Bloodsport

chapter 12

The school day that followed was similar to the previous ones that week. His mind kept falling back to Louis, who kept avoiding him. The rare moments where he didn’t immediately look away from Harry’s eyes he was frowning. Frustratingly, nothing of his behaviour or the expressions on his face revealed anything of what he was thinking. During lunch, Harry was sat with a few people in the cafeteria, Zayn and him a little way to the side. Louis was at a table across from them, eating a thick bagel. There was a fair bit of drool on his bottom lip.

“Zayn,” muttered Harry quietly. His friend was reading something on his phone, but he glanced up, raising a fine, black brow. “You know the… person,” he said, just in case someone was listening, “that I was with.”

“Uh-uh.”

“How do I know what the protocol is between us?”

Zayn frowned, watching him from the side. “Depends. What’s going on?”

“Um,” he murmured, keeping his voice firmly down. “We’ve been kind of… hooking up. But it’s been very spontaneous, and I don’t really want to have a talk with him about it because…” He’s a fucking dick. “But I… I just keep wondering if… If we are doing this, or if it’s over.”

Zayn pursed his lips, pondering it for a moment. “Do you usually talk? When you hook up?”

“Not at all,” said Harry.

“Does he call you?”

“No, no,” he hissed. “It’s just been a spur-of-the-moment thing. We never talk.”

“Tough one,” he hummed. They were quiet for a while, and Harry forced himself not to look at Louis again. It was very difficult. “I think you should text him. Like, tell him to come over, and then if he does, you know he’s in it.”

Harry’s eyes went to Louis on their own accord. The drool was gone, but his lips were pink. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Yeah, mate. Just write to him, straight up. Then it’s, you know, planned. Not spontaneous. If he makes time for it, I would assume he’s into it. Imagine yourself in that situation.”

Harry considered it, his heart beating a little faster. Would Louis come to his house if he asked him to? And did he really want to invite Louis over? After last time? He watched Louis chew, mouth full of bagel, talking vividly to Liam at his table. Indeed, Louis Tomlinson was a maniac ninety per cent of the time, but it had become pretty clear that Harry couldn’t get the idiot out of his head. Truth be told, when Louis was silently having sex, he wasn’t so… bad.

Harry kept the thoughts about it in the back of his mind as the day went on. He felt a little bit annoyed when it was announced footie practice was cancelled that afternoon, but it also made him realise that the school day was finished that much sooner.

“Just do it, mate,” said Zayn as he watched Harry’s tortured expression during the last class.

Fuck it, he finally thought. His parents wouldn’t be home, and at least he would know what the deal was between them. Moreover, if Louis actually did come over, they’d have sex. Warm, blissful memories made his stomach pool with syrupy glue, head full of images of Louis’ body against his own against a locker. He was certain it was his dick making decisions as he found Louis’ phone number by checking the bottom of Louis’ stupid football emails.

He wrote, My house after school. Bring lube

Then he left class, feeling as though he was going to vomit all over the parking lot. Yes, sex was really interesting and Louis was really hot. On the other hand… He had just put himself as out there as anyone possibly could. He drove home, feeling the regret building within, dragging him down as though quicksand.