Chapter 9

It's been a month since Anne left and went to

Macau for a business trip and Harry's crush on Louis NEVER faded and it just grew more and more each day.

Harry always brushed his feelings off, and didn't tell anyone, because it was his first time to feel this way towards a guy and he was confused as ever.

"How long can a crush last?" Harry unawaredly asked Liam.

"They say that it only lasts for a month, If it doesn't go away. You should be worried." Liam answered Harry.

"Worried? You make it sound like it's a bad thing." Harry exclaimed, he doesn't need some form of discouragement.

"Oh. Love hurts whether it's right or wrong." Liam said, he's such an optimist.

Harry frowned but continued to ask Liam. 

"You look quite sad today. Why?"  

Liam looked back at him. "I'm not."

"Come on tell me." 

Zayn walked towards them and put his arms around Liam. 

"What do you mean 'tell me'? Zayn grinned at Harry. 

"Liam has a secret." Harry blurted out.

Zayn looked at Liam and he blushed legit.

"I have none..now I gotta go somewhere" Liam shifted uncomfortably to get out of Zayn's grasp and headed to his next class.

Harry was left with Zayn and they continued talking about random stuff, and suddenly this came up

"Well then, How are things going with...?" Harry asked, he actually forgot the name of Zayn's new girlfriend." 

"..Jenna, she's at our English class." Zayn said while tugging on his university jacket.

"Why her?"  Harry said, not in a rude way though. He just wants to hear a tale of love to see if he can relate it to Louis.

Zayn was left speechless for a while. To be honest, he did not know what to say. 

Finally he just gave up and said. 

"I don't know." 

"Oh Come on Zayn! You must have some reasons, is it her eyes, hair, sense of humor, body?

Harry enumerated to him, but all the while he was just just saying Louis' good qualities.

Zayn looked at the floor and counted how many tiles are there instead of listening to what Harry just said.

Harry noticed that Zayn is not listening so he simply stopped. He gets it, he knows that Zayn doesn't really like this Jenna-girl.

He patted Zayn's shoulder and looked at his watch "Oh well, See you later I gotta go."  

Zayn waved at him with a small smile on his face. 

 ------------------------

After class, Harry made his way into the car and noticed that Louis isn't in there yet. 

He looked around and saw Louis running towards him. Louis still used the tuxedo, minus the dark glasses when he's outside the house because, apparently, he looked more professional and he can store a whole lot of gadgets on its pockets. 

"I didn't expect you to be here so early." 

 Harry used to go hang out somewhere with girls so he did not come home directly after class.

"Not to mention, I had to make sure nobody will see me jump all the way down....and students were everywhere." Louis added.

"You should have given them a show" Harry chuckled.

"Hush.! The security didn't know that I was at the top of the tree." Louis said while holding his pointer finger up.

Harry raised his eyebrow and said. "How the hell can you even climb without anyone seeing you?"

Louis smirked. "Have you ever seen Spiderman?.....yep that's exactly how I climb the tree, but a bit faster so that no one will see me."

"Sometimes I think that it's amazing.but then really, that seems like a pretty worthless skill."

Louis inched nearer and caught Harry playfully into a headlock, "What do you mean with worthless huh?? Don't you get how cool that is?"

"Yeah...Okay! Get off me now!" Harry exclaimed

Meanwhile, Niall was squatting at a platform somewhere far away and looked at Louis and Harry goofing around the parking lot, through his binoculars. 

He has a hobby, people-watching, you know sometimes he sees more things than he should. 

He smirked himself at the plan he quickly managed to plot.

"This could be fun." Niall cooed. 

---------------------

The next day, Harry woke up late because he didn't have any morning classes that day.

He went down lazily, he was still sleepy, but then there was some kind of force that is pushing him to wake up.

He saw a small boy sitting at the couch wearing a red polo shirt. 

He forced his eyes open and saw the unmistakable mop of blond hair, it was Niall and beside him was Louis, who seems to be laughing.

He went near them and looked at Niall, a part of his shirt lifted up as he tried to scratch his stomach.

"There he is....." Louis said cheerfully. 

His eyes trailed off to Harry's exposed skin.

Harry smirked at Louis who was staring at him, still not fixing his shirt.

He's working out every weekends so he gained a glorious six-pack. Ever since he saw the flab on his tummy, he tried his best to burn it off because he got insecure.

"Hey Hazza!" Niall exclaimed. 

Harry stared at him. "Why are you here Niall?"

"Oh..uh don't be so hostile, You see Louis and I are just have having a little talk."  

"Harry you never mentioned that Niall was a cool kid." Louis muttered.

Harry sat at the separate chair. 

Niall turned towards Louis and asked

"So Lou, Where did you spend your high school." 

"Oh yeah...just there in Northvale, even went on the football team."

"Cool! Maan! Can't you get any more amazing?" 

"Niall, You're overreacting." Harry said coldly.

Niall brushed it off and continued talking.  

"I never stood a chance really, because I'm too small."  Niall whined.

"It's okay if you're small...really,it's quite cute." Louis said innocently.

Harry lost it, and next thing he knew, he was dragging Niall towards the Study Room and Louis was left alone, quite baffled. But he decided not to meddle because while Harry was dragging Niall by the collar, Niall smiled at him and did a two thumbs up. 

Harry locked the door of the study room and Niall sat comfortably into the beanbag chair. 

"Why are you here?" Harry tried his best to calm down.

" 'Cause you dragged me here." Niall had the nerve to reply.

Harry chuckled involuntarily at the poorly constructed joke.

"Nice room.." Niall complimented.

Books were everywhere and the giant map specially amazed Niall, spoons and pins were hanged around the walls as souvenirs from the countries that Anne visited to.

"Why are you flirting with my bodyguard?"

"That was faster than expected..." Niall said. 

"What?" Harry answered he didn't understand, heck, of course he didn't.

"You like that bodyguard." Niall said. 

"No." Harry replied swiftly.

"No, no I wasn't asking you, I was telling you. You like Louis."

"Yep Niall, I do really really do and it hurts me to think that he ever said you're cute."

Harry's eyes widened he can't believe he had said it to Niall.

"Aww...that's cute, Aren't you too possessive, considering you haven't told him yet." 

Harry pulled the chair in front of him so that he could sit opposite to Niall. 

He sat at the chair and said "Shut up. I won't tell him, I just wont."

Niall looked at him with a hint of sympathy.

"I just can't say it, can I? In fact, I'm not yet sure..." Harry bit his lip.

Niall patted his shoulders. 

"Anyone with eyes can see that you love him, by the way you act and look at him....."

Harry looked down but he still listened. 

''....it's all different, and you know it. It hurts that you are hiding it, because I feel."

Harry turned to Niall. "You feel?"

Niall looked at him warily "I feel that Louis feels the same way about you." 

Harry smiled but his heart was frightened for the possibility.

Niall is always right.