Two Roads ≫ l.s

12

My heart, after probably winning gold in complicated gymnastics inside my chest, began to thump so hard I hoped it wasn't audible outside the drumming of my own ears.

"Are you cold?" I tested, my voice faltering slightly as I gazed into his pleading eyes.

Louis shrugged, before shivering slightly. "I am, actually. I think your desert theory was probably righ-"

I cut him off, immediately wrapping both my arms around his slim waist, inhaling his scent deeply as I closed my eyes and let him rest his head against my shoulder. Holding him closer.

"You didn't need to use the cold as an excuse." I mumbled shyly, suddenly becoming aware of the rate of his heartbeat against mine, practically matching the rate.

He let out what sounded like a shaky laugh, wrapping his own arms back around me and resting back into the grass, although we had assumed more of a hugging-while-lying-down position as opposed to looking-at-the-stars-lying-close-to-each-other position that we had both been in a matter of seconds ago.

Louis lay in the blissful silence. "I like hugging you." He confessed in a voice so quiet he probably didn't intend for me to hear.

"I like hugging you, too." I repeated. "You smell really good."

"You have Paco Rabanne to thank for that." Louis giggled, obviously showing off his expensive taste in aftershave. "Although I should probably get a new bottle of it. That one's lasted since May."

"It's still going strong." I breathed again, my senses heightened by the rich, warmly spicy scent of his aftershave.

"Is that the only reason you like hugging me, then?" Louis questioned. "Because I smell nice?"

"Zayn smells nice. That doesn't mean I go hugging him every 5 seconds." I diverted my opinion, trying to imply that I liked hugging him for countless more reasons other than simply what he smelt like.

"You haven't been hugging me every 5 seconds."

"What makes you think I haven't been wanting to?" I suddenly blurted out, before practically clamping my mouth shut, my heart hammering.

Louis froze, obviously just as caught off-guard as I was with my sudden confession. Although, I mean, although I wasn't exactly a hug-loving person anyway, simply stating I wanted to hug Louis didn't have to mean anything specific, other than the obvious. I like hugging him.

I liked hugging him. I liked the feeling of our bodies pressed tightly against each other's. I liked the way my arms could wrap tightly around his body to give him the sense of protection he needed. I liked the way our hearts beat as one when we hugged, and the feel of his soft hair buried into the crook of my neck.

I could write a book on a million things I liked about hugging Louis. And it still wouldn't be enough.

Louis gulped, realizing he still hadn't answered my embarrassingly truthful atmosphere-ruiner.

"Well, being the one who initiated both hugs in the first place, I guess it's pretty obvious I'd been feeling the same way."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "You had?"

Louis sighed slightly, feeling his chest rise and fall against my own with the breath. "Harry, I've been wanting to hug you ever since... well, ever since... whenever." I felt him frown. "I can't actually remember. I'm not a cuddly person as it is. I mean, apart from Zayn sometimes."

"Who couldn't resist a cuddle from Zayn?" I smirked in agreement.

"Exactly." Louis nodded. "But... I don't know. I'm assuming you're not the hugging sort either."