I Don't Love You (And I Always Will)

Chapter 22

Hey! I know this one is short again, but it just felt like a good stopping point. Thanks so much for reading, as always comments make my day! 

Sure, Harry has had bad days. Days when he can't land any turns, or the director seems to have a personal vendetta against him. Hell, Harry's had bad weeks, like when he first moved to the city and had approximately zero friends. But he's never really felt like the universe hated him. That was until Nick Grimshaw walked through the wooden studio doors of the New York City Ballet.

To be honest, Harry should've seen it coming. The whole weekend was bad, though it wasn't supposed to be that way. Harry woke up the day before smiling at the thought of making the sleeping boy beside him warm chocolate pancakes as a surprise, only to roll over and be greeted by cold sheets instead of warm smiles and a button nose. Harry rubbed the crust from his sleepy eyes, blinking rapidly, but the white, empty sheets still stared right back at him. He felt oddly rejected. He had fallen asleep the night before with a smile on his face thinking of repeating the last breakfast the two had together. The one, Harry remembered, where he told Louis this would just be friends with benefits. Right. That was what Harry said he wanted.

Looking across the studio now, he made eye contact with the blue eyed boy, who shot him a worried glance before Harry turned back to Nick, who was still standing in the doorway. Thank God he hadn't seen Harry yet.

"Alright, let's get going troops!" Cowell called, taking everyone's attention from the stranger who stood before them.

Class was an absolute nightmare. Harry was dodging looks from Nick and Louis, the earlier with knowing smirks and the latter with a confused eyebrow crease getting deeper by the minute. The only person who didn't feel the tension in the room was Niall, who never really took social cues. There was whispering between dancers on the sides of the room, knocking Harry's concentration. His turns were all over the place, jumps too slow, and feet unstable. Screw Nick Grimshaw for ruining his class and making him look like an idiot all over again.

By the time the company was thanking Cowell for his class, Harry was ready to sprint home and move out of the country. For a second time. Right as he was speed walking out the door, he felt a hand grasp his elbow. Harry whipped around, feeling out of breath from class and the new pressure formed in his chest this morning.

"Are you okay?" Louis asked, blue eyes searching Harry's face. "You seemed out of it today." Harry took a deep breath.

"Listen, I think I have to go." Harry whispered, looking over Louis' shoulder to make sure Nick was still talking to Peggy. "Do you think you could make an excuse for me? Say I got sick or something?" Louis narrowed his eyes in response, and took Harry by the shoulders.

"I don't know what that dick did," Louis started, "but you are not letting him drive you out of your company. Over my dead body. So you need to get your ass in there, and prove to him that he has no power over you. Whatever he did, you have to ignore him. Ready?" Louis asked, squeezing Harry's shoulders in reassurance.

And Louis was right. Nicholas goddamn Grimshaw wasn't driving Harry out of his home turf.

"Let's do this, Tomlinson." Harry smiled back at Louis, who winked at him before turning them both back into the studio with an arm around Harry's shoulders, which looked quite silly considering the height difference. The group of soloists that had become Harry's best friends turned to look at the pair approaching them.

"You guys on for game night at ours tonight after Nutcracker?" Niall asked, a round of cheers coming to him in reply. Louis squeezed Harry's shoulders and gave him a reassuring smile one more time before letting go. His shoulders didn't feel so cold before. Right?

-

Remember when Harry said he loved game nights with the soloists (and Zayn)? Yeah, he takes that back. Sitting on the floor, utterly exhausted from the performance the group (except Zayn) had just finished was bad enough. At least they could wallow in their own demise together. That was until Satan himself showed up. There was a knock at the yellow door, prompting Niall to heave himself off the floor, groaning, to answer. Nobody really knew who it could be, unless someone ordered delivery earlier while Harry nodded off during Monopoly.

"Everyone," Niall said when he appeared back in the living room, a grinning Nick Grimshaw next to him. "I'm sure you remember Nick from earlier today." Nick laughed in response. Harry shared a quick questioning look with Louis.

"Niall, can I talk to you a sec?" Louis asked while maintaining eye contact with Harry. "About roommate stuff."

"Can it wait?" Niall replied. "I want to show Nick our vintage Candyland board-"

"Niall." Louis raised an eyebrow at the blonde man, who just rolled his eyes and followed Louis into the kitchen. The rest of the dancers made their best attempts to greet Nick in their exhausted states, except Harry. He had no idea how to approach the situation. Nick made that decision for him, however.

"Harold!" Nick turned to Harry enthusiastically. Harry watched everyone's faces morph into varying states of confusion. "Long time no see."

"That's true." Harry nodded, avoiding eye contact. Would Louis and Niall just get back here already?

"Oh!" Gigi exclaimed. "Nick's from the Royal Ballet! You two danced together, right?"

"Unfortunately, Harry here was never my partner." Nick grinned, prompting the rest of the room to fall into light laughter. Harry just shifted his weight from foot to foot. "But we did dance together."

"What made you come to New York?" Zayn asked, his lips donning a skeptical downturn. Damn, why was he always so perceptive?

"Well, I got the offer and I couldn't refuse could I?" Nick laughed. Harry glanced around the room and met Eleanor's eyes, who was looking between him and Nick while she bit the inside of her cheek. Before she could say anything, Louis and Niall came back into the living room, Niall's signature grin replaced with a determined look on his face.

"So sorry to cut this short," Niall sighed, "but Lou isn't feeling great. Had some bad Chipotle for dinner." Louis nodded, looking miserable. He was a great actor.

"Aw, but I just got here!" Nick whined, a pout on his thin lips.

"We can try again next week." Niall replied, ushering all the sluggish dancers (and Zayn) out the door. "See you tomorrow, idiots!" He yelled down the empty hall, probably to his neighbor's dismay. Niall gave Harry a hug before he stepped out the door.

"I don't know what Louis said-" Harry started, only to be interrupted.

"Louis just said Grimshaw didn't need to be here, something about him being rude to Lou." Niall shrugged. "Nobody messes with one of us, you know?"

"Yeah," Harry said, trying to hide the crack in his voice. "I know."