You Sunshine, You Temptress (l.s)

Touch

Chapter 18

Louis

I woke up to the feeling of Phoebe and Daisy jumping on the couch and falling on top of me. I must've fallen asleep here last night after Harry left.

"Get the fuck off of me" I grumble, covering my eyes from the early morning sun shining in through the shades. One of the twins gasped loudly and jumped from the couch, probably going to go tell on me. 

"Why was 'Arry here yesterday?" Phoebe asked, finally settling down and I feel her collapse onto the opposite end of the couch. 

"His name is Harry, and we were hanging out." I groan. It's way too early for all this shit. 

"Is he your boyfriend?" She questioned, playing with the loose thread on the toe of my sock and kicking her feet against the coffee table.

"No. He's not my boyfriend" I finally decide that it's no use to try and go back to sleep, so I sit up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes while a yawn grumbles in my throat. 

"Is he like Nate? Do you like him?" I whip my head in her direction, my jaw clenching tightly as she innocently asks the name. I nearly begin to yell, but I realize that she's only 6 years old and she truly doesn't know any better. She doesn't know what Nate did, or why the name enrages me, so I can't take it out on her.

"No Pheebs, he's not like Nate. Go get ready for school" I nudge her off the couch with my elbow and she skips up the stairs to get ready. 

"Daisy, Please stop yelling" My mum enters the living room and plops down on the loveseat across from me, rubbing her temples with her slender fingers. 

"But he said a swear! You told me that if he said a swear then he has to say sorry and he didn't say sorry mummy!" I can't seem to catch a break from these fucking kids. 

"I'm sure he didn't mean it hun. Please go get ready for school" I nearly feel bad for my mum. She's exhausted, and she has to deal with 4 hyperactive girls. 

"But-" Daisy whines as she stomps her foot.

"No but's. I said go get ready for school." Daisy almost protests again, but a warning glare from my mum was enough to send her up the stairs. 

I stand from the couch, stretching out my arms and letting out a loud groan in the process. "You slept on the couch?" my mum asks

"Yeah, I must've fallen asleep after Harry left" I explain as I run a hand through my messy hair.

"You like Harry?" She asks, but my eyes dart to her immediately in surprise "As a friend, I mean" She corrects herself. 

"Yeah, I think so. He's a little guarded, and I'm still trying to figure him out, you know? We've had a little bump along the way but so far so good" I don't miss the way my mum looks at me with so much clarity in her eyes, almost as if she realizes something I don't. 

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I ask

"No reason, go ahead and get ready, you don't want to be late." She gives me a warm smile before I walk over to the stairs. Before I can make my way up, she calls out to me. 

"And Louis?" She asks, continuing once she has my attention. "Keep Harry around. It's been a while since I've seen you smile like this" I chuckle under my breath before heading up the stairs.

And if I'm being honest, she's right. It's been a while since I've felt this way, since I've smiled this way. The thought of Harry is enough to make me grin like an idiot, and so that morning as I got ready, I smiled the entire time.