Brother's Best Friend || l.s.

chapter 19

Harry felt absolutely, utterly light-headed when the kiss was broken. His eyes were still slightly wide as he gawped at Louis, whose expression was unreadable. It was like it had shocked him as much as it did Harry. Neither of them uttered a word, and Harry, as the flustered and 'head-over-heels-in-love' idiot he was rushed out of the room and back towards the living room. Yes, he had done explicitly sexual things with Louis, but nothing came close to the feeling that kiss gave him inside. It felt like he couldn't breathe.

Jamie brightly smiled at him when he returned, completely oblivious to the steaming hot kiss that had just gone down in the kitchen, while Liam and Niall continued to watch the TV show on the screen. Harry shakily sat back down, trying to hide on his face how he was feeling.

"You alright, Harry? You look a bit shocked." Liam chuckled, pausing the show so as not to miss anything. Harry whipped his head in Liam's direction, slightly bewildered.

"What? I'm fine." He hastily defended, faking a large smile. "Why do I look shocked?"

"I dunno," Liam mused, raising an eyebrow, "Probably just a misjudgement."

It was ironic how Liam was the one picking up on Harry's actions, considering it had been his brother who had just secretly made out with him in the kitchen. Funny that. Louis didn't return to the living room after that, and Harry liked the thought that maybe Louis had rushed to his room and stood against the door with a wide smile on his face, like a movie scene. Better that than him immediately regretting what he had done, cursing himself for having been so forward - Harry was completely fine with the forwardness.

He tried not to snuggle up too close to Jamie, entirely uninterested by now, and couldn't concentrate on the TV screen without thinking of how good Louis' lips felt and tasted against his. Well shit, that was probably going to keep him awake for the next week during time in which he should have been sleeping. He realised that all he wanted now was a relationship with Louis, one where they went out on cute dates and made cookies together, but it wasn't possible with Liam being his brother. Stupid Liam.

"What are you smiling about?" Gemma grilled him, the moment he strolled into the kitchen upon arriving home. "Haven't you been at school? What's so exciting about that?"

In fact, no. He had skipped school (and kissed Liam's hot older brother.)

"Nothing," Harry sang, opening the fridge to look for a snack. "Not to worry, Gem."

"Tell me, then." She prodded him on the back. "Did someone ask you out, or something?"

Harry wished, to be honest, if that someone was Louis. For now they were evidently taking things very slowly.

"It's nothing specific, honest. I just had a good day, so I'm smiling."

"Good to hear." She returned the smile, before slipping out of the room. Not much conversation there.

Harry was surprised not to find a message waiting for him from Louis, even though Louis was currently active on Facebook and so could have sent one if he so wished, and Harry was really stuck on whether he should send one instead. He idly drummed his fingers over his keyboard, deciding on what the best thing would be to say, but he ended up deciding to leave it altogether and not to send him anything.

He didn't see Louis at all for quite a while, Liam not inviting them round as usual, as though he sensed something going on -- which Harry realised was literally impossible, but was paranoid as ever. He was quite worried, considering he and Louis hadn't discussed what had happened and why it had, knowing it was something that couldn't just be left unspoken.

For the first time in quite a while, Harry invited Liam and Niall to his place after work that coming Saturday. He knew his parents and Gemma would be out shopping that evening, so it would be argument and intruder free. They hung out in his bedroom, which he had tidied the night before for the occasion, and had nothing in particular to do. All Harry wanted to do was ask Liam how Louis was doing, but clearly that would be massively suspicious and so he had to leave it.