Bloodsport

chapter 30

“Louis. Christ. I didn’t know you were into football players.”

“How long have you been standing there?” asked Louis in a whisper. Harry didn’t dare move a muscle.

“Long enough,” the girl, Lottie, said.

She didn’t look like Louis. Her face was much rounder, her lips full where Louis’ were thin, and her eyelids weren’t hooded like his. Something that was exactly the same, though, was the way their blue eyes looked at that moment. In Louis’ sister’s eyes, there was shock. In Louis’, there was horror. Her face was pale. She didn’t look quite okay, but Harry saw a difference in her face from what he’d personally witnessed staring at his mother’s face just a few days before. On Lottie’s face was a pure surprise. On Harry’s mum’s, there had been fright and panic.

“Oh, well,” Lottie said, voice lighter, and began to back out of the room. “Have fun… I’ll just get myself to school.”

Louis immediately pushed off Harry and darted towards the hallway as his sister began leaving. He was out of sight so quickly that Harry could still feel the press of his body on his own. A couple of seconds later, Harry could hear his voice.

“Lottie, Jesus!”

Harry stared at the ceiling. His heart raced. He certainly hadn’t expected Lottie to simply walk in while he was getting felt up. She was a teenager, and Louis’ sister, more precisely. And Louis had been about to do absolutely filthy things to him…

Harry’s heart was slowing down, but it disturbed him he couldn’t hear what was going on in the hallway. From the look he’d seen on Louis’ face, Lottie hadn’t known that Louis was sleeping with him, and this was about more than just catching your brother in the act.

Harry sat up and inched towards the edge of the bed. He ran a hand through his curls. Inhale, and exhale. Inhale, and exhale. He found it was easier to breathe than when his own mother had found out. He supposed, this girl wasn’t his family, and he had after all just been through a much worse version of this. Truly, though, Harry had always found that Louis seemed very close with his family. He very much doubted that Louis’ sister was going to gossip about her own brother’s sexuality to anyone. Louis appeared to care for his sisters very dearly, and for some reason, Harry couldn’t see that they didn’t reciprocate the same feelings.

When Louis walked back into the room, he was entirely fazed. His steps were slow, and his eyes seemed to look at nothing as he flopped down on the bed. He was completely silent. Harry supposed sex was out of the question.

“So… school then?” he asked.

Louis sprung up, grabbed the nearest pillow, and used it to smack Harry across the face. “Why the fuck are you not freaking out?” he belted.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut, grimacing at the flash of pain. “Ow!”

Louis smacked the pillow on his chest repeatedly. “My — sister — just — caught — us — doing — stuff!”

Harry grabbed at the pillow, but couldn’t get hold of it. Louis was taking his anger out on him. Why wasn’t he surprised? It was kind of painful, though, and he didn’t like that Louis was assaulting him. “Louis, stop!”

The pillow hit him in the shoulder. “Shut up!” said Louis’ agitated voice.

“Stop,” he said, ducking, “making a fuzz! It’s not a big deal. Stop — abusing me!” He moved away, feeling a shot of anger in his chest. “She’s your sister. She’s not gonna’—” He stood, fed up with being a moving target for Louis’ uncontrolled frustration. He wrapped his arms around Louis’ body, keeping him under control. “Dammit, she’s not going to say anything. Stop being overdramatic!” And stop fucking hitting him with a freaking pillow. This wasn’t his bloody fault.