|Chapter 17

Snow covered the bedroom windows, making the room appear dark. It was chilly inside the house, but Harry and Louis were too wrapped up in each others arms to even notice to cold drop in temperature.

Harry was the first to awaken, his eyes fluttering open as he let his vision unblur. He went to stretch his arms over his head, only to stop when he felt a small weight on his chest. He looked down to see Louis snuggled up cosily against him, small snores sounding from the boy's thin lips.

He wasn't that shocked really. He guessed that Louis must have been a cuddler in his sleep too. It gave him some sort of nice warmth in the bottom of his stomach. The way Louis' hair was disheveled, strands poking out in every direction. The way Louis' hand fisted his shirt, like he was trying to keep Harry close to him. The way Louis' body seemed to fit perfectly by Harry's side. Louis was the most perfect sight to wake up to.

Wait, what?!

Harry immediately pushed away any thoughts about his band mate from his mind, trying to ignore everything. He can't be thinking those thoughts. He didn't even like Louis in that way -at least he thought he didn't-, he had a boyfriend. A boyfriend of almost four years! Harry should know better than to be thinking things about other people, other than his boyfriend, like that.

Carefully, Harry unlatched Louis from his body and slipped out of the bed. He needed to get his mind off everything for a bit. Clear his head for a few minutes.

When Louis woke up twenty minutes later, his brows furrowed as his hand ran over an empty bed. He opened his eyes, only to see that Harry was missing beside him. He didn't think too much of it, knowing the boy probably got up to use the bathroom or something.

Louis lazily got out of the bed, rubbing his eyes, his fuzzy blue socks scuffing along the wooden floor boards as he made his way out of Harry's childhood bedroom. He instantly smelt something delicious coming from the kitchen. He followed the smell, like a dog to a bone, finding Harry standing in front of the stove.

"What's cookin' good lookin'?" Louis asked, saying it as a joke. But Harry really did look good in the mornings with his sweats on with a tight white shirt that hugged him in the right places... He may have been staring at the younger boy a little longer than he probably should have.

Harry looked over his shoulder, smiling brightly at the older boy. "Just some Christmas pancakes."

Louis raised a brow. Weren't pancakes just pancakes? What makes them Christmassy? He decided not to ask, knowing Harry that kind of person to make up his own little creations.

He grabbed out the apple juice and went to grab a glass, but he just groaned instead. "Haz, I swear to god shelves hate me. Last time I checked, I was 5'9..." Louis grumbled, crossing his arms. He glared at the glasses above him, too high for his short height.

Harry stood beside the boy, taking a glass down and placing it gently in Louis' hand. Louis pouted as he looked up at the taller one.

"Not quite, Little Lou." Harry teased, returning to his pancakes.

"I'm not little..." Louis mumbled as he poured his drink.

A few moments later, the whole Styles family was downstairs, sitting around the table, eating Harry's Christmas pancakes; which to Louis' surprise were shaped somehow into Christmas trees with blueberries and raspberries for the ball balls. Working in a bakey really did help him make good looking food.

After bellies were full with the younger boy's delicious pancakes, Gemma announced that it was time for presents. The family and Louis were spread around the lounge room, Anne sitting beside the tree to hand around the few gifts left under the tree. There were a few joke presents between the siblings, and laughter when Harry opened up a banana from his sister.

When the laughter died down, Louis looked down to his hands where he held his small present that he bought for harry. Louis thought of it as kind of a thank you for giving him his necklace. Hopefully Harry didn't find it weird.

"Um, I have a present for Haz."

Harry perked up, looking over to Louis. The older boy handed over the small wrapped gift with a shy smile. "Oh, I-I didn't have time to get you-"

"You being there with me too get a tattoo was enough Harry. Don't worry." Louis chuckled.

Harry looked at the present, shaking it a little to try to hear anything inside. Gemma groaned, telling him to open it already. The younger brother rolled his eyes at her and unwrapped the gift. It was a small box, a ring box.

"We haven't even gone on a date and you're already asking to marry me?" Harry joked, cheekily grinning to Louis. The boy's cheeks reddened. Harry opened the small red box, finding a gold ring inside.

"D-Do you like it?" Louis asked nervously.

The younger boy took the ring out of the box, looking at it closer between his fingers. "Does the 'T' stand for Tomlinson?" Harry questioned, his thumb tracing the carving of the letter 'T' in the gold.

"Uh, um yeah. It's kind of a thank you for giving me your necklace."

A massive smile formed on Harry's lips. "I love it! Thanks Lou!" He slipped the ring on his fourth finger before tackling Louis in a hug. The boys fell on the couch in fits of giggles and laughter. Louis was happy that Harry didn't find the meaning creepy. It is his last name, it sounds like a couplely present, but Harry didn't seem to see it that way.

The moment was put on pause when the ding of the doorbell sounded. Harry stood up offering to answer the door. Suddenly, Louis, Anne, Des and Gemma were hearing Harry shout "Kendall!"

Hearing the name made Louis' smile drop from his face. Kendall was here? Louis understood that it was Christmas, but, you know, it was supposed to be him and Harry time.

Harry and Kendall emerged into the room with joint hands and toothy grins, laughing together at something one of them said. When Kendall noticed the other members of the Styles family, he was instantly giving hugs and greetings all round. Anne wrapped him with welcoming arms while Gemma gave more of an awkward hug. She was never really fond of her younger brother dating a guy much older than him, but she respected the relationship because Kendall was kind to Harry. Louis almost laughed at the funny look on the sister's face, letting out a muffled snicker.

The sound caused Kendall to look in Louis' direction, his brow rising in confusion. "Who are you?"

Harry answered for the boy. "This is Louis. Our new bandmate."

"Oh, right! The one who doesn't know how to knock on a door before walking in." Kendall joked, more like teased, to Louis with a smirk.

It made Louis curl in a little on himself, wrapping his arms around his legs. He mumbled a small and unnoticed, "I did knock..."

Kendall then felt a cold metal pressed between his fingers, looking down to his and Harry's intertwined hands to see the gold ring on Harry's slender finger. He brought their hands up for a closer look at the jewelry.

"Pretty ring, babe. When did you get it?"

"Actually, Lou got it for me as a Christmas present." Harry smiled brightly, turning to his band mate.

Kendall's brows rose, looking down at the boy sitting on the couch. Louis felt himself sink back in on himself as he caught sight of Kendall's slight scowl, before the older man turned back to Harry with a forced smile.

"How nice of him..." He almost grumbled.

As the the rest of the day dragged on, Kendall ended up staying over for the day, which meant Harry's attention was taken away from Louis and was diverted to just his boyfriend. The younger boy was always wrapped up in the man's arms, giggling from neck kisses or small tickles that Kendall would give him. It was making Louis a little jealous. It almost seemed like Kendall was purposely keeping Harry's attention away from Louis and just on him and his family.

Like before for example. The five of them were a having a conversation about what it was like performing with their new band members and Louis wanted to contribute in the discussion; only if Kendall would let him. The older man would always start to speak over the boy, not letting him say anything. Sure, Louis was speaking a little quietly, but he couldn't tell if the man was doing it on purpose or if he never realized that he was trying to speak himself.

So he tried to speak a little louder, only to get shot down again by the same man.

After a while, Louis just gave up in trying to speak. He also gave up in trying to get Harry's attention. Harry didn't even take realization of how Louis was left out in everything, because he was too interested in his boyfriend to even notice his friend.

It made Louis a bit upset..

+

The drive back home in Harry's car was a silent one. Not even the radio was on. The boy's didn't speak to each other. There wasn't any problems between the two, Louis was just still caught up on how Harry didn't take notice of him after Kendall showed up.

Yes, Louis understood that Harry had every reason to focus on his own boyfriend, but to block out his friend while doing so? Maybe Louis was just thinking selfishly.

When they arrived home, they still didn't speak, just walked in and continued life as it was. Harry was still in his little lovey dovey world after being with Kendall all day.

Louis decided to join Liam, once the boy came back home, in a game of mario kart. It gave Louis a good distraction for a while, focused on beating Liam to the finish line. That was until Liam asked him,

"How was it at Harry's?" Liam asked after he won their third race of the night.

Louis plopped his controller in his lap, keeping his gaze on it. "Fun, I guess." He bit his lower lip, his fingers playing with the cuffs of his sweater sleeves. "I, uh, I met Kendall today. He made a visit too.."

Liam smiled. "Really?" Louis nodded in response. "I always liked him. He's such a nice guy." The chocolate eyed boy said while choosing the next race track.

Confusion crossed Louis' features. Kendall didn't seem like such a nice guy to him. Maybe Louis was just looking things over too harshly. Maybe if he spoke up louder in the first place he wouldn't have been left out. And maybe Kendall actually liked the ring.

It's just that Louis had been seeing some things negatively lately.

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I'm so sorry for such the late, and crappy, update! I've been planning out the story, writing new ones, doing test after test, work after work, family issues, everything's just been a bit much lately... But don't give up on me, please!

My sister slapped my hand, it hurts :( But more importantly... DODGEBALL LARRY!!

-chloe x