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It started because the Rocher Road was closed. Louis always took Rocher Road, turned left at the junction and drove past scattered little diners until the school parking lot came into view. It was the shortest way to school and despite the busy traffic (because it was the shortest way to the only high school in town), he reached Doncaster High by 8:24 on dot if he left the house by 8 and picked Liam up at 8:05 and Niall at 8:16.
Louis had got this schedule down to seconds.
So, he was understandably pissed off and frustrated when he drove past the community theatre to see barricades and road closed signs that say “ROAD CLOSED. WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.”
“Any inconvenience.” He muttered sourly as he drove straight past Rocher Road and the clock was ticking past 8:21.
“Why don’t you drive through Stag Street?” Niall suggested. “It’s nearest and you can take a U-Turn into Finsbury.”
“That’s what I’m doing.” Louis said and swerved into a much smaller lane that led directly onto Stag Street.
“I thought we are not supposed to go to Stag Street.” Liam said from the backseat in a soft voice. Louis had to strained his ear to hear him over the wind blowing above their heads in his little open-roofed thunderbird.
“We are not 10 years old anymore, Liam.” Louis snarked. “I’m sure we can handle driving past a few bars.” He put his car on the mentioned road, which noticeably had a lot less traffic than he is used to.
“Mom says they do drugs here.” Liam whispered, like someone from the dodgy looking bars on the sides of the road is gonna come out and beat them up if they hear him. “Like hard-core drugs.”
“Do you even know what a hard-core drug is?” Niall asked although he looked fascinated by a bald guy in a dirty leather jacket and too many tattoos changing oil on his motorbike in front of a small building with lit-off neon signs.
“Cocaine?” Liam said, unsure.
“I don’t think they will be throwing Cocaine at us, Liam.” Louis laughed. “I heard that stuff is pretty expensive, you know?”
“Whatever.” Liam pouted. “Dani listen to me when I talk about this stuff.”
“That’s because she is your girlfriend and she has to.” Niall retorted and Louis gave him a high five.
The traffic light at the end of the street turned red as he was about to take the U-turn and Louis groaned. The clock was pointing at 8:23 and he’s not going to make his schedule this morning.
The reeving engine noise he’s been faintly hearing for the past few seconds drew near and he turned his face to see a motorbike stopped next to his car on Niall’s side. Louis didn’t know much about bikes but this one looked fairly old yet well-maintained. He could tell a recent paint job when he saw one even if it is on a different vehicle. He got his baby painted bright red this summer after all.
“Nice wheels.” The boy sitting on the passenger seat, with his arms tight around the waist of the boy in front, said with a grin that seems bright and naughty at the same time. Only then, Louis took a more careful look at the two passengers on the bike. He is pretty sure he had seen both of them around at school but Doncaster High is fairly big and Louis didn’t really have a large social circle so he couldn’t tell who they are at all. They are both helmet free, something that would make Louis’ mom go nuts if she ever let him ride a bike in the first place, and their backpacks were slagging across their backs effortlessly. The boy in the front with his hands firmly on the handles and a cigarette in between his teeth was looking cooly at Louis and Louis blushed for no good reason. The boy let go of one hand long enough to take the cigarette off from his mouth and the slight twitch in his prominent cheekbones made Louis look away.
“I don’t think I have seen your lovely faces around here.” The passenger boy, the curly haired boy with a matching leather jacket as the boy in front, said as if they were having a totally reciprocal conversation here. Louis could see Liam’s slightly scared and lost face in the back mirror, mouth opening and closing a few times like he wanted to say something.
“To shy to talk to us?” He drawled and leaned far down enough to come face to face with Niall. “We don’t bite, love. Well, Zayn might but I’ll fend him off of you, yeah?”
“We are not scared of you.” Niall replied and the boy smiled even wider.
“Never said you are.” He reached out and ran a swift of fingers through Niall’s hair like it is a totally normal thing to do to a stranger. The boy in front - Zayn, was it - snorted and stepped on the pedal, smirked at Louis, winked at Liam in the backseat and drove off, all in one smooth motion.
Only then, Louis realized the traffic is green now.
“See.” Liam said through gritted teeth, body hunching over to talk to Louis into his ear. “This is why we shouldn’t take Stag Street.”
“It’s not like anything bad happens.” Louis said back, remembering stripes of white teeth and a dangled cigarette.
“He touched my hair.” Niall said and looked like he is in shock.
“I am sure he didn’t give you cooties, Niall.” Louis snorted and Niall gave him a glare before looking at the speeding bike far in front of them.
“Who are they anyway?” Niall asked and absently touched his hair.
“Hooligans.” Liam said with conviction.
Louis let out a laugh. “You sound like your mother, Liam.”
“What if they beat us up and take our money?”
“In broad daylight on a busy street?” Louis retorted.
“Whatever. They look like they are bad news.” Liam said in determination and Louis just shook his head before turning into the school parking lot. 8:32. Damn it.
“I am sure it’s nothing Li.” Louis said to his friend as he took off his car key and opened up the driver door.
Of course, famous last words because the two boys they just met were leaning against the main door to the school hallway, sharing a cigarette and smirking in their direction.
“So, I was rude earlier. Didn’t introduce myself.” The curly haired boy jumped in front of Niall, and said casually. “I am Harry. And this one’s Zayn.”
Niall ignored him.
“If you are not gonna tell me your name, I am gonna have to come up with something you know? Do you prefer love or baby? Cupcake? Honey bum? How’bout darling? A bit old school?”
Niall’s face was dangerously closed to smiling and Harry raised an eyebrow. “Darling it is then. I’ll walk you off to your class but I am already late, so I’ll have to run.” He winked at Niall, raised a hand at Louis and Liam and gave a mock salute to Zayn before running off down the hall.
“Are you not late too?” Louis asked, even more boldly than he imagined he was at Zayn who was still walking alongside them silently.
“Don’t really care, pretty.” Zayn answered and Louis could see his slight stubble on his chin from this distance. His voice rolled out smooth and deep with an accent Louis couldn’t really identify but he could feel the chills in his spine when the boy speaks.
“Don’t call me pretty.” He muttered back, stopping at his locker and he felt more than saw Niall and Liam stopped. Zayn turned around facing them, his hands in his leather jacket’s pocket, his posture lean and casual.
“Sure thing, pretty.” Zayn said with a flippant wink although his eyes seemed to be trained more on Louis’ left side where Liam was opening his locker, completely ignoring Zayn’s existence.
“I will see you around.” Zayn said and turned to walk down the hall.
“This is the strangest morning ever.” Niall said as he opened his own locker.
“Hooligans.” Liam repeated.
“Shut up Liam.” Louis replied curtly. He didn’t like the look in Zayn’s eyes. But he is not sure if it is because they looked predatory or because they were aimed at Liam and not at Louis. He’s not sure if he wanted to know the answer either.
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He heard Harry’s laugh, loud and flamboyant, first thing when he pushed open the school door and stepped out into the parking lot.
“Will you get away from my car, please?” He gritted polite words through his teeth at the two boys half sitting on his thunderbird’s bumper, legs spread and arms wide. They both looked like they had time jumped from morning, not a single hair out of place and the leather jackets looking perfectly in place. Louis frowned down at the stain on his shirt where he spilled milk on during lunch. They were sharing a cigarette again, Zayn’s lips forming a perfect O to puff out the smoke ring.
“Hey, pretty.” Zayn smirked and Harry laughed at him. Louis thought grudgingly that he likes Harry. It is difficult to not like someone who looked like they ate a rainbow for breakfast.
“Stop calling me that. And will you just go please?” Louis said, throwing his bag in the backseat of the car.
“Where’s your friends?” Zayn ignored him, of course.
“Not your business.” Louis muttered, crossing his arms and trying to look formidable. Liam usually took the bus after school with Dani, and Niall should be out here any minute soon. But Louis was not going to tell them that.
“Oh, there he is." Harry exclaimed and pointed a lazy finger towards the school entrance. Louis strained his neck back enough to see a confused Niall heading towards their direction.
“You talking to them?" Niall directed the question at Louis but his eyes didn't leave the two boys lounging on the hood.
Louis frowned at the slight accusatory tone of the question.
"No, 'course not. I - "
"Jealous, darling?" Harry drawled out a long ring of smoke and said.
Niall scowled.
"I was waiting for you if you really wanna know." He continued and passed the cigarette back to Zayn.
"I really really don't. C'mon, let's go." He nodded at Louis.
"You're not gonna wait for Liam?" Zayn's sudden question threw Louis a bit off and he looked up at the stranger boy.
"How do you know Liam's name?"
Zayn rolled his eyes. "It's not that difficult, pretty."
Louis didn't ask if Zayn knew his name too.
"He left with his girlfriend," he bit out the response. "Now, will you please get off?”
Harry grinned. Zayn raised a perfect eyebrow and slid off the hood in a move Louis could only describe as graceful, dragging Harry by the jacket collar along with him.
"Ow." Harry protested half-heartedly and stepped wide after Zayn.
Only then, Louis noticed Zayn's bike parked one car away from his.
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"What is the point of telling you to go if we can't actually get rid of you?" Niall complained loudly from the passenger side.
"Oh, that was you trying to get rid of me?" Harry said from the bike which stopped right next to Louis' thunderbird at the traffic light. "Don't go breaking my heart, darling."
"The name's Niall." Niall replied and Louis raised a surprised eyebrow at him.
"I know," Harry winked back. "But I prefer darling."
"I don't."
"Fine." Harry huffed like he was doing a huge favor. "Be that way, Niall." His tongue rolled out the word 'Niall' in a way more suggestive and dirty than the word 'darling' could ever be and even Louis felt the heat rising behind his neck.He could see Zayn smirking in almost a fond manner and looked away when the boy caught him staring.
Louis thought they would turn around the bike once he dropped off Niall at his house but the bike trailed after his car until he reached his house.
"You don't actually need to follow me, you know?" He said once he turned off the engine and got off the car. He knew Zayn parked the bike almost next to his car without looking at him. The engine noise is humming softly in the background and he knew Zayn heard his words.
"It's dangerous around this area." Zayn replied cooly and Harry giggled.
"The only danger I see around here is you." Louis snorted and stopped on the front steps long enough to take off his keys from his pocket.
"You have a mouth on. You know that, pretty?" Zayn said with a upward tick in a corner of his mouth and Louis rolled his eyes before slamming the door shut.
He listened to the engine noise going away from his house and tried to feel guilty about it.
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The next morning, much to Liam's joy, there is no bike accompanying them when Louis turned into the Stag road. He felt oddly lonely and maybe he's imagining it but he could swear Niall kept looking back at the open road behind them whenever there is a bike engine roar.
He made small talk, promised to wait for Liam this evening because Dani had her dance class and turned into the parking lot. He felt marginally better when he saw a familiar bike parked next to Principal Chester's mini van.
Then, of course, his marginally better mood faded away when they went inside and there is a single long stemmed rose taped to Liam's locker. He had a pretty good idea who it might have come from.
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"You didn't like the rose then?" Zayn was leaning against one of the pillars next to the food counter in the canteen. Louis had the most edible looking thing picked out from the choices - the soup and the bread. Same with Liam.
Liam scowled and Zayn's smirk turned more prominent.
Louis felt awkward and small.
"I found it in the trash bin. Kinda sad, you know. I did pick out the best rose from my mom's garden. She's not very happy with me."
"Zayn's mom run the best flower shop in town." Harry, who was leaning next to him, supplied helpfully. At this point, Louis is actually quite sure they are Siamese twins from how much they were together all the damn time. "Malik Flowers. Had a nice ring to it, ain't it?"
Zayn glared at him.
Louis remembered having to drop by at the neat little flower shop on the other side of the town to pick up the anniversary gift flowers from his dad for his mom a couple of months back. He didn't, however, remember seeing Zayn there. The lady there was quite polite and cheerful but Louis didn't recall enough of her face to determine any resemblance between Zayn and her.
Liam looked like he could care less and headed toward their usual table. Louis trailed behind him.
"I don't know how you eat this crap." Zayn casually strolled alongside Liam and said. "Me and Haz usually eat at the diner next door. Their chicken pizza is out of this world. You should join us sometimes."
Liam did look down at his greasy soup but made no comment.
"You should try that one on Niall. He'll come running if you give him enough food." Louis said to Harry who gave him a grin and a thumbs up while Liam turned around to glare at him.
They sat down at their table and for a split second, Louis actually thought Zayn and Harry were going to sit down next to them. But Zayn shrugged his shoulder and wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulder.
"We're quite late for our lunch." He said to Liam and finally turned to Louis."See ya around, pretty."
Louis felt warm at Zayn's words but then, he remembered the flowers and the winks that are not aimed at him and told himself to stop feeling.
"I can't believe you told Harry about Niall." Liam accused him.
Louis shrugged. "Niall seemed to like him." And offered no more explanation.
He did wish he was eating a chicken pizza though.
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Louis hated Geography. He could understand learning about countries and where they are generally located in the world but he never understand why he would ever need to know the population of Indonesia or the major export product of Finland.
He doodled mindlessly on his notebook while waiting for Mr. Martin to roll into the class, 15 minutes late and heavy books that no one know what they are about under his arms as usual.
"Hey pretty."
He felt a snap in his neck from how quickly he looked up.
"What are you doing here?" He asked Zayn, who was sitting down in Eleanor's seat, next to Louis' desk.
"I do go to school here." Zayn said and dumped his book on the desk unceremoniously.
"I didn't remember seeing you in this class."
Zayn shrugged. "I usually sit in the back but I saw you today and couldn't resist, could I, pretty?"
"I don't know why you call me that." Louis mumbled. He saw Eleanor coming into class and looked confusedly at Louis and Zayn sitting in her seat. "And you are sitting in Eleanor's seat." He pointed towards the brown-haired girl.
"Don't really care." Zayn said and Eleanor frowned before moving towards the back of the class. Louis mouthed "sorry" at her.
"Anyway," Zayn said, putting his arms behind his back and leaned his chair back enough it hit the desk of the guy sitting behind him. "to answer your question, I call you pretty because you are."
Louis felt his face warmed up.
"You like Liam. Shouldn't you be calling him that?"
"I call him prettier." Zayn smirked and Louis felt a lump in his throat.
"Oh." He muttered and ducked his head, feeling stupid.
"I am just talking shit." Zayn sighed. "I like him but I can subjectively say that you are the pretty one of the group, can't I? Even Haz agrees."
"Oh." Louis said again because he had nothing else to say.
"You do like it when I call you pretty, don't you?" Zayn smirked and Louis decided ignoring him is the best response.
Zayn didn't say another word to Louis throughout the class and even Mr. Martin seemed slightly surprised to see Zayn sitting in the front of the class. Louis sneaked a few peeks at the boy next desk during class but Zayn always look bored or more interested in writing down in his notebook, although Louis is pretty sure he's not taking down Geography notes.
The bell rang after what felt like an eternity and Louis sprang up from his feet. It was his last period before the weekend and he is more than a tad eager to get home.
"So, Louis." Zayn said as they walked out of the class and Louis felt a rise in his stomach just from hearing Zayn's mouth rolling off his name. "Ever been to a bar on Stag road?”
"No and don't want to." He replied.
"How do you know you don't want to if you've never actually been to one?"
"I know enough."
"You really really don't." Zayn laughed. "It's Friday. Why don't you come with me to The Fog? It's not too 'raunchy' for a little white bread like you." He said, air-quotes and all.
"I-"
"And you can bring Niall and Liam." Zayn smirked and Louis felt a vindictive bile rising in his throat. Of course, the only reason Zayn would ask Louis to hang out with him is because Liam comes with Louis. Louis needs to stop being delusional over things that meant nothing.
"I don't want to. And the boys won't want to either." He replied with more curtness than necessary.
Zayn frowned. "Did I say something wrong?"
Louis just bit his lips and stepped out into the parking lot. Niall and Liam were already there. Fridays were gym days for the two of them and they were usually let out early. To his surprise, he saw Harry leaning against his car next to Niall and talking to him. Niall didn't look particularly antagonized either. Then again, Louis felt like he shouldn’t be really surprised. Liam, however, looked constipated from the way he is furrowing his eyebrows and glaring at Harry.
"Let's go, boys." He said in general direction and threw his backpack into the backseat.
"I was just telling Niall you guys could join us at the Fog -" Harry drawled.
"No." Louis cut in and Harry narrowed his eyes at him.
"I think Niall can speak for himself."
"Do you want to go to a bar with them, Niall?" He turned around and asked directly to Niall, who looked startled.
"I- err - I guess not?"
"Then get in." He ignored every one else and got into the driver seat. Zayn came standing next to him, body half bent as he put his arms on the hinge of the window seat.
“Are you alright?”
“Peachy.” Louis replied and started the engine, barely giving Zayn time to take off his hands off his car. He rolled the car out of the parking lot and this time, there is no bike following them.
“You angry or something?” Niall asked.
“No.” Louis lied. “What? You really wanted to go with them?”
“Well, not really.” Niall sighed. “I mean, I like Harry but I don’t really want to go to a bar -“
“Wait. Hold on.” Liam interrupted. “You like Harry? What do you mean you like Harry?”
Niall looked like a boy caught with his hands in cookie jar. Growing up with him, that look actually was not very foreign to Louis. His mom did put all the cookie jars onto the topmost shelf whenever Niall came over.
“He’s not a bad guy. I mean, he comes on a little strong but you know, he’s nice.”
“You met him yesterday!” Liam cried.
“You met Dani for a total of three hours before you asked her out!” Niall responded.
“That was different!”
“Why? Because Harry is a guy?”
Well, there it is. The fucking elephant in the room.
“No,” Liam muttered looking unsure. “I mean, I would be saying the same thing if it is a girl riding bikes and smoking at school asking you out.”
“You sure.” Louis met Liam’s eyes in the back mirror. Please be sure because I love you and I can’t lose you.
“Yes.” Liam said with more conviction this time. “I don’t care if it is a guy or a girl if they are nice to you.”
“Harry’s nice to me.” Niall muttered.
“You really properly like him?” Louis asked.
“Well, I sure don’t hate him, you know.” Niall replied. “And he’s cute.”
“I still don’t think he’s good enough for you.” Liam said petulantly.
“Whatever, dad.” Niall mock whispered and Liam leaned over to pull Niall into a headlock. And that was that.
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Louis spent the weekend mostly at home. His dad had been renovating the basement for a couple of months and he asked for “father-son bonding” time with Louis during the repaint, whatever that meant. It mainly consisted of talking about their mom and the new diet she’s forcing on them all, school, football, Louis’ sisters, football, Liam and Niall, football. Then, of course, his dad had to go and say they are renovating the basement so that Louis could give his current room to Lottie and move into the basement, each square inches his own. Louis might have squealed and hug attacked his dad but they agreed to never talk about it.
He used his “I always pick you up and drop you off. You owe me.” card on Liam and Niall to force them to come help him move next weekend. They looked more excited than reluctant, probably because they will be spending a heck lot of time there. He is setting up his own game room and a small kitchen. It’s like living on your own on a small scale and it’s gonna be awesome. Of course, he did accuse them of free loading because what are best friends for, really. Liam then reminded him that Louis had been living on Mrs. Payne’s morning pancakes ever since he got his license and drove Liam to school. Louis just grinned and took another bite out of the fluffy pancake Mrs. Payne had put in a tuppleware labeled Louis.
He tried not to feel kicked at the sight of another red rose on Liam’s locker.
Liam promptly took it off.
“I don’t know why he is doing this.” He complained. “It’s not like he doesn’t know I have a girlfriend. He saw me and Dani in the hallway the other day.” Liam continued and threw the flower into the nearest bin. Louis sighed.
“I’ll see you guys at lunch, yeah?”
“Wait. I forgot.” Niall said, looking sheepish. “Harry asked me..well us, actually to eat lunch with them at this diner-“
“And you said yes.” Liam said in his most disapproving tone.
“I said I’ll think about it.” Niall replied defensively. “But you know, the cafeteria food sucks and I could never pass a good pizza.”
“You should go too.” Louis said. “I mean, you probably won’t want to let Niall go alone.”
“I don’t need protection.” Niall frowned.
Liam ignored him. “You are not going?”
“I don’t think the invitation extends to me.” Louis said bitterly.
“If I am going, I am bringing Dani with me.” Liam said determinately. “And you.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Louis said and headed towards his first class.
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Lunch came around slowly, as it usually does on Mondays and Louis dragged himself towards the cafeteria. He saw Niall and Liam at the entrance together with Harry and Zayn, and his heart did this stupid jumping thing when Louis saw Zayn’s face for the first time today.
“You guys haven’t gone off yet?”
“We are waiting for Dani.” Liam replied.
“And you.” Harry said. “Why am I hearing that you are not joining us?”
“I don’t think I am welcome.” Louis shrugged.
“Don’t be dumb, pretty.” Zayn said from where he was standing next to Liam. Louis ignored him.
Dani strolled along the hall way, looking slightly out of breath. “Sorry boys, History was a bitch.” She met Liam with a peck on the lips and Liam kissed her a little longer than he normally does in public. Louis thought it might be more of a show for Zayn than how much Liam missed Dani during the two hours he didn’t see her.
He sneaked a look at Zayn and saw the boy smirking at the kissing couple, his eyes shining like he’s watching a particular fascinating puzzle and he had all the answers to it.
Louis didn’t like that look.
“Well, let’s go then if you people are quite finished with sucking face.” Niall said loudly and Liam pulled himself away from Dani, looking smug. At least, Dani was looking a bit embarrassed.
“Yeah, sorry boys. Where are we going again?”
“The diner two place over.” Harry answered and led the way. “We can just walk right over. It’s about a five minute walk.”
“I thought we are not supposed to go off school ground during lunch.”
“A lot of people do,” Zayn shrugged. “And a girl like you? I didn’t think you’d be the kind to pay too much attention to the rules.”
“Oh, I like you.” Dani laughed and Liam scowled. “Who are you again?”
It made Zayn laughed softly before he introduced himself and Harry to Dani, telling her that they are Liam’s new friends. Luckily, Liam didn’t contradict although his face looked like he was sucking on a lemon.
The diner was fairly empty when they walked in and a bored looking waitress in her 40s came to take their order. True to Zayn’s words, the pizza was really great and Harry laughed at Niall’s over-exaggerated moaning at the first bite.
“I am getting jealous over here, Niall.” He said. “Over a pizza.”
Niall just smirked and put more cheese on his slice. Dani raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.
Zayn took off his jacket and Louis felt his eyes widen at the sight of a full sleeve tattoo his right arm. It is a bird, a peacock to be exact, with colorful and intricately drawn feathers wrapping around Zayn’s biceps. It looked gorgeous on Zayn’s skin and Louis wanted to run his hand along it.
“I want to get a tattoo.” Dani announced and it broke Louis’ stare on Zayn’s arm.
“What?” Liam exclaimed.
“Well, not like full on sleeve. Although yours is very nicely done, Zayn.” Dani said and Zayn gave her a mock salute. “Maybe a small one on my neck or something. I don’t know.”
“I can introduce you to my tattoo artist.” Zayn offered. “He’s the best. You’ll love him.”
“Like I am gonna let her go anywhere near that area.” Liam piped in.
“What do you mean that area?”
“What do you mean let me?”
Liam looked slightly scared. “I just mean...Zayn lives on Stag Street. I don’t wanna let you.. I mean, I don’t want you to be there on your own, babe. Look, if you really want a tattoo, I’ll come with you.”
“I don’t actually live on Stag Street, you know.” Zayn replied. “Although I spent a good amount of time there.”
“Sweet.” Dani practically preened. “I always wanted to get into one of those bars. Can you get me in?”
Liam looked like he was regretting his entire existence.
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The lunch was not the worst thing ever to happen although Liam might disagree. Zayn and Dani got on so well that Liam looked 50% convinced that Dani was gonna throw on a leather jacket and joined Zayn’s non-existent biker gang. He grabbed her hand once they were out of the diner and walked ahead of the group, talking quietly to her. Niall and Harry were strolling leisurely behind them and Louis had no choice but to walk with Zayn.
“You are quiet.” Zayn commented.
“Nothing much to say.” Louis replied, and it’s true. Niall and Harry were talking between themselves all through lunch while Zayn and Dani talked tattoos and one of the art class Zayn was taking that Dani took last semester, while Liam tried to interject into the conversation while he could. It’s not like Louis had anything much to contribute to.
“I thought you were still mad at me.” Zayn said.
“I am not mad at you...I was not mad at you.” Louis sighed.
“Alright.” Zayn smiled. “But in case you are,” He slipped his hand into his leather jacket’s pocket and pulled a little silvery blob. Zayn pressed it into Louis’ hand and Louis opened his palm to see a Hershey’s Hugs.
Zayn then walked over to Liam and Dani and interrupted whatever they were saying but Louis couldn’t even care because he was smiling stupidly down at the chocolate in his hand.
He put the Hershey’s Hugs into the empty fishbowl he had in his room. His goldfish died about three years ago and he was meant to buy a new one but never got around to it and left with an empty fish bowl on his bedside table. He blinked at the chocolate sitting on the bottom of the bowl and groaned to himself because he is stupid. Zayn makes him stupid.
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The lunches became a tradition. To quote Niall, “would you go back to putting shit in your mouth if you have tasted heaven, Louis?” Dani couldn’t joined them always because she is a senior and only had two days with the same lunch period as them. It’s usually the five of them going off for lunch and even Liam doesn’t scowl anymore when a familiar bike pulled over next to Louis’ car in the morning.
The flowers never stopped though and it was funny because Liam said Zayn never talked about it. Liam never asked Zayn about it either so it just remained this perpetually obvious topic that they would all avoid talking about. Zayn never hit on Liam in any way or form except for the flower either. In fact, if Zayn hadn’t told Louis that he liked Liam on that very first day, Louis would be totally doubtful about Zayn’s intention. Even Liam seemed to start thinking that way because he started treating Zayn as a friend rather than a person he could barely tolerate. He still threw away the flowers and Louis felt unexplainably sad whenever he had to witness it.
And then it was about five weeks since Louis turned into the Stag Street when Niall jumped into the car on a Monday morning and announced. “I kissed Harry last night.”
Liam choked on his coffee.
“I am quite surprised it took this long actually.” Louis said and he really was. With the way Harry and Niall were flirting all the time and the possessive arm wrap Niall allowed Harry to put across his shoulders, he would have thought they were on their way to being serious a long time ago.
“You were with him last night?” Liam said after he coughed enough to clear his throat.
“He usually came to my house around 10 almost every night.” Niall admitted. “We normally just talked but last night, he leaned in and you know, we took it from there.”
“Congratulations I guess.” Louis offered. “How was it?”
“Eh, he used so much tongue so I told him to slow down. But his lips are so soft and they-”
“I was looking for a general “it was good” or “it was bad” answer. But thanks.” Louis cut him off.
“So, what? You guys are officially dating now?” Liam asked.
Niall looked panicked. “I don’t know. Are we?”
“You are the one sneaking boys into your house and kissing them.” Liam smirked. “You tell me?”
“I don’t sneak him into my house.” Niall replied. “We usually just go to the park and talk.”
“I am betting you didn’t do much talking last night.”
“Not really. Oh god, is he my boyfriend now? What do I do? What do I tell him what I see him? Liam, what do you say to Dani after your first kiss?”
“Jesus, Niall. Calm down.” Louis told him. “It’s pretty obvious he’s head over dick for you. Just ask him if he wants to be your boyfriend. Do you want him to be your boyfriend?”
“I don’t know, maybe.” Niall replied, unsure.
And then, Zayn’s bike pulled up next to them and Niall preened when Harry drawled out a “morning, darling” before leaning him over to kiss him.
“I am not telling your mom if you fell off my bike and broke your neck.” Zayn said, sunglasses over his eyes and a cigarette between his teeth.
“You are just jealous because you can’t kiss the boy you want.” Harry smirked and Zayn looked at Liam.
“Yeah, too bad.”
Louis looked away. Looking away from Zayn seemed to have became a regular pattern in his life.
“So this Friday.” Zayn said as they all got off of their respective vehicles and headed towards the school building. “We are celebrating Harry finally getting some at the Fog and you guys are all coming over.”
Liam looked ready to protest but Zayn said, “I will ask Dani later and you know she’ll say yes.”
That shut him up.
“Oh hey, since I was not here early,” Zayn said and unzipped his backup to took off a prim red rose. He handed it over to Liam with a smirk and Liam took it, laughing like it is an inside joke. It probably is now but Louis sure didn’t feel that way.
“I should give it to Dani.” Liam said and Louis pressed down the urge to grab the rose by the steam and shred it into petals.
****************************************************************************************************************************************************
The Fog is awesome.
It is a bar slash club slash restaurant thing and the lights were lit low enough that everything seems illuminated. The speakers are playing some rock and roll song Louis didn’t know the name of but it was loud and had a nice beat to it that people can easily move to it. It was fairly crowded and Louis stood out like a sore thumb in his normal striped shirt and pants because everyone else looked mature and badass in their leather accessories and tattoos and piercings. Louis vaguely wondered if it was a requirement in Stag Street for its inhabitants to have any of those three things on their bodies. At least, he had Niall, Liam and Dani looking every bit of a high school kid as him so he didn’t feel very bad.
Harry and Zayn apparently knew the bar owner who was also tending the bar and they introduced him as Nick. Nick gave them one beer each, except for Louis because he was driving. He made an argument that Zayn will also be riding his bike but Zayn just gave him a dirty smirk and grabbed his allocated beer.
“I’ve been wanting to meet this little blond guy Harry’s been talking about for weeks.” Nick winked at Niall, who blushed and hit Harry slightly in the belly.
“I am not little.” He complained.
“You sure are, darling.” Harry grinned. “That’s why you fit next to me quite nicely.” He pulled Niall tighter by the hand around his waist until their bodies are flushed together and Niall shoved his face into Harry’s neck.
“Young love. It’s disgusting.” Nick said and turned to Louis. “So, Louis, I am sorry about that beer but I owe you one and if you ever find yourself someone that will drive you home, you can always drop by.”
“I will..hold you onto that.” Louis replied, not sure if Nick was flirting with him or not. He had been around Zayn and Harry enough that the lines between flirting and flirting had started to mix up.
“C’mon. We are going dancing.” Dani shouted over the music and dragged Liam towards the dance floor. The rest followed them pretty quickly.
It was fun at first because it was painfully obvious Louis and Niall can’t dance for shit and they kept making up ridiculous moves just for the sake of it. But then, the songs started to get a little friskier and the two couples took off from the group to dance with each other. Louis felt nervous and tense standing there with Zayn in front of him while some lady was crooning how she touched herself thinking of her love.
“Come on, I am going to have a smoke.” Zayn whispered and grabbed Louis’ hand, leading him to the back door of the bar without waiting for his reply. Louis guessed it’s better to go outside with Zayn than to stay inside and dance by himself and make a fool out of himself.
Zayn sat himself down on a bench with a sign that says “Employees Only” and Louis sat down next to him. Zayn took out a cigarette and lighted it up before bringing it up to his lips. Louis was almost captivated by the way Zayn’s cheeks hallow when he sucked in the smoke and the way his lips pucker up to blow it out. He had know Zayn for over a month now and he felt like he should have enough familiarity with the sight of Zayn’s smoking to not get painfully turn on. He was wrong. He usually was.
Zayn wordlessly handed the cigarette over to him and Louis shook his head. “I don’t smoke, remember?”
“You can always try.” Zayn suggested.
“What would my mom say?” Louis shook his head. “First, you are taking me to a bar and now you are taking me into a back alley to smoke with you.”
Zayn smirked. “There are worse things - or better, depend on how you define - to happen in the back alleys.”
Louis felt his cheeks heat up and he took the cigarette Zayn was still offering him. He sucked in the end of the stick and a cloud of smoke immediately went down his throat, causing him to choke and cough up.
“Don’t breathe everything in.” Zayn said as he rubbed Louis on the back. “You gotta take it slow.”
“I am not doing that again.” Louis coughed.
“How about this?” Zayn asked and sucked in the smoke from the cigarette before leaning in suddenly to blow the smoke directly into Louis’ mouth. The smoke is warm and leaves an ashy taste in Louis’ mouth but Louis could only focus on how near they suddenly were and how Zayn’s lips seem to be just resting on him. He could see Zayn’s eyelashes and if he just leaned in a little more, his mouth will be slotting right against Zayn’s. He wanted to find out if his mouth will fit perfectly against Zayn’s like he always imagined.
“You like it?” Zayn pulled his face away and asked, and Louis wanted to say Yes, god yes. Do that again until I die from how good you feel next to me. But instead he said, “It’s ok. Still not seeing the fuss though.”
Zayn shrugged. “Different folks, different tastes I guess.”
Louis just mumbled out a yes.
Zayn continued smoking and Louis was just content to sit there, staring at the blank wall of the next door building. He could hear he faint thump of music from the inside and drummed his fingers along with the beat. The wind started to blow quite harshly and Louis moved away his fringe from getting into his eyes. He shivered slightly because he took off his jacket inside the bar and his thin cotton shirt won’t make it through this wind.
“Here,” Zayn put his cigarette between his lips and took off his leather jacket before handing it over to Louis. He was wearing a grey henley beneath it and Louis took a good minute to stare at his biceps.
He did put the jacket on him and muttered his thanks. The jacket is warm and smelled like smokes and flowers and the cologne Zayn always used. It smelled like Zayn and Louis briefly wondered if this is what it would feel like to lie down next to Zayn and cuddle up with his arms around Louis. He stopped that train of thought.
“You are a right romantic, aren’t you?” He said. “I mean, jacket and chocolates and flowers.”
Zayn hummed a noncommittal noise.
“What’s with the flowers?” Louis pressed on. “I mean, you don’t look particularly concerned that Liam is with Dani. You can probably tell how in love he is with her.”
If Zayn felt hurt by Louis’ words, he didn’t show. Instead, he just dropped the cigarette onto the ground and stepped on the lit end, killing it. “Force of habit I guess.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Not everything have to make sense, pretty.” Zayn replied and Louis laughed.
“Feel like you haven’t called me that in a long time.”
“Yeah?” Zayn raised an eyebrow. “You missed it? Don’t worry, babe. You are still the prettiest around here.”
He stood up. “Let’s go back in. I think we’ve been out long enough.”
Louis wanted to pull him down and stay here and talk for the rest of the night but he didn’t. He just nodded and followed Zayn back inside.
****************************************************************************************************************************************************
And then there were midterms and even Harry and Niall stopped being ridiculously saccharine long enough to study. Dani hadn’t even come out to lunch with them lately because her senior course load is much bigger than them and she’s spending her lunch mostly in the library.
Louis could breathe a little easier after all of his midterms are done even though he’s pretty sure he’s getting at most a B- in Geography. Zayn asked them all to go out to The Fog but Liam didn’t want to go because Dani still had exams and he felt bad going alone. Harry and Niall, of course, already had plans and Niall looked slightly apologetic when they say no to Zayn.
“Seem like just you and me, pretty.” Zayn grinned.
“I am getting that one free beer.” Louis said firmly. “And I am gonna leave my car so you will have to take me home and Nick had no excuse on designated driver bullshit.”
“You sure are swearing a lot lately.”
“Cause of you.” Louis replied freely. “You corrupted me.”
“Do I now?” Zayn laughed. “I will pick you up at 7 then. Look pretty for me.”
****************************************************************************************************************************************************
“You sure are not letting go of that one beer thing.” Nick laughed as he put a cold beer in front of Louis.
“How could I?” Louis teased back. “My two best friends get their first beer on the same night and I got it a month later. You were the thorn in my transition to a man, Nick.”
“I am sorry.” Nick leaned over the counter with a glint in his eyes. The bar was fairly empty with what looked like regular customers in a corner booth. Zayn disappeared after he dropped Louis off at the bar, saying he’ll be back soon. Louis suspected he’s getting a smoke in.
“Can I do something for you to, you know, show how sorry I am?” Nick was saying and Louis looked at his face, which was much closer to Louis’ own that it was necessary.
“I don’t know. Another beer?” He joked nervously. Nick made him nervous although it is a different kind of nervous he felt with Zayn.
“Can’t do that, love.” What is it with people around here and their pet names habits, seriously? “I am in big enough trouble with that one beer seeing how you are not yet 21.”
“So?” Louis whispered back.
“I don’t know. Any other request?” Nick’s face was getting closer to him and Louis swallowed down his nervousness.
“I have,” Louis said so quietly he’s not even sure Nick heard him. “Never kissed a guy before.”
“Oh,” The glint in Nick’s eyes turned more mischievous. “I can fix that. Quite easily actually.”
And then they were kissing. Nick was confident and it was obvious he knew what he was doing. Louis tried to imitate his movements, opened his mouth a little more and let Nick’s tongue slide in, sucking on it softly. The faint stubble rash on his chin only made him more excited and he wondered if it is appropriate to climb over a bar counter and made out properly with the bar owner.
Nick dropped the kiss after a while and gave him a small peck. “I don’t think you need much lesson there, love.”
“So, I am guessing this is why you were so insistent on coming back?”
Louis turned his head to see Zayn standing with his hands in his pockets, one elbow on the counter.
“I wasn’t insistent!” Louis frowned. “You were the one suggesting to come here in the first place.”
“Because I didn’t know you were shagging Nick.”
Nick laughed. “Nobody is shagging anybody here, Zayn.”
“Seriously?” Zayn turned to Nick. “You could well be his father.”
“Ouch. Not that old.” Nick said flippantly. “And you were not complaining when it was Harry I was kissing.”
Louis felt his jaw dropped open.
“Oh, it was long before Harry even met Niall. Don’t worry.” Nick turned to him and assured him.
“Harry knew what he was doing.”
“And I am not?” Louis questioned, anger flaring in his stomach.
“You’ve been here only twice, Louis. You don’t know anything about the people around here.”
“I am stepping out of this.” Nick commented. “But if you are gonna have a fight, do it outside my bar.”
Zayn shot Nick a dirty look, who left the bar counter and went into the back room.
“What is wrong with you? Don’t treat me like I am a fucking kid.” Louis told him curtly.
“Obviously,” Zayn smirked. “I left you for five fucking minutes and you are already kissing the first guy available. What? You gonna leave your cute little schoolboy shit and join us in the dark side? You enjoying the Stag Street, after all.”
“Fuck you Zayn.” Louis stood up from his stool with enough force it almost sent the stool flying backwards. “I never asked you to bring me here. You dragged me! You wanted me here.”
“Oh, I do not, pretty.” Zayn leaned in and his smile turned cruel. “If Liam was as easy as you, he’d be here instead of you. You are just here because Liam doesn’t want to be.”
Louis felt like someone just slammed him right in the abdomen. He should say something cutting back like Because Liam knows better than to want some arrogant little shit like you and I hope it hurts you as much as it is hurting me. But he couldn’t because his throats felt constricted like someone is choking him and he couldn’t breathe. He felt his stomach being turned upside down and there is a little voice in his head whispering to him that it’s your own fault Louis.
“Will you-” He said, hating how shaky his voice is and tried to blink away the tears. “will you just take me home? You don’t need to bring me all the way. Just put me somewhere on the main street and I’ll get a cab.”
“Louis-” Zayn started but Louis felt tired and a little afraid of what might come out of Zayn’s mouth next.
“Please.” He added.
“I- okay.” Zayn replied and led him out of the bar to where he had parked his bike.
“Look,” Zayn turned around. “I don’t know why I said it. Maybe because I am a stupid fucking idiot with a big mouth. I am just..I am sorry.”
“Ok.” Louis replied and waited for Zayn to turn the engine on.
Zayn did, eventually and the bike shot its way through the night streets.
Zayn brought him all the way home and when Louis got off, he grabbed his wrist. “You know I didn’t mean any of it right? I want you. I mean, I want you there. You are also my friend. I am sorry. I was just trying to...”
Louis didn’t listen what Zayn was trying to do. He pulled his wrist free and whispered his goodbye before going into his house without looking back. His mom looked at him worriedly but he just smiled at her and went down to his room.
He didn’t hear the engine noise of Zayn leaving until another ten minutes.
****************************************************************************************************************************************************
There is a boutique of white tulips tied together with a pink ribbon on the hood of his car the next morning. There’s a card attached to it and Louis threw the whole thing into the trash without reading the card.
He didn’t go to lunch with the rest of the boys, choosing to stay in the library instead. But he had Economy together with Niall right after Lunch and he couldn’t avoid him there.
“Where were you during lunch?” Niall whispered once the teacher turned his back.
“Don’t feel like eating.” Louis shrugged.
“Did something happen with you and Zayn because he kept asking him if you look ok.”
Louis thought of denying but Niall is one of his oldest and best friend and he didn’t want to lie to him. “Yes. But I don’t want to talk about it.”
Niall looked betrayed. “I told you everything about me and Harry.”
“It’s not like that.” Louis whispered back. “Just please?”
“Okay.” Niall huffed. “But tell me one thing. Did he hurt you? Because I’ll beat him up, tough biker guy or not.”
Louis laughed. “You don’t need to, Niall. I am fine.”
“Will you have lunch with us tomorrow then?”
“I - probably not.”
“Then, you are so far from fine you might as well be on different planets.”
The white tulips kept appearing every morning and Louis kept throwing them away. Niall and Liam stopped eating lunch with Harry and Zayn to stay back in school with him and it only made Louis feel worse.
On Friday, when the school was over, he headed over to the parking lot to see Zayn sitting in his car. Louis had never regretted more that he decided to park his car open-roofed in school.
“I gave Harry the bike to drop Niall off.” Zayn said with a small smile. “And Liam is off with Dani. Can we talk? Please?”
Louis didn’t reply and he hardly thinks he could kick Zayn out of the car so he just got in and starts the engine.
“Look, I am not good with apologies.” Zayn said when Louis drove the car out of the school area. “I know I said things I shouldn’t have said. Things I didn’t even mean. I think..I just wanted to spite you or whatever, you know. Say something that will hurt you because I am fucking stupid when it comes to fights but Louis, you have to know I didn’t mean it, right? You know you are not less important than anything else in my life.”
Louis’ grip on the steering wheel tightened.
“Would you just say something back please?” Zayn pleaded. “Even if it’s I hate you or whatever. Just something I could work with.”
“Get out of my car.”
“What?”
Louis pulled the car to a stop. “Just go, Zayn.”
“Lou, please.”
“Just get off because I swear to god, I will drive straight to your mother’s shop and tell her you are harassing me.”
“Is that what you think? You honestly think I am harassing you?”
“I don’t know!” Louis shouted. “I don’t know anything any more when it comes to you, do I? I thought I was good enough for you.”
“You are! You are good enou- you are more than good enough. Where is this even coming from?”
“Just get off, Zayn.” Louis whispered and Zayn’s face tensed before he pushed out the car door and stepped out.
“For what it’s worth, I am sorry.” Louis ignored Zayn and drove off.
****************************************************************************************************************************************************
Louis felt asleep late. He was barely slipping into sleep when there was a loud knock on the window. He only had two windows in the basement, just barely above ground to let sunlight in during the day. He is used to slipping Niall or Liam in and out of this window when they want to sneak in. The pounding grew louder and Louis rolled out of his bed groaning.
The knock was coming from the one window next to his desk and he pulled a chair to step on it.
“Zayn, what the hell?” He exclaimed.
“Can I come in?”
“No. Fuck, are you drunk?”
“Maybe. Please. Can I come in?”
“God, you are gonna wake my parents.” Louis gritted his teeth and opened the window large enough for Zayn to slip through.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” He asked once Zayn fell onto his ass on the floor of his room while slipping through the window.
“Wanted to see you, pretty.” Zayn slurred, body a little shaking as he tried to stand up.
“It’s 2 in the morning!”
“So?” Zayn shrugged. “I miss you.”
“God, I can’t deal with this.” Louis rubbed a hand over his face. “I can’t deal with you.”
“You won’t let me talk to you. You won’t let me apologize. What am I supposed to do?” Zayn responded.
“I don’t know but probably not breaking into my house at 2 in the fucking morning!”
“It’s not breaking in if you let me in.” Zayn muttered and planted himself down on Louis’ bed.
Louis sat down cautiously beside him. “We have school in 6 hours.”
“You are always so pretty you know that?” Zayn said like Louis’ reminder had no effect on him. “And you have these little crinkles next to your eyes whenever you laugh and I want to kiss them until they smooth out.”
“Zayn. What are you doing?” Louis asked, feeling out of breath all of a sudden.
“I want to kiss you everywhere all the damn time, do you even know that? And then you go and kiss someone else-”
“Woah. Stop.” Louis said. “I go and kiss someone else? You wanted to kiss me all the time? Are you fucking serious with this bullshit now because you are the one with all the flowers for Liam and all the winks for every pretty girl in school and you are the one who told me you’ll take Perrie to the prom. And I am somehow the bad guy in all of this?”
“Yes you are.” Zayn shouted back. “Because nobody ever gets under my skin like you and nobody ever makes me want to fucking bend the world to just make them smile and I don’t know how to deal with it.”
“You can’t just.. you can’t just come in and say things like that, you asshole.” Louis cried. “I am - ”
Zayn’s lips were on him suddenly and he reeked off cigarettes and alcohol outside of his normal smell that Louis was already familiar with. His kisses were neither gentle nor slow and Louis felt like Zayn is claiming him, making a sloppy statement.
He pushed Zayn off.
“I am not your second choice, Zayn.”
“Have you even been listening to what I’m saying?” Zayn looked exasperated. “Because you are anything but my second choice.”
“It’s a bit hard to believe, isn’t it?” Louis bit back.
“I know I screwed up. I should have..I should have told you all these before things got out of hand.” Zayn said quietly.
“You should have.” Louis agreed.
“Yeah. I’ll just-“ Zayn said. “I’ll just leave you to sleep, I guess. Sorry I just barged in.”
“Did you ride your bike here?” Louis narrowed his eyes at him.
“Nah. Don’t worry about me pretty.” He walked over to the chair and climbed up into the window.
“Hey Louis, did you ever, I mean, did you, you know, want -”
“I did. More than anything.” Louis admitted.
“Okay.”
And then he disappeared into the night.
The next morning, when he found a long-stemmed red rose with a note that said “You were never a second choice. You are on the very top of choices I could possibly make & it scares me so much.” on his car, he didn’t throw it away.
****************************************************************************************************************************************************
“No. 4 is 17 over 21, isn’t it?” Niall asked Louis as they both came out of the exam hall way.
“I don’t remember.” Louis frowned. “Is it the one with the speed of light?”
“Yeah.”
“I am pretty sure I got a whole number for answer.”
“Shit man,” Niall groaned. “I knew I did something wrong.”
“It’s just a 2 mark question, Niall. You’ll be fine.” Louis told his friend as they watched Liam weaved through the huge student crowd towards them.
“I hate finals.” Liam groaned. “So much.”
“Hey, two more and then it’s summer.” Niall tried to cheer him up.
“How did it go, darling?” Two hands wrapped around Niall from behind and Niall laughed as Harry blew into his ear. “You knocked them dead, I hope.”
“I got a 2 mark question wrong.”
“You still have 98 left.” Harry grinned into Niall’s temple. “And how about you two? Looking forward to the summer?”
“Very.” Liam said enthusiastically. “Me and Dani are planning a road trip.”
“That’s actually a good idea.” Harry nodded thoughtfully. “What do you say, baby? Me and you, and the road? Let’s go to Vegas and get married?”
Niall elbowed him in the stomach softly. “I am not marrying you, jackass.”
“Aww babe,” Harry laughed into Niall’s hair. “When is your next exam?”
“4 PM Bio. Ergh.” Niall groaned pathetically.
“I am gonna go and wait for Dani. See you guys.” Liam bounced off first.
“And I’d better go and study, I guess.” Niall frowned. “I’ll be in the library.”
“I’ll come find you later.” Harry quickly kissed Niall and Niall rushed off towards the library. Louis didn’t take Bio with Niall so he was free for the day, although he’ll have two more exams tomorrow, an hour apart from each other.
“Hey Louis. How’ve you been?”
“Good.” Louis smiled and tried to decide if he should head home or go after Niall to the library and study for tomorrow.
“So, Zayn told me what happened.” Harry started and Louis’ train of thoughts stopped abruptly.
“Oh.”
“Yeah. And I think he’s a stupid dumbass.” Harry said. “I told him so.”
“Ok.”
“But you know,” Harry sighed. “That stupid dumbass had been my best friend for over ten years and feeling bad for him is like unavoidable.”
“What are you saying, Harry?”
“It’s been over two months, Louis. And you are still not talking to him.”
Louis frowned. “This is not a time thing. I am not trying to see how long I can punish him or whatever.”
“I know.” Harry replied. “You still get the flowers?”
“Every morning.” And always with a note. The one this morning simply says “Good luck, love”. Louis still have both the rose and the note in his backpack.
“He’s a damn fool, you know.” Harry said. “You see his tattoos and leather jackets and you see him smoking on his bike and you think this guy is a cool guy but actually he is so damn scared of feeling things he is a downright coward.”
“Did you also tell Zayn that?” Louis asked.
“Yeah,” Harry laughed. “And he agreed and then threatened me to punch me in the face. Look, all I am saying is, Zayn likes you. Like really properly like you.”
“I know.” Louis admitted.
“Oh,” Harry looked like he was caught off guard. “Alright. I guess I just want to make sure you know it.”
“Yeah.” Louis smiled.
“I will just go off then.”
“Hey Harry,” Louis called.
“Yeah?”
“When you see Zayn later, can you tell him that if he wants to, he should give me the next flower in person.”
Harry grinned big. “Gotcha.”
****************************************************************************************************************************************************
Louis didn’t expect Zayn to be there when he reached home.
He was in his trademark leather jacket and leaning against Louis’ fence, backpack slid off to the ground next to his feet.
“Hey, pretty.” He greeted and Louis felt a flip in his heart.
“Zayn.” He said back.
Zayn lifted his bag and took out a blood red rose from it.
“I thought we are going one flower per day.” Louis said numbly when Zayn handed him the flower.
“Special occasion.” Zayn shrugged.
Louis turned the rose in his hand to read the attached note. Will you have me?
He touched the notepaper gently and Zayn cleared his throat. “So, will ya?”
Louis smiled at him. “Yeah.”
“Yeah?” Zayn’s face broke into a grin. "Even though I was a dick to you and you probably deserve better?"
“Yeah.” Louis repeated. "Even though you were a dick to me and I deserve better but I don't want anything better."
Zayn stepped closer and took Louis’ face in his hands. “You and me, pretty,” he whispered. “We are gonna move the fucking world.”
Louis laughed his agreement into Zayn’s kiss.