Dare To Love

28 - Braver

"So, when am I gonna meet the boyfriend?" Maia asked, following Louis out of their lecture hall and into the cold winter air. A few dry leaves were clinging onto their branches for dear life as they rustled in the cold wind, and Louis grimaced, dipping his chin beneath his scarf.

They'd been talking about their lecture and the documentary they'd listened to in class. Clearly, Maia had been paying attention to something else and was bursting to bring it up with the way it came out of absolutely nowhere as soon as they were out of earshot of other students.

"When? I don't know," Louis cackled, shrugging. "It's not like I'm gonna bring him in class for show and tell."

"Why not?" She laughed when Louis gasped, pretending to be offended. "I bring my girlfriend in class all the time!"

Louis shot her a look that obviously stated that he wasn't going to justify that with an answer. He was doing his best not to let his own embarrassing blush at the subject show through or else Maia was likely to never stop pestering him about it.

Still, he couldn't help but think about the morning before, waking up with one of Harry's legs flung over his and his head dangerously close to not even being on the mattress at all.

"Where you going?" Louis had teased, voice rough with sleep as he poked a mole on Harry's back, covers askew and barely on him anymore.

Harry had blinked sleepily, turning his head and watching Louis in fuzzy headed confusion. "Coming," he'd replied, already deep voice dipping dangerously low. Dangerous for Louis's sanity, anyway. "I'm coming."

There had been a dirty remark on the tip of Louis's tongue, but both boys were too sleepy to bother. Besides, Harry had been rolling into him moment later, an arm thrown over Louis' waist and his face pressed against Louis' neck — warm breaths puffing against his skin as he fell back asleep with the gentle flutter of Harry's eyelashes on his neck.

Louis had always thought he'd liked having space when he slept, but he found he didn't mind having Harry as a personal heater.

"Let me meet him," Maia cajoled, bringing him out of his trance. "Aren't we friends?"

"You can't use that every time you want something," Louis chuckled.

Maia just grinned, flinging her dark hair away from her face. "Yes I can!" She exclaimed. "It's in the rules! Plus, you can use it too."

"So, if I need a kidney, I can call you up?" Louis suggested. "You'd do it because we're friends?"

Shoving at his arm, Maia cackled. "Let me meet your boyfriend, and then we'll talk about sharing kidneys."

Louis sighed dramatically, rolling his eyes. "Maybe you already know him," Louis suggested. "It makes no sense meeting someone you already know."

"What's his name?" Maia demanded.

Maia had said she was meeting someone in the dining hall after their class, but she was still following him as they passed by the cafeteria. Apparently this was more important than her plans. "Harry Styles," Louis finally offered, not expecting the shriek or the violent smacking of his shoulder. "What, and I can't stress this enough, the actual fuck Maia?"

"Harry Styles?" Maia exclaimed, excitedly speeding up so she could walk backwards and look Louis in the face. "I love that kid!"

It seemed Louis wasn't going to have to do any introductions but he was suddenly having visions of Maia leaping at Harry, and eagerly telling him about how she had Theater class with Louis while playing his love interest.

"See? You don't have to meet him," Louis told her.

"I actually do," Maia chuckled, hiding behind her bright red scarf. "Never heard of that guy in my life."