FRidAY? ↠ zarry AU

chapter 3

"Haz. Harry? HARRY?"

"What do you want, Louis?" Harry asked once he was at Louis bedroom door.

"Hold on," Louis answered him and typed a quick reply while Harry rolled his eyes and was on his way back to studying. "Wait, wait. You know that guy you like -?"

"I don't like him. I don't even know him." He said and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yea, okay sure. Well, you're about to know a bit more. His name is, 'Zayn'. You remember Liam, right?"

"Uh, kinda? Met him like, once I think?"

"Well, Zayn is Liam's friend. And Zayn is on break at the moment."

"On break how?" He whined. Jealous that he was slaving over his books while other people were 'on break.'

"They're from that soccer academy, remember? They don't have to write the exams we have to -"

"Speaking of, why aren't you studying?" Harry asked, arching his eyebrow.

"I studied this morning." Louis said with a shrug. "Anyway, Li told me that him and the boys are going out to the pub tonight, so?" He wagged his eyebrows at Harry.

"No." Harry replied simply and turned on his heel to leave a scrambling Louis.

"But why?!" Louis called, power walking behind him.

"I know the only reason that you want to go is because the girls are just going to get a whiff of the soccer boys and flock to the pub."

".. you say that like it's a bad thing?" Louis said, looking genuinely confused.

"My psychopathology exam is on Wednesday, Louis. I don't. Have. Time. I don't even know how you actually make it through every year with the studying you do."

"It's just luck." He replied, flopping down on the couch and picking up one of Harry's books.

"Last time you said it was your 'photographic memory.'"

"Well, maybe if you'd just accept that I'm fuckin' brilliant." Louis laughed. "Personality disorders and mental retardation... Harry, this stuff is heavy." Louis said whilst making himself at home with Harry's study notes.

"It's interesting." He said whilst highlighting a paragraph.

"Doctor Styles. That's so cool." Louis mumbled to himself and flipped through more pages of the book.

Harry sighed and felt like throwing all of his notes, books and, himself out of the window. There was so much to remember and he felt like nothing was sticking at the moment. His phone vibrating twice on the armrest of the chair pulled him out of his thoughts and he capped the lid back on the highlighter.

"Is that Gemma?" Louis asked and looked at Harry.

Harry, on the other hand, looked straight ahead and gently shifted in his seat to hide the screen of his phone. "... No..."

"You're an awful liar." Louis slammed the book shut to focus his attention elsewhere. "How is she?"

"Grand, Louis. Just grand." He sighed.

Louis had met Gemma in the first year when she came to pick Harry up one weekend and at first thought nothing of her. She was friendly and cute, and that was it.. But recently, he didn't know what got him, but he was simply smitten with her. Maybe it was that new haircut or new lipstick colour that she wore so well... or, -

"Louis. Stop daydreaming. I don't know what it is with you and my sister anyway. You didn't care about for two years and then suddenly,"

"She's so.."

Harry dared him, with his eyes, to carry on with that sentence. As adorable as he looked most times, he could be damn intimidating.

"...pretty, Harry. I just want to take her out. Just once." Louis pleaded.

"No. You're not even her type." He scoffed.

"How so?!"

"For one, that thing on your lip would be a huge turnoff."

"That's not what I've heard." He mumbled.

"Excuse me??"

"Look, I promise -"

"I said no, and as your best friend, you have to respect my wishes when it comes to my sister."

Groaning and rolling his eyes, Louis gave up on Gemma.... for now.

"Maybe you should go out tonight." Harry suggested, peaking over his phone.

"Come with and meet Zayn."

"...I need to finish this chapter."

"Well then, get off the phone and finish it - actually, just hand your phone over and I'll take care of it for you."

"Ha," Harry grinned and locked it. "Nice try, perv."

*

21:35

"We can still go out if you want." Harry shouted from his spot in the lounge and wondered if Louis had fallen asleep when he got no reply, but seconds later, Louis was pulling a black sweater over his head and skillfully messing his hair up to that it sat just right.

"I knew you'd cave." Louis smiled smugly and Harry just rolled his eyes.

"Shut up before I change my mind, yea?" Harry said raising his brow and Louis held his hands up in surrender.

*

While walking to the pub Louis looked up at Harry and smiled around the cigarette that sat between his lips.

"What?" Harry asked him when he felt eyes on himself

"Nothing. Just looking spiffy." Louis answered and held out his cigarette box towards Harry.

"No, thanks." He pulled a face and held his hand up. Everytime Louis would have a smoke around him, he'd offer Harry one and everytime Harry would politely decline and pull a face at the smell and sight.

He hated cigarettes. He hated that Louis smoked and had been doing so for years now. He'd always give him speeches about the dangers of smoking and tips on how to stop and everytime Louis would say: "Yea, yea" just to keep Harry quiet.

Harry didn't give him a speech this time, though and smoothed his hand over his pink silk shirt. He thought he had looked nice as well.

"So what are you going to say to him?"

"Who?"

"Zayn, Harry." Louis said, a bit annoyed that Harry was playing dumb.

"Nothing. Louis. I'm just going to unwind and have a good time with friends."

Louis took in a nice long drag and gave Harry the side eye - which Harry ignored.

*

"LIAM, MATE!" Louis shouted and smacked Liam on the shoulder once he spotted him.

"Louis! Long time no see! How've ya been?" He slurred slightly, already having had a few drinks. "Hey," He interrupted Louis before he could even give him an answer, "This is my mate, Zayn."