a flower || l.s.

03 ♥ VEGETATIVE

hi hi thanks for reading this ily a lot :)

"There's a dinner place down the road if you wanna go eat," Harry tells Niall.

"I've been waiting from the second I arrived here for you to tell me where the good restaurants are, and for this, I thank you kindly," Niall says.

--♥--

Harry groans and puts his head in his hands on the table of the tiny dimly lit restaurant. There are plants hanging from the walls in tiny pots, which Harry would love if not for all his thoughts rushing through his head.

"What's wrong?" Niall laughs.

"I still have a huge stupid crush on Louis and I want it to go away." Harry's voice is muffled through his arms. "That's what's wrong."

"Are you two gonna stay like this?" Niall asks. "Kind of, you know, trapped in the middle of a confession?"

Harry groans again. "I wanna talk to him."

"Like you'll be able to do that," Niall says honestly.

"Shut up and eat your alfredo."

Niall listens and eats a forkful of the noodles. "But I'm serious. I know we're not the closest friends in the world but I know you, and I know how it gets when you talk to people."

"What if I text him?" Harry asks.

"Kind of doubt you had the courage to ask for his number," Niall says quietly, and Harry hits him playfully.

Niall pats his arm in a comforting way a few times, and Harry suddenly sits up.

"What?" Niall looks at him.

"What if I write him a note?"

"A note?" Niall repeats. "About what?'

--♥--

So he writes the note. And he slips it under Louis' door when he gets home.

Harry wakes up the next day after a somewhat good night's sleep and he waters the flowers like always. It's a beautiful morning.

-♥-

Louis sits next to Zayn in his car, blasting Queen in the car while Zayn makes fun of his singing. Zayn had agreed to drive him to Liam's house because Louis loves Liam more than anyone in the world (not including Zayn), and he gives the second best hugs in the world. Louis is saving the number one spot for someone else, he just doesn't know who yet.

So yes, of course, he needs to drive hours away from his store to get a singular hug.

-♥-

Harry doesn't see Louis in the record shop. The blinds haven't been pulled up since last night and he hopes nothing happened to him.

"Harry."

Harry looks at Niall. "Yeah?"

"Don't worry, just go on with your day. I'm sure he's okay," Niall assures him.

So they do. They go on with their regular day. Well, Niall does. Harry tries. His regular day usually includes admiring Louis from afar, so without him here, it's not as normal as Niall wants it to be.

Niall helps deliver flowers around town while Harry talks to customers and sells bouquets back at the shop.

Harry can't get Louis off his mind. Did he read the note and choose to ignore him? Was he sleeping in? Louis doesn't do that. Does he?

-♥-

"We took a whole day to get here," Zayn sighs. "The things I do for you, Louis..."

"I love you, Zayn, thank you," Louis says quickly before running out of the car and barging through Liam's door.

"Loui-"

"Hi, Liam!" Louis yells.

Louis wraps his arms around his friend. Liam's hugs are the best. Second best, he means, but it's the same.

-♥-

Harry misses seeing Louis. It's been a singular day and he doesn't know why he's feeling this way, but he does, and he just wants to see Louis' face. It's stressing him out more than it should.

-♥-

"Go for it, Lou," Liam says, a tired smile on his face. "Make out with him."

"No," Louis groans. "I don't even for sure know for sure that he likes me for sure and I don't know anything."

"For sure," Zayn repeats. "Well then maybe you should take it slow and sit down and have a conversation with him."

"You make it sound like an interview application, Zaynie. I want it to feel human," Louis tells him.

"Make out with him. Like I said," Liam chimes in.

"No. Shut up, Liam," Louis says.

"Rude." Liam says. "What about you actually talk to him without lashing out just because you don't like a type of plant? 'Cause that was really dumb and I don't know why you did that."

"Piss off."

Liam shrugs. "Seriously, though."

"I was just annoyed that he wouldn't stop bringing me one every single day. He never took a break. He never stopped until I directly told him to," Louis explains.

Liam smirks. "Harry's so in love, it's so cute."

"It's not cute, it's just confusing," Louis argues.

"You should propose marriage," Zayn suggests, half joking.

"Yeah, do that," Liam agrees.

"Maybe I should just avoid it? I can live my own life because I'm fine without Harry," Louis suggests.

"No," Zayn and Liam say in unison.

"You need a boyfriend," Zayn smiles.

"I don't need anyone, and also, you're both talking about Harry like he doesn't have his own opinions on this and he's not a real person."

Liam rolls his eyes and laughs. "Do you have Harry's number?"

"No," Louis answers.

"If romance was a subject, you'd be failing," Zayn says.

"Shut up, you two don't know anything about romance." Louis leans further into the couch. "I'm not a romance kind of guy. I didn't think I would open my business next to the most handsome lad I've ever seen in my life."

"Damn." Liam sips some beer.

"I'll be using that against you in the future if you ever deny loving him," Zayn tells him.

Louis shrugs. "I don't love him, I'm just in love with him."

"I thought you told me that when you were being a rude little bitch to Harry you told him his flower thing won't get you to fall in love with him." Liam sips some more beer.

"Yeah," Louis says. "I was a liar."

"Tea," Zayn comments.

Liam sips even more beer.

"I just wanna hold his hand and give him cheek kisses," Louis' words tumble together in a drunk mess.

"Jeez, get a room," Zayn laughs.

"I would, but he's hours away." Louis rolls his eyes.

Liam laughs. "Then you need to get back," he tells him.

"I wanna stay here for a while. Away from the store to figure things out," Louis says.

"I'll head back then," Zayn says. "Bye bye, Lou. Don't drink so much, you'll get a hangover and call me and then give me a headache."

"Bye, Zaynie," Louis says. "I'm drinking more."

"Bye, Zayn," Liam waves.

-♥-

Harry wonders if he did something wrong.

He leaves an aster and an anemone, both flowers, outside Louis' record shop door, on top of a pile of colourful leaves fallen from the trees nearby. He's never given these before.