Harry, Harry, Harry... Louis

Chapter 20

Friends. Right.

I'm pretty sure if I considered Louis to just be my friend, I wouldn't be paying attention to the way his hair looks golden in the afternoon sun, or how tan and soft his skin looks. If Louis and I were friends, I wouldn't have noticed how his eyes have turned such a bright shade of blue that anyone could spot them from miles away.

We've shaken hands twenty minutes ago. Give me some time to adjust.

After our agreement, we both joined the rest of the family in the backyard to enjoy the view with a glass of wine. I went to talk with Maman and my aunt, while Louis made friends with my uncle and chatted with Papa.

I keep looking over at him every five seconds. I'm trying to convince myself it's because I'm protective of my friends and I'm just making sure he's safe. I'm not looking because he's beautiful. Not at all.

You know what's beautiful? The vineyard behind him, which is what I should be focusing on...

Everything about this place is beautiful. The house itself is huge. It looks like an ancient castle that used to belong to French royalty. The vineyard has been part of my family for generations. Visiting this place each year is one of my favorite things to do.

We usually go for dinner once or twice every summer and celebrate Christmas there with the whole family in winter.

Even though the size of the house is remarkable, what I prefer is the land around it. Seventy-five acres of grape vines, all surrounded by mountains.

The place is so big, yet it's very intimate. It feels like home and I love it.

Since my aunt and uncle live here all year round, they decided that the best way to fill the house was with kids. Loads of them. Five girls and six boys. Let's say that I'm never bored when I'm with them.

They're all a bit younger than me and I sort of love to be the older one. Growing up as a lonely chid, I've always wanted to have a brother or sister. Then my cousins came along, and my dream was fulfilled.

"Harryyyyy!!" I hear Rose call out. I turn to see all eleven of my cousins running full speed towards me. I hardly have time to give my wine glass to Maman when they all jump in my arms, which makes me collapse to the ground.

"Salut les cocos" I answer, while ruffling the boys' hair and giving quick kisses to the girls' cheeks.

I feel like the cool older brother and I'm loving it.

"Play with us!! S'il-the-plait!!!" Thomas begs. They all make a circle around me.

How can I say no to these cuties? They're adorable.

"Sure! What game do you guys want to play?"

Lucas, the youngest of them all, tugs lightly on my shirt to get my attention.

"We could play hide and seek." He pitches unconfidently.

He is totally my favorite out of all my cousins. He reminds of me and how I was shy when I was younger.

"We could! So we shall!"

As I answer Lucas and hear all the others approve the game, I turn to look at Louis, who visibly doesn't seem to care at all about the intense story my uncle is telling him. He's looking at me with a shy smile. I give him a small nod in response.

He moves his glass over to the children around me and furrows his brows. His face reads "What are you guys up to?"

An idea pops into my head: As Louis' friend, I'm allowed to invite him to play with us, right?