Last Girl Standing

Haley sighed, a content grin spreading across her lips as she looked up at the clear summer night's sky, lounging in one of the plastic chairs on the pool deck. It was refreshing to have a day off after being paired with the same boy constantly the past couple of weeks for dates and challenges. Even if she was forced to wait up with the other girls for the dates to come back from the movie for a couple of hours, and then listen to Megan ramble on and on about how Louis was the perfect man while shooting dirty glances at her for another hour, the calm silence by the pool deck was definitely worth it.

But, just when Haley thought she had finally found some peace, quiet, and a break from all the cameramen sneaking around, a figure hopped the fence surrounding the perimeter of the pool and made its way toward her.

She groaned softly, realizing that it was none other than Louis as he came closer to reaching her.

"You're not supposed to be out here."

He grinned. "Last time I checked, neither are you. Besides, I'm not the only lad sneaking around here, trust me."

Haley studied him carefully as he pulled up a chair next to hers, still smiling.

"You're like a rooster in a hen house."

Louis chuckled, amusement lighting up his eyes. "I didn't pin you as a Say Yes To The Dress kind of girl."

"It's a guilty pleasure, most of the girls' tastes are ridiculous anyways. Now you, I don't think I want to know how you got that reference."

Louis laughed easily and Haley felt herself genuinely smiling for the first time since being dropped off on the island.

"You get quite acquainted with the telly when you're on the road as much as we are."

Haley nodded. "That's right, you're one fifth of One Direction."

"The one and only one fifth you're talking about," Louis replied with a cheesy smile.

Haley just snorted.

"How's your ankle?" He asked after a long moment of silence.

How many times would he keep asking her the same question? Haley knew he was trying to keep the conversation alive, but all she really wanted was the silence back.

"It's better. The swelling's completely gone."

"That's good," Louis hummed in agreement.

Suddenly, Haley wasn't so sure why they were having any sort of conversation and shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"Did you come back around for Megan? Cause I could get her for you."

"Wait, what?" Louis looked taken aback. "No, why would you do that? I just suffered through a whole flick with her."

Haley smirked despite herself. "Because you're a cock in a hen house. I figured you came around for some action to finish off the night."

"No! Haley, what happened that night in the beginning- I was feeling a little... needy."

"You mean horny," Haley deadpanned. "And don't forget Kelsie, she's pretty recent."

Louis glared spitefully at the brunette, but didn't object. It was the harsh truth, and Haley had a bad habit of telling it like it was.

"Every girl in the house knows about your little all-night escapades, Louis." Haley continued cynically. "Megan isn't exactly the quietest girl here. But I guess you already knew that, huh?"

Louis' frown deepened as he started to wonder if he was wasting his time trying to crack her hard exterior.

"It was strictly sexual. Our personalities don't get on well."

Haley snorted. "Only in the bedroom, right?"

"You can be a real bitch, you know that?"

"Yeah well, don't think that just because I had to depend on you during one of my low points, you think you know me, or that we have some sort of bond."

"I carried you almost a mile back to the finish line when you couldn't make it. The least I deserved was a thank you," Louis snapped angrily.

Any snarky comment Haley had lined up, and boy did she have some good ones, died immediately on her lips as she absorbed Louis' words. Yes, she was a cold-hearted bitch when she wanted to be, but she was never once ungrateful.

Louis had sacrificed coming in first for her. And because of his kindness, the two came in dead last.

"I'm sorry," the girl finally whispered before she could stop herself, green eyes downcast. Even Louis looked surprised. "I never meant to come off as- thanks. I guess."

Surprised, Louis smiled softly, squeezing Haley's shoulder. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

His conscience scolded him for being too easy on her. He should have at least felt a bit ticked off still, but with Haley, even though she was beyond impossible most of the time, he couldn't stay mad at her for long.

And maybe that might have been a good thing.

Suddenly, he was up and unbuttoning his trousers.

Haley's eyes widened and Louis gave a quick laugh. "We don't get a pool at the lads' house. I wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to see you and have a swim."

His trousers dropped to reveal swim trunks. Haley breathed out a sigh of relief until she fully registered what Louis had said.

"What?"

Louis winked.

Haley frowned, lost in thought, and she concentrated intently on anything but Louis. After his shirt was discarded, Louis looked at her expectantly.

"Well come on then," he grinned. "We haven't got all night."

Haley could feel her cheeks go a bright scarlet, remembering back to her disaster date with Niall on the yacht.

"Oh, I'm good. I don't have a swimsuit."

"Panties and a bra will do."

"What if I'm not wearing one?" She smirked suddenly.

It was Louis' turn to flush as his eyes flicked inconspicuously over her chest.

"I'm just kidding, Louis. I don't swim."

"Oh come on, everyone does. Except Zayn, but he's the exception."

Haley gulped as he took both of her hands in his, pulling her gently out of the plastic chair.

"No, no. I- I can't swim."

Louis immediately stopped leading Haley to the water, wearing the same shocked expression Niall had when she had confessed this small detail to him.

"Oh." Louis licked his lips, staring at Haley thoughtfully as she gulped, trying not to stare or notice the little things. Like how his features were more boyish in the soft moonlight, how his sandy hair most girls would describe as feathery shone nicely in the dim light, and how his eyes still held that warm kindness from when he carried her through the challenge. If he kept looking at her like that, it would be all over. She would be done for. And Haley knew that.

And then it came.

"Do you trust me?"

Haley bit down on her lip hard. After what he did for her and her ankle, how could she refuse? She owed Louis that much.

So she slipped off her skinnies and shed her shirt and let Louis guide her to the stairs.

Even with him there, she was still terrified. Her mind conjured up images from drowning to Jaws eating her alive in the deep end.

It was a good five minutes before Louis managed to coax Haley down to the bottom step of the pool.

"See?" He grinned like he was actually proud of her. "I knew you could do it."

He didn't even seem to notice that Haley was dangerously close to breaking both his hands.

It was another good fifteen minutes before the water finally swallowed her chest.

"Well there goes that bra," Haley mumbled, holding onto Louis' hands for her life.

"You did have another one, right?" The English boy chuckled.

"I wasn't planning on lasting this long here, but yeah. I do."

Louis opened his mouth to say something, but ultimately decided against it. His soft blue eyes met Haley's fierce green ones, searching.

Neither of them knew exactly what Louis was doing as he pulled Haley's hands closer and instructed her to grab his shoulders.

"Can I tell you a secret?" He finally whispered.

Haley stayed silent, wishing her heart would do the same.

"I wished you were my date instead of Megan tonight. Even though you probably would have ruined the film for me," he added as an afterthought, smirking.

Haley bit back her own grin.

His thumb caressed her cheekbone, and his forehead met hers. He even wondered for a brief moment if Haley would slap him for what he was thinking of doing. Then he realized that her hands were gripping his shoulders just as tightly as they had his hands and knew he was safe. They weren't going to move.

Was that considered taking advantage of the situation?

Louis figured he had to find out, and pressed his lips against Haley's.

The kiss was soft and sweet for a moment, before Haley wrapped her arms tightly around the back of Louis' neck. He took the sign positively, pulling her smaller frame closer to his, tightening his grip around her back, needing her so much closer.

Any innocence the kiss still had was lost as soon as he carried her back to the shallow end, propping her up onto the ledge where she gained more confidence.

Haley felt like a total hypocrite as her tongue graced his, calling him out because of Megan and Kelsie.

She hadn't been this close with a guy for a long time and having Louis' body pressed up so firmly, so dangerously close against hers made her realize that, fuck, she was horny too. She bit down on his lower lip, earning a quiet groan.

Haley couldn't have cared less why the hell Louis had come to the girls' house in the first place, genuine reasons or not. All she wanted was him, right there, right at that very moment.

His hips started to rub against her inner thighs, lapping the water around them, making the girl whimper against his mouth.

Her hands grasped tightly at his hair and his hands tugged greedily at her panties, pulling them away from her hips.

But suddenly, the moment was completely shattered by a crash just outside the fence. Louis and Haley broke apart quicker than they had gotten together.

"Shit," Haley hissed, spotting the glint of a camera lens.

"Hey, fuck off you bloody wanker!" Louis shouted angrily at the cameraman before turning to Haley. "I swear, I didn't- are you okay?"

He reached out to comfort her somehow, but Haley was already gathering her clothes and limping away while she felt she had some sort of control over her body.

"I'm sure," she sneered, even though something told her that he was telling the truth.

"Haley, Haley wait! Please!" Louis clambered out of the pool as quickly as he could, hoping the camera wasn't catching the obvious swell in his swim trunks.

Haley was just at the house when Louis caught her arm, eyes pleading.

"I- I think you're worth it."

Her heart welled up for a second as she held his gaze, staring down that ledge she was dangerously close to slipping off of, before pulling her arm away, pulling herself from falling.

"You should go. Before you're really caught."

Louis tried to grab her for one last kiss, but Haley was gone, scurrying into the house.

So he ran his hands through his damp hair, whispering to himself.

"I mean it."

There had to be a way of showing her.

Inside the girls' house, Haley rushed as fast as her foot would let her to avoid any confrontations.

But as usual, luck was never on her side as all the girls with rooms overlooking the pool had heard the commotion outside.

That included Megan.

"What the fuck were you doing out there?" The bitch snarled, blocking a half naked, drenched, shivering Haley from the safety of her room.

"I just went for a swim. And there was a camera out there."

"With Louis?" Haley was sure Megan was out for her blood.

"Fuck off."

"You'd better watch it, bitch. Louis' mine."

"Yeah? Tell that to his face."

Just like that, Megan came after her and despite her state, Haley almost lunged as well.

But the two girls never made contact as Aurora stepped in.

"Move out of the way, you fat pig!" Megan was screeching.

"Don't you fucking call her that!" Haley roared.

Aurora merely pushed Megan back, almost toppling the smaller girl over.

"Go back to bed. If you really wanted Louis, you'd play fair."

"Tell that to the whore!"

I didn't fuck him, Haley thought bitterly to herself, keeping her mouth shut. All she wanted was to go to bed without escalating anything. The day was already too long.

"Are you okay?" Aurora asked after Megan was forced to retreat back to her own room, though not without spitting a few choice words at Haley.

Haley just nodded. "I'm tired. You?"

Aurora smiled a small one. "Yeah."

Later, as she laid in her bed, Louis' words plagued her thoughts incessantly. No one had called her worthwhile in a long time. Not even Shea.

And she fell asleep with the warm feeling of Louis' lips on hers.