NIALL’S P.O.V.


Walking into Louis’ guest house was a bit unnerving since his parent’s are completely unaware of my existence, but I’m entirely comfortable now. We’ve smoked three bowls between us in the past couple hours and ‘Call Of Duty’ is making less and less sense. Either way, we’re still playing and I haven’t heard from Hannah since around one. I was nervous that she would be thrown by what I had said to her in her room, but I was only telling the truth. I know it seems forward and perhaps weird, but I’m trying to be mature and realistic about this because I can see myself falling in love with this girl and I’m not the kind to play games just because society suggests it.

“Dude, I think I’m done. We need snacks.”

Louis tosses his controller on the couch and stands up, walking over to the kitchen and searching through cabinets. I fish my phone out of my pocket and unlock it. How do I still not have a message from Hannah? I open my messages and chuckle when I realize it’s actually me who never responded. I had stared at her message for a few minutes and ended up being too distracted by Louis to respond, even though I thought I did.


*TO: Hannah

So sorry, I thought I responded but I’ve been pretty baked. How has your day been?*


While I’m still staring at the screen of my phone, deeply wishing my brother would speak to me, even though I have no idea what I can even say to break the ice, Louis tosses a chip bag at my head.

“Oi, what was that for?”

“Just doing you a favor. You can’t tell me you don’t want to eat for days right now.”

He’s right. My mind is reacting quite slowly with every move I make and the only thing I’m
positive about right now is that I’m hungry and once I start eating the chips, I don’t stop until the bag is entirely empty.

After staring at the ceiling for a while and drifting off into sporadic naps, I check my phone again
and have a new message, which I assume to be from Hananh. However, Greg’s name pops up, sending a spark of worry and excitement through my body.

“Dude, what’s up? Why are you all jumpy now?”

Louis sits up on the couch across from me, watching my face light up.

“My brother messaged me.”

My fingers shake as I unlock my phone and I finally open the message I didn’t expect for a long
while.


*FROM: Greg
Meet me at 5 at the cafe by your school. We need to talk.*


Short. To the point. And immensely fear-inspiring.

“Are you ever going to tell me why he kicked you out?”

“Uh, maybe. He wants me to meet him in the city at five. I need to call a cab and-“

“Nah, you can take my car.”

My eyes shoot open in surprise. Louis has been so generous already, but his car is another thing entirely. It itself costs more than... anything I own put together.

“Louis, I can’t-“

“Nonsense. I trust you.”

He shrugs and lays back on the couch, closing his eyes. I hop up and run over to him, holding
his face roughly in my hands and kissing the top of his head.

“Thank you!”

I run off before he can hit me, or whatever his reaction would have been, and lock myself in the room he’s claimed to be mine. I change into a new shirt and slip on my shoes, grabbing my backpack containing my license.

Louis yells from the other room.

“It’s only 2. You don’t need to leave for another couple hours!”

He’s right, but there’s no way in hell I can sit around patiently. I have to do something. I open
the bedroom door and emerge, completely ready to go.

“I’m too jittery. I’m going to go to my school and make sure my classes are all set up for the semester coming up. Fuck. I haven’t even thought about how the hell I’m going to get to school. It starts in a couple weeks.”

I’m speaking about school, but none of that even matters to me right now. I just need to get out of here before I explode. I’m extremely relieved that Greg is willing to speak to me, even though I have no fucking idea what I’ll even say.

“Eh, we’ll figure it out.”

Louis stands up and pulls his keys out of a drawer in the kitchen, tossing them to me.

“Just be careful. See you whenever; no rush.”

I smile and thank him again before rushing out of the guest house and leaving without everything even registering in my brain.


_______


HANNAH’S P.O.V.


I sit across from Harry and Liam, finishing lunch at a small diner down the street from the hotel containing the most beautiful penthouse. Knowing that I have full access to a place in the city is exciting and comforting. No matter how scandalous my mother wants to find it, she’ll never deny me ‘time with Harry’.

Harry. The fact that he went out of his way for me like that warms my heart. He really didn’t need to since I’m not necessarily going out of my way in pretending to be his girlfriend. We’re really covering for each other, so I never expected a reward so grand.

“Are you ever going to stop grinning?”

Harry laughs as I smile even bigger, beaming at the couple in front of me.

“No, I don’t plan on it! I’m just so thrilled.”

They really look perfect together. Perhaps too much beauty is contained in their relationship and in the small amount of time I’ve gotten to spend with them, at least since I’ve become acquainted with the real Harry, they have the personalities to match. Although I still feel that Harry never had the right to treat me the way he did, with light shed on the struggles he was facing at the time, I can be understanding enough to forgive him and officially move on. We’re already so much better as friends. The problem was that when we ‘dated’, he only saw me as a cover for him and Liam while I only saw him as a way to shut my mother up. Perhaps if we had gotten to know each other better, our situation would have improved sooner. We still see each other the same way, but with the honesty, everyone is happier.

“So, Liam. How’s your family?”

“Good! Clara is doing well. She’s going to NYU this semester as an art major. I’m sure she’d
love to see you sometime.”

I should call Liam’s sister. I’ve always imagined we’d be much closer if she didn’t live in the city, but now that shouldn’t be a problem.

“What about your parents?”

“They’re vacationing in Fiji right now. I’m not so sure when they’ll be back. It’s their twenty-fifth
anniversary.”

“Oh, wow. That’s great.”

Thinking of parents and anniversaries makes me revisit last night’s unpleasant conversation with my parents.

“What about your family?”

“Umm, they’re good.”

Harry’s eyebrows scrunch together in concern after my awkward response and Liam leans over the table, resting his hand on mine.

“Hannah, you can tell us if something’s going on. It’s not like we’re going to tell anyone.”

I chuckle and nod. It’d be nice to talk to people who might understand where I’m coming from. Talking to Niall was nice, but he doesn’t get the full grasp on the image I’ve grown up displaying.

“Well, to be quite honest, my family is crumbling fast.”

“What’s going on?”

Harry takes a sip of his cocktail and stares at me intently while Liam leaves his comforting hand on mine.

“This past week has been crazy. My parents told me they were splitting and my dad was
moving to France with his mistress. Well, last night I came home to find my dad in the kitchen as if nothing ever happened and long story short, my mother has been in on it the whole time. They told me that they haven’t really been a couple for years. They’ve both had affairs, but agreed to keep up the image of being married until one of them fell in love with someone. Apparently, my dad did first and now that woman is moving here. I guess they’ll live in the city. It’s just fucking bullshit that they’ve lived like this for a stupid image. Just so they can show their faces in the country club a bit longer without being laughed at. I hate the society we grew up in, Harry.”

Harry immediately nods in agreement with my rant and Liam sits back in a daze before speaking.

“Wow. I guess I forgot how it was over there. I’m glad we live in the city. Sure, it’s about image, but no one pretends to be someone they’re not here. It’s actually quite exciting in the city to be talked about, even if it’s negative at first. It just starts a trend and everyone becomes okay with it. You know, that doesn’t sound much better, does it?”

I chuckle and shrug.

“It sounds a bit better. I just want to be out of everyone’s sight. We’re always under a magnifying glass. They’re all waiting for us to mess up.”

“It’s true. You should have seen my parents when they found out about Liam, Hannah. They were absolutely livid and what bothered me most was how often my mother said, ‘What will others think?’. It was never centered around my happiness or my parents’ personal viewpoints, but what the whole damn town might think. My father didn’t even talk to me for a month, but you know he’s out of town enough for that to go unnoticed.”

I’ve been trying to see things from Harry’s point of view and it often makes me sad.

“What about Catherine? I’m assuming she knew.”

“Yeah, Cathy’s supportive in the ways she can be. I still let her believe that I broke up with Liam when I told my parents that I did. She’s too wrapped up in that life to openly defy societal norms. I don’t want to put her in that situation. She’s becoming more and more like my mom as she gets older. She’s more caring, though, but maybe I’m biased as her little brother. I don’t know, I just don’t feel disdain for her like I do my parents. She’s always tried to be there for me, seeing it as her way of helping me ‘deal with how things are’. She just doesn’t see how life can be different.”

Liam glances between Harry and I, obviously upset by the downturn of the mood.

“Hey, at least you’ve both branched out, huh? Harry, you’re dating a guy for christ’s sake,” I giggle and Harry scoffs, trying to hide his smile, “and Hannah, you’re going after a pot-selling Irishman that doesn’t have a home at the moment. At least you aren’t trapping yourselves in the life they want you to have. That takes courage.”

I grin and look down at my coffee, mulling over the words he just said. It’s true, but it’s still painful to imagine the reaction I’m going to get from the woman who raised me.

“Let’s head back to the hotel. We’ve got plenty of booze back there and we’ll get trashed mid-day and celebrate your conquest for freedom.”

Harry and I laugh at Liam’s dramatic suggestion, but agree anyway.


______


We’ve been at the hotel for two hours and I’ve consumed more alcohol than ever before. We’ve laughed and talked the entire time, but now Liam and Harry are getting touchy and I can tell that they want some alone time.

“‘Arrry, are you,” I hiccup between words and giggle, “are you staying with Liam tonight?”

Harry smiles goofily and glances over at Liam, who is eyeing him seductively. Liam answers for him.

“Yes, he is.”

They kiss gently, Harry pulling back only to speak to me.

“The car- is downstairs. Mark will take you home if you want.”

I grin as he lazily lays against Liam’s shoulder, grinning contently.

“Yeah, I should go home. I want to surprise Niall!”

I smile involuntarily at his name and laugh at the way my words slur together.

Harry whistles and Liam yells an ‘ooooh’ while I stand up and walk over to them. Neither get’s off of the couch as I lean down to hug them both at the same time. I lose my balance and end up in their laps, causing us all to laugh hysterically. None of this is nearly as funny as we’re finding it, but I don’t mind at all.

“Thank you for an amazing afternoon. Let me know when we can hang out again.”

Liam kisses my cheek and helps me stand up again.

“Let’s make plans for the weekend and maybe you can bring Niall along.”

Harry swats his arm.

“I don’t know. He’s living with your cousin. What if he tells him?”

“He wouldn’t do that, Harry. I’m sure he’d love to meet you guys.”

Harry nods, still unsure, but also too intoxicated to worry at the moment.

“Get home safe, Hannah!”

I walk to the elevator and wave once inside.

“Alright. Have a good night.”

When the doors close, I lean sleepily against the wall and the elevator jumps a bit before descending. As I make my way, slowly but surely, to the curb, where the Sinclair’s chauffeur, Mark, is awaiting me, I can’t help but to feel giddy. Not only has this day been perfect, but I intend to make it better.

Once inside the limousine and Mark safely in the driver’s seat, I lean forward to clarify my destination.

“Take me to the Tomlinson’s, please.”

“Of course, Ma’am.”

I lean back and stare at the sun as it sets over the water as we move away from the city until I
can see nothing but fields and occasional homes.


_________


By the time I make it to Louis’ house, my inebriation has faltered slightly, but I am still quite tipsy: exactly where I want to be right now. I’m getting really tired of these rules Niall seems to be holding fast to. Perhaps, with a bit of liquid courage, but not enough to make me incoherent, I can talk him into having a little fun. We shouldn’t need to play these games when we’re both adults.

I knock lightly on the guest house door, seeing the light of the T.V. flicker on the window. They’re probably playing video games. In fact, they probably haven’t moved all day. I knock again, louder this time, and then there’s a little commotion. A few seconds later, Louis flings the door open, wearing only boxers, and he’s rubbing his eyes slowly with a familiar marijuana-induced grin on his face.

“Hey, Hannah. What are you doing here?”

I step inside as he holds the door open for me and look around to see an empty living room, a
war movie playing on the flat screen.

“I wanted to surprise Niall. Where is he?”

Louis shuffles into the room and walks past me, scratching his head.

“He went to meet his brother a few hours ago in the city.”

I follow him into his bedroom, shocked and trying to hide my disappointment as he reaches into a drawer and finds a pair of flannel pants and a t-shirt.

“What? His brother called him? He wasn’t angry?”

Louis shrugs and steps into his pants, covering his muscular, tanned legs.

“He still hasn’t told me about what happened. His brother texted him and he rushed out of here all shaken up.”

I feel sorry for being a bit upset that he isn’t here, but I am glad Greg decided to talk to him. I am a little surprised that he gave in so quickly.

“How did he get there?”

“I gave him my car.”

“Oh.”

“What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy his brother isn’t angry at him or whatever.”

Louis pulls the black shirt over his head and ruffles his messy hair once it’s on. I sit on the edge of his bed and toss my purse aside.

“I am. I was just excited to see him, I guess.”

I’m also kind of hurt that he didn’t tell me, but I don’t want to say that to Louis and come off as clingy and weird. It’s only that as the one person he’s shared that situation with, I assumed he would let me know when something exciting like that happened.

“Cheer up. You can stay until he gets back. We’ll do shots and smoke a few bowls. Are you up for it, Kensington?”

Louis stands in front of my and jabs me gently in my side. I chuckle and flinch from his touch.

“Alright, but only a few shots. I’ve already been drinking today.”

Louis fakes an offended shock and clasps his chest.

“With your mother?”

I suddenly remember the alibi I gave Louis this morning and stand up.

“Umm, she didn’t know. Come on, let’s go.”

I tug at his sleeve and he stumbles behind me into the kitchen. Louis fetches a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses from the cupboard beside the refrigerator while I lean over the counter.

“Where’s Jess? I kind of figured she’d be here, especially if Niall was gone.”

Louis doesn’t look up from what he’s doing and unscrews the bottle cap, pouring the golden
liquid into the glasses.

“I’m not sure where she is. I assume at home. She’s not exactly speaking to me.”

“What? How come?”

In all the time that Louis and Jessica have been together, they’ve been inseparable. Sure, they argue quite often, but it’s never serious.

“I’d rather not think about it. I’ve thought enough about it in the past twenty-four hours. Let’s just
say I’m not speaking to her either.”

“What the fuck? Lou, I’m your best friend, and her’s too. You can tell me anything.”

“I know that, Hannie. If I were to talk about it with anyone, it would be with you. I just honestly
don’t want to talk about it.”

I throw my hands up in defeat.

“Alright, alright.”

Louis forces a grin and carefully hands me a shot glass, full to the brim.

“I’m pretty sure that this is more than one technical shot.”

“Shut the hell up and throw it back.”

I giggle and hold it to my lips, the thick smell overwhelming my senses immediately. Louis counts to three and I toss the tequila back, opening my throat and letting it fall quickly. I shut my eyes tightly and feel the burn make its way down my stomach and through my toes.
Louis sticks his tongue out and slams the glass on the table, pouring the next one without a moment’s rest. I hold my miniature glass out and he fills mine again.

We continue this process a few more times, too many to remember the exact amount, but not enough to knock me over. I’m back to the point of intoxication I was at when I left the penthouse, maybe a little past it.

“Wow, this stuff is strong.”

Louis nods in agreement and before I know it, I find myself following him back into his room, not really knowing why. Once we’re there I sit on his bed, scooting up to the top and resting back against the pillows. Louis pulls a small plastic box from under his bed and sets it on top. I watch him open it and pull out a little glass piece and a bag of weed.

“Do you want to try a bowl? I’m not pressuring you, just asking.”

Before I can really think, I’m nodding my head enthusiastically. I’ve become quite brave in one weekend.

“Alright! I must say, I’m pretty proud of you.”

I laugh and roll my eyes as he packs the fine, ground up green plant into the bowl of the pipe he’s holding. Once it’s pressed in, he pulls out a lighter and sets the box on the ground before jumping up and landing next to me on the mattress.

“Okay, now watch me and I’ll show you how.”

I nod and sit up to pay proper attention.

“You’re going to hold your finger over the hole that’s right there, okay? Then, you hold the
lighter like this and put your lips to the end and...”

He stops talking as he demonstrates each step, expertly lighting the top layer of weed and taking a deep drag of smoke and holding it in for at least fifteen seconds. When he exhales, he coughs once and hands the items to me. I hold the pipe in my left hand and pull it straight to my lips. Louis shakes his head and scoots closer to me so that his hip is against mine.

“Here, put this finger,” he gently brings my index finger to the small hole on the side of the bowl and cups his hand around mine, bringing the pipe back to my mouth, “right there. Do you want me to light it for the first time?”

I nod and he chuckles, his grin meeting his eyes and creasing the outer corners the way they do when he smiles genuinely. He flicks the lighter on and flips it over carefully so it burns the marijuana.

“Alright, mover your finger off and slowly breathe in.”

I do as he says and breathe in hard, but slow, as he pulls my finger off of the hole, holding it down on the side of the bowl. Suddenly, I feel a filling burn down my throat and into my chest, but I keep going. Louis pulls my hand down and rests his other hand on my back.

“Okay, breathe out.”

I slowly let out the breath I was holding in and watch a cloud of smoke surround me as I cough uncontrollably.

“Woah, not bad. You got a good hit.”

He pats my back like a proud father, but I just keep coughing, laughing at the same time.

“Hold on,” he laughs and stands up from the bed, “I’ll get you some water.”

I nod and keep coughing, hoping it will stop soon because it’s getting harder to breathe. A few seconds later, Louis hands me a cold water bottle after opening it for me and I take small sips until the coughing subsides. Louis sits back in the same spot and I lay back, spent from my choking fit. I breathe in deeply and feel an invisible weight pushing down on me, as if someone was sitting on my shoulders. I’m hardly aware, but Louis lights the rest of what is left in the bowl and finishes it off. It feels like a lifetime has passed when he lays down next to me. Every time I blink, it seems to take an hour to fully open my eyes again. I turn my head to find Louis facing me, his eyes half shut.

“Do you remember that time I tried to get you to kiss me? At the lacrosse match?”

I giggle loudly and my arms clutch into my stomach as I laugh more so than necessary.

“Yes! Stupidest reasoning ever,” I reach over and grip his shoulders, mimicking him from all those years ago, “‘Hannah, we won’t win if you don’t kiss me.’ You were so pathetic.”

He laughs and looks down at the space between us.

“Do you remember what you did? I’ll never forget it.”

I move my hand to his cheek and playfully smack him.

“I slapped you and said I could care less if you lost.”

He nods and we both laugh in nostalgic memory. I hardly notice that my hand is still on his face, but for some reason it feels natural and I leave it there. He doesn’t move it either and soon enough his hand is caressing my arm as we continue to talk about random and pointless things. Every time he laughs, I feel his breath on my lips and I find it giving me unwarranted chills. After staring at each other for a few minutes, my hand moves down to his shoulder and we’re practically cuddling. It doesn’t feel sexual, though. It feels comforting and friendly.

“So, what’s going on with you and Niall? Seems to moving quickly.”

I scoff and watch his lips as he speaks.

“Hardly. Well, I guess it is emotionally, but he’s made this rule. We’re not going to have sex or anything until after we go on five dates.”

Louis appears shocked and rolls his eyes.

“Are you sure you didn’t come up with that one?”

I pinch his arm softly and he pretends that it hurts.

“Not at all. I was willing to sleep with him right away. He didn’t want to ‘rush things’.”

I make air quotes and Louis seems surprised by it all.

“Wow, that’s... commendable, I suppose.”

I sigh and fall deeper on to the pillow, laying on my back and pulling away from Louis entirely.

“I guess. It’s just... kind of frustrating. I mean, I know he hasn’t lived much of a sheltered life, but I have and I just want someone to fucking touch me! It just makes me feel like I’m not good enough to know that he’s probably been with fifty girls and doesn’t want me.”

I half yell and laugh at myself for being so passionate about it. I expect something from Louis,
but he’s silent. I glance over and he’s looking at me intently, his eyes darker than usual, open wider than before.

“Touch you how?”

I turn my head back and stare at the ceiling.

“You know what I mean.”

In one surprisingly swift motion, Louis is holding himself over me, arms straight on either side of my head. He lowers himself down and I feel every inch of my body being covered by him. He leans onto one elbow and presses his lips to my cheek softly. Louis’ other hand trails from my waist, down to my hip and sliding across to rest on my inner thigh.

“You mean like this?”

He whispers softly into my ear and trails his hand up my pants as my legs part instinctively.
Now, it’s sexual. His fingers rub hard circles against my sex and I moan before I can fully process what is happening.

“Yeah, just like that.”

The words spill out of my mouth like curses. I don’t even try to swallow them, though, because each move he makes feels so good, from the nibbling under my ear to the small ruts of his crotch against my thigh. I don’t feel as though I have much control over my body, but I still feel like there is hope to stop this before we let it get out of hand. That is, until his lips meet mine in a warm, passionate embrace that sends me into a whirlwind of sensations. Now I know there’s no turning back. My hands roam his chest and eventually make their way to his hair. I tug on it, trying desperately to pull him closer to me in any way possible.

His tongue darts past my lips and seductively curls up to roam the roof of my mouth. I bring one hand between us as he levels himself out, pulling his hand away from my body and resting it on the bed. I slowly palm him through his pajamas, feeling his stiff package harden even more under my touch. Raspy moans elicit his mouth and I swallow hard, feeling entirely overcome by a mixture of Louis and the other influencing factors I have consumed.

“Lou, please. I-“

He bites down on my bottom lip and pulls away from me, instantly apologetic and worried.

“Oh my god. I’m sorry, Hannah I didn’t-“

He isn’t understanding what I mean.

“No, I just- don’t stop.”

As I plead for him to touch me, I know I should feel guilt and fear rush over me, but all I can think and feel is Louis and there’s nothing that can stop me.

He doesn’t say anything, but attacks my neck with tender, yet needy kisses. Soon enough, he makes his way down to my collarbones and pulls my shirt down with his scruffy chin, tickling me as he leaves a kiss between my breasts. Next, he sits up on his knees and tugs at the bottom of my shirt. I sit up and he lifts it over my head, tossing it aside on the floor. Before I can lay back again, he unclips my bra and lets it fall onto my lap, the straps tangling on my arms. I push it aside and Louis sits back for a moment to take everything in.

“Fuck. You’re gorgeous. Absolutely perfect.”

I can’t pretend that those words don’t sound strange coming from Louis’ mouth, but they still make me feel good and right now, in the moment, that’s all that matters.
Louis pushes me back against the pillows and I’m slightly disappointed when he doesn’t join me. However, when I lift my head up to find him, he’s standing at the foot of the bed in only his boxers, exactly how he was when I arrived.

“Just lay there. I’ll do everything, okay? Do you trust me?”

I do. I trust Louis more than any man. I want to trust Niall this much, but he won’t let me.

“Yeah, of course I do, Louis.”

Notes

UH OH...
okay so I know I've taken forever to update and I'm sorry... I just needed to get a grasp on where I was taking the story and I think I've found it now... so, I should be back on a schedule <3 thank you for your patience...
ANYWAY. A lot happened in this chapter.. THOUGHTS!? xx
I'm so tired. love you guys. thank you again and sorry if it's shit!!!!