LOUIS’ P.O.V.


After dropping Emma off and leaving her with her giddy friends, I walk back to the music room to chat with Zayn. Maybe I’m lying to myself. Maybe I’m hoping that if I’m here long enough, I’ll run into Harry again. I’m digging myself a deep hole that I might never get out of, but I feel as if I physically can’t stop myself.

“Knock knock.”

I open the door as I speak, finding Zayn sitting at his desk, scrolling through his laptop. He hurries to close a window when I walk in and breathes a sigh of relief when he sees me.

“Jesus, Lou. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

I chuckle and stroll over to him, hands in my pockets casually.

“Sorry, mate. I just dropped Em off and thought I’d come say hello.”

Zayn adjusts his shirt awkwardly and turns his chair to face me.

“Well, hello.”

I almost ask what he was looking at, but I figure he’d tell me if it was something he felt like sharing so I just ignore his unusual behavior.

“I broke up with Cece.”

“What?”

I rub the back of my neck anxiously. It feels so strange to talk about this with people. I’ve kept my feelings hidden for so long.

“Yeah, I was just finally honest with myself and with her. I don’t love her. I don’t know if...”

Zayn looks entirely shocked and I don’t feel like I should continue that sentence since it would end with a confession about my sexuality.

“If what?”

“Never mind. I just told her I didn’t want to be in a relationship with her anymore and left. It was all quite civil actually. She thought I was cheating-“

“Were you?”

“No! I’d never do that. I just didn’t want that to become a possibility, so we’re through now.”

“Well, congrats. If you’re happy, that’s all that matters. I was never fond of her anyway. She is fit, though.”

“I guess.”

He looks completely dumbfounded.

“You guess? Dude, she’s sex on legs. She must be absolute shit in bed if you don’t see it, but I
don’t see how that’s possible.”

I simply shrug and try show my disinterest without drawing further attention.

“Did you tell Emma? I bet she’ll be thrilled.”

“Ha. I haven’t told her yet. I probably will later or something. I stayed with her and Marce last night.”

Zayn cocks an eyebrow and glances at me questioningly.

“Did you and Marcy...”

“No! God, no. We’re friends, Z.”

He shifts some papers around on his desk and rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. Friends who have a kid together.”

If only he knew the truth. There’s no way I’m admitting that, though. Still, I feel the need to bring Harry up, in hopes of finding out more about him.

“Oh, so you know how I said that Harry kid looked familiar?”

I cringe at my choice of words: ‘that Harry kid’. He isn’t a kid to me. Zayn is looking at his phone
now, only partially paying attention to me.

“Yeah?”

“I figured it out. We defended his dad for his parents’ divorce. Years ago. I’m surprised I made the connection.”

“Oh cool.”

He is uninterested and it makes me feel uncomfortable for bringing it up.

“Well, I better-“

My dismissal is interrupted by the door opening. I turn my head quickly at the off chance it’s him.

“Hey, dad.”

My body relaxes when Emma hurries through, but a surge of disappointment follows.

“Oh, hey Em. Aren’t you meant to be headed to class?”

Zayn peeks around me and grins at Emma, which she returns with a quick wave.

“Yeah, I just wanted to ask you if I can go out this weekend. This guy asked me to hang out with him and his mates and I’m supposed to tell him in gym whether you’re alright with it.”

I’m caught off guard by her question, but I can’t say no to her. I’ve never been able to. Maybe that’s why I’m a shit father.

“Sure, just tell him to come by the house first. I want to meet him. Saturday’s best.”

Emma nods excitedly before running off and disappearing out the door without another word.
I turn back to Zayn and he’s chuckling at my obviously appalled expression.

“Chill out. If he’s in gym with her, he’s a freshman too. Probably a dweeb. No need to panic.”

“I guess. I just didn’t prepare myself for her dating so soon.” I pause and think about the fact that she’s fifteen, the age I was when she was born. “I guess she’s the right age. Fuck. Time flies.”

Zayn stands up and pats me on the back.

“Sure does.”

We stand in reminiscent silence momentarily before I remember that I need to head to work
and that I still haven’t seen Harry, which I’m very determined to do.

“I gotta go, man. I’ll see you later. Don’t forget you’re taking her home on Friday.”

Zayn laughs at me again; that’s too many times for one day.

“Stop stressing! I won’t forget. Bye!”

He scoffs and shakes his head as I depart from his classroom.

I pace the hallway outside of the music room, wondering how the hell I can find Harry without looking like a psychotic pervert. The other constant struggle in my head is whether I should even find him, since it does make me a psychotic pervert; and a pedophile if you’d like to add to the list.

About fifteen kids pile into Zayn’s room while I’m still standing outside, but I don’t look up. I simply stare at the tile, tugging at my clothes and messing with my hair. This is how I think; I pace and run ideas through my head.

I can walk back to the courtyard and hope he likes being late.

Then again, I saw him when I was in Zayn’s class yesterday. Maybe he’ll be here soon. Only that was second period. Wasn’t it?

I scratch the scruff on my face and hear the bell loudly echo through the empty hallway. When I look up, however, I realize that it isn’t entirely empty. Harry is leaning against a nearby wall, holding a few folders against his chest and smirking at me, his pink lips curling upward.

“Hi.”

I don’t believe the word formulated in my head before it escaped, otherwise I would have come up with something better.

He smiles deviously and I can’t help but to adore the dimples in his cheeks when he does.

“Hey. You seem distraught.”

That’s what he has to say to me? Well, I guess it’s better than ‘hi’. His voice is rich and deep; deeper than mine at least, and he speaks slowly.

“Uh, no. Kind of, I guess. How long have you been standing there?”

“Just a minute or so and you’ve walked back and forth about twenty times.”

He chuckles and clutches his schoolwork closer so that his arms tense and the sleeves of his shirt become tighter. I take a nervous breath and mentally tell myself to calm down.

He’s so tall, too. Maybe I’m just short. I feel the need to walk over and stand on my toes, pushing his body roughly against the wall as I-

“Well, I guess I’ll go to class.”

I shake the dirty thoughts out of my head and focus back on him. The real Harry. The one that I’m not snogging against a wall at his school.

“Um, okay. Bye, Harry.”

He had begun to approach the door, but stops in his tracks when I say his name. Shit, he never told me his name. I only know because I asked Zayn. He doesn’t turn around while his hand rests on the doorknob.

“I’ll see you around, Louis.”

Before I can speak, he opens the door and hurries in, probably to get bitched at by my best friend for being late. I stand with my jaw gaping in confusion.

How the fuck does he know my name?

There’s really only one explanation: He’s just as intrigued by me as I am by him.

I revel in that thought for a bit before shuffling off excitedly to my car, trying to scheme where
and when I’ll see that boy next.

Notes

Good afternoon, everyone. (Morning, afternoon, evening, whatever time of day it is where you are lol)

So, I was going to post this last night and I was almost done with it, but I'm sick and I wanted it to be better, so I just waited until today. xx

Since this is still a newer story, I would really appreciate some input from my readers. Let me know what you think so far! Also, please vote/subscribe, if you have not done so yet. <3 Thank you!!!