You've Got My Devotion (Hate You Sometimes)

Chapter 11

Harry awakes to a tangle of limbs and soft Los Angeles morning light on his face. For a fraction of a second, he assumes he's still asleep. Dreaming of Louis' arms wrapped around his middle and their legs entwined. And then Louis stirs and the spell doesn't break, and when his clear-blue eyes open and meet his, Harry realises that although this might be a dream, he's definitely not asleep.

"Mornin'," Louis grumbles, squinting up at Harry through sleep-groggy eyes. He stretches with a groan, flexing against Harry, before relaxing back into him.

"Morning." Harry smiles, dazed in the best way. He turns so their bodies are flush and nuzzles into Louis' side.

"Sleep alright?" Louis asks, accepting Harry with a gentle caress, combing through his hair absentmindedly and sending blissful shivers down Harry's spine.

"Perfect," Harry mumbles into his chest. "You?"

"Mhm," Louis agrees, then yawns. "What time's it?"

"Who cares," Harry replies, which elicits a gentle chuckle from Louis. He can hear it echo through the other man's chest beneath his head.

Later, they'll have to get out of bed and do the things that regular humans do, like eat and shower and pack their suitcases. Harry will have to call to confirm his appointment with Celeste because it would be a shame not to chat to his favourite Southerner in person for the first time in months. He'll even have to respond to those who spotted him on the red carpet last night, who want to squeeze in a coffee, or a drive around the Hills, before Harry's flight back home. But right now, Harry doesn't want to think about any of those things. He just wants to live and die in Louis' arms.

Eventually, Louis props himself up, leaning across and kissing Harry chastely on the lips. Harry smiles dreamily up at him, chasing Louis' mouth with a kiss of his own before slumping back down into the cloud of duvet. They stay like that, Louis sat up against the headboard, scrolling on his phone, while Harry's long limbs entangle his torso. Harry drifts in and out of half-slumber, waking to readjust himself or hold Louis closer. Louis traces along Harry's tattoos, gentle and calming.

"Is nothing sacred?" Louis exclaims, sitting up in a jerking movement. Harry, a little disgruntled by the sudden movement, blinks up at him, puzzled. Louis stares down at his phone, brows knitted before he turns the screen to show Harry. The article shows a photo of Liam at last night's AMAs beneath a headline: One Direction's Liam Payne hints at Reunion.

"For God's sake, Liam," Harry sighs, taking it upon himself to sit up now.

Louis clears his throat, reading out the first few sentences of the article. "The What Makes You Beautiful singers are approaching their 10 year anniversary and fans are beginning to speculate what the foursome might have in store for July. At last night's AMAs, we got our very first taste of the months to come, with Liam, Louis, Harry, and Niall posing for photos on the red carpet. Better yet, bandmate Liam Payne went so far as to assure us 'something exciting is definitely in the works'. "

Once he's finished reading, Louis gives Harry a look of complete exasperation. Harry responds by facepalming, chuckling into his hands.

"Liam running his mouth to the press is going to be his downfall," Louis says through gritted teeth.

"Should I order the hit on him now or later?" Harry asks, smirking.

Louis shakes his head, tongue between his bottom lip and top teeth. "I'll handle it," he assures Harry, not a hint of sarcasm.

Harry, amused, slouches back into the bed, scrolling through his Instagram. It's a few seconds later that he gets a notification for the group chat: Liam James Payne, another word from you and I'll be egging your house. Consider yourself warned. Followed by several middle finger emojis.