Friends. // l.s.

Chapter 21 - "Don't need food need sleep."

Louis' POV

They finally separated after Harry's volatile action as he increased the distance between their bodies and Harry linked his hands behind himself. He then looked up at Louis, offering a sweet yet sheepish smile, before deciding to speak. "I really needed that hug. Thank you," he quietly confessed causing both boys to blush furiously.

Louis quickly pressed his face against the palms of his hands in a way to hide the heating of his face before he attempted to reply to Harry's statement. "Yeah, yeah. You're quite...touchy?" With Harry, it was always the same. When the two were finally somewhat normal around each other and didn't feel awkward or uncomfortable in the others presence, he just had to go and bring them back to square one: being awkwardtown.

A minute ago, they had a light conversation about whatever and then he suddenly hugged Louis, which surely didn't assist in keeping things light, even if Louis had relished in it. To conclude, Harry was frustrating and very irritating.

"Well, you could put it that way. I'm just... I'm..." Louis watched in sympathy as Harry stumbled over words to try and come up with an explanation but couldn't. He fidgeted with his hands and was bitting at his thumb nail and Louis couldn't help but feel bad for putting him in this position. "Look, if it bothers you, then tell me and...like, I'll refrain, but it feels sometimes...it feels as if I have you back, finally..." Harry tugged the ends of his curls while groaning before he cleared his throat in order to continue. "I mean, no, it's more like we're friends now and we, um... I don't know. We weren't as close for a while, or like what felt like forever, and now I get to talk to you again at times without it being an argument or...you know. What I'm trying to say is that I really, really missed this and I think I told you before, but I seem to forget that I can't be around you the way I was when we were younger, if that makes sense?" He wrinkled his eyebrows at his own confusing statements.

All Louis could think though was that Harry was wrong. It did make sense partly, but what Louis couldn't grasp was that they weren't even remotely near to the state of an actual friendship, where hugs and random touches were appropriate. They had yet to reach that point and, for Louis, it wasn't necessarily a must to even get there.

No one could predict the future and Louis had no idea of what it held for them in particular. Nothing about them was really stable and he had a feeling that Harry had misinterpreted previous statements of Louis' and concluded that they were friends. Which was wrong, because they were more mere acquaintances in Louis' opinion.

"Of course, um, sure? Whatever. Yeah. Too soon, maybe? Way too soon, actually," Louis breathed unsurely. Harry then laughed
an uncomfortable laugh at Louis' words although disappointment was written all over his face.

"Okay, sorry. Of course," Harry eased while relaxing slightly. Taking in Harry's slowly loosening posture, Louis straightened his back and decided to move on from this.

"So, um, didn't we want to do something? Together, I mean," Louis said somewhat unsurely as he tried to change the topic of conversation.

"Yes, that was the plan. We could watch a movie, whatever you want," Harry answered, relieved for the alter in their conversation as well, and brushed his fringe out of his eyes.

"Good. A movie is always good."

---

The wedding was set to take place in Hawaii, during their vacation, and Louis figured that it was time for the Tommo's big revival. Meaning, on the last official day of school, Louis had decided to throw one of his infamous parties. Since Harry and Anne had moved in, his social acticity had slacked greatly and it was out of question whose fault that was. Harry was constantly present, of course and none of Louis' friends mixed with his, obviously.