almost // l.s

one

it was a chilly winters evening and, somehow, harry had found himself sat opposite an illuminating, orangey-yellow fire. his feet were clad in a pair of thick socks, resting on the dry grass, while his body was wrapped in multiple layers of cotton and wool. shivering, he wondered how he still managed to feel cold even with the blazing flames. he knew it was possibly just him, as his friends didn't seem to be giving the temperature a moments thought. zayn was perfectily fine in just a t-shirt and trackpants. freak.

looking around the intimate group of five, harry realised how insanely lucky he truly was. his friends were possibly the greatest people to ever walk the planet, no doubt about it. liam was the ultimate mix of serious and crazy. you can always count on him to make you smile - but also give you a strong grilling for stepping out of line. harry subtly grins thinking about the time he dropped liam's phone into a pool, he went maximum terrifying on the poor boy and didn't speak to him for a week.

sitting beside li was niall, the blond bombshell. one word to describe him would be carefree. to niall, everything was absolutely hilarious - harry wishes he could be that happy. t-shirt wearing charmer, zayn was the quiet one. the only people that really knew him were currently sitting in their little circle. harry loved that about zayn. along with his stunning body and flawless face, the trust he had in his friends was admirable.

out of everyone, however, louis was harry's favourite person. for years the two of them had gotten on like a house on fire and, honestly, harry couldn't be more pleased. louis, in harry's opinion, was the human equivalent of the word perfection. his eyes were the brightest of blue, his hair the softest of brown and his skin was smooth like silk. louis had the sort of appearance that one could gaze at all day and never get bored. every time harry would spare him a glance, he'd notice something new and ultimately beautiful.

as the five of them sat in mildly uncomfortable silence, a slight wind blew through harry's long curls. he turned his head too look at louis who he found to be staring straight back at him.

"bored, curly?" he asked fondly.

"a bit," harry responded honestly, "what should we do?"

louis thought for a moment before clapping his hands and making a clear announcement, "story time, boys!"

niall jumped up in his seat excitedly while zayn groaned, "do we have to?"

"yes," louis said sternly, "who wants to start?"

liam raised his hand dramatically, resulting in niall bursting into a fit of giggles. no one knew why. he began talking about how his ex-girlfriend tried to tell him she was going shopping when really the silly girl was cheating on him. the tale then became one that involved monsters and aliens. harry rolled his eyes at liam's childish antics. perhaps the story would have been more believable if he hadn't left out the wee detail that stated he was seven at the time. his girlfriend had literally been going to the other side of the playground to hold hands with a boy called jason.

zayn's turn was next, and he kept up the relationship theme. he told the boys about his girl, perrie's little quirks. harry loved the way his eyes lit up when he spoke about her. it was clear their love was strong. he definitely wasn't jealous of zayn's connection.

niall's story was most certainly made up. what with his constant giggles and backtracking. it was endearing however, and harry would never say anything.

"right haz," louis smiled, "any funny dating stories for us?"

harry's stomach churned. he'd never had a girlfriend before - and he didn't want to. ever. at first he thought maybe he just couldn't handle someone, but then he met louis. it took a while for him to come to terms with the fact he was gay, but now it was for sure. he just wasn't out.

"not really," harry replied warily, shooting louis a look as if to say 'end this now.' he got the message, unfortunately, niall did not.

"really?" he asked, stunned, "how have you not, mate? that's like, less likely than me losing a game of mario kart - and we all know how good i am at that game. you're good enough looking for anyone."

harry shrugged sheepishly, not knowing how to react to his friend's strange compliment, "dunno, i just-"

"how about we just stop this right here, lads," god, louis saving the day again. harry breathed a sigh of sweet relief. he smiled at the boy and louis winked. the grin he threw in harry's direction made the younger one's heart flutter.

"my personal crazy story," lou announced, "is about a girl i used to like-"

"like?" niall spat, "you were in love with her, louis."

louis shook his head threateningly, "a girl i used to like named eleanor."

liam wolf-whistled suggestively and harry's beam faltered. he knew about eleanor and louis' relationship, if you could call it that, but he couldn't help his emotions every time her name was mentioned.

"right,' louis continued, pretending to open a story book. that set niall off and harry heard him mutter something under his breath along the lines of 'and they call me over the top.'

"get on with it, tommo, we 'aven't got all day," zayn rolled his eyes playfully.

"ok, ok, calm yourself, malik," shaking his head, louis moved along, "we were friends, we got together, then something hit me. i was confused and so i broke up with her!"

"talk about cutting a long story short," liam mused.

"what hit you?" questioned an obviously curious niall, "her fist?"

liam snickered as louis glared niall daggers, "it's a secret," he said slowly, "maybe you'll find out one day."

harry's nerves bubbled relentlessly, all the talk of secrets making him anxious. what if he let his slip? suddenly, the curly haired brunette became hyper-aware of the cold-induced aching in his bones, "i'm freezing."

louis gasped and grabbed harry's shaking hands. he made a very big deal of holding his waist and situating harry on his lap. harry hoped the flimsy pop-up chair wouldn't collapse. more than that, however, his heart was beating so fast with 'oh my god i'm in louis' lap,' the platonic gesture meaning so much more to harry.

it was only twenty minutes later that all five boys headed into their tents, niall complaining once again that he was left alone when liam was with zayn and louis with harry. harry unzipped the fly and stepped inside, letting his friend in after. once the tent was all closed and ready to be slept in, harry turned to find louis shirtless and and hopping into his sleeping bag. harry's breath hitched at the toned, tan skin that covered his perfect body. when harry moved to take off his own top, jumpers and trousers louis smiled at him.

"getting more comfortable?" he asked.

"only with you," harry blushed, realising his words after they left his mouth. louis smiled that wonderful smile. the one that made his eyes crinkle in delight. harry loved his smile.

"the secret?" harry questioned hopefully, making it seem as if the thought hadn't been playing on his mind ever since louis had told his eleanor story.

"almost," louis breathed.

"almost?"

"almost time, harry," he said, surely drifting to sleep, "almost."

♡♡♡

first chapter! i hope this was ok, feedback is always appreciated.

thanks for reading. treat people with kindness.

- alyssa xx