimed as he walked into Harry’s front yard, where Harry decided to sit on his porch because the air in his room became too thick and he needed to move away from any possibility of finding razors or actually anything sharp enough to pierce through his skin.

Harry lift up his head to see Louis smiling at him. And a brown-haired boy walking behind him.

“I want you to meet Liam. You know, I told you about him.”, Louis stepped to the side for the other lad to move forward and shake his hand with Harry’s. Liam gave Harry a warm, unknowing smile. He seemed truly happy to have finally met him. And it seemed as if the two already felt like they knew each other a bit. Louis had his fair share of talking about each to either one of them, so it was only expected. Harry knew Liam had two sisters, he knew what his parents did for a living, he knew Liam’s score on the last tests they took. And Liam, Liam knew Harry was special in every way. At least to Louis. He knew the bits and pieces about Harry, but mostly he knew how Louis felt about Harry. And now he examined how Louis looked at Harry, and how Harry returned back the same caring look to Louis.

Liam shook Harry’s hand. “I feel like I already know you, mate.”, the older boy commented.

“Liam is staying with me for the weekend.”, Lou gave a quick explanation. Harry breathed out. He didn’t need Louis now being all smiling and cheerful for him. He needed a break. And he definitely didn’t need Liam to bring any unnecessary jealousy on top of everything. Louis was allowed to have other friends, even a friend who he will spend every second with. Harry didn’t own Louis, he was quite certain of it. But, a little bit, he did, he was quite unaware of it.

The three boys walked into Harry’s house, Louis seemed desperate to show Harry how great Liam was and the other way around. The first one was no trouble, Liam was his cute self and Harry was charmed. There was no way he could be jealous of him now. Harry, however, didn’t need to prove himself to Liam, but he was sure he wasn’t leaving the best first impressions.