less than lovers (h.s.)

thirteen

It was Liv's idea, which naturally meant that it was going to be an awful one. But after I'd finally confessed my feelings for Harry to her, she told me it was absolutely necessary.

"You want him to break up with Hannah, don't you?" she'd demanded.

I blinked. I was aware of my answer, but I was also aware that it would make me sound like a dick. "Um. I don't know."

"Shut up. Of course you do," Liv rolled her eyes. "That doesn't make you a bitch."

I lifted my eyebrows. "What does that make me, then?"

She didn't hesitate before telling me, "It makes you human."

And so, eventually, it was decided: for the first time ever, I was going to create a Tinder profile, with the sole purpose of making Harry jealous. Liv was certain it would work. I wasn't so sure.

"He was totally jealous when he thought you hooked up with Niall," Liv reminded me. "This is going to drive him crazy."

"That's because Niall is his friend," I'd insisted. "This is completely different."

"If anything, it's even worse," Liv assured me. "You know how protective he gets." My stomach dipped at her words, but I made a face to try and conceal it. "Hooking up with strangers you meet on an app?" She grinned. "He's going to go insane."

"He's not." Would he?

"Yes, he will."

And sure enough, Liv was right. A week later, I was lying on the couch, my legs draped over Niall's knees. He kept on trying to shove me away, but I refused, saying I'd gotten there first. I'd noticed Harry glancing at us out of the corner of his eye more than once, but he quickly looked away when he noticed me catching on. Liv was sitting in front of me, her back pressed up against the couch, as she painted her nails. Niall was staring at her shamelessly, but his attention was seized by the buzzing of his phone.

"Zayn's just asked me if we want to go to the bar tonight," he announced. "Are you lot up for it?"

Liv shook her head. "I can't tonight, sorry."

"Why?" Niall asked.

If Liv noticed his failed efforts to sound casual, she didn't react. Instead, she shrugged, "I have a date."

Harry and I exchanged a wary glance, and I watched as Niall's shoulders slumped. "Oh," he said, his voice slightly less cheerful than it had been moments before. "Well, have fun, I guess."

I kicked my foot back to nudge him gently, and he wrapped his hand around my ankle, tugging it to his chest. I let out a loud squeal, which faded almost instantaneously when I looked up to find Harry's dark gaze burning into mine. I concentrated my gaze on the TV instead, an old rerun of Love Island that I'd already seen a million times before.

"Maybe I'll ask Millie if she wants to come tonight," Niall said after a minute of silence, unlocking his phone again. "She didn't mention having any plans this weekend." I watched his gaze flicker to Liv, who didn't even look up from the fingernail she was coating in dark red polish. My heart panged for Niall, and the realization that his feelings were likely not reciprocated. I wondered if he was able to catch on as well, and if him inviting Millie tonight was his attempt of beginning to move on.

I was just starting to think that maybe I needed to take a page out of his book when Liv said, "Jonesy, did you end up texting that Tinder guy back?"

"Tinder?" Niall repeated incredulously, gazing at me wide-eyed. "You're fucking joking. Surely not our Jonesy?"

"It's just for fun." I rolled my eyes at him before sneaking a glance at Harry, who looked like he was trying very hard not to say something. His brows were knit together tightly, and frowning seemed too generous a word for what he was doing—his lips were pressed together in a firm line and his jaw was twitching ever so slightly.