Rule Forty-Seven

The run was a quiet one, checking out the route to the main road and then doing a six kilometre loop around our house, maintaining the boundary.

As I neared the house, I slowed to a walk. My head was spinning with the memories of Harry as he kissed me and I couldn’t think straight but I was smiling like an idiot and probably glowing like one, too.

It wasn’t as if my feelings about Harry were hidden. He was stunning with light forest green eyes and curly brown hair that framed his beautiful face, border-line tanned skin glowing. I thought he was the most beautiful creature to walk this earth, and it wasn’t as if it was just a crush, because it wasn’t.

But Harry had habits, habits that included getting around with different people, male or female. As far as I knew, he’d never actually had sex with a guy, but I certainly wouldn’t put it past him.

He’d never really committed himself to someone before, so I hadn’t wanted to be anything more than friends with him.

It wasn’t as if my feelings about Harry were hidden; I just didn’t act on them.

The front door to the house loomed in front of me, and I stopped, hands on hips as I breathed deeply.

It was verging on night, brilliant red and orange streaking through the clouds as the sun lit the sky afire.

The first night would be the most interesting with the three boys.

Niall had been traumatised, but by what I didn’t know. He found comfort in Louis, always clutching onto him and being near him. He was untrusting and petrified because of this business he’d been introduced to.

Louis was more difficult to decipher; his poker face was amazing. But he didn’t mind the attention from Niall, didn’t mind the clingy boy. He was good at putting up walls, at not letting people in, but somehow Niall had found a way under his bronze skin.

And it was easy to see and to feel the sexual tension between Zayn and Liam. Zayn wasn’t afraid of the answers; he wanted the truth, and sooner or later something would happen between both of them, and I honestly didn’t know whether Liam would be able to pull himself out of it before he got in too deep.

I was sat on the edge of the porch by this stage, head resting on my knees as I hugged them to my chest.

The door opened slowly, distracting me from my thoughts, and then footsteps were coming towards me, slowly and hesitantly and definitely not Harry or Liam.

When Niall sat down beside me, I was surprised. His eyes stared out into the trees and he was biting his lip and he was utterly unsure of himself.

“Hey,” I said gently.

He glanced over at me with a small smile. “Hey.”

I stayed quiet as he fiddled with his hands, staring down at them. “Um, I... I don’t really want to be u-ungrateful for what you’ve done for me- for us, I mean... and I’m not really good with how I say- how words- how I speak-”

He broke off, sighing lowly, and before I could control my actions, I reached out and ran a hand through his soft golden locks. “It’s okay, Niall, I promise.”

Another small smile fell over his face, but he wouldn’t meet my eyes. “I have- well I think, at least- that I have claustrophobia... and you’ve gone through so much trouble to get everything organised and I don’t want to be disrespectful or anything but I can’t sleep down there, I just can’t, I’ll have nightmares and end up keeping everyone up and it scares me and I can’t-”

“Stop,” I murmured softly. The boy stopped right away and his eyes glossed over, tears pooling in the corners. “It’s fine, Niall.”

Tears fell over the edges and his shoulders shook, and I pushed myself towards him enough so that I could pull him into a tight embrace. He sniffled and snorted back his tears and it wasn’t really the most attractive thing but then here I was sweating and smelly and holding him against me, so I guess in the end we were pretty even.

“You can have Liam’s room,” I breathed into his hair. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind sleeping down in the basement, especially if Zayn’s in the same area.”

Niall chuckled a bit at that, sniffing and pulling away from my embrace. His blue eyes glanced up at me quickly as he smiled and wiped away the remaining tears. “Sorry,” he laughed softly, “I don’t really make it a habit to break into- into tears when I meet- when I talk to people.”

I shrugged and nudged him a bit with my shoulder. “I think you’re pretty cute,” I replied with a wink. He smiled, cheeks tinting light pink. “Bet Louis thinks you’re pretty cute, too.”

This time his face went bright red, eyes finding mine instantly. “What? How- how do you know that? Why would y-you say that?”

Smiling wide I said, “He likes having you around. I can tell.”

I jumped up suddenly, startling the younger boy, but offering him a hand up. “C’mon, time to go inside and lock up for the night.” He took it and pulled himself stiffly to his feet.

~~~~~~~~

It was two am in the morning when I was startled awake by the noise of the front door closing. It wasn’t as if it were loud, but I was just a light sleeper. I didn’t bother getting up, because when I heard Harry’s car start up, I realised it was just him probably going for an ice-cream run or something.

Moaning, I rolled onto my side. I wasn’t going to be able to go back to sleep.

I yanked a singlet over my bare chest and then a pair of Harry’s ripped jeans that he didn’t know I’d taken and walked out into the kitchen, pouring a glass of milk and grabbing a cookie because if I wasn’t going to sleep then I certainly wasn’t going to let my stomach eat me from the inside out.

Liam had taken the basement, letting Niall sleep in his room, and I walked towards the room to check up on the young boy, making sure he was still there and hadn’t wondered off alone into the woods.

What I didn’t expect, when I came to the doorway, was to find not one, but two figures taking up the small space of Liam’s bed. Looking closer, a small smile formed on my face. Louis’ arms were wrapped tightly around Niall’s waist. The older boy was holding him close, face nestled into Niall’s thick neck, and breathing as steadily as I’d seen him breathe ever.

And Niall... Niall was content. One of his hands was tangled in Louis’, the other under his pillow.

A smile fought its way onto my face as I watched the two sleep in each others arms. I turned silently and walked towards the door to the basement, gazing down with curious eyes.

Liam and Zayn were too fast asleep, but unlike Niall and Louis, were not asleep in each others arms. They were facing towards each other though, and Liam must have fallen asleep staring at the older boy because his head was resting on his arm and the other was hanging over the side of the mattress.

I breathed in deeply. Part of me wanted Liam and Zayn to happen, because Liam hadn’t had someone in such a long time, but I hoped to God Liam knew what he was doing because they weren’t going to be here forever.

I backed out of the doorway and wondered into Harry’s room. His bed was unmade, clothes piled at the end of it, shoes in one corner and books everywhere. He liked to read. Stepping over his glasses carefully, I fell down onto his bed, planning to wait for him until he got back.

Somehow I fell asleep gripping a jumper of his between my arms and breathing in his scent, because when I woke up, sun was streaming into the musky room and Harry was leaning over me, shaking my shoulder and whispering my name.

“Mmm,” I groaned, turning onto my stomach and burying my face into his pillow.

Harry was sat next to me, hand running up and down my back as he let me wake myself properly. “What are you doing in here?”

“Waiting for you.”

The palm of his hand stopped at the base of my neck, thumb rubbing softly. “Why?”

“You left,” I turned my head, gazing up at him through one eye. “Where’d you go?”

Harry just shrugged, pushing me over until he had enough room to lie down next to me. His face was turned towards me, green eyes soft as they stared at me. “You look tired,” he whispered softly. His hand lifted, tracing the bags under my eyes with his thumb. “How much do you sleep?”

I let my eyes drift shut. “Not much.”

There was a ghost of his breath on my face as he shifted, and then he was rolling me onto my side so I was facing him. Our legs entwined, his lips pressed to my head, my arms gripped onto the front of his shirt, and within seconds I was fast asleep again.

My sleep was filled with lifeless images of the mansion the three boys had been held at, Jack Prince, and Harry’s eyes.

Noises from the kitchen was what finally had me awake.

I was in the same position as I had been before, and Harry’s arm was draped over my waist protectively. I had no idea the time nor how long we’d stayed like that, but I pushed myself from his embrace and stretched, tensing my muscles and rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

“Finally she arises,” Liam said sarcastically as I walked out from the room. “I was beginning to worry for a second that Harry had smothered you to death.”

Throwing a glare Liam’s way, I looked around the quiet house. It seemed we were the only two awake at the moment.

“What time is it?” I asked groggily.

“Almost 10am,” he answered after a glance at his watch. “I didn’t have the heart to wake up the other boys. If they’re still asleep, they probably need it.”

I nodded. With all the boys had been through in Prince’s estate, it was only understandable that they had slept in. “How’d you sleep, at least?” I asked next.

Liam shrugged, smirking. “Fine. You and Harry have a good time last night?”

I rolled my eyes. “Nothing happened. He left, I went into his room and fell asleep, he came back, we fell asleep in the same bed.”

There was a shuffle behind me, then, “Not actually, Payne, she’s lying. We had sex, quiet a lot of it.”

I turned sharply to Harry who was standing in his doorway half naked. “In your dreams, Styles.”

He winked and turned around, shutting the door behind him.

Burying my head in my arms with a loud groan, I listened as Liam came around and rubbed my back, speaking softly. “You should be used to it by now.”

“I am.”