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Harry's nervous. More nervous than he's ever been in his life. He's had a crush on Caleb for two years. He would never have thought this day would come, but here he is.
Caleb was always the cool kid. The one everyone wanted to be friends with. Harry has watched him from afar - the way his smile lights up a room, the shimmer in his eyes while he's belly laughing at something a friend said, or the way he runs his hand through his hair when he's nervous. Harry knows all of his nuances, each one more captivating than the last.
But Harry always kept his distance because he was the nerdy gay kid. No one wanted to be friends with him. Well, no one except the other nerds. Caleb never even acknowledged his existence until a few weeks ago. And that's when everything changed. Not only did Caleb start talking to Harry, he was flirting with him. Blatantly making advances by telling Harry he was cute or holding his arm for a beat too long while passing him in the hall.
So here he is, ready to propose. No, not marriage. He just turned 18 for crying out loud. Prom proposals are the new big thing. He made a sign on posterboard with cut out newspaper letters that say “Will you go to prom with me?”
He's standing outside the locker room, waiting for Caleb to emerge from the double doors. He's sweating through his shirt and feels like he might pass out. Is he, Harry Styles the school nerd ™, actually going to ask Caleb to go to prom with him?
The next two minutes happen in slow motion, almost like a scene from a cheesy teen romcom. The door slams open and Harry takes a deep breath. Caleb exits the building and immediately smiles when he sees him. Harry smiles back and holds up the sign. Caleb's smile fades, a look of disgust taking its place. He scoffs at Harry as he walks by, muttering, “As if,” under his breath. Harry lets the sign fall to the ground, his shoulders hunch over, and a tear escapes his eye.
How did he get this so wrong? He is completely embarrassed as the other students whisper to each other and snicker at him. He hurries to his car and rips the sign in half before throwing it into the backseat. He climbs in the drivers seat and slams the steering wheel, “Fuck!!!” He quickly leaves the school parking lot to head home. Home, where he is never judged for who he is.
His phone starts ringing, almost immediately. He rolls his eyes because he knows he's about to get a lecture from his best friend.
Harry: Yes, Niall?
Niall: What are you doing?
Harry: Staring at my ceiling fan. What are you doing?
Niall: Don't play games with me, H. What was that tweet?
Harry: Oh yeah, so Caleb basically said never ever. I'm only a little bit crushed, but I'll be alright. Thanks for your concern though.
Niall: Sorry Harry, I know you were really excited.
Harry: Yeah, so I'm gonna have a good cry, then probably eat a pint of Ben & Jerry's while watching Love Is Blind.
Niall: Umm, so why tag Louis Tomlinson?
Harry: Why not? It's not like he's gonna see it. And even if he did, he's not exactly going to put down his guitar to come to prom with me.
Niall: Could you imagine if he did? What would you do?
Harry: Shit myself. For real, Niall. THE Louis Tomlinson? The man of my dreams? The singer whose concert I went to three times last year? Kill me now. No way I'd survive that.
Niall: For real. Alright, I've got to go study. See you tomorrow.
Harry: Goodnight, Ni. Thanks again for checking in.
Harry throws his phone onto the pillow next to him. He looks up at his ceiling at the huge Louis Tomlinson poster he has hanging above his bed. “What I wouldn't give for you to go to prom with me.” He sighs before padding to the kitchen to grab the ice cream out of the freezer.
~~~ The Following Week ~~~
Harry's staring at himself in the full length mirror. He looks good. The tux fits him well. He loves the powder blue vest and bow tie that his Mom bought for him to finish off the look.
He really wishes he wasn't going alone, but at least he's going. He's gone back and forth the entire week, trying to decide whether it was even worth it to attend. Niall promised him he wouldn't be too caught up with his girlfriend to spend time together so that Harry wouldn't be standing alone the whole night. He again envisions one of those cheesy romcoms where the actor stands by the wall with a cup of prom punch, watching all of the couples on the dance floor swaying together. He definitely doesn't want to be that guy.
His thoughts are interrupted by his Mom yelling down the hall, “Harry, your date is here!”
What? Caleb said no. Or did he? Well, he said ‘as if’ and that's more of a no than an actual no.
“Be right there,” Harry questions more than answers.
His mind is racing, wondering who would show up at his doorstep as a date, when he doesn't actually have a date. If it were Niall, his Mom would have said. There is no one else. Wait - Caleb must have changed his mind. Harry runs a hand through his hair and plasters a smile across his face before leaving his room. He has a pep in his step as he makes his way towards the living room.
“Hello Caleb,” he begins as he rounds the corner. “Oh fuck.”
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
“No! No, you,” Harry swallows thickly, “You haven't. I just. Fuck. Can I have a minute? Sorry.”
Harry quickly makes his way into the kitchen. He grabs the counter with one hand and takes a few deep breaths to try and calm himself. His Mom follows behind him, making her apologies towards the living room.
“Harry, what is wrong with you?”
“Just give me a minute, Mom. Please.”
“Your date is here and this is how you treat him?”
“Mom, I didn't have a date. And that,” Harry struggles to form the words, “That is Louis Tomlinson.”
His Mother laughs, “Oh son, I'm afraid the delusion of your favorite musician knowing you exist has rotted your brain.”
“Mother,” he places his hands on her shoulders and looks into her eyes, “That is Louis Fucking Tomlinson.” He pulls his phone from his pocket and shows her his lockscreen.
“Oh,” she says as all the color drains from her face. “Oh dear. I would have cleaned up if I had known he'd be coming over.”
“Mom, I didn't know he'd be coming over. What should I do?”
“Go back out there and take him to prom?”
Harry nervously fluffs his curls, “OK. Ok, I can do this.” He straightens his posture, pulls at the bottom of his tux jacket and fixes his bow tie. He walks back into the living room confidently, his head held high.
“These are for you.”
Harry immediately beelines back to the kitchen. “I can't do this. That's Louis Tomlinson. He is in my living room. He has flowers. Louis fucking Tomlinson!”
“Did you want me to leave?” Louis yells from the living room.
“No!” Harry's voice cracks. He clears his throat then tries again, “No, sorry. I'll be right out.”
He summons the courage to go back to the living room. He takes the flowers from Louis, “Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me.” He may seem calm but his inner fanboy is having a complete meltdown.
“It's my pleasure, Harry.”
Inside he's screaming, yelling, throwing up. Louis Tomlinson knows his name. He is standing in his living room and he knows his name and what is life right now?
Harry takes a deep breath, “So, you really want to go to prom with me?”
“That's why I'm here, right?”
“I guess so,” Harry looks away and blushes.
“So, did you want me to drive or..."
"Umm, I was going to go to Niall's house and then we were going to take a limo together. But that's probably not a good idea. I'll call him and tell him I'll meet him at the prom."
"Why not?"
Harry blankly stares at him for a few beats before responding, "I'm not sure if you know this, but you are THE Louis Tomlinson. Niall would probably not handle a limo ride with you very well."
Louis giggles, "I'm sure it'll be fine. Come on, I'll drive to his place."
"Wait boys! I want some nice pictures first!" Harry's Mom quickly interjects.
"Mooooom," Harry whines.
"No, it's ok. It's important. She wants to cherish this memory, isn't that right?" Louis tugs at Harry's wrist to stop him from leaving.
"Yes, thank you, Louis. Your mother must be so proud of you. Such a gentleman you are."
Harry rolls his eyes before awkwardly standing next to Louis and plastering a fake smile on his face. His mom snaps a few pictures before he's had enough. "Come on Louis, can we go now please?"
"Yeah, let's go. Thank you Mrs. Styles. I'll make sure he's home before curfew," Louis winks.
Harry walks out the front door and stops in his tracks, “Is that a Bugatti?”
“Yeah, it's my favorite. Don't usually have a reason to drive it though. Figured it was appropriate for this occasion," Louis shrugs.
“Fuck me” Harry spits out before thinking about it. He quickly covers his mouth with both hands, eyes widening, “Sorry!”
Louis chuckles, “I get it. I should have just brought the S-Class, would have been less showy.”
“Yeah, you're right. The $100,000 car would have been less of a brag.” Harry slides a finger up the side of the car as he walks to the passenger side.
Louis quickly bolts ahead to open the door for him, “Watch your head.”
Harry ducks his head as he climbs into the car. He takes in the interior - polished leather, accent lighting, and the largest in-dash screen he's ever seen.
Louis climbs in and starts the car, causing the accent lighting to slowly fade in and out in different colors. He pushes a few buttons on the screen and music begins playing through what can only be described as in-car surround sound.
Harry looks around with childlike wonder, “This is amazing.”
“That's why it's my favorite. Has all the bells and whistles. So what's your friend's address?”
“Niall? Oh, it's 369 Guinness Way.”
“Niall. Niall. I need to remember that,” Louis says as he punches the address into the screen. He smiles at Harry before pulling out of the driveway.
Harry is not sure what to do. Does he text Niall and give him a heads up that Louis fucking Tomlinson is going to prom with him? Or does he let it be a surprise?
“Does your friend know,” Louis clears his throat, “that I'm with you?”
Harry huffs a laugh, “Was just having an inner battle on whether I should text him or not.”
Louis looks at him, a sly grin on his face, “Don't. It'll be more fun if we show up and you just act completely normal, don't ya think?”
Harry giggles in response. This is going to be fun. He loves that Louis is into playing a game like this. Niall's gonna be pissed for weeks, but it'll be worth it.
A few minutes later, they pull into Niall's driveway. He sees Niall peek through the blinds and he laughs to himself about what he knows is about to transpire.
Harry climbs from the car and looks to Louis, who smirks and nods in response. They clasp hands and ring the doorbell. Niall opens the door, his eyes immediately bulging, “What the actual fuck is this?”
“Niall, this is my date for the prom, Louis. Louis, Niall.”
Louis holds out his free hand, “Nice to meet ya.”
Niall is frozen, not blinking, not responding.
“There seems to be a glitch in the system," Harry jokes.
“Sorry, ummm…nice to meet you?” Niall shakes Louis' hand.
The three of them stand there for a few beats before Louis breaks the silence, “So, can we come in or?”
“Oh my god, I'm sorry. Yes. Come in,” Niall blushes before standing to the side allowing Louis to enter. He steps back in front of Harry and mouths, “What?!?” Harry shrugs before pushing past him to join Louis in the living room. Harry is doing a good job of playing it cool but he feels like millions of fireworks are exploding in his belly.
Niall's sister walks into the living room, her head down staring at her phone. She glances up, “Hey everyone, have fun.” She continues walking to the kitchen before letting out a shriek, “Was that Louis Tomlinson?” She comes running around the corner and stops just short of barreling into him, “Hi. Oh my god, I am your biggest fan. Seriously. Can I have your autograph? Oh wait, better yet, can I get a picture with you?”
“Mary! You are so embarrassing!” Niall shoves at her.
Louis chuckles, “It's ok. Yes, I would love to take a picture with you. And I'll sign anything you want.”
“Hang on!” Mary runs to her room and returns with his latest album, holding it out with a marker for him. He signs it, “Nice to meet you, Mary. Love, Louis Xx” and proceeds to take a few pictures with her.
“Are we ready?” Louis looks around to the others.
“I am, let's go!” Harry grabs Louis’ hand and pulls him out the door and towards the limo.
The limo ride is fairly awkward. Niall's girlfriend has never heard of Louis, so Harry and Niall spend most of the ride showing her videos of his concerts they've attended. Louis shuffles in his seat, pulling at his suit jacket. “I'm sorry, this must be weird for you," Harry says as he locks his phone and puts it in his pocket.
Louis huffs a laugh, “Maybe a little. But I do love that you have so many videos from my shows. Means a lot.”
“I would have gone to even more but my Mom told me no,” Harry rolls his eyes.
“It's alright. I love that you went to as many as you did,” Louis looks up at him, blue eyes shining brightly. Harry wants to melt right here on the spot. He knew Louis’ eyes were amazing, but in person, this close up, they are downright mesmerizing.
They arrive at prom and Harry grabs Louis’ wrist before they exit the car, “Are you sure you want to do this? We can go eat greasy burgers and watch shitty tv instead."
“I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine.”
“Concern? I just wanted to gatekeep you for myself,” Harry winks before releasing Louis' arm causing him to cackle in response.
Louis slides out of the limo and holds out his hand for Harry to help him out of the car. Harry takes it, but is so busy staring into those captivating eyes that he misses the curb and collapses into Louis.
“Falling for me already?” Louis giggles.
“Oh my god, I'm so sorry!” Harry stands up, his face tinging pink.
“It's all good, don't worry about it. Your ego is probably bruised more than anything,” Louis covers his giggle with the back of his hand.
Harry watches him and wonders if it's a bad thing that he actually is falling for him. Not that it's hard to do, he was already in awe of the man prior to meeting him, but spending time with him isn't helping the situation. He always had a feeling Louis was a good person, but now he knows he is.
“You ready?” Louis holds out his arm for Harry, who links his own as requested.
“Nope, but there's no turning back now, right?"
“You aren't the one who should be nervous,” Niall slaps Harry on the back.
Louis grimaces, “It's me, isn't it? I should be nervous.”
Niall looks around and then whispers, “You do realize who you are, don't you? And you're about to enter a banquet hall full of a lot of people who absolutely know who you are.”
Louis wipes the sweat from his brow, “Yeah.”
“We don't have to go in, Louis. My offer still stands.”
“Nope. You aren't missing your prom on account of my nerves. I knew what I was getting myself into when I drove to your house.”
“Speaking of, how did you know where I lived?”
“I have a lot of money, Harry. I hire people for these things. It didn't take long to find you, you're very active on socials,” Louis smiles.
Harry forms an ‘oh’ with his mouth before turning to Niall, “Are you done making us nervous? Can we just go enjoy ourselves please?”
Niall holds his hands up in defeat and turns to walk towards the banquet facility.
Harry smiles at Louis, then squeezes his arm, “Come on, I won't let anyone torture you, alright?”
“Let's do it then.” Louis follows Niall up the wandering path, pulling Harry along beside him.
They enter the building and are greeted by a large pink balloon arch with greenery intertwined throughout. Just beyond the arch is the photographer, who has a cute set up with props like sunglasses, mustaches, little signs, party horns, and more. Louis looks at Harry with a mischievous look on his face, “Oh yeah, let's take some pictures!”
Louis runs to the booth and picks up the chalkboard, scribbling quickly on it. “Harry, come here, stand next to me,” he yells.
Harry pulls a mustache and sunglasses from the table and stands next to Louis, who can't stop giggling the entire time their pictures are being taken. “Are you alright? What does the sign say?” Harry tries to take the chalkboard but Louis hides it behind his back. “It's a surprise!” He quickly turns and erases the chalk. Harry sighs, but he isn't going to argue. He is about to enter his prom with Louis Tomlinson, so he has bigger things to worry about than what was on the chalkboard.
Louis grabs his hand and looks at him with a shy smile, “Ready?”
“I should be asking you that,” Harry lets out a long exhale.
“I'm ready. Let's go make this a night you'll never forget!”
“As if it isn't already,” Harry laughs.
The two walk hand in hand into the boisterous dance hall. Harry looks around and sees Niall standing and waving to them. “Hey, looks like Niall has our table over there.”
They quickly make their way to the table and take their seats. Harry takes in the feel of the room, the beautiful blush and wine decorations, the girls in their sparkling gowns, and the thump from the music coming out of the speakers at the DJ stand. It's a lot. And no one has even realized who he's with…yet.
“No fucking way!” Harry hears a screech from across the room. Here it comes, he thinks to himself. He scrunches his eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable crowd of girls that are going to be at their table within seconds. He hears screaming, but it's not getting closer. He opens his eyes to see a group of girls happily shouting amongst themselves, not even looking in their direction. He turns to see Louis, who has a smirk on his face as he bites his lip.
“You were nervous, weren't you?”
“Shitting a brick, if I'm being honest,” Harry huffs a laugh.
“You need to relax. It's probably going to happen at some point tonight, but it's pretty dark in here. And I don't think it's going to be the tragedy you are expecting,” Louis pats Harry's thigh.
“You’re right. Sorry. Wanna dance?”
Louis stands and holds out a hand for Harry, “Let's do it.”
Harry takes Louis’ hand and allows him to guide them to the dance floor. Just as they are about to dance, the DJ cuts in, “Yo yo, how about we slow it down for all you lovebirds out there. Enjoy!” As the song begins, Harry looks into Louis’ eyes, the sparkle in them enchanting, kind of like this evening has been so far. He swallows thickly, “We don't have to slow dance, Louis. We can come back later.” He turns to leave, but is stopped by a hand grabbing his arm.
“Hazza, I want to dance with you.”
“Hazza?” Harry questions as he turns around.
Louis pulls him in by his waist, wrapping his free arm over his shoulder. “Yes, Hazza. I like it. Don't you?”
Harry leans in closer and puts his arm around Louis’ back, “Yeah, I like it.”
The two slowly sway to the music, no words being spoken, but everything being said by the way they hold on to each other.
They are lost in the moment when Harry hears someone whisper next to them, “I don't want to cause a scene, but can I get a picture with you? Discreetly. Please?”
Louis chuckles, “Sure, love.”
She leans in close to Louis and snaps a selfie, “Thank you. Oh my god, I'm one of your biggest fans!” She quickly hurries away, a permanent smile plastered on her face.
“That was painless,” Louis shrugs.
“Yeah. How about we grab some punch and wait for the food to come out?”
“Sounds perfect,” Louis puts his arm lightly on Harry's back, gently pushing him towards the drink table.
Niall comes skipping over, “Excuse me, I need Harry for a minute!” He pulls Harry to the side, carefully looking over his shoulder to be sure Louis isn't in earshot. “I saw you guys dancing. Oh my God, H!”
Harry's face softens, “I know. It was magical, Ni. Every second with him feels so right. I'm trying not to focus on the fact that he'll be gone after tonight and I'll be crushed, probably eating ice cream for the next six months straight.”
“Aww, Harry,” Niall pulls him in for a hug, “I'm sorry. I didn't think about that part. Just… just enjoy tonight. Have the time of your life. And then I'll come over and eat lots of ice cream with you while we watch shit TV.”
“Yeah, thanks Ni. You're the best.”
Harry turns back to Louis, who is now surrounded by a group of girls who recognized him. He's being very polite, but Harry knows this probably isn't how he wants to spend this night. He pushes through them and places his hand on Louis’ arm, “I walk away for two minutes and you've already moved on. I'm hurt, Lou.”
“No! It's not like… ” the realization shows across his face and he begins giggling. “You almost got me all worked up there, Haz.”
Harry winks and grabs his hand, pulling him through the girls, “Sorry ladies, my date and I would like to go eat now.”
They sit at the table and Louis delicately links their fingers. He looks at Harry with those bright blue eyes, “Thank you for saving me.”
“Anytime. I mean, it was mostly just me not wanting to share you again, but you can call it saving if you'd like.”
Louis lets out a boisterous laugh, “You're a funny guy, Harry.”
A shy smile takes over Harry's face, “Thanks, Lou.” The two sit in silence, fingers linked between them, eyes scanning the other's face to memorize every detail. The moment is palpable… it's also broken by the waitress bringing them their food.
Louis clears his throat, “Thank you so much.” He takes his cloth napkin and unfolds it onto his lap, then claps his hands together. “This looks delicious!”
It takes Harry a few beats to break himself from the trance he was in. This is bad. He is falling hard. And there's no way it's going to work out in his favor. Louis is rich and famous at only 20 years old. He has his pick of anyone he wants. There would be no reason for him to want someone like Harry, a dorky 18 year old with a boring life. He sighs as he begins cutting his salmon.
Louis must sense the shift in his demeanor because he leans in, “Hey, are you alright?”
Harry looks up, a fake smile on his face, “Yep, couldn't be better.”
Louis gives a half smile before returning to his chicken. Niall and his girlfriend take their seats at the table. “Yes! Chicken Piccata! My favorite!” Niall loudly exclaims as he tucks his napkin into his shirt collar.
“It's really good,” Louis says as he shoves another forkful into his mouth.
“Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.” Harry stands and quickly leaves the table, purposely not making eye contact with anyone. He gets to the bathroom and is relieved to find it empty. He splashes cool water on his face as he looks in the mirror. “What is wrong with you? Why must you overthink everything? You have an amazing boy as your date. Yes, it's only one night and then he'll forget you exist. But you have this once in a lifetime chance to spend an evening with him. You're ruining it because you're stuck in your head!”
He was so busy chastising himself, he didn't hear the bathroom door open. He's pulled from his thoughts by a throat being cleared next to him. He turns to find Caleb staring at him.
A pink flush crosses his face, “How long have you been there?”
“Long enough,” Caleb snickers before going into the stall.
Harry can't believe what this night is turning into. He decides he needs to pull himself together, ignore the butterflies in his belly whenever Louis looks at him, and try to salvage what's left of this evening.
He makes his way back to the table and takes his seat. Louis and Niall are in the middle of a heated debate about video games, so he pulls out his phone to check his messages. His Mom apologizing, Niall's sister apologizing, and Niall asking if he's ok a couple of minutes ago. He sighs as he turns the screen off and places it back in his jacket.
Louis softly caresses his hand on the table, "You alright? You look peaked.”
“I'm fine. I'm sorry I'm not being much fun.”
Louis swipes his thumb across Harry's hand, “I'm having a lot of fun. You wanna go dance? I think this time it's fast songs. I'm a terrible dancer, but I do a mean sprinkler.” Louis demonstrates his best sprinkler dance moves causing Harry to cackle. That's exactly what he needed to pull him from his own head. “Yeah, let's go dance.”
“Can we join you guys?” Niall pleads.
“The more, the merrier!” Louis says as he pulls Harry from his chair and bounces to the dance floor.
The four take over the dance floor, showing off their worst dance moves - the sprinkler, the robot, the lawn mower, a few splits, ballerina turns, and every other possible embarrassing dance they can come up with. Everyone begins to form a circle around them, yelling their names as they continue their ridiculous antics.
At one point, Louis grabs Harry and dips him backwards. They stay like that for a moment too long and the flutters begin again. Louis pulls Harry back up and brings him closer, their eyes trained on each other. Harry swallows thickly before shaking his head and pulling back a little. He takes Louis’ hand and spins him. Louis tries to return the favor but they become tangled causing them both to break out into a fit of laughter.
Niall slides in between them and begins breakdancing, spinning himself on the floor. Harry jumps up and down, clapping his hands. “Go Niall, go Niall, go go go!” The rest of the crowd joins in his chants as they all watch Niall happily make a fool of himself.
They hear the microphone being tapped, letting them know it's time to take their seats. Harry wipes the sweat from his brow as he tries to catch his breath, “Come on, Lou. We have to watch the King and Queen get crowned.” They make their way back to the table and take their seats.
“Hello everyone, Principal Baker here. I hope you are all enjoying yourselves. It's the time of night you've all been waiting for. Dessert!” He begins giggling into the microphone, “I kid, I kid. It's time to announce the Prom King and Queen!” The room erupts with applause and whistles.
Louis elbows Harry, “Hey, maybe you'll win!”
“Yeah right, most of these kids didn't even know my name before tonight,” Harry scoffs.
Louis' eyes sadden, “Oh. Sorry, Hazza.”
Harry shrugs, “It's fine. I'm used to it. And we graduate in a few weeks anyway. Doesn't matter now.”
“Our Prom King is…drumroll please!” The principal announces. All the teens smack their fingers against the table to create faux drumming. “Caleb O'Connor!” Everyone claps and whistles as Caleb walks to the center of the dance floor and is crowned Prom King.
Louis takes Harry's hand and squeezes. It's such a small gesture, really. But it shows Harry that Louis paid attention to the tweet. He knew Caleb was the one Harry asked to prom. Harry purses his lips before allowing a small smile to form. “Thanks, Louis.”
After the Prom Queen is announced and the pair have their dance, dessert is brought out. There's an array of fruits and pastries, as well as a carafe of coffee placed at each table. Harry takes a plate and begins loading it with blueberries, strawberries, and watermelon. He feels a tap on his shoulder and turns to see who could be trying to get his attention.
Caleb. What does he want?
“Hey, Caleb. What's up?”
“Umm, do you want to dance? With me, I mean?” Caleb shuffles nervously.
Harry looks at Louis who raises his brows and smiles. He tilts his head towards the dance floor, letting Harry know he should go.
“Uh, ok. I'll be right back, Louis.”
“Have fun.”
Caleb takes Harry's hand and guides him to the dance floor. He puts his hands on Harry's shoulders and begins swaying to the music.
“You looked like you were having fun dancing earlier," Caleb smiles.
“I was, actually” Harry states matter-of-factly, letting Caleb know he really isn't in the mood for small talk.
They finish their slow dance in awkward silence. Caleb takes Harry's hand again and leads him back to his table. “Do you mind if I sit with you for a bit?”
Harry looks around the table at his friends, trying to gauge their feelings on the matter. Niall crosses his arms and gives Harry a side eye, while his girlfriend looks away completely. He turns to Louis, who fakes a slight smile and waves his hand towards an empty chair. Harry can tell he’s just being polite, and he really wants to tell Caleb to leave, but he’s never been one for confrontation.
“Yeah, I guess.” Harry pulls out the chair to his right for Caleb to take a seat before pulling out his own and sitting down. He brushes his hand lightly across Louis’ as a small apology.
Niall sits forward, placing his arms on the table. He looks at Caleb pointedly, “Why are you even over here? Last I remember, you humiliated Harry in front of everyone. So why the change of heart? Is it because Louis is here? Are you using Harry to get to Louis? Or is Harry cool enough for you now because he knows Louis? Hmmm?”
Harry’s eyes go wide as he watches Caleb nervously shift in his seat while trying to stutter out a response. “No! Nothing… it’s nothing like that! I just… I always… I kind of.”
“Get lost, loser.” Niall stands quickly, his chair screeching on the floor as it pushes out.
Caleb pats Harry’s arm, “I’ll call you tomorrow. Have a good night. It was nice meeting you, Louis.”
Harry watches as Caleb hurries from their table. “Oh my god, Niall! What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking that asshole made a fool of you and now suddenly wants to be near you, while you have a date! It’s not cool. And I know you are too nice to tell him to leave you alone.” Niall looks at Louis, “He is, ya know. He’s the nicest guy you’ll ever meet.”
Harry feels the blush creep up his face as Louis turns to him with an affectionate look. Louis places his hand on top of Harry’s on the table, “Yeah, I kind of got that vibe from him, honestly. Hazza, can we go somewhere to talk?”
Harry looks around and sees a balcony off the back of the banquet hall, “Yeah, let’s go out there.”
Louis takes his hand and slowly pulls him through the crowd towards the large glass doors. He pushes the door open and smiles, “Oh, look at the gardens down there. Let’s go walk through there, it’s so pretty.”
Harry’s face softens at the way Louis says it’s pretty. He can’t believe this is his life. He’s at his prom with Louis, who is sweet and lovely and even more gorgeous in person than he could have ever imagined. And now they are about to take a stroll through beautiful gardens lined with fairy lights.
They head down the marble stairs and into the gardens, hands intertwined between them. Louis stops and leans in to smell the flowers every now and then, while talking about each one and what their significance is. It’s endearing how Louis knows so much about flowers. One of those little things that most people would never know about their favorite celebrity, but Harry has the privilege of seeing this softer, more personal side of him.
Once they are deep into the lush gardens, and sure they are alone, Louis stops and turns to face Harry. He brushes his cheekbone with his thumb, “Can I please kiss you?”
Those five little words cause an explosion of thousands of butterflies in Harry’s tummy. Did Louis Tomlinson just ask to kiss him?
“Sorry, that was too forward. I’m dumb. I’m sorry.” Louis begins walking down the path towards the banquet hall while Harry is still completely dumbfounded and unable to speak.
“Wait!” Harry finally snaps out of his trance and hurries to catch up to Louis. “Yes. I would like that. Please kiss me.”
Louis doesn’t hesitate a beat before he pulls Harry into his arms. He stares into his eyes, whispering “I’ve wanted to do this from the second you said “Oh fuck”. That first moment will be etched into my memory forever.” Louis leans in, softly brushing their lips together.
“Oh fuck. Sorry, felt like an appropriate moment to say that again,” Harry quietly says as he presses his forehead to Louis’.
“Mmm, it was good timing," Louis pulls Harry’s chin up with his index finger, and presses their lips together again, this time with more fervor. He tilts his head and opens his mouth, allowing their tongues to dance together.
Harry pulls back from the kiss, “How is this real life? Do you know who you are? Why are you at my prom, kissing me?”
“I have a confession to make. I’ve been watching your fanpage. The video edits you make of my music are really creative. And then one day you posted a video of yourself and I was immediately smitten,” Louis giggles. “Smitten, who even uses that word?”
Harry honks a laugh, “No one. Absolutely no one uses the word smitten.”
“Apparently I do. And I was. Smitten, that is. With you.” Harry watches as Louis' face flushes pink.
“Wow. I don’t know what to say,” Harry manages.
“Say you’ll allow me to take you on a date sometime. I would really like to get to know you, Harry. Because I was smitten by your looks, but spending an evening with you and seeing the type of person you are, I’m captivated. And this is all very forward of me, I’m not usually like this. But I would really like to see if this could go somewhere. If that’s alright with you?”
Harry’s smile goes from ear to ear as he tries not to show too much enthusiasm, but fails miserably. “Yes, yes I would love to go on a date with you,” he bounces on the balls of his feet before leaning in to kiss Louis again.
The two clasp hands and begin walking back to prom, where there is a sweet whisper of hope that this is only the beginning.
~~~ 3 years later ~~~
