Detached [h.s au]

Chapter 5: Closed off

Harry's POV

I let a heavy sigh past my lips as I shut the garage door closed, my expression stony as I steal a glance of our new car. At least there is something good to look forward to now that I am forced to live with a complete stranger. The thought is unsettling, I value my privacy and have troubles with being open with people a lot closer to me than she is. I make my way towards the house, dragging myself up the stairs, feeling like I've been working all day.

I absentmindedly enter the house, stumbling as I got lost in my thoughts, not paying attention to where I am going. Throwing a glare at the entrance, I close the door, pouting like a small child. Faint echoes of laughter ring through the air, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion as I slowly walk towards the sound, the laughter getting louder with each step that I take. When I reach the living room, my eyes widen at the sight of Elizabeth sitting with the last person I would expect to see.

"Louis?" I ask in disbelief.

Their heads snap up at the sound of my voice and Louis stands to his feet immediately, his lips pulling in a grin. He approaches me with widened arms, pulling me into a brief hug. "It's been a while, Styles."

I don't bother with returning the friendly gesture, stepping away. What is he doing here? How did he find out where I live so soon? We haven't seen each other in almost three months, what does he want now?

"Beth and I were just talking about you. You've got yourself a keeper." He gestures to Elizabeth who is visibly uncomfortable for some reason.

I'm in no mood for his teasing so I get straight to the point. "What are you doing here, Louis?"

He rolls his eyes before plopping back onto the leather armchair. "I came here to see you. Well, you and the lovely lady you are bonded with." He smirks at Elizabeth and she smiles, but I can tell it's forced. 

I know that's not true and I don't want him to say anything while Elizabeth is in the room. I can only hope he wasn't stupid enough to reveal anything to her, otherwise, all of our efforts will go down the drain. If his visit has anything to do with what happened three months ago, I won't hesitate to punch him in the face.

"Like you said, it's been a while so we might go out and catch up a bit. What do you say?" I offer and give him a warning glare to let him know this isn't a suggestion.

He raises a brow and he seems to be thinking about something. "I'm sure Niall would love to join us too."

My whole body tenses at the mention of him, my fists clenching at my sides. Louis knows exactly how to hit a nerve and is using it against me. "Fine. Let's just go."

"Niall?" Elizabeth suddenly mumbles. "Nathan..." she trails off and snaps her fingers as if she's just remembered something, making Louis and I give her a look. Her lips pull in a nervous smile as she realises we're looking at her. "Uuh, just ignore me."

Louis once again stands up, glancing at Elizabeth and giving her a wink. "See ya' soon, Beth." She gives him a once over and nods, mumbling a quiet "bye".

Our eyes meet, but only for a few brief seconds, some kind of tension filling the air between us. I tear my eyes off her and focus on Louis, practically dragging him out of the house and slamming the door behind us. He has tons of explaining to do, especially since he has just made my relation with her more complicated.

. . . .

Elizabeth's POV

As Harry and Louis leave, I sit down, pondering everything I've picked up on earlier. Louis wasn't blatantly rude, but he has a mysterious aura around him which made me feel tensed and uncomfortable. As if he knows something I don't and is gloating about it. I felt like there was a hidden meaning behind his every sentence. He was very curious to hear all about me and my family, making me suspicious. I could tell he's not exactly Harry's favourite person either.

I know they are hiding something, but I can't be bothered with it as long as it doesn't affect me. What really caught my attention was mentioning Niall, his name ringing a bell immediately. I've mistaken his name with Nathan, realising he's the guy Sam has got bonded with. Since they mentioned Niall is going to join them, that means he lives in the same city as we are, making it possible for me to visit Sam.  If that really is the same person, that is.

Considering I am on a new territory where I don't know anyone, the smartest thing for me to do would be meeting new people and possibly making friends. You never know when it might come in handy considering no one is really safe; the government is always watching, always controlling.

A few hours later, I startle at the sound of something crashing against the floor and I sit up hastily, my knotted hair covering my face. It takes me a moment to realise where I am, still hazy from being abruptly awoken from my nap.

"Damn it!"

I hear Harry's voice echo from the living room and I quickly jump out of the bed, my heart already starting to race. I rush into the living room, finding him crouched over pieces of shattered glass scattered over the floor.

His green eyes look up at me, a pouty expression forming on his face. He looks like an adorable small child in that moment. "I'm afraid I've broken a vase."

"It was ugly anyway," I remark, approaching so I can help him.

I notice the corners of his lips twitch as if a smile wants to make its way to his lips. I notice he does that a lot. I don't know him at all and haven't really had a chance to really spend some quality time with him, but it seems to me he is a rather detached person. The one that doesn't smile a lot nor reveals anything about him easily. The type of person a lot of people are nowadays. With the exception of me and my parents, and a handful of people I'd rather not think about right now.

"What did Louis tell you?" Harry suddenly asks me as we finish with collecting all the broken shards. I almost smile at his attempt to be nonchalant about the question as he fumbles with the platinum bracelet we got at the ceremony.

"He didn't tell me anything, only asked questions." I cross my arms over my chest, suddenly interested in why does he want to know that. "You are not really close to him, are you?"

"I am not close to anyone," he grumbles moodily. "I don't see the point." He shifts his glance at me and rubs the nape of his neck uncomfortably. Discomfort is visible on his face and he plunges his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

"Can I ask you something?" I say.

He raises his eyebrow, looking uncertain. "Okay."

"Who is Niall?"

His eyes are suddenly guarded and his body tenses. "He's an aquaintance of mine. Why are you asking?"

"I think he was at the ceremony yesterday and got bonded with a friend of mine, Sam. I'd like to visit them."

His jaw clenches, his eyebrows forming a deep frown on his face. "Why?"

"Why not?" I retort.

"We'll see," he says sternly, trying to walk past me when my fingers wrap around his wrist, halting his movements. His green eyes snap at me in surprise, glancing down at our hands before looking up at me again.

"I don't need your permission," I warn him. "Just give me the address and you don't have to get involved."

He pulls his wrist from my light grip, taking a step closer to me, our bodies almost touching as his eyes search my features, stopping on my lips briefly before his gaze settles on mine. His proximity brings a wave of heat to my cheeks, my breathing picking up and my mouth going dry.

"You may not need my permission, but you do need my help considering I know the address," he tells me flatly. "You are going to have to settle for maybe." He finally steps away and leaves the room.

I throw a calculating look at his back, trying to figure out what is my best approach with him. So far, I've concluded he's a very closed off person not willing to share any piece of information about him, I could easily read that from his body language. I don't have a problem with that as long as it doesn't stand in the way of me finding out something I need.

I take a deep breath as I calm myself, deciding I will take things slow with him. I figure it's in my best interest to keep my relation with him as friendly as possible.