SOLITUDE

Chapter Eighteen

Louis' blue eyes fluttered open, eyelashes tickling his skin, and he realised that he once again was awake before Harry, who was still sound asleep curled up on the couch. He shuffled out of his room, wrapping his duvet around his shoulders, stepping into the living room. Louis smiled to himself at how innocent the younger boy looked, with curls splayed across the pale purple colour of the pillow and body curled up seeking warmth.

"I love you," he muttered into the darkness of the living room, not to anyone in particular (Maybe Harry, except he was asleep) and he trudged into the kitchen, bumping his hip on the doorframe, and he hissed as the slight pain shot through his body.

"Morning," Niall grinned from across the table, and Louis' eyebrow shot up at the voice. He looked up to meet the boy's icy blue eyes.

"When did you get in?" He asked, not bothering to reply properly, instead pulling the door of the fridge open and holding it in place with his other hip, digging through the shelves.

"Well, you're nice, aren't you?" Niall laughed a little, shaking his head, his eyes fixed on the cereal in front of him. "Let myself in with the key like two hours ago," And then Louis remembered the spare key they kept under a rock by a plant outside of the door and things clicked in place.

"Oh, right," He said, finally pulling out the carton of orange juice, which perhaps was out of date.

"You're happy today," Niall noted with a nod, his voice dripping with clear sarcasm, and Louis glared at him. "Did someone get it on last night with a certain curly-"

"Niall!" Louis yelped, his eyes going wide as he glanced over his shoulder at the door in panic. With a relieved sigh at no curly haired boy lurking in the shadows, he turned back to Niall, frown upon his features. "This is Harry we're dealing with! And don't say that - he might come into the kitchen any minute!"

"Okay! Wow, I get it, touchy subject!" Niall rolled his eyes, twirling the spoon between his fingers. Louis sighed.

"He told me he loved me yesterday," Louis said, almost unaudiable, after a few minutes of silence, and Niall very nearly spat his cereal out, very nearly but he didn't, because he managed to swallow it down successfully only choking a little.

"He what now?" The younger boy shierked, dropping the spoon onto the wooden table.

"He told me he loved - Niall, please, shut up, you'll wake him up - he said he loved me, and I didn't know what to say and I'm so scared Niall, but I think-"

The blonde cut him off by sticking one finger up in the air, eyes fixed on Louis'. "Do you love him back?"

"Well - yeah. Obviously, I do," Louis breathed, glancing at Niall who hummed under his breath, eyes trailing up to Louis' messy hair. "Where are we going with this?"

"So you two are together, then?" Niall asked, grinning cheekily, and something hitched in Louis' throat.

"No - no, what? I don't think so,"

Niall genuinely burst out laughing, with Louis jumping up from his seat to shut him up because shut the hell up, Niall, you'll wake him up! but with no success of quietening the younger boy down, soon a tall figure stumbled into the kitchen, pulling one of Louis' jumpers on over their curly head - same one as the one he wore for the whole day yesterday, actually.

"Mornin' Harry!" Niall said exuberantly, and the brunette boy smiled, looking up from under messy curls, fixing the white knitted jumper over his long torso.

"Good morning, Niall," He replied rather calmly, smile lingering on his lips and his eyes trailed from the blonde boy towards the boy he loved, and he felt a small blush on his cheeks when he noticed Louis already looking back at him. "Lou,"