Prince Not-So-Charming And His Tipsy Princess (l.s)

Chapter 5

When Harry left Louis to go home, his mind was all twisted up. It's not that he didn't know he was a people pleaser, it's that Louis had managed to notice and point it out despite the fact that his drunk self didn't act quite as utterly lame. It made him wonder what else Louis had noticed about him. The man was an enigma but all the mystery was really concerning, despite the fact that they had only known each other for a little over two weeks.

Why couldn't he just have a normal degree he was studying for instead of this one that gave him the power of people-reading? Like a degree in drink shaking or a position as one of those sexy half-naked calendar firemen Harry distinctly remembered had helped him realise he really liked men when he was younger? He flushed at the thought, groaning to himself. There was no need to sexualise the man but then again, Harry had a knack for letting his imagination run too wild way too much. It was one of the reasons he blushed somewhat often, his mind worked faster than his conscience ever could to stop it.

He flopped on his bed, angry at his body's reactions. He most definitely was not going to jack off to the thought of Louis in suspenders, that was just low. Why had he slipped back to those naked firemen, anyway? He knew exactly what that would cause!

Harry repeatedly told himself he was out of control, stilling when an intrusive thought muttered a very unpleasant insult to him for being such a pervert. He suddenly wanted to get drunk, again... But Louis wouldn't want him doing that, especially when he was all alone and might get hurt. No, no, he just needed to summon Zayn so he would babysit him like the stupid child he was while he got hammered. While he waited, his mind kept flashing to unpleasant thoughts about his sexual past so he decided he would give up on Zayn's arrival and take a long, long nap to forget all about how disgusting he felt and was.

By the time he woke up, it was already evening and he got himself ready to go to the club. He convinced himself he was hurrying because he wanted to get drunk off his ass but, truth be told, he wanted to see Louis even more. What was wrong with him? Had he learned absolutely nothing from every single relationship he had ever had? It was Relationship 101; don't ever crush on anyone in the first place!

When he got to the club, he let out a sigh of relief seeing only Liam there. He explained that Lou was running late but Harry didn't want to hear another word about the confusing bartender who was messing with his head. And so, he drank, ignoring the uneasiness on his friends' faces. Liam and Zayn shared a look, the first time they had interacted since the hospital and Zayn mouthed "call Louis". And if Louis rushed himself to be there for Harry, despite the fact that it wasn't his shift, well... No one needed to know that. His professors were already used to his late submissions, anyway.

Liam looked up when he heard the creaky back door swing open. Louis greeted him with a two-fingered salute, glancing around. "Where's Harry? Hazz, come over here, will ya?"

Harry most definitely heard that, his flushed cheeks a clear indication but he bit the inside of his cheek and stayed put. "Is he still upset with me? Or did you let him drink, again? Both?"

"Upset? Louis, what exactly did you say to him?" Louis rose his hands immediately, the roommates narrowing their eyes at each other.

"Hey, I only said what's true! And, just so you know you're meant to be on my side, here."

"I kind of owe it to Harry to not do that. I'm the reason he's like this in the first place-"

"Don't blame yourself, idiot. It's not your job to babysit your patrons and their mental health issues. He could have and should have stopped himself but he wanted to forget something..." Hopefully he wasn't that something. He had seen the lad shed tears over him too much in the short amount of time they had known each other. Somehow, he managed to cause him that much emotional distress without trying. "It's fine, alright? Although... To be honest, the real problem is Simon Cowell."