I Don't Love You (And I Always Will)

Chapter Thirty Four

hey! as always, enjoy. I'll try and update tomorrow, but it's my birthday so we'll see :)

Harry

The vibe in Harry's apartment was...strange. And not in the way he expected it to be, considering he had a previous sexual partner living there due to an unfortunate kitchen fire.

Truth be told, Harry probably would've come up with some bullshit excuse to keep Louis away if Zayn hadn't called him, telling him if Louis didn't stay with him he would be literally sleeping on the street. It was unclear to Harry why Zayn didn't offer to house his best friend, but there's no use in pondering. As it was, Louis and Harry were cohabiting.

The weird part was Louis' behavior. Harry expected some apprehension on the older boy's part, but he was strangely casual. He was also spending a lot of time on his phone, texting someone constantly. Harry wondered who it could be. A friend, maybe his mom? A date?

It didn't matter. They were at work now, rehearsing Romeo and Juliet, which would debut in two weeks on Valentine's Day. Harry's cast was going first, which delighted the romantic in him.

"More drama, Harry!" Ben critiqued, while Harry mimed drinking poison in the last tomb scene. Harry had been waiting to perform this practically his whole career, and the pressure was weighing on him. He clutched his side, wincing as he fell to the ground. "There we go!"

He panted from the floor, where he lay dead. He heard Ben clapping from the front of the studio, Gigi's Juliet laying dead beside him. They raised their hands to high five, Gigi giggling at the motion.

Rehearsals with Gigi had been fun, especially after Harry apologized in advance to Zayn for having to kiss his girlfriend so many times. Zayn nodded at him in acknowledgement, and the two had parted ways.

Harry and Gigi rose from the floor, grunting with effort after such a long rehearsal. They ran all their pas de deux scenes today, and most of them were over five minutes long, and ran back to back. It was grueling. Harry pushed open the studio doors, stopping in the hallway for a moment to catch his breath. Niall skipped down the hall, giving Harry a pat on the head as he passed. Harry smiled. Niall was always an oblivious ball of sunshine. Harry's arm could've been chopped off, and Niall would ask how his day was going. It was a blessing and a curse.

Gigi came out of the studio next, having to stay after for some notes from Ben. She had been performing exceptionally so far, so it was no surprise when she came out grinning like a maniac. She rushed past Harry to the stairs, presumably to go tell Zayn about her excellence. It was cute. Harry decided he should move after a corps de ballet dancer rammed him in the back when he wasn't looking.

He went into the locker rooms, grabbing all his stuff and throwing some clothes on. As confident as he was with his body, going out on the NYC streets in tights and a t-shirt was pushing it. People might not bat an eye though, based on what some people were wearing.

Liam came in the door next, coming up next to Harry's locker. He was dripping with sweat, having come out of a similar pas de deux rehearsal with Eleanor. Harry was sure that wasn't awkward to direct at all.

"Hey, man!" Liam panted, retrieving a red towel from his locker and wiping his forehead. "How's rehearsals for you and G?"

"Good!" Harry nodded, slipping on a pair of white socks. "Kinda weird kissing a girl after all these years, but that's hardly a complaint."

Liam chuckled. "Yeah, having your girlfriend dance with you makes it easier."

"Could plot twist it onstage and have Romeo and Mercutio end up together." Harry suggested, wiggling his eyebrows before he realized what he had implied. Luckily, Liam didn't notice. "Any plans tonight?" Harry asked, desperate to change the subject before Liam caught his slip.