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9. Fool's Gold

9. Fool's Gold

After retrieving his coffee in the hotel café, Harry promptly returned to bed.

He wasn't hungover.

He was annoyed. Aggravated.

He turned to face the window, looking out at the blue sky. They should really go out and explore today.

Oh wait, some of them already were.

He groaned, pulling his pillow over his face.

Last night had been torture. Scott had been in his arms, for God's sake. And for some reason, it felt so very right to have him there. And then, when they left the hotel room, it was like none of that had ever happened. It was as though Harry didn't exist.

And then, there was Liam.

Leave it to Liam to fuck everything up.

The entire night was confusing. Liam was certainly not attracted to Scott... right? He was straight.

...Right?

He started to panic.

And even if he was indeed straight, Scott was so vulnerable right now. Was Liam doing this on purpose? Was he stringing Scott along despite his lack of interest? Scott didn't deserve that.

Liam was going to get a piece of his mind.

A knock on his door awoke him again, and he glanced at the clock. He had fallen asleep for an hour.

Liam was smiling on the other side of the door when it opened, but his grin faltered when Harry's eyes narrowed.

"Yes?" Harry snapped.

"Wanted... to see... if you wanted... to hang out?" Liam asked, timidly.

Harry stepped to the side, gesturing for Liam to come in, wordlessly.

"What do you want to do today?" Liam asked, trying to keep his voice light.

"I want to talk to you," Harry replied. Liam sat at the edge of his bed and waited. Harry took a seat next to him and took a deep breath.

"What's going on with you and Scott?"

Liam's eyes widened for a moment. "Beg pardon?"

Before Harry could wait for a further answer, he dove in. "Whatever you're doing, stop it. He's going through something right now. He doesn't need you playing around with him."

Liam's eyes narrowed, now. "What are you insinuating?"

Harry glared at him, and he could tell that it made Liam's blood boil.

"I'm insinuating that you're being a bit of a dick," Harry replied, trying to keep his voice even.

Liam's mouth fell open, but he recovered quickly. "What about you, Mr. Smooth Talker?"

Now it was Harry's turn to become angry. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Here you are, accusing me of something downright comical, when you're over here disappearing into the man's room the other night and then ignoring him completely for the remainder of it? Get out of here, Haz. If he's going through something, he certainly doesn't need you to confuse him, pushing and pulling at him like he's some sort of toy."

Liam stood. "Scott and I get along. The same way that I get along with Niall, with Zayn. The same way that you get along with Louis. When did that become a crime?" But then realization flashed across his features, and a pit grew in Harry's stomach.