Chapter Text
The graduation came to an end and it was time for the speech from the higest scoring student. Her name was Olivia Bennet and she just tried to start healing from something, no one should ever have to go through. She saw all the happy faces in front of her, looking back at her, waiting for her to speak and after a deep breath, her mouth opened.
" There are times when you can trust yourself and there are even times when you believe everything is possible but sometimes there are also times that make you think twice. Live is beautiful and heartbreaking and we all don´t make it out alive. Sometimes we don´t even know if we still live while some others live their life like it is a dream. It isn´t fair sometimes but right now… we are all here, still breathing, with a scroll in our hands and we all want to step into the future and make our dreams come true. I hope for every single one of you that sits opposite to me right now that you will make the most of it, not having to dream any longer. Be great and do even more than you are capable of and after that... think about it again and be even better."
The students cheered and threw their hats into the sky while she looked at it, seeing it in slow motion, knowing already that she wouldn´t wake up again tomorrow. It was a goodbye that no one was aware of yet but after what had happened to her, she couldn´t believe in a good life anymore and there was no living her dreams in this life at least. She went home without celebrating and took her scroll into her hand and even put tape around it, to not let it drop down while bleeding to her death. The cops carried her liveless body out of her room not even 18 hours later.
No one knew what happened but it was clear that she did it herself. Her parents were there, nearby in a hotel by the beach after attending the graduation. There was no message, call or letter not even a sign and her best friend sat at the spot where it happened to her while crying. She felt the sand pressing into her knees while remembering the night before when she opened up to her. " And then he just... he... I felt a pain in my..." She broke down sobbing and Claire held her until they both fell asleep but on the next morning, she was gone. She saw her again on the podium speaking and she seemed better but then her phone rang with the bad news the next morning.
It was the next Monday and the unis paper printed a story about it and it was disgusting. There were speculations about drug abuse and even pregnancy. Claire held it in her hands not believing this was happening while mourning the loss of her best friend still. She walked down the unis hall with tears in her eyes while trying to read when someone ran right into her. " Shit I am so sorry... I am looking for my flat..." She pushed her glasses up her nose and said " The flats are not in the uni... they are on campus." He helped her back up on her feet. " I am Niall... really sorry I ran you over."
He noticed her wet and red eyes and asked " Hey, are you okay?" She shook her head and handed him the papers. " She was my.... best friend..." She wanted to say something else but he was a total stranger though he looked very friendly. " Oh, sorry... I am Claire by the way..." She reached her hand out but Niall still had his nose in the paper. " I heard about this... in the news...this makes me sick! I am so sorry... Claire...." He gave her the papers back and she nodded at him. " It wasn´t like that at all... but sometimes people don´t want to... tell the truth..."
The one that wrote the paper certanly wasn´t truthful but Olivia also didn´t want anyone to know as well so Claire would keep her secret to the grave if she had to. " I can show you where the flats are... I live nearby and I know my way around..." Niall smiled at her and his blue eyes lit up for a second. " Thanks... is everyone here that friendly? Even after getting run over?" They walked down the hallway side by side and for the first time in days, Claire could smile a bit again. Niall opened the door and he was second to arrive at the flat so he greeted the guy that was just coming out of the kitchen. " Hi, I´m Niall."
" Harry... nice to meet you!" They shook hands and Harry took him to the living room. " I think it would be good if we would wait with choosing rooms until we are all here... I think there are three more coming... there are five bedrooms in here in total." Niall liked him right away, he felt a very positive energy coming from him and he smiled at him non stop. " Yeah, I like that thought!" They sat down and talked for a while. " You want a beer? I went shopping before my sister threw me out here, demanding to do something with my live."
Niall liked his humor but he also liked beer so he said " Hey, I am from Ireland... would be weird if I wouldn´t like a good beer..." Harry got up while saying " I like you!" Harry closed the fridge and had two beers in his hands when the front door opened again right next to the kitchen. " Hi, I think I… live here now...?" Harry was about to drop the beers he held in his hands. Blonde hair, blue eyes and a smile he had never seen before, he looked like he just forgot his wings downstairs. " Beer...." Harry mumbled while that model was just smiling at him. " Yeah... I can see... I would take one as well.... I´m Louis by the way..." Harry gave him one of the bottles straight away while Louis was originally reaching for his hand to shake.
He smiled to the ground while licking over his lips, asking " And you are?" Harry never heard a voice softer and more beautiful than his. " Ha.. Harryyyy..." He was still not moving so he just took his hand " Hi... Ha...Harryyyy... and thanks for the beer..." His hand tingled and that model walked away too look around. Harry came out of it slow and remembered Niall was still sitting in the living room. He walked back in and gave him the beer while looking at his own empty other hand. " Did you forget to bring one for yourself?" Niall asked while Harry just looked into the emptyness.
This was bad... he knew he would get into trouble, living with four other males his age but this got out of hand way too fast. " Yeah... kinda... something distracted me... I´ll be right back." He turned around and this model was standing there behind him a bit to close. " Fuck..." Harry whispered and Louis looked down on hisself. " Did I spill some of my beer already?" Harry just bit into his own fist and made a big circle around him while Louis leaned down to grab Nialls hand. " Hey, I´m Louis..."
Harry was out and in the kitchen again, hoping it wouldn´t get worse than this. He spilled some cold water in his face and took another beer out when the lock klicked yet again. " Please be ugly, please be ugly...." He said in his head a few times and then he got out while someone with dark hair in a leather jacket held a suitcase and a book in his hand. They just stared at each other for a few seconds and Harry couldn´t believe his eyes. " Hi... I´m Zayn..." He reached his hand out and Harry just pushed the bottle of beer into his, afraid that he would get an electric shock as soon as he would touch him. " Harry... ehmmmm... here have a beer? We all have one..."
Zayn took it and drank a sip. " Shit yeah, I needed dat... Fuck, I was thirsty... am I last?" Harry noticed his accent right away. " Bradford, England?" Zayn nodded and Harry said " Chechire..." Zayn went to hug him while laughing and Harry just froze by the touch. The door opened behind Zayn’s back, hopefully for the last time and the last one stood there in ripped jeans and a white muscle shirt with a red bandana around his neck. " Hey... " And Zayn turned around to him before Harry could say anything. " Hey..." Liam was a hugger so he hugged Zayn and then Harry while saying " I would die for one of these..." after pointing at Zayns beer.
So Harry got more bottles from the fridge and they all gathered in the living room afterwards. " Hey we are complete now!" Harry said and they all greeted each other and some hugged and then they talked. Uni would start in four days so they got to know each other in the first night while drinking and talking until almost two a.m. and then they fell into random beds and after that night, they all stayed in the room they´ve slept in, the first night. They unpacked and had a day out on the beach together and all got along very well from the beginning.
They were all from England exept for Niall but they were different like morning, midday, afternoon, evening and night. Niall was the morning, loving live and being always up early, Louis was midday, always had a joke up his sleeve while looking like the sun itself. Harry was the afternoon, the one you just wanted to snuck away with for the rest of the day while Liam was evening, always calm and sensible and Zayn was the night for sure, reading in his books in his bed and for sure the one with the most visitors but he never went out to party.
But they got on well, maybe even because they were so different. And soon , they knew everything about each other exept for one thing. Harry tried to hide it while Louis could hide it like a pro... they were very attracted to one another from day one and they both wanted to tell the other one bad. Liam made a friend in uni soon, she was reading his favorite comics in the library and he couldn´t look away from them. " Mind if I read in as well?" He asked and she just pushed them in the middle before lifting her glasses up her nose and said " No... never... aducation is important." He liked her right away but not for romantic reasons and they became good friends over the first few weeks at uni.
Niall had a girlfriend soon and went out to party a lot but when he was home, he mostly played guitar in his room. Zayn always read books or had a girl over while Louis played Fifa in his room being in too scared to knock at his. Harry sometimes stood in front of his door in the middle of the night when he couldn´t stop thinking about him but he never dared to open it. It was a Friday afternoon and the drama club was playing shakespears Romeo and Juliet and even Zayn got out of the flat to see it.
It wasn´t something Harry was interested in so he stayed at home alone and when he walked out of his room naked after a shower to get a beer, Louis opened the front door. Harry froze but didn´t bother to cover hisself and Louis closed the door fast before his back pressed against it. He looked down on him all the way and then his tounge rushed over his own lower lip so fast that one could miss it. " Fuck..." He breathed fast not even trying to cover his eyes while they were staring at his crotch.
Harry read his body language like a book by now, always suspecting something but now he was sure so he came closer. " Like what you see?" The words tingled through Louis whole body while he tried to breathe , answer and swallow all at the same time and he almost had to cough after swallowing wrong. " I guess you know by now...?" Louis wasn´t sure but Harry didn´t stop to come closer and Louis eyes became more desperate with every step. " I was about to get a beer but... now I hope for something that tastes even better?" Louis could already feel the heat radiating from his body after getting out of the hot shower but he still pressed his back into the door.
He felt his fingertips on his lower stomach and his body was melting right away. " Would you...?" He whisperd and Harry knew what he tried to ask so he answered " I would love to... would you?" Louis almost looked at his lips crossed eyed he was so close and his shoulders smelled like fresh pressed lemons. He felt his breath in his neck and hands that brushed his jacket down his shoulders. Louis was gone for him the second he picked him up from the ground under his feet. He swore to hisself that he wouldn´t throw hisself into something while studying but here he stood and then he was picked up while kissing with a passion, beeing powerless while Harry carried him all the way to his own bed, throwing him in.