Let's make a move

An hour had passed and they were so far gone that Louis lay on the couch with his head hanging upside down over the side to look at Lara who was lying on the living room floor.
Lara was tempted to take a swipe at him when she suddenly heard her phone beep. She hated herself for reacting the way she did, but her first impulse was to grab her phone and check it.

Are you home? I’m outside your apartment block but I don’t know which buzzer to press.

Lara sat up suddenly. The first time she had bumped into Harry all those months ago he had offered to drive her home, so she had directed him to a false address and pretended that was where she lived. Now Harry was sitting outside her ‘fake’ apartment, wondering where she was.

“Great.” She muttered before quickly texting.

I’m not home Harry and I won’t be back for a while, so you might as well go.

Her phone instantly rang and sure enough it was Harry calling.

“Hello?” She said tentatively.

“Lara.” Harry’s voice sounded sharp. “I’ve been trying to contact you all day.”

“Yeah? Well I’ve been busy.” She muttered.

“Where have you been?”

“Out.”

“I know that.” He said impatiently. “Where are you now?”

“That’s classified information.” Lara deadpanned and she shoved Louis when he burst out laughing.

“Are you drunk?” He asked.

“Drunk?” She asked incredulously.

“You sound strange.”

“You’re strange.”

Louis stuffed a cushion over his face to muffle his laughter and Lara pressed her hand onto it, making sure the cushion was firmly pressed over his mouth.

“You’re too loud.” She hissed at him.

“Loud?” Harry asked.

“Not you.” Lara snapped.

Louis pushed the cushion away from his face and struggled when Lara pushed it right back.

The phone fell to the floor as Lara covered his face, causing Louis to topple onto the floor.

“Hey!” He cried as he fell on top of Lara.

“You idiot.” She cried before grabbing the phone.

“What’s going on?” She could hear Harry asking. “Who are you with?”

“Nobody I’m just-“Lara didn’t get to answer as Louis waved his arms and knocked the phone
out of her hands, effectively hanging up on Harry.

“What did you just do?” Lara wailed.

“I did you a favour!”

“Get off me!”

“I’m trying!” He cried back before rolling off her. They lay side by side looking at each other.

“Do you think he heard me?” Louis asked and then laughed when he saw Lara’s eyes widen.

“You’d better hope he didn’t!”

“So jealous…” Louis mused.

Lara looked at Louis quizzically.

““He’s pretty easy to rile up isn’t he? Or haven’t you noticed?” Louis said.

“So?”

“So how about making Harry jealous?” He suddenly asked.

“Jealous? That’s the dumbest idea I’ve heard in like forever.” Lara said, taking the
opportunity to hit him over the head with a cushion. “Harry wouldn’t care…”

“But what if it was with me?” Louis suddenly asked.

Lara stopped for a moment.

“You what?”

“Me. What if it was you and me?”

“He knows you’re with Eleanor though.” Lara said.

“He knows all there is to know about Eleanor.” Louis said bitterly. “There’s fuck all to know about Eleanor.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.” Louis said gruffly. “So are you with me or not?”

All this back and forth was starting to make her dizzy.

“I don’t know Louis.” Lara said.

He threw a cushion at her.

“Well then don’t ask me for help again.”

X

“What are you doing?”

Lara lay in bed, the phone glued to her ear. It was two days since she had been to Louis’ house and she was now suddenly feeling very sober as she listened to Harry’s low growl.

“Tell me… what are you doing?” He repeated when she did not respond. Harry had called her several times after their disastrous conversation at Louis’ house and Lara had hung up on him each time. During one of the phone calls she had been too high to even speak properly. It didn’t help when a couple of more articles were released about Harry and Sky’s burgeoning romance. Lara couldn’t even manage to look past the headlines.

Mixing Business with Pleasure: Harry accompanies Sky to recording studio

For their eyes only: Harry and Sky spotted sharing intimate hug on a London street.

“Why won’t you speak to me?” Harry asked.

“What do you want me to say?” Lara finally said with a sigh. “All you do is make me feel like shit.”

Harry fell silent and Lara knew she had caught him off guard. He wasn’t used to being ignored by her and he definitely not used to being confronted by her either.

“You know what that’s all about.” He said quietly. “How many times do I have to explain it?”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it.” She shot back.

“So what do you want me to do?”

“Do whatever you want… I don’t care anymore.”

More silence followed and for a moment Lara thought that he had hung up, until she heard him breathing into the phone.

“I want to see you.” He said.

“For what?”

“Lara… I… want… to… see… you.” He said slowly and Lara felt a shiver run down her spine.
It was her turn to be silent and she found her hand reach up to touch the heart locket.

“Are you there?” Harry asked.

“Yes.”

“I’m not going to say it again.” He said.

“Okay.”

“Come to my house tomorrow. I’ll be there at about seven.”

“In the evening?” Lara asked in a small voice.

“In the evening.” He repeated and the amusement was evident in his voice. And then he hung up.

X

Lara expectantly stood at Harry’s door until it opened and Harry stood there, a look of surprise flitting across his face. Lara smiled tentatively but he merely blinked at her as though he hadn’t expected her to be there.

“Not happy with you.” He growled. “At all.”

He turned and walked away with a bewildered Lara following close behind. She had opened her mouth to speak when she suddenly froze in her tracks.

“Lara, you’re here.” Louis said cheerfully from his spot on the couch. He winked at her when Harry wasn’t looking and she responded with a tentative smile that ended up looking more like a grimace. Lara tentatively sat down on the edge of the couch when the doorbell suddenly rang.

“That must be her.” Harry said half to himself as he went to open the door. Lara’s mouth fell open when she saw Sky standing there, and she could hear Louis laugh out loud, presumably at her shocked expression.

“Hey.” Harry greeted her and Lara could see Sky’s eyes flitting over to her and Louis on the couch. “I got it today… it plays perfectly now.”

He led Sky in and she shyly smiled and greeted everyone.

“Sky’s come over to pick up her guitar… …” Harry trailed off, distracted by Lara’s unimpressed face. He led her to the door of his office where he disappeared for a moment before returning to Sky.

“You should have seen your face.” Louis muttered to Lara. She turned and poked him in the side, causing him to jump in his seat. “Hey!”

He grabbed her hand when she didn’t let up and promptly tickled her back.

“Stop it.” She hissed only to look up and see Harry and Sky quizzically watching on.

“Wanna pour us a drink too Lou?” Harry asked.

“Not for me… I think I’m going to get going.” Sky spoke up.

“Oh no you aren’t.” Harry replied. “Louis where did you put the vodka?”

The drinks soon started to flow and it wasn’t long before they were lolling around half drunk.

Lara found herself shooting meaningful stares at Harry that were ignored as he lay back on the couch seemingly in his own world.

“Remember when we used to play Truth or Dare when we used to get wasted?” Louis
suddenly asked. Harry laughed huskily as he got a faraway look on his face.

“Niall running naked down the hotel corridor in Australia…” He recalled. “And getting caught.”

“Truth or da-are?” Louis said in a singsong voice.

“Ha ha very funny.” Harry replied taking a swig of the vodka straight from the bottle. Louis looked straight at Lara and winked at her. She in turn glanced at Sky who now looked bleary eyed by all the shots they had forced her to do.

“I’ll go first.” Louis said grandly. “Truth or dare… Harry.”

“Dare.” Harry said with a glint in his eye.

“Lick your elbow.” Louis said.

“Is that the best you can do?!” Harry groaned.

“I just wanna see you lick your elbow.”

“You know I can’t fucking do it.”

Lara watched this exchange with a detached curiosity. The vodka had by now gone to her head, and she blinked to try and stay focussed. Everyone watched with fascination as Harry stuck his tongue out and attempted to lick his elbow. Sky was the first to laugh, followed by Louis.

“You can all fucking sod off.” Harry slurred. “This is the lamest dare I’ve ever been given.”

“Just getting you warmed up.” Louis said.

“Starting with my tongue…” Harry retorted and the two looked at each other before bursting into laughter.

The game continued pretty tamely despite their inebriated condition.

“Truth.” Harry replied.

“Everyone’s choosing truth.” Sky complained.

“Harry, where’s the craziest place you’ve ever had sex?” Louis asked, ignoring her.

“On the edge of a rooftop.” He instantly answered.

“A rooftop?” Louis repeated mystified.

“Rooftop.” Harry nodded. “So my turn now. Lara… truth or dare?”

It had been the first time Harry had acknowledged her since she walked through the door and she found herself swallowing nervously.

“Truth.”

“Who have you been spending a lot of time with lately?”

Lara’s stomach lurched as she stared back at him, her mind flashing to Ben. Harry couldn’t know… could he?

“Didn’t know you and Louis were such good buddies.” Harry said grimly not letting her answer.

“You’re not playing the game properly Harold.” Louis interjected. “So Sky… truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“Who would you date out of Harold, Lara or me?”

She paused, looking as though she were a deer in headlights.

“Harry.” She replied hanging her head. When Louis sniggered in response she added defensively. “Well I don’t know you that well… and I wouldn’t date a girl so…”

Lara watched as Harry indulgently smiled at Sky and she felt her heart constrict. She found herself unconsciously sidling up to Louis on the couch and jumped when he nudged her with his elbow.

“Move over.” Lara said in response.

“No you move over.” Louis retorted.“You always do this.”

Lara could feel Harry’s hot gaze on them but that didn’t stop her from wiggling closer to Louis and laughing when he huffed loudly in annoyance.

“Okay then, if you’re that desperate to get close to me…”

Lara squealed as Louis pulled her onto his lap.

“Sit on my lap then.” He urged.

“No!” Lara cried.

“Just do it… you know you want to.”

He imprisoned her hands in his and manoeuvred her so that she was now awkwardly sitting on him.

“Truth or dare?” Harry’s sudden voice caught their attention. His gaze was solely focussed on Lara.

“Dare.” Lara said bravely.

“Well since you can’t keep away from Louis, how about you just kiss him?”

Notes

Soooo should she just go for it? :)