Chapter 23: TWENTY-THREE
"Let us go home," Louis whispered warmly into Harry's freezing ear after the boys had watched the fireworks and drank a few glasses of champagne. Just celebrating the beginning of a new year.
The two took two bikes Liam had offered them. At this point, Harry was glad he hadn't drunk too much. "You're sure you don't want a lift?"
"No, Liam we are fine," Louis said still cursing his bike, he obviously hated it, but the others were definitely too drunk to give them a lift so he had no choice. Harry for his part liked it. It would replace the gym he had planned to go to, the next week.
"Thanks for coming-" Liam was leaning in the doorframe trying to seem sober. Spoiler, he did a terrible job of it.
Niall stumbled past him heading towards Harry, he put his arm around the taller boy's shoulder and mumbled something into his ear. Harry immediately blushed as he felt Niall putting something into his pocket.
"Niall!" He warned as he realised what it was. "I just-just don't want you to regret somethin'." God, he smelled like vodka as he smiled dreamily. "I'm gonna take care of him, just go and have fun." Zayn led the blonde boy back inside. "Drive safely," Liam said before he got pulled inside from Zayn too and the door shut. Harry shook his head suppressing the words of his brother.
"What did he say to you??" Louis was curious.
"You don't wanna know," Harry replied getting onto his bike and started riding down the street. Louis followed him, Harry's house was on his way so he joined him.
Cold air brushed Harry's cheeks washing the reddish tone away. Louis had started to play some music with his phone, it was something slow, could be Coldplay but Harry wasn't sure. Whatever it was it fitted perfectly.
Harry lived moments like those, when life didn't felt real, more like a dream. And it did, with Louis by his side, driving through the dark of the night.
"God, I hate that stupid thing!" Harry laughed at Louis fighting the front light. "It's not funny." He fumed. Harry pulled the brak and leaned to his left, pushing down the (only) button of the lamp and smiling triumphantly. "Yeah, I could have- why is that button even underneath?? No wonder I couldn't find it." He complained.
"Mhm sure," Harry teased.
-
'I like you and you like me' Louis words repeated in his head, and as he was thinking about it he could feel it again, the tingle, it was rushing through his whole body.
They started racing each other until they arrived at Harry's house "Thank you for bringing me home," Harry looked up and smiled softly at the older boy, the traffic light made his skin shine orange, letting it look softer than I'd did anyway. "Sure," Louis's eyes were all over him, like a scanner they went up and down, stopping at his lips, making Harry gulp.
The tension got stronger as the minutes passed.
"You wanna come in?" Louis nodded, quickly locking the bikes, then he followed. "Shhh." Harry pressed his index finger on his mouth, signalling Louis to be quiet. Anne was already asleep and he didn't want her to know Louis was with him.
The old wood of the stairsteps creaked beneath their feet, and the pressure of being quiet made Harry want to laugh. He turned to Louis, a huge mistake. The boy was holding back his laugh just as hard as Harry himself.
Harry pressed his hand against his mouth hurrying up into his room before he would explode. "Well, that was close." Louis laughed, his hand resting on his stomach, he closed the door as quietly as possible. It was, Harry took off his jacket and threw it onto the desk chair.
He was back facing Louis as he felt a hand on his shoulder, slowly wandering up to his neck, making his skin shiver. Harry turned around and met Louis' eyes. His heart started fluttering as Louis' hand brushed along his skin softly.
It was when Louis smashed his lips against Harry's that he noticed he had been holding in his breath. He let his arms slide around the older's middle and pulled him closer until their chests were touching. Louis removed Harry's jacket and continued kissing him after he had caught his breath.
The curly-headed boy somehow managed to lift Louis, so that he was locking his legs behind his back. He started grinding his hips against Harry's stomach creating heat between them, Harry's grip tightened on Louis' bum, making him breathe heavy into his mouth.
Louis broke the kiss, biting his lip as he looked down into Harry's eyes making him absolutely weak on his knees when he grabbed his face like this.
"Let's catch up where we left off,"
As an answer Harry just closed the gap between their lips again swirling his tongue around Louis', he turned, laying him down onto the bed, it cracked at the sudden weight.
Louis chuckled at Harry framing the olders head with his elbows. He took a quick move making them change positions so now he was on top, smirking down. "Better," Harry nodded agreeing.
Everything around them faded when Louis slowly leaned down and gently placed kisses along the youngers neck, until he found a certain spot he seemed to really like, his hair tingled, causing goosebumps to spread where it brushed Harry's silky skin.
Quiet moans escaped Harry's lips as Louis sucked harder. Harry pushed his hip up against Louis' bulge, cupping the back of his neck with his huge hand as Louis stopped sucking the hickey and kissed his lips again.
It felt incredible when he did whatever he was doing with his tongue at the moment. Louis pulled up Harry's shirt, letting his hands travel along with his toned abs, the shirt landed at the other side of the room. Harry gripped the collar of Louis' shirt and pulled the boy down to him again.
He needed those thin lips of his against his own again. Louis rubbed his hips heavily against Harry's boner, on which Harry drilled his nails deeper in Louis' skin scratching down his back underneath his shirt, making Louis gasp. He carried on placing hickeys along his collarbones, Harry flicked open the button of Louis jeans and let his hand slip under the elastic of his boxers.
Louis bit Harry's bottom lip playfully in which Harry's grip on Louis' bum cheeks tightened. His hands ran down Harry's abs unzipping the stable of his skinnies. Adrenaline rushed through his whole body.
Out of breath, Louis started kissing the crook of Harry's neck again teasing him by slowly letting his tongue travel down Harry's belly, his muscles tightened under the touch of Louis' hot tongue leaving a slight path of saliva behind it, "Fuck," the green-eyed boy whined. Louis' hands were down to the elastic of Harry's boxers.
He was just about to pull up Louis' shirt when he remembered his dream.
Louis was so good and he really wanted it to happen but-
But something held him back. Maybe the fact that Louis had drunk or because it would be his first time and he didn't know what to do. But probably it was the dream. He grabbed Louis wrist before he could pull down his briefs. "Stop," He choked out clenching his jaw because he hated himself for interrupting what further could have been happened. "I- I'm sorry if I went too fast-"
"I'm sorry Lou." He breathed with his eyes shut, he didn't want to see Louis disappointed face. He felt so bad. He waited for Louis to say something sassy or even 'mean' but instead, he felt how the boy pressed his warm lips against Harry's swollen ones. Harry opened his eyes,(after the kiss of course) looking straight into Louis' blue ones, he was only a few inches above his face.
"S' Okay, we don't have to rush," He smiled softly and roll off of him. Harry felt his muscles relax again and the pressure that laid on his chest lift as he took a deep breath in. "Really?"
"Yeah, come here," Harry cuddled up to Louis' side settling his head on the olders chest, listening to his slowly calming down, heartbeat.
"You have no idea how long I wanted to do this," Louis mumbled swirling one of Harry's brown curls around his finger.
"What? Stopping a make out?"
"No, cuddling with you, you silly." He chuckled sending a smile onto Harry's face. He snuggled his face tighter onto Louis' chest making himself comfortable, he run his fingers along where the dark tattooed lines mist be.
"Is there a reason you told me to stop, or did, did I do something wrong?" Louis asked after a while, his raspy voice running through his chest into Harry's ear.
"I, uhm," Harry cleared his throat, "I had a dream about you,"
"Better be a dirty one." He joked laughing. Harry rolled his eyes. "No. It was about your bruises." Harry looked up to see Louis frowning in confusion. "I don't believe you. Those aren't from Stan, he wasn't even at school that day." Harry finally said brushing.
The older went quiet. The dull rush of the cars outside, and Louis' slow breathing filled the silence. "What do you want me to say, that I lied?" His voice was weak, almost a whisper. "I want the truth." Maybe that was the reason he couldn't let himself fall. Louis was hiding something and it scared Harry.
"No, you don't." He whispered. "I care about you Louis, more than I've ever cared for somebody, so yeah, I do." Harry abruptly sat up. "Don't you trust me?" No answer. Unbelievable. His chest took a turn, the silence was answer enough. He took a shirt from the floor and put it on.
His heart started raising and it felt like he did something wrong, whatever it was. Harry stumbled over to the door picking up the rest of his clothes on the way. "Haz, wait," Louis begged as the younger boy had reached the door handle. Harry stopped on the spot, squeezing his eyes shut to stop tears from falling as he felt his chin tremble slightly.
He didn't even know why they were burning in his eyes. Did it mean so much to him if Louis was telling him the truth about things? They weren't even a couple. And where the hell was he thinking to go? It was his house. "Please," Louis added and Harry could feel his presence behind his back.
He clasped the cold metal, he was used to being rejected but he thought with Louis it would be different.
"Look at me." Harry slowly let go of the handle and turned, he saw Louis taking off his shirt. His skin was spread with bruised, some older and some new. "This one," Louis pointed at one right underneath his ribs, "is from a few days ago, the result of a lost fight." Harry eyed them worried.
"This one is from yesterday, but it was my own fault actually. I shouldn't have started an argument."
"Oh, and those," He turned revealing long stripes on his back, "a belt." Harry just stood there perplexed not able to form a proper sentence. He lifted his hand and slightly touched Louis skin at which he flinched. He exhaled as Harry let his finger slide along the dark blue coloured skin.
"Who did this to you??"
Louis turned back, the shining path a tear had left behind on his cheek. "My
uncle, he is currently living with us and I don't get along with him. Plus he's drinking all the time, so it's not unusual that he just randomly... freaks out." Louis look seriously concerned Harry.
"But he doesn't mean it like that. He is nice, he really is, just not when he is drunk." He assured as if that would make things better. "You need to tell the police."
"No, it's fine, he will move out soon and I can take that as long as he stays away from my sisters and my mum." Harry didn't know what to say, he couldn't believe what Louis had just said, he gulped. "I trust you. With all of my heart, just so you know."
"You can stay here as long as you want whenever you want," Harry whispered next to Louis' ear hugging him tighter. "I'm so sorry for the way I acted earlier." He apologised, God, he felt so bad. "It's fine, you didn't know," Louis mumbled burying his face in the crook of Harry's neck. He felt the exhaustion suddenly wash over him as he smelled Louis' sweet smell. They stayed like this for a while just enjoying the embrace.
"So, are we going to stay awake the rest of the night? It's almost morning anyway." Harry pulled away looking down through heavy lids, he had almost fallen asleep on the older's shoulder. "Well, okay, someone is tired." He giggled leading Harry over to the bed.
The only thing Harry noticed was Louis arms around him as he dozed off to sleep.
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