Louis' POV

Two weeks after school had started I began anticipating Liam's return, he was the one and only person whom I would be able to dump all my hopes, and worries, and details about my life on. And he would understand every word of of my stumbling utterances and awkwardly long sentences. I could tell him about Harry, and how much school sucked, and I just wished Liam would get back already... Four more days and I would have a shoulder to cry on. I had been spending more and more time with Harry and Niall over the past weeks, Harry kept asking if we'd had our conversation yet, and I kept telling him no. Lying, but for a good cause. I just hoped he wouldn't catch on. We'd hung out outside of school only three times since the Pizza thing, mostly we'd grab food together. Once we went over to Niall's to watch a movie. And I started getting to know Harry more and more as the days went by. He was smart, and funny. He was creative, and beautiful. Generous, and selfless, and kind. He was perfect. But he had no social skills... He had this thing where he couldn't initiate conversations, maybe it was a symptom of anxiety or something, I felt it lessening slightly as we got to know eachother better, one time he even asked me a question without me having asked him one first. I knew it wasn't changing on a social level, but on a personal level. So I began starting conversations between him and other people when I saw that he wanted to say something to someone.

It was a wednesday, and we were all anxious for the weekend.

"Maybe we could go swimming saturday afternoon?" Niall said while we were on our way to lunch downtown. Every other wednesday we had a full block free at lunch time, so we were heading to a nice bakery to get tea and pastries.

It was really nice to be free from the confines of the highschool for a while.

"Uhh sure..." Harry said "Where do people go swimming around here?"

"There's the indoor pool, next to the library. Or if you're feeling really adventurous there's this small lake outside of town that you can hike to and swim in. But the water's always really nice in the summer"

"Wait... We have a pool in this town?" Niall said "How did I never know that?"

"Uhh, maybe it's because you don't go to the library, so you don't see the big building with the fucking pool in it?" Harry said confidently, it made me happy when he seemed comfortable like this.

"Shut up Haz"

"Why don't we go to the lake?" Harry said, almost shyly, and indecicive, as if he was ready to take it back the moment someone contridicted him. I'd seen him do it before... And it kinda made me sad.

"That's a great idea Harry" I said

"But that means we have to hike" Niall groaned. I shot him a glare when Harry turned away for a moment. "Yay the lake" Niall continued, catching my drift.

We got to the bakery and ordered. Harry left to go to the bathroom as Niall and I sat down, leaving us alone.

"Why are you so protective of Harry like that?" Niall stated, as soon as Harry was out of earshot.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Harry always has to be right to you... Every decision he makes is a good decision to you... Whats with that?"

"Maybe I just agree with him?"

"Well why do you keep glaring at me like you'll kill me if I contradict him?"

"I don't glare at you"

"Yes you do are you in love wi- Hi Harry" Niall said

I jumped so hard I almost spilled my tea. I think Harry noticed because his eyes narrowed. Please don't let him think we were talking about him behind his back, Please don't let him think we were talking about him behind his back, Please don't let him think we were talking about him behind his back. Please, please, please. He sat down across from me, taking a sip of his tea, his eyes avoiding mine.

"How do you think you did on that math test?" I asked

"I think I got a passing grade... Lower than a 90 probably..." He said, still not meeting my gaze.

"I think I got like an F minus" Niall said "I have no fucking clue what anything on that test was about"

"You can't get and F minus Niall... I'm sure you got a D plus or something"

"Sure, insult me why don't you."

Liam was going to be back tomorrow! I was so excited for him to be in class... I would finally be able to tell someone how much I adored Harry. I was sitting, pondering, staring serenely at Harry across the cafeteria table, examining the curve and shape of his eyes, how his curls seemed to crown his head, the cafeteria lights couldn't do the boy justice, tomorrow also happened to be the day that we hiked up to the lake to swim, I was going to text Liam later to invite him, he was less awkward these days, I was sure he'd be fine hanging with my new friends. Harry's eyes were fixed on his food as I studied him, so he didn't notice my gaze... Niall however? He kept shooting me looks, wiggling his eyebrows as if to tease me. Yeah, haha, Louis Tomlinson's in love, very funny Niall. I wanted to run my hands through Harry's curls, they were probably soft, they looked soft... Harry took his last bite, checked his phone, made the signal, and we were off. We ran through the halls, even though we weren't supposed to. Two days ago we'd had to go to the principle's office when one of the teachers caught us running to class, and we would have been on time if they hadn't sent us to the office. We ended up missing fourty five minutes of class just so the principle could scold us? They seem to care so much that we attend class, and yet it seemed as if they were actively trying to keep us from it. Why though?

We made it class on time and stepped inside to a full classroom, people usually stuck with the seats they picked on the first day, so usualy we could all sit together, but for some reason, today there wasn't a single set of empty desks next to eachother. I had to sit in the back of the class, Harry in the middle, and Niall at the far left. For some reason I found the lesson unbearable. I began missing Harry? Which was strange, he barely talked in class anyway, and it wasn't like we did anything together in class anyway. I just wished he was closer. I wanted to be able to barely glance up and there he'd be next to me. I had a weird tight feeling in my chest. I decided then and there that I wanted to marry Harry Styles.

Okay, I know what you're thinking 'Hey Louis, aren't you too young to be making decisions like that? You know you and Harry aren't even in a relationship right? You know Harry doesn't like you that way don't you?' And first of all, I'm nineteen, I'm an adult. Second of all, yeah I know we're not in a relationship, I said I want to marry him not I will marry him. And third of all? I know, and it makes me very depressed.

I walked home with Harry later in the day, he tried to ditch me when we got to my house, but I protested, insisting on walking him home.

"But we're here at you house now, I can make it home alone"

"No, I want to walk you home, we can talk more on the way"

"Have we had our conversation yet?"

"No"

"How can we have talked so much and not have had our conversation?"

"Just let me walk you home, that's what friends do"

"Okay, fine."

We began to dawdle slowly towards Harry's house, counting red cars as we walked.

"Wait, that's eight" Harry said

"No nine"

"Okay, but where was eight?"

"You didn't see the red truck that passed us two minutes ago?"

"That was seven you idiot."

"How dare you! Ooh ten"

"That's nine"

"Okay... If that's nine, then that's ten."

"Yes Louis, you're finally getting smarter"

"Does that count as one?" I point jokingly towards a red toy car on someones front lawn.

"No!... But that one does" He gestures towards a red chevy to our left.

"We're at eleven?"

We made it to his house with a surprisingly high number of sixteen red cars.

"Okay Haz. I guess I'll see you tomorow for swimming?"

"Wait, I have to walk you home first" He said "it's what friends do" He continued mockingly.

"Are you joking or being serious?"

"What? Why would I be joking? You did it to me."

"Well. I'd love the company, but I'm not ready to have this be a permanent loop of walking eachother home, so why don't I just leave you here"

"Why don't you stay over?" Harry asked suddenly, turning to the door.

"..." Silence "Okay" I said