what about us | l.s.

seventeen

July 23, 2011

"Who let you get that? Why didn't you tell me?"

Louis was never one for lectures. He often tuned them out, mostly to irritate the people scolding him. It was helpful as Zayn reprimanded him for the tiny H on his hand.

Maybe Louis had decided to honour his commitment to Harry two years ago. And maybe he chose to not tell Zayn of his plans before permanently marking his skin. He knew Zayn would attempt to talk him out of it, and naturally, Louis wasn't in the mood. Unlike Harry, Louis remembered important things like tattoos and the significance of friendship.

"Zayn, shut up."

Zayn did go silent. But only because the look on Louis' face generated fear in him. Intimidating people was Louis' specialty. He evaded many conversations that way. That didn't stop Zayn, however, from texting the shorter boy.

Zipcode: why did you get a tattoo

Zipcode: and when

Zipcode: and why

Zipcode: WHY

Zipcode: it means harry right

Zipcode: why would you do that

Zipcode: that cannot be logical

Zipcode: aren't you all about logic

Zipcode: are you an alien

Zipcode: i bet you are

"Stop texting me."

Louis knew he should explain himself, but Louis Tomlinson doesn't explain himself to anyone. So he continued to edit his essay while Zayn sulked on the floor. Months ago, Harry would have continued to pester him about the tattoo, but he was out with Leeroy. Always out with Leeroy. Louis hadn't accepted the death of their friendship. He intended to show Harry his tattoo in an attempt to revive it.

But if Harry were to ask about the tattoo, Louis would deny any connections between him and the letter H. He would be lying, but claiming it meant home was better than admitting the truth. Zayn would tease him for calling Harry his home. But it was true, Harry was his home, no matter how much Louis despised it.

"I'm going to throw you out the window if you don't tell me what's up."

Louis snorted and turned to face Zayn, who was glaring daggers into his back. He winked before turning back to his completed essay.

"Do you see this, Zach? This is called perfection."

"Perfection would be you out the window, but here we are."

"Listen," Louis started, "There's obviously no truth to it being Harry. That makes no sense. It's like a conspiracy-"

"A conspiracy?"

"Like, if you google conspiracy on iPhone, you're going to get a conspiracy."

"What do conspiracies have to do with your tattoo??" Zayn questioned, confusion evident in his voice.

"And honestly, Zayn, I think you're coming across a bit disrespectful to the ones that I love, like privacy."

"What are you going on about?"

"Some people genuinely think my tattoo is about Harry." Louis rambled on as he waved his perfected essay in the air.

"I don't think you're making a poin-"

"It's just one of those things that people love to buy into. But obviously, there's no truth to it. Obviously."

Zayn watched in bewilderment as Louis exited the room with his essay in hand. If there's one thing he's learned from being his friend, it's that you don't question Louis Tomlinson.