Right By Your Side ~ Larry Stylinson

Chapter 4: Maybe it found me

"I know that I have only ever held your hand
But just one touch was more than enough to understand
There's a master plan
And Although I know I don't believe in destiny, maybe it found me..."
Darren Hayes

Harry lay on the deck of the back dolphin pools, face down, with his hands under his chin as he absentmindedly threw pieces of fish to Candy and Arnie, who were gliding back and forth in the water in front of him, his thoughts drifting back to Louis as they had so often since their meeting yesterday.

He'd had a restless night's sleep, images of steel blue eyes invading his dreams and leaving him completely off kilter. While there was no denying Louis was stunning, Harry had met lots of beautiful boys here in Australia and none had affected him the way Louis had in just a short couple of hours. It had been an instant attraction, yes, but it also had the ominous feeling of something bigger, which was unnerving.

Harry wasn't sure what to do with that at all, but he knew he needed to focus on the job he had to do. It was too important not to be giving Louis his best and he was committed to helping him recover. He was concerned though, that Liam was right and that his attraction to Louis had the power to distract him from his purpose or make him compromise his quality of care. He knew that there was a professional line that could not be crossed, and he intended to ensure he didn't, no matter how much his body might resist. Besides, Louis and Zayn looked happy, and he was not a home wrecker.

Knowing all of these things should make it easier for him to stay focused, but he was struggling to do so already, which didn't bode well. It was like his mind knew what he had to do, but his body wasn't getting the memo. Even the thought of seeing Louis again today had his heart beating a little faster and his mind cataloguing all the things he'd like to do to him if given half a chance. He felt incredibly guilty about the pictures his imagination was supplying, while at the same time, replaying them over and over.

He also kept thinking about the moments yesterday when Louis seemed to respond to him, to indicate he felt the same attraction Harry did. They were fleeting, and Harry still wasn't sure they were actually real or a result of wishful thinking on his part, but if they weren't – what did they mean? Or was he simply responding as a patient to a therapist? Harry hardly knew, couldn't collect his scrambled thoughts.

He knew he was walking a fine line, professionally – he had never been very good at hiding his feelings, always an open book, so it was going to be a challenge to keep himself in check. But it was a battle he intended to win if seeing Louis every day was the reward. He could do this – he would. Anything less would be all kinds of wrong, so he had no choice.

He groaned. He looked up to Candy and Arnie as they bobbed in front of him and gave them a rueful smile. "What am I doing guys?" he asked them. "I don't even know what I'm feeling! He's just so... so..."

"You know talking to yourself is the first sign of madness" Niall teased, coming up behind him and startling him.

"You scared the shit out of me Niall!" Harry scolded, hand on his heart "and I wasn't talking to myself – I was talking to these two."

"Sorry mate, I wasn't trying to creep up on you – but you were too lost in your own thoughts and you didn't hear me." He sat down beside Harry, grabbing some fish pieces and throwing them to the dolphins. He looked down at Harry, but Harry avoided looking at him, running a hand back and forth in the water.

"So, you do really like him then?" Niall asked.

Harry shrugged. "I don't even know what this is, Niall. I mean, I've only met him once, right?" He paused. "It's just, well, it really was instant, you know? Like Bam! And then it got worse for the whole hour and a half we spent together." He sighed. "Maybe it'll be better today. It may have just been the initial shock, you know, and then I'll settle down and it'll all be OK. Extended exposure will probably make me more immune or something. Besides, he has a boyfriend, and even if he didn't, he's not an option for me – he's completely off limits. It's just that I have to keep reminding myself of that, because my body doesn't seem to care."