"How long do you still need?" When Mrs. Wollring didn't get an answer she asked, "Who is ready?"

Louis, Ashton and a few other students raised their hands. They were working on some text about photosynthesis which Louis really couldn't care less about. He would much rather continue working on their project even though Harry and him were almost done. After the third lesson they had to work on it at home and in these past two weeks they had met up because of it only once. But the project wasn't too complicated. Louis guessed they only needed to work together one more time to get it finished.

Louis wasn't too sad because it wouldn't mean he and Harry would stop talking. Louis wouldn't consider them as close friends but friends nevertheless. A few days after their first meet up at Louis' house Louis, Niall, Michael and Ashton had begun to sit at Harry's table at lunch. It was not only because of the fact that Louis and Harry were fake boyfriends, also Ashton and Calum got along really well.

Ashton had told Louis, Niall and Michael about how Calum helped out with their financial struggle with Lauren's leukemia because apparently Calum's parents were really wealthy. It was a bit strange to all of them because Calum barely spoke to Ashton before. But Ashton was really thankful too and he didn't want to question it too much so his friends didn't either.

"Okay, I'll give you ten more minutes." Mrs. Wollring announced, "I still have a few organisational things to say."

She actually gave them about fifteen more minutes until some students had to explain their answers to the tasks. In the end they only had about five minutes for the organisational announcements.

"Okay, we have to start the presentations of your projects as soon as possible because as you all know, we'll have our school trip in four weeks and then the holidays will start. Is next week possible for you to be ready?" She got mixed answers from the class. "Well, you kind of have to be ready next week or else we won't manage to hear everyone."

Harry caught Louis' eyes and smiled at him. Louis kept smiling to himself even when Harry was already turned back again.

The school bell rang and everyone began to raise from their seats but Mrs. Wollring stopped them, "Hey, wait. One last thing. You can already think about who you go into a room with at our school trip. Six in each room."

She couldn't say much more because the students were eager to have their lunch break and who could blame them?

:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:

"Louis, you eat meat at home too." Niall said in disbelief when they went to their tables with their lunch.

"Yeah, but I don't want to eat meat. I don't want to eat animals."

"Lou, you're not a vegetarian."

"I know but when I can help it I'm not eating animals. At home it's different. I don't want to stress out my mum even more. She has to cook for six, sometimes seven if Dan is home. It wouldn't be fair to her if she had to find extra food for me or something." They sat down on their seats at the Harry- Liam- Calum- Co.- table.

"But how can you forgo meat. It's the best in a meal."

"No Ni. It's dead animals that didn't even get to enjoy their life because they were stuck in a dark hole with thousands of others, being pumped full of antibiotics."

Niall rolled his eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes Niall. This is serious."

"But if you just stop eating it it won't stop."

"I know. But all humans need to-..." He cut himself off when he felt soft lips being pressed against his cheek.

"Hey, Lou." Harry took a seat next to the now blushing Louis, keeping an arm around him, "Why didn't you wait for me?"

Harry wasn't often this affectionate but if he was it was because someone was watching. That didn't stop Louis' body from having this reaction to it, the blushing and the butterflies in his stomach. Louis looked up and his assumption was confirmed when he saw Jesy and Leigh-Anne smiling over at them.

"I-I... erm..." 

"He wanted to go with me because I'm his best friend." Niall half saved Louis, half mocked Harry. He still wasn't fond of Harry or their 'plan'.

Harry seemed to sense that so he gave them a dimmed smile, retreating his arm from Louis' back, "Yeah, of course."

Louis got uncomfortable because the boys on his sides didn't stop staring at each other and the tension could be cut with a knife. He searched for something to say, anything, "So... Do you guys like your lunch?"

Wow, what a lame topic. Might as well talk about the weather, Louis thought to himself.

"Yeah, it's okay. It's school lunch." Harry laughed, but he seemed still tense since he was still being stared down by Niall.

"Nice weather, isn't it Ni?" Louis tried again. He slapped himself inside for talking about the weather.

"It's grey and raining, Lou." Niall hissed but still glared at Harry. He just couldn't stand the effect Harry had on his best friend and he was sure he would hurt Louis. He already did. Niall could see Louis' face fall every time he saw someone watching them and he was reminded how this was all for show.

"Niall, come on. Stop it." Louis snapped. That seemed to snap Niall out of it because he broke his gaze on Harry and looked at Louis, sighing resigned. Then he just turned to his lunch.

"Sorry for that." Louis apologized to Harry.

"'s all good." Harry smiled at him. "So how do you feel about going to my place after school. We could finish the project and don't have to worry about it anymore."

Louis nodded, "Sure, I don't have anything to do. Except for homework of course."

^<>^<>^<>^<>^<>^<>^<>^

 They sat on Harry's bed to completely finish the project. Louis was almost done when Harry broke the silence, "Louis?"

"Hmm..." Louis hummed in response.

"You actually never told me why you asked me to pretend to be your boyfriend that day."

Louis stopped working completely to look at Harry. Louis was laying on his stomach so he had to look up. "Why are you asking now?"

Harry shrugged, "Just wondering."

Louis laughed, "I was hoping you wouldn't ask. It's kinda embarrassing." He paused, then sat up to sit against the headboard, "But I guess you deserve an explanation."

Harry dropped his pen too and straightened up, really curious about the story.

"It's not really that exciting or anything, " Louis started, "We went on that party, Ni, Ash, Michey and me. And there I kinda lost the others and I don't even know. There were so many people and I was lost and I kinda asked the wrong people for help. You know, those scary guys that came with me that day."

Harry nodded, knowing who Louis was talking about.

"Anyways. They somehow found out I was gay, I don't even know. They were drunk and I was kinda scared and we said stupid things I don't really remember. Anyways, when they found out I was gay they said I could hook up with this one guy in the group, he was gay too apparently. And he was just really persistent and they were just more people and I got really scared."

"Oh my gosh, that's awful. Do you have bad dreams about it?" Harry asked.

Louis shrugged, "Well, not many times, maybe twice. There are worse things, I mean, I got out pretty well. I told them I had a boyfriend and apparently they have morals about loyality too so they more or less let me go."

"More or less?"

Louis laughed, "Well, I had to describe my boyfriend pretty well because they didn't believe me at first. And they came back on the first school day after."

"Okay, but why did you say it was me? Why not any of your friends?"

Louis froze. What should he say now? 'Oh, it was always my little secret dream to have you as my boyfriend. I have a massive crush on you'. Yeah, no.

"I- I...erm, I didn't want to pull my friends into this incase something happened and you were just... err, you were in sight, yeah, in sight. I just saw you walk by in that moment."

Louis was pretty proud of his explanation but by the odd look Harry gave him Louis knew he hadn't been as smooth as he thought. But Harry luckily didn't press it. He just frowned and took his pen to continue working. 

Louis let out a sigh of relief and returned to work, but he paused, "It was really stupid, you know."  Harry looked back at Louis who continued, "Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I would just hook up with any guy who claims to be gay too."

Harry smiled, "I'm kinda happy it happened. I like spending time with you."

Louis beamed, "Me too."