The week had flown by. Harry sat with Niall and Liam at lunch each day, slowly adjusting to the rhythm of the school schedule without Niall’s insistent guidance. He was beginning to open up to them, too. When the others started talking about girls, Harry found himself shutting down, but they didn't seem to notice his discomfort. He still avoided physical contact, but Niall was always there to join in the playful shoves and tackles between Louis and Liam. For the first time, Harry didn’t feel like an outsider.
On Friday, Harry dreaded returning home. His mother worked late during the week, but always stayed home on Fridays before leaving for weekend business trips.
He braced himself for her usual coldness. When he arrived, his mother initially threatened to kick him out. She eventually relented, but Harry knew she was embarrassed by him – especially knowing what had happened last year. She drank heavily, blaming him for it, as if he was responsible for the burden of having a gay son.
Their relationship had deteriorated since she discovered his preference. Harry made himself scarce whenever she was home, and she retreated to work events during her time off. It wasn’t ideal, but he could endure it for another year until he moved out.
“What are you up to, Haz? Heading home?” Niall asked, jogging to catch up with Harry as they left the school building.
“Yeah, I guess,” Harry replied, trying to keep his voice even.
Niall, perceptive as always, noticed the sadness in Harry’s tone. “The others aren’t coming over until later, but you can come hang out at my place now if you want,” he offered.
Harry’s mood lifted immediately at the thought of escaping his mother. “Really? I don’t want to bother you,” he said, worried.
“Don’t be silly,” Niall exclaimed, grabbing Harry’s arm and pulling him toward the car. Harry couldn’t suppress the wide grin that spread across his face. After such a short time, Niall already felt like the best friend he’d ever had.
During the drive, Niall blasted Ed Sheeran. “What kind of music do you listen to?” he asked, raising his voice to be heard over the radio.
“A bit of everything,” Harry replied honestly. “But I love Ed Sheeran.”
“Me too!” Niall exclaimed excitedly, then blushed sheepishly. “I mean, obviously.”
Harry couldn’t help but laugh at Niall’s enthusiasm. They joked around for the rest of the ride, but Harry found himself suddenly speechless when Niall pulled into the driveway. The huge, white house before them was a mansion compared to his mother’s small home.
“You live here?” Harry asked, his mouth agape.
“Yeah,” Niall replied, turning off the engine. They sat in silence for a moment as Harry processed the scale of the house. Finally, Niall broke the silence. “My parents travel a lot, so I’m alone here most of the time. It’s nice, but it gets lonely.”
Although Harry felt terrible for Niall and hated seeing the sadness creep into his usually cheerful eyes, he couldn’t help but wish they could trade places. “I’m sorry, mate,” he replied. On impulse, he reached out to squeeze Niall’s arm, then quickly remembered his aversion to physical contact. “Well, let’s go inside and I’ll make you a bit less lonely, yeah?”
Niall’s face lit up as if his sadness had vanished. They headed into the house, and Niall showed Harry around the first floor. “Wanna play some video games before the others get here? They’ll probably want to watch a movie.”
“Sure,” Harry replied, sitting down on the couch beside Niall. “But I don’t really know how to play any games,” he admitted.
Niall stared at him in shock. “You don’t play video games? How come?”
“I don’t have any,” Harry shrugged, omitting the fact that he spent most of his time hiding in his room to avoid his mother.
“Well, you’re about to learn,” Niall said, turning his attention back to the console.
It turned out Harry was utterly terrible at every game Niall showed him. Thankfully, Niall was patient as Harry fumbled with the controllers. Before they knew it, the front door swung open and Liam and Louis walked in, filling the room with laughter and loud conversation.
“Harry! What’s going on, mate?” Liam called, crossing the room and plopping down beside Harry. Louis followed and sat on the other side of Niall. Harry tried to ignore the warmth creeping into his cheeks.
“I’m playing games,” Harry told him proudly, grinning.
“He’s trying to play games,” Niall corrected with a loud laugh. “He’s the worst I’ve ever seen, lads.”
“How rude!” Harry exclaimed, but he laughed along with the others, finding that even Niall’s teasing insult didn’t sting like other jokes had in the past.
“Let’s play, then,” Louis spoke up. He reached across the other two boys and took the controller from Harry’s hand. His fingers brushed lightly against Harry’s, and Louis’s blue eyes locked with Harry’s green ones, eyebrows raised slightly. Harry flushed, ducking his head.
“Me and you, Lou?” Niall challenged, and they were off. Liam and Harry made easy conversation, and Harry found Liam just as sweet as Niall, if not more. Liam seemed genuinely concerned when Harry told him he didn’t have any video games at home, and promised to take him shopping. Harry found himself agreeing before he even knew what he was saying. Liam just made him feel safe and comfortable.
“Alright, that’s it, Tommo,” Niall groaned, dropping his controller to the floor. Louis raised his arms in a cheer as he won again. “Let’s watch a movie,” he grumbled, standing up and heading toward the basement.
The boys followed him down the stairs, and Harry found himself speechless for the second time that day. “You have a theater in your house?” he gaped as they entered the dark room. There were just two couches and a large screen, but he was still amazed.
All three boys laughed. “You’ll get used to the surprises,” Liam teased. He wrapped his arm around Harry’s shoulders, and Harry tensed against Liam’s touch, but forced himself to relax and offer a weak smile. Liam frowned at him for a moment, then seemed to forget about it.
Liam guided Harry to one of the couches, plopping him down before heading to the front of the room to put in a movie. Niall sat on the other couch. Louis’s eyes flickered between Niall and Harry before he strode across the room and sat down beside the curly-haired boy. Harry’s stomach flipped, but he kept a cool exterior, reminding himself: *he’s straight, he’s straight, he’s straight.*
Liam put in an action movie and grabbed two blankets, tossing one to Louis and Harry and keeping one for himself and Niall. Louis looked at Harry and raised his eyebrows questioningly before handing him one end of the blanket. Realizing suddenly how cold he was, Harry gratefully took it and pulled it onto his lap.
The four boys sat in comfortable silence as explosions and gunfire filled the screen. Every so often, Louis tugged on the blanket as he adjusted it against his lap. Harry kept his eyes trained on the screen, but he swore he felt the weight of Louis’s gaze on him several times during the movie.
When the movie ended, Liam put in another one. Harry knew it was getting late, but he really didn’t want to go home. He willed his eyes to stay open, but eventually, his head fell against the side of the couch and everything faded to black.