Right By Your Side ~ Larry Stylinson

Chapter 6: Warm Whispers

"Your warm Whispers,
Out of the dark, they carry my heart..."
Missy Higgins

Zayn leant back against his chair at the SeaWorld kiosk, full to the brim with fish and chips. He looked across the table and a small smile passed his lips as he watched Louis and Harry. It had been two weeks since they'd agreed to remain just friends and they had embraced that friendship wholeheartedly – bonding unusually quickly.

They were currently sitting huddled together, Louis with a leg draped over Harry's thigh, swinging back and forth as he laughed at a story Harry was taking an inordinate amount of time telling, his large hands waving about as he spoke. They were casually stealing food from each other's plates and Zayn was fairly sure neither was even conscious of their behaviour.

He looked across at Niall, who rolled his eyes with a fond smile and Zayn chuckled softly to himself. As was often the case when they were together, everyone else seemed to disappear for Harry and Louis and they were lost in their own little world, chatting and laughing at jokes nobody else understood.

As he listened to Harry speak, Louis nodded, grabbing a chip and tossing it without warning at Harry's mouth. Harry paused mid-sentence, catching the chip between his lips and continued with his story, not missing a beat.

They had a natural ease around each other and an attachment that was uncommon between people who'd only just met. Zayn hadn't seen Louis like this with anyone before – while he and Louis were extraordinarily close, Louis had taken a while to open up to Zayn in the beginning. With Harry, he'd been an open book from day one, which wasn't like him at all. He was usually closed off until someone proved themselves worth opening up for. Somehow, Harry had gotten under his defences straight away.

Harry and Louis also had a lack of boundaries and personal space that took a little getting used to for those around them. Zayn had been suspicious at first, noticing their small, almost unconscious, touches and the way they spent all of their time draped around each other, but had quickly realised it was devoid of any intent – was just simply the way they interacted and they almost didn't realise they were doing it half of the time.

When he'd commented on it to Niall, he'd told Zayn that Harry had always been physically affectionate with his friends, was even more so when he drank. Zayn had then told him that Louis was the same, but only with his closest friends. You had to earn it with Louis, but when you did he was very affectionate. It appeared that those tactile tendencies were somewhat intensified by this unique bond they had between them, with both boys always seeking new ways to pet each other, such as Louis running his hands through Harry's hair almost obsessively.

While the underlying current of awareness between them was definitely noticeable, both boys had been true to their word, never crossing the line from friendship to more. As the weeks had gone by, Zayn had relaxed, accepting that their friendship was going to be an unusual one and being OK with it that way. He'd gotten to know Harry better and he liked him and respected him immensely. He had been working hard with Louis, giving just the right combination of encouragement and support, without letting Louis get away with anything. He pushed him just far enough to have him struggle, then pulled back to comfort and praise him, never breaking his trust.

Louis still hadn't progressed off the shallow platform, but would now let Harry lay him back against his chest, till only his head was out of the water, and float on his back, practicing breathing techniques and able to stay calm in the water for a lot longer. He was also able to get in and out by himself, no hesitation. All in all, things were going well and Zayn was pleased.

He was also inordinately pleased at the way Niall sought out his company each day. While neither had made a move, there'd been a ridiculous amount of flirting and they'd become firm friends over the past two and half weeks. He'd had a few swimming lessons with Niall and met his co-worker Barb, who was a great girl. She was also at least half, if not all the way, in love with Niall, but really, who wasn't?