After spending the whole Sunday locked up in his new room, Louis had no other choice than to face reality on Monday morning. Still feeling numb, Louis got ready and left the house without breakfast. Passing the dining room door, he heard people singing happy birthday to someone. Louis should feel bad for leaving like this but he knew literally no one around here, so why should he wish a random kid a happy birthday? Life wasn't happy.

Making his way towards his university, Louis had to come to the conclusion that leaving without breakfast after not eating anything apart from breakfast the last two days wasn't his smartest idea. He didn't have the time to scold his earlier self though. His class was about to start. He rushed into the room and sat down in the back like always. Louis could still remember his first day and how he had wanted to sit at the front, eager as always, but he wasn't allowed to do what he wanted to. He didn't want Louis to be stared at by everyone and get all of their attention. Looking around the room now, Louis wondered why he had ever thought that. No one was paying the students at the front more attention than the rest.

"Morning" one of his fellow students greeted him causally in passing when he sat down in his usual seat next to Louis and some girl. He always did that but Louis had never answered him.

"Morning" Louis croaked out this time, taking the guy by surprise. While the guy, Luke if Louis remembered it right, stared at him with big eyes, Louis avoided looking at him and focused on his empty notebook in front of him.

"Why are you looking like this? Did you pee your pants?" his friend came over to presumably Luke and eyed him distraught.

She sat down in her chair and Luke immediately leaned over to her to whisper into her ear but Louis could hear him clearly. "He greeted me back, A".

"What?" she was now the one staring at Luke in shock. Luke only nodded with big eyes to confirm she heard him right.

One and a half years ago, Louis would have laughed at their behaviour and teased them a bit. Not today though. Not anymore.

Before anyone of them could say something, their literature professor came into the room and started class. Louis tried his hardest to focus on what his professor was saying but his thoughts kept drifting away. Sitting here today and acting like his life was still normal felt so wrong. He had absolutely no friends, his family was out of the picture recently and had lost him and instead of being relieved all Louis could do was think about him and wonder how he was doing and who that girl on the phone had been. Would Louis see him on campus later? How was he supposed to act if they saw each other? Was he really out of his life for good?

And just like that, the class was over and everyone made their way out of the room. Louis was one of the last ones like always. Friday, he had been waiting for Louis at the door like every day but Louis knew today no one would be there. He was all alone now.

"Ask him" he heard Luke's friend order him in a whisper.

"Why me?" Luke whispered back.

"Because I don't like people and can't talk to them. You know that" she justified herself in a quiet voice.

"What am I then? An alien?" Luke questioned flabbergasted.

"Yes," she answered simply.

Actually smiling to himself, Louis left the room and out of instinct, looked around in search of him but of course, he wasn't there. No one was leaning against the wall, waiting to pull him in to prove a point to everyone around. No one was here to scare everyone away from Louis anymore but Louis still wished he was here. Louis still needed him even if he didn't need Louis. He never did. Louis knew that but he had been merciful enough to endure Louis and pay some attention to him every once in a while.

"Louis?" Luke's voice startled him out of his longing thoughts.

Louis spun around his own axis and was met with Luke and his friend. She had a Spanish name that Louis couldn't seem to remember because he had always feared to pronounce it wrong and anger her enough to bully him for the rest of his Uni time. Not that she looked mean in any way right now but Louis wasn't used to socialising with people anymore.

"Do you wanna join us for lunch? You obviously don't have to but we thought maybe you'd like to. Today" Luke asked him nervously.

Why was he so nervous? Was he expecting Louis to snap at him for asking? Or someone to jump out and hurt him? That maybe.

"Um ... Sure" Louis was overwhelmed. He didn't expect anyone to want him around after avoiding and ignoring everyone since Uni had started. Did he come off as that lonely?

"Great. That way?" Luke cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Just move your ass" the girl rolled her eyes at Luke and nudged him forward, causing Louis to chuckle under his breath.

The three of them made their way over the campus in silence and sat down at a table outside because it was unusually sunny again. It was like the weather was mocking Louis. He dreaded the rain but all he got was sun and a clear sky. How ironic. In movies, the weather always seemed to change with the main character's mood but apparently, Louis wasn't even the main character in his own life.

"Monday mornings are tough" Luke tried to break the ice.

"It could be way worse. It's literally eleven o'clock now. You wanna be here at eight?" the Spanish girl countered cheekily but Louis thought she didn't sound that foreign.

"Spare me your sass, Àmbar" Luke rubbed his temples.

"But she is right. We're pretty lucky" Louis forced himself to join the conversation and not just sit around awkwardly.

Apparently, none of them had expected him to say anything on his own because they looked absolutely shocked to hear him talk. It really looked like he made people believe he was mute or something by staying to himself. He needed to change that.

"See? I'm right, like always" Àmbar caught herself and leaned back, smugly grinning at Luke.

"Why did you have to say that? Now I'll never hear the end of it. Thanks" Luke crossed his arms over his chest huffy.

"Sorry" Louis looked down at his hands.

"God, no. I didn't mean to ... I was only kidding. Sorry if I made you feel attacked" Luke immediately clarified panicky.

"Oh" Louis felt dumb now. He has been just like Luke his whole life. Maybe even worse. Now he couldn't even take a joke.

"Well ... don't you have any lunch with you? Or are you not hungry?" Luke only made it worse by accident.

"Shut up" Àmbar hissed at him lowly, slapping his head. "You want some of mine, Louis? I can't eat all of this alone".

"You don't need to ...".

"I insist" Àmbar gave him no chance to protest.

"Thanks" Louis mumbled and reached shyly for her lunch.

"Where's your boyfriend? Normally he is always around but today you're alone. I mean, not ...".

"He isn't my ...".

Àmbar slapped Luke harder this time and sent him a dark glare. "Can you shut up? This is really none of our business. Louis, I'm sorry. Ignore him. He can be quite stupid".

"It's okay" Louis tried to fake a smile but Luke had reminded him of what he was missing for two days straight.

"Maybe this will make it even weirder now and you'll hate me but I know ... I mean, my parents work at CLPH" Àmbar stumbled over her words, sounding conflicted.

"Should I know what that stands for?" Louis knitted his eyebrows together in confusion.

"Caraveillo's Life Perspective House. It's right next to the house of love. They work together. My family and Maria and paul. So ... I didn't ... I wasn't sure ... Maria texted me twenty minutes ago after I asked her about you and ... All I wanna say is I'm here if you need anything. There is no need to be ashamed or ..." Àmbar rambled on but Louis didn't get all of it. As soon as she had mentioned the house he had felt himself freeze and Luke and Àmbar had noticed that directly. What were they really thinking about him?

"So, you're talking to me out of pity, am it getting this right?" Louis cut her off, not even sure if his voice was steady or not.

"No! Oh God, Louis. No, that's not it" Àmbar paled directly. "We always tried to talk to you, remember? But you never really acknowledged anyone apart from him. You always kept to yourself and barely said a word. We just gave it up at one point but today you looked out of it and he was nowhere to be seen. Neither before class nor after. I made my own conclusions and then I remembered that my brother told me about a new guy at the house. So, I texted Maria and asked her because I've been scared it was you. It was and I just ... I wanted to make sure you're okay".

"I'm getting there" Louis replied tensely.

"Don't push us away now. We really wanna get to know you. Always did. Can you give us a chance? We mean no harm, even ifLuke can be quite weird sometimes ...".

"Ey!" Luke exclaimed offended, making the corner of Louis' mouth twitch. Louis knew he had overreacted but it wasn't Louis' fault. He had messed up his mind and interacting skills.

"What? It's true. What I was trying to say ...".

"I get it, Àmbar" Louis assured her. "I'm sorry for reacting the way I did. K ... he did a number on me. I'm a bit awkward now when it comes to talking to people. But um ... I don't have a boyfriend. Never did. He was ... it doesn't matter".

"Okay. No boyfriend. Noted" Àmbar smiled understandingly at him, not commenting on Louis being gay, which surprised him a lot.

"It was nice to actually meet you but I should go back. I'm not quite used to it yet and I shouldn't ...".

"I come with you. I have to go home anyway" Àmbar stood up with him, causing Luke to be totally confused.

"What about me?" Luke asked cutely.

"You can tag along or go home. Don't you have a life?" Àmbar looked funnily at him.

"I swear, I don't know why I'm friends with you" Luke muttered but stood up as well. "See you tomorrow, bitch".

"Don't get hit by a car, prick" Àmbar called after him. "Don't mind us. We love and hate each other".

This whole exchange has weirdly unsettled Louis but he tried not to let it show on his face. Instead, he started walking and Àmbar fell into place next to him. "So, he's your boyfriend?".

"Luke? No, never. Not in this life" Àmbar laughed at the mere thought of it. "I have a girlfriend. She lives at the house as well".

"Oh, sorry for assuming. I didn't know ...".

"It's okay, Louis" Àmbar assured him calmly. "You don't have to worry what to say around me. Just be yourself. I can handle everything and I have a feeling you're naturally way sassier".

"I was, yeah. I used to tease all of my f-friends but I haven't done that in a while. Life changed me" Louis let her know truthfully.

"I figured. And have you met anyone in the house yet? Sometimes new people take weeks to show their faces" Àmbar hooked eagerly.

"I have only been outside my room twice. Once for breakfast. The other time I met a guy named Jonah. He was quite nice. I actually planned on seeing him again today" Louis let her know freely.

"Jonah? As in Arts Jonah? Always locked up in the studio?" Àmbar looked absolutely shocked.

"Yes? That's where I met him. I kind of had an emotional breakdown and ended up in the wrong room. I wanted to leave but he said I could stay. So, I did" Louis told her puzzled.

"Wow, that's something. Don't get me wrong, Jonah seems nice but he never talks to anyone. He always sticks to himself. For years. He never wants anyone in his studio. I'm surprised he let you stay and even said more than one word" Àmbar explained to him why she was so shocked.

"So, just like me, yeah? Two loners together in one room. Maybe he has a special sense for that" Louis tried to joke but the words felt bitter on his tongue.

"Maybe" was all Àmbar said for that matter.

Talking a bit more about random nonsense, they arrived at the house and this time Louis actually noticed that all over the walls little rainbows, flags or rainbow-coloured handprints were painted on them. He hasn't seen them when he arrived here.

"You wanna come over to mine for a bit?" Àmbar asked him with a tilt of her head.

"Actually, I wanted to check on Jonah. Find out if he will talk to me or send me away. But I can come around later" Louis partly declined the offer. He was curious about Jonah.

"Okay. I'll be over at the school. Just text me when you're there and I come and get you. Oh, but remember. Jonah doesn't talk to anyone. Don't take it personally when he sends you away or won't answer, yeah?" Àmbar reminded him as if she was scared Louis would take everything to heart and break. She wasn't so wrong but he didn't want her to know that.

"Is noted. See you later, Àmbar" Louis waved at her before making his way inside.

From the common area, Louis could hear music and loud chattering, which reminded him that it was someone's birthday today. Wanting to avoid too many people, Louis walked upstairs straight towards the art studio. In front of the closed door, he hesitated. Àmbar's words were echoing through his head and he doubted his plan. Maybe visiting Jonah was a bad idea.

"You can do this" Louis encouraged himself.

Knocking on the door, he lightly pushed the door open and peeked inside. As expected, Jonah was there standing in front of a half-finished painting of something. Louis had no idea what it could be. He also had no time to figure that out because he was met with Jonah's confused gaze. It was pretty obvious that he didn't expect to see Louis again in here. Or anywhere probably.

"Would you mind if I ... um sit by the window again? The view is kinda calming and I need silence to ... err ... study?" Louis babbled out anxiously because Jonah was only staring at him.

Seemingly realising someone was talking to him, Jonah's eyes seemed to focus on him and his face relaxed into a calm expression and an emotion Louis couldn't place. "If you want".

"Thanks" Louis stepped inside to close the door. "I don't really know anyone but I also don't really wanna meet all these people downstairs. There are so many. But I like it here. It's nice and I ditched Àmbar for this ...".

"The daughter of the Caraveillos?" Jonah hooked surprisingly.

"I think so. She is in my literature class and mentioned her parents working at that other house and something about a brother. I wasn't really following. To shocked she and Luke talked to me" Louis let him know without a filter while settling into his spot by the window.

"Her parents don't just work there. They own it. They opened it but right now, they're in Spain if I got that right. Her brother is in control for the time being and she helps as good as possible. She seems quite okay. Her girlfriend lives with us" Jonah informed him and Louis couldn't believe he was talking so much. What did he do to make Jonah want to talk to him? He had no clue.

"Yeah, she mentioned her girlfriend. I have to get used to the idea of living together with strictly gay people. Gay as in anything other than straight. I mean, ... What exactly is that other house? I had no time or energy to check it out" Louis rambled awkwardly.

"It's kind of a school but different? It's for those who don't really know what they wanna do after school. For those who don't just wanna study something to get a well-paying job later on that they hate. You enrol there for three months and are free to do whatever you want, find yourself and your passion and then they find a way with you to live out that passion. Or something like that. That's how Àmbar met Aria" Jonah explained to him while painting.

"How do you know that? She didn't mention you two being friends" Louis seriously wondered how Jonah knew so much.

"I've been here for a long time and get to know everything. Being quiet and always in the back leads people to look past me, which is nice most of the time and has its advantages"Jonah enlightened him curtly, making him curious about Jonah's story.

"So, you're gay too?" Louis blurted out thoughtlessly.

"No, I'm as straight as a ruler living in a home for abandoned gays just for fun. It gets me off" Jonah dead-panned dryly.

Not seeing this answer coming, Louis burst out laughing so hard that he almost fell down the window bay. "Fuck, sorry. I'm a bit rusty on social interactions. Don't mind me. I'll warm up".

"It's fine. Normally, I don't say stuff like this but..." Jonah started saying but then just shrugged. Louis still got it.

"It's mutual" Louis let him know, opening his notebook.

Glancing over the edge of his notebook, Louis inspected Jonah for a while. He was completely lost in his paintings and Louis envied him. He looked so calm and free and unbothered. He couldn't understand why people warned him to get told off by Jonah. Okay, there obviously was a reason for that but Louis wasn't one to judge a person by its cover or reputation. Sometimes being judgy could save you some trouble but Louis was a trouble magnet. This time though Jonah didn't feel like trouble. Being here in this room together but both of them doing their separate things felt right. It felt like finding a friend, having a friend. It was a nice feeling. A feeling Louis didn't have in a while. He hoped it would stay.

Two hours later, Louis was on his way to meet up with Àmbar. He hadn't planned on staying with Jonah for so long but time had flown by in the blink of an eye. He didn't know what he had been expecting but feeling as if Jonah and him just silently agreed on a mutual agreement to do this again wasn't it. When he has been about to leave Louis had hinted at Jonah that he could tag along with him but he didn't dare to actually ask. Something told him Jonah had understood him. Still, he stayed behind.

Looking up from his phone, he let his eyes travel over the school building. It was similar to the house he was living in. It reminded Louis of a university of some sort. A private one but not posh. Nice and friendly, if that was possible. He could spot people painting here as well, just outside because they were taking advantage of the weirdly sunny February day. He could also hear some music coming from somewhere and laughing and giggling accompanied by the many lights everywhere. It was a sensory overload and he wondered if that was a normal day or a special occasion.

"You're here" Àmbar came walking over to him with a guy in tow.

"Told you I would" Louis buried his hands in his pockets.

"How did it go with Jonah?" Àmbar checked interested.

"Good. I left ten minutes ago. He's still there" Louis summed up shortly, not wanting to misuse Jonah's possible trust.

"Jonah talks to you?" the guy next to Àmbar looked incredulously.

"I'm great. Why wouldn't he?!" Louis snorted jokingly to end this conversation. This was between Jonah and him.

"Good point" Àmbar understood, glancing back at the lighted-up school. "Wanna go over to yours and get something to eat? You must be starving".

"I came all the way down here just to go back up? What is wrong with you?" Louis mocked her playfully.

"Everything" Àmbar shrugged unfazed with a smile on her lips.

"You don't know half of it. She is horrible" the guy threw in.

"Don't act like you're innocent" Àmbar held a finger into his face before facing Louis again. "By the way, this is Liam".

"Hi" Liam smiled at him friendly.

"Hi, I'm Louis" Louis smiled back at him suddenly shy again.

"Now that this is settled, let's go" Àmbar clapped into her hands.

"Why did you tell Luke you can't talk to people? You're pretty good at bossing people around" Louis wondered when they started to make their walk over to the house.

"You heard that?" Àmbar paled comically.

"You two don't know how to whisper" Louis grinned amusedly.

"It's entirely Luke's fault" Àmbar laughed exhilarated. "Believe it or not, I struggle with social anxiety. Around my close friends, I'm comfortable enough to just be myself but with others, I overthink all of my actions and words and my heart is beating out of my chest until I'm alone again. I can cover it up quite good because I wasn't aware of it until last year. I was always told I'm just shy. I'm not".

"Are you overthinking now too? With me?" Louis asked before he could stop himself. He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable.

"Weirdly enough, no. I don't know what it is about you but I don't feel like I need to worry about saying something totally wrong and you getting offended or hurt or annoyed. The first few minutes, yes. But not anymore" Àmbar confessed to him.

"You're right with that. No need to worry here" Louis nudged her shoulder, hoping that was alright. Maybe she wasn't overthinking with him but he was overthinking everything with everyone.

"You have to be special. She didn't talk that much with me when we met. Still doesn't, to be honest," Liam commented observingly.

"Maybe I just don't like you" Àmbar poked her tongue out at him.

"How did you meet?" Louis hooked curiously, surprising himself.

"I started attending CLPH last week and she was the first non-adult I met" Liam let him know informatively.

"Ey, I'm pretty much an adult!" Àmbar huffed sulkily.

"You know what I mean" Liam rolled his eyes at her. "The first young person I met? Better?".

"Much" Àmbar nodded satisfied.

"And do you like it so far? I can't really picture what your everyday life looks like" Louis asked further.

"Quite normal. I wake up early, have breakfast and then I decide on what field to look into on that day. My main focus is music but I'm open to try everything really. Apart from fashion stuff. I don't have a sense for that" Liam explained in a bit more detail.

"Fashion?" Louis cocked an eyebrow at Àmbar.

"Some people are into that but can't try that out during their high school time in full swing because of all the pressure. Sometimes people don't even consider that an option as more than a hobby. Here they can take everything into consideration and if they wanna become a fashion designer afterwards then that's it" Àmbar opened the front door of the house of love, leading them into the kitchen.

"I really like that idea of your parents. It's nice to give people the chance to find out what they wanna do. Are they all the same age when they start?" Louis followed her with Liam right behind him.

"Not really. Some come here right after their senior year, others pause uni for a semester and others come earlier, but that's rare. The tendency goes to during uni. That's when people realise they hate what they're doing or it's just not right. Sometimes they only feel like something's missing and stop ...".

"That's what I did" Liam spoke over her. "Or well, I realised that during my first semester and stopped immediately".

"What did you study and how old are you?" Louis leaned against the kitchen counter.

"I'm 18, turning 19 this year and I studied law. Don't ask why I ever thought that was it, it wasn't. My dad wasn't happy that I stopped but my mum managed to make him see it was the best for me andnow they both try to support me during this time of my life, which isn't always the case and I know that" Liam recounted and Louis didn't really know what to say.

"He's right with that. My parents were so disappointed in me when I didn't start uni right away" a brunette curly-headed girl came into the kitchen, startling both boys. "They got even madder when I found myself a girlfriend during that shameful time. Kicked out but now I'm here, so it's their loss".

"You're better off without them, Fiore" Àmbar pulled the girl into her arms. This must be her girlfriend.

"I have you now. I don't need more" the girl kissed Àmbar shortly in greeting before facing Louis. "I'm Aria, her girlfriend".

"Nice to meet you. I'm ...".

"Louis, I know" Aria cut him off with a laugh. "This here told me about you. Texted me as soon as you were off to see Jonah".

"You guys need a life" Louis stated dryly.

"My life is watching other people figure themselves out. Got this from my parents" Àmbar reasoned her behaviour unbothered.

"That even makes sense" Liam realised stupidly.

"Àmbar Darling, it's good to see you" a red-headed woman walked into the kitchen with an equally as red-headed boy behind her.

"Hi Nina, we wanted to eat something. The party still isn't over" Àmbar explained why they were here.

"Why aren't you at that birthday party?" Nina asked confused.

"Too many people" Àmbar and Louis answered at the same time, causing them to share a smiling look.

"Fine. What would you like?" Nina accepted that reason.

"Whatever you have there. Don't make an effort. You have enough on your hands with that party" Àmbar tried to hold her back.

"I could make you the rest of the pancakes or ...".

"Pancakes are just fine" Louis let her know quickly.

"You must be Louis. I haven't seen you around" Nina looked him up and down quickly with no judgement.

"That's me," Louis said simply.

"Hi, I'm Niall. The son and best person to have as a friend" the red-headed guy hopped over to him. At that moment, Louis realised he had seen him before with his curly-headed friend on a bench.

"If you wanna fear for your food 24/7 then yes, he is great" Àmbar snorted exaggeratedly.

"You love me" Niall winked at her.

"Maybe. Sometimes" Àmbar bit back her smile.

"How have your first days been, Louis? It's a lot, isn't it?" Nina tried to make civilized conversation while she started on the pancakes with everyone else just standing around.

"Quite okay so far. It's nice here" Louis answered curtly.

"Can I ask why you're here? What happened?" Nina dared to ask.

For a moment, Louis froze completely but tried to cover up his emotions. "Same as everyone else. Wasn't accepted".

"I just can't understand why people are like this. Family and friends should love you the way you are. I could never not love my son, no matter what he does" Nina frowned deeply.

"Yeah, friends" Louis muttered bitterly, feeling lonely again.

"If everyone was accepting this house wouldn't be necessary and you know that, Nina. Not everyone is like you. Everyone here has their own story but it's theirs and none of our business. We just try to make life a little bit better" Àmbar reminded her in a weird voice.

"You're right. Sorry, Louis. I didn't mean to pry or anything...".

"It's okay. No harm done" Louis cut her off reassuringly.

"Can we finally eat?" Niall niggled impatiently.

"These are not for you, Darling. You're supposed to be at the party. He's your best friend. What are you still doing here?" Nina shooed him away.

"I want more snacks".

"And that's the most Niall answer you can get" Aria giggled.

"What's wrong with snacks?" Niall didn't understand.

"No, Ari. This was" Liam chuckled amused.

Louis just watched them interact. They all seemed to be really close, even with Liam after only a week, and Louis wondered if this was a genuine friendship or if Niall and Àmbar made everyone feel safe for the time being. Until they left again. Taking her social anxiety into account, if that was the truth, then it wouldn't make sense for her to play pretend. And Niall seemed a bit too genuinely obsessed with food to play a role. Time would tell.

With more snacks than he should be able to carry in his hands, Niall ran out of the kitchen and left them alone with his mother. Only a few minutes later, the pancakes were ready and Louis could feel his mouth water at the sight and his stomach rumbled loudly, making everyone laugh. Shrugging them off, Louis dug into the food and almost moaned at the taste. These pancakes were fantastic and he told Nina so. He needed to start eating regularly again. He has never been this hungry before.

At one point, Àmbar and Aria left to spend time alone and Liam had to go back home. He wanted to see the birthday boy, apparently, before the party was over and everyone was drunk. Louis could only shake his head. It was a Monday.

"Why are they celebrating at the school? I thought the guy lived here. At least, this morning it sounded like they were celebrating someone. Is it the same person?" Louis wanted to know because he was utterly confused. He just didn't know why he cared.

"No, you're right. It's the same person and he lives here with us but the school and we do a lot of stuff together. You can always go over there and they can always come here to meet up or whatever. He's Niall's best friend and has friends over at the school, who wanted to throw him a party. At least, it's silent here now" Nina explained to him. Louis really still was new to all of this.

"Good for me. I don't like much turmoil" Louis wrinkled his nose.

"I could tell" Nina smiled at him while cleaning up the kitchen. "Don't worry. This isn't an everyday thing. Normally, its rather quiet".

"Quiet sounds good".

That's how he found himself wandering around the house because he didn't feel like going back to his room. For some reason being alone in his empty room made him feel depressed. Only being in there for five minutes gave Louis the feeling of the walls closing in on him and suffocating him. Maybe the silent room was only showing Louis how lonely he was and how sad his life has turned out to be. Miserable was more like it.

Exploring the bottom floor area for some time has led him into a library-like room. It looked like a library with all those shelves and dozens of books and some tables scattered around. Feeling like it was the place to be for him right now, Louis padded around the room until he found the fantasy and LGBTQ+ sections. He decided on a book called Island Circle – Connected by Fate and sat down on a bay window again. He liked to sit by a window and this house had many impressive windows and places to sit by them. Just like their own library. Rich people ...

Absorbed in his book and the world of magic creatures, Louis didn't realise how time passed by. Outside, it started to get darker and the house had grown even quieter. The book in his hand was almost done. He had only one chapter left and couldn't wait to read the second part. It was addicting.

Just as he was about to close the book and call it a day, a guy with curly hair came walking over to him. If Louis wasn't mistaken this was Niall's friend from the bench. His steps seemed unsure and his posture screamed of hesitation. Was Louis really this intimidating? He didn't think so. He came off as a puppy.

"Um ... excuse me" Niall's friend cleared his throat awkwardly, officially getting Louis' attention. "Could you close the window?".

Trying to match this raspy and deep voice with that innocent face in front of him, Louis almost missed the actual words. Without giving much thought, Louis closed the window. "Sure".

"Thank you. It gets cold in here overnight otherwise. I once forgot to close a window and in the morning it was freezing in here and I thought I'd warn you because you're new here" he rambled adorably, his eyes growing huge. "Sorry. Oh God, I didn't ...".

"Hey, it's okay. I think everyone knows I'm new" Louis tried to calm him down and show him everything was fine. "I'm Louis".

"I know" he blurted out and paled on the spot. "Um ... Imean, Niall told me about you. He talks a lot and tried to explain where he disappeared to when he only wanted to get more snacks for the party and ...".

"I got that. He really seems like he talks without boundaries just like his mother" Louis interrupted him but couldn't stop his smile from breaking through. "So, it's your birthday today, yeah?".

"It is. They all made such a big deal out of it because I turned 18 but I would have been fine with a simple cake" Harry crinkled his nose adorably.

"Turning 18 is very important. You're lucky they're celebrating you like this. Means they care about you" Louis couldn't look away from his eyes. "What are you doing in here then?".

"I needed some peace after all that noise. It's my birthday and I really needed a minute to myself" he explained still nervous.

"I understand that. Does our birthday boy has a name?" Louis asked intrigued.

"I'm Harry. Sorry for being so awkward. I really only wanted to welcome you here but I made such a fool out of myself and can't seem to say one normal sentence without being weird. I'm so sorry if I creeped you out" Harry apologised but Louis was hopelessly endeared by his whole being.

"You didn't creep me out yet. Don't worry" Louis assured him. "But I should head to bed. Had a long day and one whole book a day should be enough".

"Oh, yeah. Right. It's late" Harry obviously didn't know what to do next, which was way too cute

"Good night, birthday boy. It was nice to meet you" Louis stood up and put the book back. Harry opened and closed his mouth but nothing came out. Louis only smiled to himself and glanced back over his shoulder before he left. "Happy birthday, Harry".  

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, we met everyone important now. What are your theories on their backstories?