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do know how to make a girl feel special.”

    “How are you supposed to know if you like them or not if you don‟t
    actually, you know, speak to them? Or know their names?” Zayn says.
    “Actually, that would be an improvement at this point, when was the
    last time you even got laid?”

    36

    “Ooh, that reminds me, Zayn, how is your father doing?” Louis
    simpers, dodging the fork Zayn pegs at him.

    All four of them laugh, and conversation meanders away to topics that,
    if anyone asks Louis, are far less interesting than figuring out where
    Harry puts his dick.

    Normally, if a guy were as on board the Zayn and Liam‟s Epic Destiny
    train as Harry is, Louis would assume he was at least a little bit gay.
    Then again, Harry is a university student—an art student, even, if
    photography counts—and who even knows what counts as normal
    straight-guy behavior for them? Plus, if he weren‟t straight, why
    wouldn‟t he have said something about it when Zayn and Louis did?

    Louis resigns himself to ignorance, but that doesn‟t stop him from
    keeping a close eye on Harry over the next few days. If he had ten
    pence for every guy who‟d played it cool when he first came out only
    to avoid him like the plague later, he‟d have at least seventy pence,
    which can‟t really buy much but still seems like a lot in context. Three
    more and he can buy a soda from the third floor vending machine.
    Metaphorically.

    But he‟ll be damned if he can spot a single difference in Harry‟s
    behavior. He keeps coming around all the time, keeps stealing food off
    his plate, keeps exhibiting zero sense of personal space. Louis has no
    idea what his angle is, but he‟s going to figure it out eventually. He‟s
    dealt with his fair share of charming men in the past, and in his
    experience, there are no intentions pure enough that he hasn‟t been able
    to find the ulterior motives eventually.

    Until then, he guesses he‟ll just enjoy Harry‟s company, biding his time
    until he can figure him out. After all, Harry laughs at Louis‟ jokes,
    which is more than enough to justify having him around. Plus, if Louis
    is being honest, he likes what Harry brings to the lunch group. It had
    started to devolve into Zayn and Louis bickering half-heartedly to pass
    the time while Niall looked on and contributed the occasional sarcastic
    remark, all of them knowing exactly how the other two would react to
    everything they did. He and Zayn are both troublemakers in their own
    37

    right, and when they don‟t have something to poke at they turn to each
    other for entertainment, trading smart remarks for lack of anything
    better to do. Niall would be the target, but he cares so little about what
    they say that there‟s no fun in it. They work as a trio, Niall balancing
    out Zayn and Louis‟ mania, but it had been getting predictable, their
    banter sliding into routine.

    Now there‟s a new variable, and Louis is finding he enjoys having
    Harry in the mix. He never knows who Harry will side with during his
    mock arguments with Zayn, or if he‟ll just play the two of them off
    each other for his own amusement, and having Harry around makes
    Niall more likely to speak up, too. Suddenly voices fly across the table
    in new patterns, laughter ringing with real surprise. Louis hadn‟t
    realised that the three of them had been having the same conversations
    over and over again until Harry changed the script.

    Without even trying, Louis finds himself shifting into a new normal
    with Harry as an integral part, and he isn‟t even surprised when he sees
    that Harry has left his iPod in Louis‟ room as he packs up to leave on a
    Tuesday afternoon. Harry doesn‟t have a classroom of his own; where
    would he be leaving his stuff if not Louis‟ room?

    He grabs it as he leaves, taking the long way out to the carpark so he
    can swing by the pitch and return it before heading home. He‟s silently
    pleased that this time, at least, he has a legitimate