Summer Heat

“Hazz! Give me my shoes back! I know Niall doesn’t have them so you do!” I yelled, jutting out my hip and placing a hand on it. Harry grinned mischievously. I raised an eyebrow. Harry held up my white converse and waved them around like a two-year old. Niall chuckled behind us.

“Just give the baby his shoes Harry,” said Niall. I held out my hands expectantly. Harry huffed and handed me my shoes.

“Thank you good sir,” I said bowing and giggling as Harry fake kneed me in my face. I bent over and put my shoes back on. We were in the shoe store, going on one of our famous shoe sprees. I felt a smack on my backside and shot up, watching two girls walk past.

“Nice arse,” said the blonde girl who had recently smacked my bum. The brunette walking with her giggled and winked at me. I frowned and rubbed my backside.

“She’s right mate. You’ve got a nice bubble butt,” said Niall. Niall had come out of the closet a year after we met him. It’s been three years since me and Harry first met and my mum mistook him for my boyfriend. That was the most embarrassing moment of my life. But Harry still stayed for dinner that night. He talked to me like I was... Normal. I’ve never felt more normal in my life... But I also had never felt more loved. I didn’t like Harry. I couldn’t. He was my best friend. My straight best friend.

“Oh hush Niall. We all know you’re just jealous of her because her hair is blonder than yours and that she touched Louis’s bum,” said Harry, running his hands through his curls and staring at himself in the mirror. He made a kissy face at himself and fixed his hair again. Harry was the most vain, self absorbed human being on the planet. More self absorbed than me and Niall. And we were gay for christ’s sakes.

“Say’s the man checking himself out in a mirror in a shoe store,” said Niall. I snickered but stopped when Harry threw a glare at me.

“Whatever, let’s go.”

“I’m down.”

“Yeah, let’s get out of here before any other sluts have a go at my bum,” I said, Niall laughed and sauntered out in front of me and Harry. Niall had the most womanish walk I’ve ever seen. He literally struts like he’s on Britain’s Next Top Model. His hips stick out and his bum moves with every step. It’s quite hot. But, Niall isn’t for me.

“We’re ready to check out,” said Niall to the very cute cashier. He smiled at us and flipped his brown hair out of his eyes.

“Alright,” said the cashier grabbing our shoes and ringing them up. I heard a pop and realized it came from the cashiers mouth. Me and Niall looked at each other abruptly. This man was gay, “Your total is one hundred and twenty nine euros flat,” he said, with another pop of his gum. Niall leaned across the counter and bat his eyelashes. This was the ultimate test to see if this lad was really gay or not.

“I like the smell of your gum,” he said inhaling deeply, “do you think I could have a piece?” breathed Niall staring at the man. He nodded frantically and handed Niall a piece of gum.

“H-Here you go,” he stuttered. He was definitely gay. Niall smiled and took the gum, stepping back and chewing with his mouth open.

“What’s your name love?” asked Niall with a pop of his newfound gum.

“My name’s Charlie, Charlie Payne,” said the man. Niall nodded slowly.

“So Charlie, I bet your girlfriend is pretty thankful you work at a shoe store right?” said Niall nonchalantly. Charlie looked taken aback.

“Uh, I don’t have a girlfriend... I’m gay,” said Charlie nervously. I smiled softly at him.

“It’s okay. I am too,” I said placing my hand over his. He calmed, “Mr. Flirt over here is too. I’m Louis and this is Harry my straight best friend and Niall, my gay best friend,” I said gesturing to them. Harry nodded his head at Charlie and Niall waved, fluttering his fingers. Charlie smiled and handed us our bag and handed Niall the receipt.

“Well, you lads have a nice day now,” said Charlie. Niall opened the receipt and stood there, gaping at Charlie. Charlie winked at Niall and walked over to where a woman was having trouble with her shoes. Niall just stood there.

“Come on Nialler, before I have to drag you out of the store like a kid,” I said tugging on his green jumper with the four leaf clover on it. Niall backed out of the store still staring at Charlie.

“No one writes their phone number on a receipt like that. That stuff only happens in movies!” yelled Niall, gawking at the note he had received from Charlie.

“Come on Niall, you’re saying no one has ever done that?”

“No! I do it all the time! Other people aren’t supposed to! This boy is a curse and a blessing,” sighed Niall, putting his hand on his forehead dramatically. Harry laughed and shook his head.

“Hanging out with you two is like hanging out with a bunch of women!” laughed Harry. Niall twirled his hair and chewed his gum loudly.

“What are you talking about? I am a woman!” said Niall. We all laughed and continued walking until we found Niall’s yellow Mini Cooper. I had a Chevy Convertible and Harry had a Lincoln, “Alright you lot, get in the car,” said Niall, opening the front door. Harry and I hopped in the backseat, despite the fact that one of us could’ve sat in the front. I sat behind the passenger seat and Harry sat behind Niall.

“Whose place are we headed to gang?” asked Harry, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

“I think that it’s Niall’s turn to host the party, don’t you Hazz?” I asked. We all took turns on whose house we went to after we went out.

“Indeed I do Lou,” said Harry winking at me. I giggled and tapped Niall on the shoulder.

“To my flat it is!” yelled out Niall. We sped down the highway weaving in and out of lanes and cranking up the volume on the radio. It was a Rita Ora song. At the end of the chorus we all sang.

“CAUSE WE LIKES TO PARTAY!” we said in unison. I laughed and rolled down my window, letting the wind blow through brown hair. It was turning blonde since summer hit. I stuck my hand out the window, moving it in a wave motion when someone high five-d me.

“Yeah mate! Forever young!” yelled the guy from his car. He was in the backseat and he stood up, waving to me. Harry nudged me and I pulled back in from the window.

“Seems like someone likes you Lou,” said Harry winking. The boy who had high five-d me was probably fifteen. I laughed.

“Come on Hazz, he’s just some guy who high five-d me,” I said as we pulled in the drive to Niall’s flat. Niall had two little brothers and a little sister that lived with him. He still lived with his parents but his mum and dad were really nice.

“Alright you lot get out of my car,” said Niall, yanking us out of the car. I walked up the path to his house and before I could even knock, little Chaz opened the door and came running up to me.

“Hey Chaz!!” I said, ruffling his hair. Chaz smiled up at me.

“H-Hey L-L-Louis,” said Chaz. Chaz had a stutter since he was born and it wasn’t going to go away.

“Whatcha been up to mate?” I asked as Niall’s other little brother, Oliver, came bounding down the stairs.

“N-n-nothing much,” said Chaz, “I’ve b-been t-taking speech cl-classes f-for a while n-n-now and th-they, they t-tell me I’m g-getting b-better,” finished Chaz. I smiled sympathetically at him. Harry ran passed me and picked up Oliver.

“Hey little Ollie!” yelled Harry. Oliver smiled and smacked Harry gently on the cheek but Harry jerked back like a full grown man had punched him in the jaw.

“Hey Hazza! You ready to pick back up on our wrestling match, chicken?” asked Ollie, punching Harry in the chest repeatedly, ready to be let down. Ollie was a bit too much for me. I enjoyed listening to Chaz talk. He was like a grown man in a kids body. He came to me with all his questions about life and all his problems. He couldn’t talk to Niall, Niall would just joke about it, nor could he talk to Harry because Harry would end up trying to partake in some sort of violent act. Chaz was a more calm type. Ollie was the opposite.

“Aw you’ve taken it too far mate! I’ve got you now!” yelled Harry, throwing Ollie in the air and catching him. Harry proceeded to throw him over his shoulder and body slam him to the ground. Ollie ‘Oomf-ed’ and jumped up, trying to push Harry over but Harry just checked his fingernails and yawned dramatically.

“Grrr!” yelled Ollie, still attempting to push Harry, “Hazz! You’re cheating!” yelled Ollie again, trying a different approach and leaping on Harry’s back. Harry fell over and began to laugh hysterically. Ollie joined in on the laughing when a sandy brown head peeked around the corner where the stairs were.

“Lou! Hazz!” yelled Niall’s little sister Amy. Amy ran to me first and smiled up at me. I got down on one knee and kissed her on her cheek. She giggled and held my face by the cheekbones, giving me a kiss on the lips. I winced in disgust but smiled anyway. This was a kid, not a woman, “I missed you Louis. Where have you been?” she asked, her blue eyes deep with sadness.

“Oh Amy, I’ve been working and hanging out with Nialler and Hazz,” I said, smoothing her long, wavy hair back. She took my hand in her tiny one and kissed each knuckle lightly. I smiled and she hugged me again. I sighed and held her against my chest tightly.

“Why don’t you guys hang out here?” asked Amy.

“Well Amy, we take turns hanging out at each others flat. Today it’s Niall’s turn love, so I’m here all night,” I said. Her blue eyes danced as she beamed up at me. I heard Ollie and Harry stop fighting.

“Hey now, don’t for get about me!” yelled Harry. Amy grinned and ran over to Harry. Harry dropped Ollie and lifted Amy, placing her on his hip. These were like the children I’ll never get to have.

“Harry! I missed you too!” yelled Amy, burying her face in his shoulder. Harry laid his head atop hers and inhaled. I could tell these were like his children too.

“I missed you too lovely,” said Harry. Amy looked up and pecked him quickly on the cheek. I heard footsteps and looked around. The only people not down here were Niall’s mum and dad, but they were out on a date. I saw a brunette girl about our age walk down the steps and stop. She blinked and her eyes widened.

“Oh, Harry and Louis, this is my cousin Abigail,” said Niall. I smiled at her and looked back at Harry. He was quickly looking her up and down. He nodded his head back and forth as if he was saying ‘She’s alright’.

“Hi,” said the girl quietly, “I was just coming down to see what all the fuss is about but... I guess I can see you guys are busy so I’ll just go...” said Abigail, backing slowly up the stairs. Harry quickly walked forward and grabbed her hand pulling her towards us.

“No no no. Come on, join the fun Abigail,” said Harry giving his most attractive smirk. She looked unimpressed.

“Well. If you insist,” said Abigail shrugging. She was wearing short, tight spandex shorts and a tank top. That would’ve set any man off. But I looked between me and Harry quickly and saw that she didn’t particularly appeal to us. She stood next to me awkwardly and I turned towards her.

“Hello love, I’m Louis Tomlinson,” I said bringing her in for a hug. She looked surprised but wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. When I let go she stepped back and blushed, pushing her brown hair behind her ear. She had green eyes that weren’t as bright as Harry’s. They were more of a forest green.

“I’m Abigail Hughes,” she said, I smiled and she smiled right back. Chaz tugged on my sleeve a bit and motioned me downward.

“I n-n-need to talk to y-you,” whispered Chaz. I nodded and turned towards Abigail who had her brown hair covering one of her eyes.

“I have some guy business to take care of, sorry Abigail. We’ll talk later for sure,” I said to Abigail, tucking the piece of hair that covered her eye behind her ear. She leaned into my touch but quickly leaned away, blinking. I laughed and Chaz tugged on my shirt once more.I looked down at him and grinned, “Alright Chazzy, let’s go and talk,” I finished, letting Chaz drag me up the stairs where all of the rooms were. Niall’s flat wasn’t tall (it was only two stories) but it was wide. It was really wide. On the first floor there was a kitchen, a bathroom, a living room and a master bedroom. In what was supposed to be the basement was a den with a bed, a flat screen, a pool table and a foosball table. I slept either in Chaz’s bed with him, in Amy’s bed with her or down in the den. It was peaceful. The second floor was my favourite only because it had the bedrooms on that floor. We got to the last door down the hallway, Chaz’s, and opened it. I plopped on his bed after kicking off my shoes and crossed my legs, prepared to listen.

“Alright mate, what is it?” I asked, propping my elbows on my knees and my head on my hands. Chaz rubbed the back of his neck nervously and paced around his room.

“W-w-well... I know y-you might n-n-not be the b-best at th-this Lou but...” he paused looking at me. Again, grown lad in a ten year olds body, “I th-think I l-like this girl. Sh-she’s r-r-really pretty and sm-smart too. W-we t-talk a whole b-bunch at recess and she s-sits with me at l-lunch when n-no one else d-does. I j-just don’t kn-know what t-t-to do,” said Chaz with a sad look in his eyes. I knew he was insecure about his stutter.

“Chaz, you’re a great kid and anyone with good sense can see that. If this girl really is as amazing as you put her to be, then she will except you for you. Stutter and all. Now, let’s get you into bed mate. It’s getting a bit dark and we wouldn’t want you to look tired in front of this girl now would we?” I said, hopping up from the bed and ushering Chaz into it. Chaz pulled down the sheets and crawled underneath them. I pulled the sheets tightly against him. I leaned down and moved the brown fringe from his eyes, kissing him lightly on the forehead.

“G-goodnight Louis,” said Chaz, closing his eyes and shifting once more before drifting into a deep sleep. As I walked out of the room, I saw Harry walking into Amy’s room with her. I knew he was going to sleep in her room with her. Niall was already in his room, eating Doritos, with the door wide open. I peeked in and winked at Niall. Niall furrowed his browns and frowned with a mouthful of Doritos, opening his arms for a hug. I sighed and rolled my eyes sarcastically, jogging across the few feet separating us and bear hugging him. He reached around and squeezed my bum.

“Yes! I’ve finally got to touch that famous bum of yours. And trust me, it’s as marvelous as they say it to be,” said Niall winking and pushing me away, “Now go down to your room and sleep mate,” said Niall. I walked out of the room and closed the door behind me. Ollie’s door was closed and so was the guest room door. Abigail was asleep. I walked down the stairs and went to the back hall where the door to the den was. I tipped down the cold stairs and jumped onto the carpeted surface of the den. I turned on the telly to a classical music channel. I sighed in pleasure and stripped off my clothes, leaving on my boxers. I flicked off the lights and turned on the lamp on the bedside table that I had bought just for the days when I spent the night here. I had drifted so far into sleep, the music was just a soft hum in my ear. I thought I heard the creak of the stairs underneath feet but I ignored it, letting the sound of Beethoven lull me to sleep. I opened one eye lazily and shifted nervously at the sound of feet running across the floor. I closed my eye and tried to relax. Then I heard heavy breathing, right over me. I rolled onto my back and opened my eyes to find Abigail in her bra and knickers, straddling me, staring down at me. She smiled and reached down to kiss me hungrily. I sat still as stone. She reached out and put my hand on her bum, forcing me to squeeze gently. She bit down on my lip and I gasped out of shock, obviously that’s not what she thought. I could feel her smirk against my lips as she gently ground her hips against mine. I gagged and shoved her off of me as nicely as I could. She looked at me confusedly.

“Louis, what’s wrong? I thought you liked me,” she said, sadness and embarrassment swimming in her eyes. Obviously Niall hadn’t told her.

“Abigail, incase you haven’t noticed, I’m gay,” I snapped. She winced and tears filled her eyes. She sniffed and quickly wiped her eyes. I sat up and my eyebrows shot up, furrowing depressingly, “I’m so sorry. That was harsh wasn’t it?” I asked, rubbing my arm awkwardly. She nodded timidly. I smiled softly and all evidence of her crying was erased.

“It’s okay. I-I just didn’t know and I thought you were attracted to me because you were so nice and caring and you hugged me when we first met and I was just... Thinking irrationally. I’ll leave now,” she said getting up. I got out of bed and her eyes widened. She blushed and looked away quickly.

“Oh no, Abigail. It’s not that you aren’t pretty. Trust me, if I wasn’t gay I’d like you. You used to be my type actually,” I said encouragingly. That was a lie, “I just think you should’ve taken a better approach... And we shouldn’t mention this to people because that would make it completely and utterly awkward,” I finished throwing my most manly grin. She seemed to feel more comfortable. She nodded and walked up the stairs, closing the door quietly. I sighed and flopped on the bed. I threw the blankets over the top of my body lazily and closed my eyes, trying not to dream about Abigail.

Notes