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CHAPTER ELEVEN
The next morning, Louis feels happier than he’d been in the past few days. He reaches for his phone the minute he wakes up, and he smiles to himself a bit when he sees two messages from Harry.
From: Harry
It’s so early, I’m tired, I should’ve hung up on you last night! ):
From: Harry
Oh god I bet you’re still sleeping, this is so unfair! I demand you wake up right now! >:l
Louis briefly considers calling Harry, but he’s probably at school, having class, so he decides to just text him.
To: Harry
Aww, sorry babe, that’s what you get for being young [; I’ll pick you up after class yeah?
Louis keeps smiling to himself as he types his message, and he can’t wait to see Harry. It’s been less than a day since they last saw each other, but it feels like a lifetime. He’s happy. He hasn’t met anyone who could make him feel like this, hasn’t met anyone like Harry.
From: Harry
I’ve been rotting here in class and you’ve just woken up?! Atrocious! It’s 11! But pick me up at 4?
To: Harry
Deal.
~*~
At four, Louis is sitting in his red Porsche, waiting to see Harry walk out of the school gates. He’s in a suit, and it’s ridiculous, but he’d do anything for Harry.
When Harry walks out a few minutes later, he has two thick books in his arms. If that were Louis, he’d be frowning, ready to throw his books away, but Harry’s smiling as he makes his way towards the car. He doesn’t notice all those people staring and pointing and whispering.
“Uh, hi,” Harry says as he pulls on his seatbelt. Louis almost laughs because Harry is just adorable. He was the one who’d “confessed” yesterday, but now he’s all awkward and quiet like he doesn’t know what to say.
“Hi yourself,” Louis says back, and Harry doesn’t say anything more. They aren’t officially “boyfriends” yet, but what they talked about yesterday in the kitchen must have counted for something right? It’s unspoken, and even if it’s something they both know inside, Louis wants to make sure they at least have something to talk about.
“So how was school?” Louis asks, and he almost winces at how weird it sounds. “Oh god, I just made it sound like I’m ten years older than you or something,” he corrects himself as he drives off. He’s already planned their day, and he hopes Harry’s looking forward to it as much as he is.
“It was alright, I guess. So uh, why are you in a suit?” Harry’s twiddling his fingers like it’s the most entertaining thing to do.
Louis doesn’t want to ruin the surprise yet. It’s not much of a surprise, though. He’s just taking Harry to ‘the movies’ and then to dinner. It’s a classic first date thing, and somewhere in the back of Louis’ mind, he’s always regarded it as the perfect first date.
“I am being formally dressed, that is all,” Louis replies.
“Why are you being ‘formally dressed’ though? Where are we going?”
“I, young Harold, am taking you out on our first date!” Louis replies enthusiastically. When he turns his head slightly to try and gauge Harry’s thoughts, the latter is blushing –fucking properly blushing – and Louis wants to kill someone.
“Why are you the one taking me out?” Harry asks, and Louis is sure he’d have stabbed himself already if he had a knife in his car right now. How does Harry not understand what he does to Louis? Sometimes he thinks Harry’s doing it all on purpose, just to mess with Louis’ sanity, but at the same time it seems like Harry really is clueless.
Louis doesn’t know the answer to that question, actually. It’s mostly because Harry would never ask Louis out on a date. He doesn’t say that, of course. He just says, “Because you’re the girl in our relationship!”
What relationship, Louis? He asks himself. He regrets his choice of words because they aren’t exactly committed to anything yet. Neither of them has spoken up about it, and he does plan on doing it later, again because Harry would never take the first move. He isn’t very confident about it, though, because Harry always makes him tongue-tied.
Louis prays and hopes that Harry won’t comment on “relationship” because he’s scared. He’s scared that that isn’t what Harry wants with them, he’s scared that he’d misinterpreted Harry’s words yesterday. But yet, at the same time, he wants Harry to say something about it, make the first move. Louis is a bit insecure, he’ll admit. He needs to know that Harry does like him, needs reassurance.
He looks over at Harry, and he doesn’t seem to show any sort of surprise or shock on his face. Instead, he turns and glares at Louis playfully. “I am not the girl! We’re both guys!”
Louis laughs at that. They pull up to the very place they had their first hangout as friends.
“You’re taking me to your house on our first date? I’m not like Cassie or anything you know,” Harry says defensively, but Louis knows him well enough to be able to tell that he’s kidding. Louis cuts the engine and they both step outside.
“You’ve hurt me deeply, Harry,” Louis says dramatically. He holds both his hands to his heart before he uses them to shape a heart and then split them in two. Harry just laughs and rolls his eyes when Louis holds out his arm to direct Harry inside.
“After you, my lady,” Louis jokes, and he earns himself another glare from Harry. Regardless, Harry kicks off his shoes and steps inside. He proceeds to sit down on the couch, having been in the same situation a few times now.
“Wait wait wait!” Louis hurries over to Harry’s side after shutting the door. Harry suddenly stops in his tracks and he looks puzzled. “Can I see your ticket please? What seat are you supposed to be sitting at?” Louis holds out one hand to receive Harry’s ‘ticket’ and keeps the other arm behind his back, as if he’s some kind of usher in a cinema.
“Uh, I lost it?” Harry plays along, and Louis has to bite his lip to hide a grin. Harry is cute, full stop.
“Hmm, there appears to be an empty premium seat here on the couch,” Louis gestures at the couch before he plops down on the left side of it and pats the empty space beside him. “Right next to me,” he grins, and Harry just smiles politely. Louis wants to tell Harry to be more fun and spontaneous but he likes the curly-haired boy the way he is.
Harry just sits down, and Louis stands up. “While I busy myself with fetching some tea for you, you might want to reach for that box under the coffee table and choose a movie.” He proceeds to the kitchen to fix he and Harry some tea, watching Harry through the glass panel.
Harry bends forward to reach for the little cardboard box under the coffee table and looks inside. Louis nearly bursts out in laughter, because he feels so proud of himself, for almost no reason at all. He’s a bit childish, but he likes to call it being “young at heart”.
“Louis, there’s only one movie in here…” Harry says.
Louis feels so smug and triumphant, like he’s just beaten someone in some verbal argument. “Could the movie, by any chance, be Midnight in Paris?”
He walks outside with the two cups of warm tea, still smiling. Harry turns around and nods slowly, as if to say “uh, yeah, you chose it, didn’t you?”
“I can’t believe I actually guessed it right!”
“Uh, could you be, normal?” Harry asks, and Louis finally stops.
“Okay, okay, hi, I’m sorry, I’m back. This suit isn’t comfortable to watch a movie in at all. I’ve been dying to change out of it! I’m going to change while you put the movie on,” Louis says, and he thinks he talks too much sometimes.
A few minutes later, Louis sits himself down next to Harry in his most comfortable T-shirt and sweatpants. Harry sips his tea and Louis starts the movie.
Midnight in Paris is one of Louis’ all-time favourite movies. He’s been to Paris before, during the winter, and he loves it there. Sure, winter everywhere is the same, but he absolutely loves Paris. He loves when the top of the Eiffel Tower ‘disappears’ in the fog, loves to take walks on the streets and look at all the leafless trees. He loves how bright the city is at night, he just loves everything about Paris.
They watch the movie in silence, and a little into the movie, Louis goes back into the kitchen to heat up the pizza. When he gets back with the pizza, he sets the plate down on the coffee table, and he’d expected Harry to reach for a slice. But when Louis looks over, Harry’s totally drawn to the movie, his green eyes wide and eyebrows slightly furrowed in focus.
“Harry, eat some pizza,” Louis whispers, not wanting to disturb the other boy. He’s glad Harry likes the movie so much, because he likes it too.
Harry’s eyes are still glued to the screen when he reaches for a slice of pizza. Throughout the movie, the both of them inch closer and closer to the other (to be accurate, Harry didn’t move a centimetre at all; it was Louis, of course) and soon Louis places his arm on the couch behind Harry. He wants to place his arm around Harry’s shoulder, but he doesn’t know if it’ll be okay with Harry, so he doesn’t.
Louis isn’t really watching the movie at all. He’s watching Harry, watching the way his facial expressions change when something big happens in the movie, and he actually notices just how often Harry blinks. When Harry blinks, Louis notices the way his eyelashes brush so lightly against his cheek, the way they flutter.
It gets darker as the sun begins to set, and the living room is dark. If anything, Harry just looks even prettier with the soft glow of the telly on his face. Louis thinks it should be illegal for someone to be as pretty as Harry.
When they get to the part of the movie where Gil declares his love for Adriana and kisses her in the past, Harry actually lets out a little ‘aw’, and Louis thinks it’s cute. Louis always thinks that Harry is cute, because whatever he does is cute. And it makes Louis fall a little bit harder every time.
Maybe it’s just Louis, and the feeling isn’t mutual, but he thinks this is the most romantic situation he’s ever been in. He’s never done anything like this with the other girls. He feels like a teenager, falling in love with Harry so hard, so easily, and so quickly. He thinks he’s a bit silly.
But when he sees the way Harry’s so focused on the movie, his eyes filled with emotion, it’s not silly at all. When he sees Harry chewing on his pizza, his thin, pink lips pressed together, it’s not silly at all, and he knows it’s what he wants, knows it’s all worth it.
“Harry,” he whispers again. He half expects Harry to ignore him, but he wants Harry to reply because he wants to say something.
“What?” Harry says, turning to look at Louis. It takes all of Louis’ willpower not to let himself back out of what he’s just gotten himself into.
He sucks in a breath and murmurs, “I think I might kiss you now.”
Harry’s eyes widen slightly and his mouth falls open a little. Louis holds his gaze steady, and he can see shock and fear and confusion in Harry’s eyes. For a moment Louis thinks that the other boy might just stand up and run out of his house, and he regrets saying that.
“Okay,” Harry replies softly, and Louis wasn’t expecting that at all.
The movie is still playing, but neither of them is paying attention anymore. Harry shuts his eyes and his eyelashes rest on the top of his cheek, and Louis’ heart is thumping wildly in his ribcage. He prays that Harry won’t hear him when he finally leans in.
He closes the distance between them, and shuts his eyes as their lips finally meet.
Harry’s lips are soft, but they’re very different from girls’, Louis notes. It’s a good different, though. Their lips mould together perfectly, and Louis never wants to move. He wishes they could stay this way forever, wishes he could keep feeling the static and heat run in his veins. He likes this a lot.
It’s their first kiss, and it’s a little bit awkward because of the way they’re sitting, but it’s perfect. He doesn’t know about Harry, but it’s perfect to him, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. His heart isn’t beating as quickly as it had been, and they finally pull apart.
Louis opens his eyes and he sees Harry staring at his lap, his bottom lip caught between his teeth as he bites back a smile. “Oh,” Louis says a little breathlessly. Harry looks up and he’s actually blushing. Louis thinks he’d have gotten over the fact that Harry blushes already, but he just can’t.
Louis grins like a fool, but he’s beyond caring because Harry is grinning, now, too. The movie has ended, and there’s nothing playing on the telly anymore.
He entangles his and Harry’s fingers together, and he grips it firmly. He wants Harry to know that he’s never going to let him go, that he’s going to make sure things work between them.
“I really, really like you a lot, Harry,” Louis says earnestly.
“I think I really like you too.”
And that’s all that matters.
~*~
The truth is, Harry doesn’t know where he found the courage to hug Louis and take the initiative to tell him he how he felt. He hadn’t even known he’d had it in him, but apparently he did, and he has to say, it worked out better than he’d expected it to. Louis is anything but a playboy, and Harry’s content to let the matter slide, because he’s been nothing but nice and cute and lovely to him.
Louis had dragged him out of the house after the movie had ended, insisting that reheated pizza wasn’t enough for dinner, and Harry could only agree. He hasn’t seemed to be able to do anything apart from grin stupidly ever since Louis kissed him – he kissed him – and Harry’s sure he can still taste Louis’ lips on his. And maybe he’s got drunk on Louis or something, and he likes it.
“What do you want to eat?” Louis asks, squeezing his hand lightly, and Harry has to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from smiling. He can’t tell if he’s happy because Louis kissed him, or because they’re holding hands, or simply just because he’s in Louis’ company. One thing he’s certain of, though, is that he looks like an idiot smiling like that, and maybe soon Louis will tell him to stop smiling and looking like a fool.
Except Louis doesn’t tell him that. “I like when you smile,” he says, and Harry’s glad the sun’s set, or else Louis would be able to see how he’s blushing like a teenager. So he says in reply, “I like you,” and Louis laughs, stopping.
“I know you do. Shall we get Japanese food?”
They do end up getting Japanese, and they curl back up on the sofa in Louis’ house, watching TV with the sound on mute, and Louis’ arm around Harry. (“So we can talk,” Louis had insisted.) They sit in comfortable silence after their dinner, and it’s only when Harry yawns and starts dozing off does Louis realise the time.
“Hey, should you be getting home soon?” He asks softly, and Harry shrugs. “I guess. I’m not tired though,” he protests, but the end of his sentence is punctuated with a yawn, and Louis looks at him disbelievingly.
“Yeah right, you sure aren’t,” he says, reaching for the remote control to turn the TV off. “Come on, I’ll send you home, don’t you have school tomorrow?”
Harry sighs. “Yeah, but –”
“Nope, no no no, what if you fall asleep in class?” Louis insists. “We can’t have you failing your classes.”
Harry hums contemplatively. “Maybe I could drop out and just take classes on Louis 101,” He says innocently. “Economics is so boring in comparison.”
“Oh, you think you’re so funny,” Louis replies, but he’s smiling. “Seriously, though.”
“I am funny!” Harry says despairingly. “You just don’t appreciate me!”
“I appreciate you, so I’m taking you home, come on! We’re not going to fight over this,” Louis frowns, hands on his hips in mock anger, and Harry just has to give in, partly because he isn’t sure if Louis is joking or not, and he doesn’t really want them to fight.
He hopes they never do.
And that’s how Harry finds himself in Louis’ car ten minutes later, after he’s gathered all of his things, speeding away back to his apartment.
“Don’t drive so fast!” Harry says, when Louis very nearly speeds past a red light. “I haven’t – I mean I kind of don’t want to get home so fast,” he explains awkwardly, and Louis smirks.
“Is that your way of saying you like being with me? I’m flattered that you enjoy my company,” he says, and somehow Harry only manages to find his intentional self-assurance endearing.
"No, I mean – Yeah, well, I really liked everything. Today, in general," Harry says, and Louis slows the car, his gaze softening.
"That's good. I hope I...I'm not taking up too much of your time am I?" He asks concernedly, serious again. "With you having to go to school and all?"
Harry shakes his head. "Once in a while is fine, isn't it?" He grins, and Louis smiles back. It's at that moment that he realises just how much smiling he's done today, and how comfortable he is with Louis right now, and how comfortable he's been ever since Louis picked him up from school.
In comparison to any of the times he's been to Louis' house, today is the most at ease with being in Louis' company he's ever felt. He thinks normally, he'd be struggling to come up with an excuse to leave, or at the very least just wishing time would move faster, at least once. But today he had actually liked curling up into Louis' embrace, and wow, it's been a while since he's wanted to be close to anyone like that.
He's so lost in thought that he hasn't even realised the car has stopped and Louis is just staring at him curiously. Harry blinks, looking around, before he takes in his surroundings and oh, they've stopped outside his apartment.
"We're here," Louis prompts. "I'll walk you up?" He suggests, and Harry wants to protest like he did earlier in the afternoon, that no, he doesn't need to be walked up to the door of his apartment, but then he reconsiders and decides there's nothing to lose, since he doesn't actually want to say goodbye yet.
Getting out of the car, he reaches forward to tangle his fingers with Louis', and blue eyes look back at him, somewhat surprised. It's as if Louis hadn't been expecting that. Of course he hadn't, what with Harry only being able to sit there passively smiling the entire day. Looking at Louis now, at the way he lit up when Harry reached for his hand, he doesn't see anything but a thoughtful young man who's so sincere and caring and young.
They stop outside the door, and Harry hovers for a while, not letting go of Louis’ hand and making no move to get his keys or open the door. Louis only seems amused, and he gestures at the door, looking confused. "Did you forget your keys?" He asks, laughing a bit.
"No, of course not. I just wanted to say, um, uh, thanks for today, I guess. And I really liked…everything?” Harry offers, and he’s never really had to say anything like this before. He’s never wanted, or needed to do this sort of thing, but now, there’s a part of him begging to say all this to Louis.
“And also, thanks for being so nice and…the movie and all, and sending me back, I’m – really happy,” Harry continues, well aware that he’s starting to sound a little bit repetitive but not knowing what else to say anyway.
“Oh.” Louis says, and it’s unlike him to be short on things to say.
Harry bites at his lip, and then he steps forward, slowly, carefully, and kisses Louis softly on the cheek. He’s dimly aware of Louis’ grip on his hand going slack, and when he steps back, he doesn’t think he’s ever seen Louis smile like that. Somehow it makes Harry’s cheeks redden, and he looks down, not daring to meet Louis’ eyes.
“You keep blushing,” Louis finally says, pulling Harry closer to him. “But it’s cute. And you’re welcome,” he adds.
“Um, okay,” Harry laughs. “I should be going in, shouldn’t I?”
“You should,” Louis says, letting go of his hand as he digs for his keys and opens the door. “Goodnight, Harry.”
Harry just stands behind the door, and then he says, “Can you go? I kind of don’t want to shut the door on you.”
For a moment, Louis looks stunned, and then he looks like he doesn’t know if he wants to laugh or shake his head. Then, “Okay,” he laughs, and turns to walk back, and Harry pretends that he doesn’t see him watching from the lift lobby until Harry closes the door, only half his body visible from behind the corner he just turned.