Red Brick Heart

12

"So," Perrie says three days later, as they're packing up the radio show for the night, glancing up at Harry with her eyebrows raised, "You and Louis."

"I don't know what-"

"Harry. Save it."

He groans. "Zayn told you?"

"I do have eyes," she says airily, before adding, "Yes, he did, but that's not the point. You think nobody saw you two grinding up on each other Thursday night? I was drunk but I wasn't blind."

Harry flushes, remembering it well. He hadn't even been that drunk and he was sure Louis wasn't either, but the packed dance floor was too much to resist, especially with Louis grinding up on him, arms around his shoulder and gorgeous bum moving over his hard-on; and they'd ended up snogging in a corner then getting each other off in the bathroom while security banged on the door for them to come out. Louis could not have looked more smug when he opened the door wiping his shiny red lips, and even though they'd been told quite forcefully to leave the club then and there, Louis had grabbed Harry's hand and ran off into the dance floor and somehow they'd managed to lose the bouncer.

They still spent the rest of the night snogging, of course.

"Oh," Harry says, scratching the back of his neck as she slipped her pink coat on. "I, um. Yeah."

"Things are good then?"

Harry shrugs, zipping up his hoodie under his coat. "Yep."

"Should I be expecting an official flat announcement sometime soon, or-"

"We're just, like," he says, switching off the lights. "Kind of just figuring each other out right now."

"So you haven't talked about it?" Harry's silence is enough of an answer. She hits him gently on the arm. "Oh, Harry! You know this was what happened with me and Zayn. You need to communicate! What if he doesn't think you're dating? What if he's sleeping with someone else?"

"I'm pretty sure he's not," Harry scoffs, but even as he says it he's doubting himself. Perrie widens her eyes at him.

"Babe. Please. I know – like, it's not my place to say or anything, but Louis has had stuff going on this term and you – like, maybe you should make sure that stuff has been wrapped up, you know?"

Harry frowns at her, pausing as they exit the studio. "What kind of 'stuff'?" he says, hooking his fingers around the word in air quotes. She sighs, halting a little further up the corridor.

"Look, it's something he told me in confidence-"

"If you know, then Zayn definitely knows, so why can't you tell me?" he demands, unusually bullish. She tucks her hair behind her ears, foot scuffing the floor.

"I'm sorry. I just can't," she says, shrugging helplessly. "C'mon, let's go."

Harry doesn't move. Instead, he calls out, "Is this – is this about the moving out thing?"

"The what?" She spins where she stands, frowning hard. "Who's moving out?"

"Louis. You know. It was only supposed to be temporary, I get it, I always knew it...I found his letters," he continues, even though she looks confused. "I know that he, like, got an offer of accommodation. I know he's moving out soon."

"No, it's not – he's moving out? He never said!"

Harry bites his lip, scratching the back of his head. "Well, like. He's got letters about it and stuff. I haven't actually talked to him about it-"

"Promise me," Perrie says, stepping towards him to poke him in the sternum, "when we get back tonight you'll talk to Louis. Promise me."

"Yeah," Harry sighs, rubbing his nose. "Yeah, I guess. I just – I just can't believe it's actually happening. Me and him. I don't want to ruin it."