What Is Love

Nine

[Thursday, December 7th 2017]

Harry hugs his books close to his chest, looking down as he walks. He dreads having to take the bus home, even more so having to go home and come up with another excuse for his mum as to why he isn't at the music shop like always.

Even with his earbuds in, the low rumble of an engine makes him snap his head up. His stomach as well as his heart drops, because that is so Louis at his school on his motorcycle in December.

Harry looks around. He vaguely knows Lottie, but he swears he had just seen her get into her friends car. He pulls a bud from his ear as Louis waves to him. He walks up with his hands in his pockets, small frame swaddled in his jacket. Even the one tattoo on his neck is hidden by a scarf.

"Um, Lottie already left." Harry jerks a thumb behind him.

Louis bites his lip. "I know. I came for you. Thought you'd like a ride on the bike?... If that's okay, I mean." He shrugs, and looks down. "I've missed ya, Haz."

"Yeah." Harry mumbles. And he should be trying to move on, he really should. Not that he'd been succeeding at it in the past few days, but at least he was trying. "Um... Wanna go to yours?" Because Louis isn't working today. And why does Harry know that? Because he's infatuated and they've been together every Thursday for the past few months.

Louis smiles at that and climbs on.

❊ ❊ ❊ ❊

Louis glances up over his textbook, subtly watching Harry sketch in his notepad. Louis' Maths notepad. He looks back at his own worksheet when Harry looks up, and after a few seconds looks back again.

Harry's still looking at him, though, hands still and pencil in his lap instead of his hands. Louis bites the inside of his cheek. "Um..." He sighs. "I can't do this. Wanna go to the cafe?" He nods his head towards the door.

It's like Harry lets out a breath. "Yes." He jumps up, grabbing his jacket and slipping it on. Louis grabs his jumper and pulls a beanie over his head. It's freezing outside, but walking only a block down isn't too bad. Especially since he sticks against Harry's side.

Louis almost speaks up, but Harry beats him to it. "How are your classes going?" He asks. "I know Italian was beating you up."

"È così male." Louis groans, smiling a bit when Harry giggles in response.

"Better than I could do." Harry looks down as he walks, hands stuffed in his pockets.

Louis frowns again, and when they reach the corner of the street just ahead of the cafe he stops. "Um, hey, I'm really sorry if I made you feel like you couldn't still come to me and be around me." He purses his lips. "I never meant to make you feel unwelcome."

Harry scrunches his nose, looking away and down. "We-We don't- you don't have to talk about that." He shakes his head. "I just made a stupid mistake, is all."

"No, Harry, no. You didn't make a mistake-"

"No, it-it was stupid to assume you'd be with someone my age. I should have never-"

Louis reaches up for his neck, kissing him and cutting him off. Harry's surprised by it no doubt, but he kisses back none the less and digs his fingers into the ends of Louis' scarf where they fall against his chest.