"Happy Lou Eve!" Niall shouted, jumping onto Louis' bed promptly waking the younger man up.

"Fuck, Niall." Louis mumbled, Niall's eyes widened. Sure he heard Louis swear but that was usually directed to harry, it was off just hearing Louis swear out of nothing. Guess some habits you just pick up, though he wasn't about to mention that to Louis anytime soon, it was his day!

"Here, and no it's not your Christmas present I got you something else for that," Niall told him while handing him a large white and gold box.

"You didn't have to Niall," Louis murmured still half asleep. He sat up, rubbing his eyes until Niall came fully into focus (well kind of) he reached over and grabbed his glasses. Niall placed the box on top of his lap, before leaping off to go to the bathroom.

Carefully Louis unwrapped the box, and he couldn't help but be shocked at what he found. It was a collection of stories from famous American and British authors. He flipped to the table of contents and his eyes lit up at all the familiar names. Louis loved all of these writers! How did Niall even know?

Making sure Niall was still in the bathroom, Louis grabbed his own large box underneath his bed. It was quite heavy and long, Niall had looked at it suspiciously when they had come home a few nights prior, but Louis ignored any question that came from him.

He placed it underneath the tree, quite frankly it was bigger than their small tree, but whatever. It was adorned with typical red and green paper.

Niall came out a moment later, his eyes wondered over to the box. "Don't, not until tonight," Louis told him. Niall's face fell but he shrugged and nodded. "By the way, thank you, how did you know?" He motioned to the large book in front of him.

"You're always talking about how much you love literature," Niall replied warmly. Louis' smile grew, he never felt so lucky to have Niall as a friend.

"What do you want to do today?" Niall asked.

"I dunno, let's watch some movies?" Louis replied.

"All right, go and find some, I'll go down to the food court and find some things," Niall told him.

Louis nodded and went over to their stash of movies (most belonging to Niall). He found some action ones but no Christmassy ones, he was about to give up when he found a small box near Niall's bed. There he found Disney movies, so many. Slightly surprised, he rummaged through them, chose Frozen, The Grinch (animated and non), and just for the fun of it Elf.

Niall came back just as Louis was putting the box back. His arms loaded with warm treats. "One of the reasons why I love this school," he said his grin growing. "Oh, and I brought a friend," Dylan showed up beside Niall, his arms loaded as well, but with two wrapped boxes.

"Hey Lou!" He said, and Louis noted the Christmas hat he was wearing with a chiming bell on top. Louis laughed and said hey back.

"Now, let's watch some movies," Niall shouted, closing the door behind them. Louis settled onto his bed, Dylan beside him and Niall wrapped himself up in his own bed.

Louis loved Christmas, but today he felt that so many things were missing.

____

It was later that day and the movies were done and Niall was asleep on his bed. Dylan and Louis were talking to each other, whispering so as not to disturb Niall.

"I'd usually be at my mums, but when she came we had a fall out and...I'm not ready to face her just yet," true, but Louis at least hoped she would have called, it was his birthday. Though he understand why she didn't, he had been so disrespectful to her, and for what? Nothing, that's what.

"Oh...I usually stay here, I don't really have anywhere else to go to," Dylan told him.

"Really?" Louis said, a small frown appearing.

"That probably came out bad, what I meant is both of my parents died when I was a teenager, my sister goes here and we usually spend Christmas together, here anyways." Dylan clarified smiling.

"Oh," Louis said. He didn't know what to say after that, so instead he turned over and looked up at the ceiling.

Dylan began to hum a song before he followed in Louis' footsteps. They remained silent, but it wasn't uncomfortable. "Oh! I almost forgot, here," Dylan mumbled, jumping up and retrieving one of his large boxes. He handed it to Louis who took it in his hands.

"I have one for you too," Louis shyly told him.

"Just open it," Dylan told him, watching his face anxiously.

Louis unwrapped the box, carefully like he did with Niall's. There were three things in the box, another novel, it was like Niall's but larger, and it had gold pages with cursive print. There was also a dark, red, rose, along with a note. Louis ignored the rose and note, and picked up the book. It was a lot heavier than Niall's. His hand traced the pages and binding, it was filled with many of William Shakespeare's works. Louis flipped through it, and immediately jumped up, hugging Dylan. How did Dylan get this? Louis had been looking for it for ages. "Thank you!" Louis repeated a million times over.

Dylan laughed and hugged Louis back, after a while Louis pulled back, but Dylan held him longer. They faced each other and Louis blushed, Dylan smiled and started to lean in. Louis froze but he didn't have to decide on whether he should pull back completely or do it, because Niall decided to make a grunting noise and his bed shifted causing Dylan to let Louis go. He let out a sigh, and turned away, he had felt Louis freeze in his arms.

"I'm sorry," Louis muttered.

"It's okay Lou," Dylan told him.

It wasn't though.

"Look, all those times we've kissed. I was at a bad place and I'm sorry, if they meant something to you..." Louis whispered.

"Oh?" Dylan muttered, Louis wanted to say something. He felt guilty, Louis kissed him to for his benefit, his. How could Harry have sex with someone for his benefit and feel nothing? If Louis just kissed Dylan and feels so much regret and disgust with himself.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think," that's it he didn't think, Louis hasn't thought about many important things in so long, Harry having taken up all his thoughts for so long.

"Fine Lou, just don't go kissing everyone," Dylan told him.

"Now that's not fair," Louis replied.

"Yeah but leading me on is?"

"How was I leading you on?"

"You've kissed me so many times, and always want me with you,"

True, though to an extent.

"I didn't ask you to be with me right now," Louis shouted.

"Yeah because you don't have Harry breaking your heart and then have me mend the pieces only to have you run your little ass back to him," Dylan shouted back.

"I don't run to you,"

"Know what, whatever, you're no better than him," Dylan told him, throwing Louis a disgusted face before he turned around, walked away and slammed the door behind him.

Niall had been wide awake since the moment the two had started talking, but he felt that if he made his presence known nothing good would come off it.

Louis was dumbfounded, things were going good, why did Dylan have to ruin it?

Dylan didn't ruin anything though, you kissed him, you've needed him in the past and then you tell him you don't want him in that way, that you never did, Louis thought. The same thought from earlier made it's way back, you're no better than Harry. Maybe if Louis wasn't so focused on Harry he'd notice so many other things with other people.

He sat down on his bed and frowned, his hand running through his hair. Niall thought it would be a good time to make his presence known. He sat up on his bed, "Don't frown Lou, it's not your fault. At least you set him straight,"

"You heard?" Louis groaned.

Niall shrugged, "He'll come around," as if he could sense Louis' thoughts he added, "you're not like him,"

"I don't want him mad at me,"

"That's the thing lou, stop pleasing everyone. Do what makes you happy, don't listen to anyone else, because what matters is what you want. 'Cause if you're gonna make someone happy, might as well be you," Niall said.

"I know, but-"

"I know what you're gonna say, sometimes the right thing is different from the good and most logical thing, just listen to your heart okay?" Niall murmured, standing up and messing with Louis' hair.

And now Louis isn't even thinking about Dylan, but of harry. Follow his heart? Well his heart is saying to find Harry and kiss him, well I won't, Louis thought.

"Where's Liam?" Louis asked changing the subject.

"He's with Zayn visiting his family. What time is it?" Niall answered.

"8:35, I think I'm just gonna call it a day. Thanks for the gift, and today really, you're one of the few that remembered,"

"Nah, Liam got ya something too, he'll probably give it to you when he gets back and no problem," Niall smiled.

There was a loud knock at the door, and Niall sauntered over to open it. There was no one there, only a figure that was disappearing around the corner. A box was at the bottom, Niall picked it up, large cursive print was on the front.

"It's for you Louis," he said turning around and handing the gift wrapped box to a confused Louis.

"From?" Louis asked, as he began to open the box.

"Doesn't say," Niall shrugged, and walked to the bathroom, leaving Louis alone to open the box.

"Oh," Louis whispered, revealing yet another thick novel.

Others would be angry if they got books for their birthdays but to Louis, it was the greatest gift anyone could ever give him. Especially classics or works from British poets.

He did not know this poet though, Elizabeth Barrett Browning?

He opened the cover and inside there was a note, "Pg 261,"

If Thou Must Love Me, sonnet 14.

At the end of the poem there was more cursive writing, "Come outside Lou, please,"

And then he knew who it was from. He knew exactly who it was from, and why.

Why. Why. Why.

Louis stood up, approaching the door, his hand on the doorknob before he pulled back.

I cant, I shouldn't.

Just open the door, just open it.

No, don't. He's just gonna hurt you.

Why can't he leave me alone?

Why?

Follow your heart.

Hearts are only here to pump our blood they shouldn't control my feelings.

Just open the fucking door.

No.

Open it.

No.

Fucking hell Louis Tomlinson open the damn door.

And if he hurts me?

Hurt him back.

What does that get me?

What does not opening the door get you? More tears? More questions? More, nothing.

Open the fucking door.

And Louis opened that door, he walked down the staircases down the hallway to the door that lead to the exit of the dorm.

He opened that door too, taking a deep breath he walked into the cooled campus air.

"You came," a low voice said in awe.

"I did,"

"Well?"

Louis peered up into the dark green eyes, no confident smirk graced his features, his curls covered his face. "Let's take a walk?" he asked.

A smile began to grow across Harry's face.

"Okay,"

Side by side they began their slow walk, and somewhere along the way harry entwined their hands, and Louis let him.

_____

A/n exams are over!

There are references to British literature because throughout the course of writing this I have been in a British Literature class, and I have studied and read many of the works mentioned in here.

Thank you to those who vote, and to those who comment.

I think this story may be ending, like two more significant events left to happen.