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“Louis,” Harry whisper screamed, eyes locked on something in front of him.
Louis hummed distractedly in response, not even bothering to turn around and look at what had caught his best friend’s attention. He was eyeing a long sleeved white shirt with Adidas spelled out in bold black letters on the front. Whatever Harry had seen, it was probably a flowy, see through floral shirt or maybe some expensive, over glittery ankle boots, neither of which interested Louis in the least.
“Louis!” Harry grabbed his bicep and pulled him around, forcing Louis to pay attention to whatever had caught Harry’s eye.
“Harold, please!” Louis tried to yank his arm out of Harry’s tight grip. “You know how I feel about all your fashion choices,” he quieted down once he realized he was shrieking in the middle of a freaking Topshop. “What’s the point of even asking me if you’re going to buy it anyway?” Louis grumbled to himself.
“You don’t like my floral shirts?” Harry asked surprised, eyes big. Louis went to retort when Harry spoke again. “Wait, no, that’s not the point,” he huffed, making the lone brown ringlet in the middle of his forehead fly back up into his fringe. “Look at that guy over there, uh, two o’ clock.”
He made to turn when, “no, your other two o’clock.” Louis rolled his eyes and turned towards the ten o’ clock direction. It took a while, but a high, dark quiff finally popped out of the racks in Harry’s section, the section with the flowy shirts and glittery boots. Louis watched as the man behind the racks slowly unfolded from whatever crouching position he had been in and when he finally came to his full height—
Louis groaned, “Harold, when I say I don’t care about your fashion choices, it means I care even less about your fashion idols.”
Harry looked at him with his sparkling starstruck emerald eyes, “but Louis, it’s Nick Grimshaw! GQ’s best dressed man of 2014, ambassador of London Collections: ,” Harry paused, spreading his arms out in front of him, “Men.” He breathed out dramatically.
Louis rolled his eyes, “Well you go do whatever it is you want to do with him. I’ll be here, in the non-flowy, non-sparkly section of Topshop ok?” Louis wanted absolutely no part in this.
Harry pouted. “I can’t just go up to him. Oh my god, Louis, look at what I’m wearing. I can't even unbutton it past my chest, much less my belly button!” Harry had gotten too absorbed in his yoga this morning, so when it was time to leave, he had just grabbed his boyfriend’s red polo, probably stretching it all out to make it fit. Niall was going to throw a fit once they got home. “Louis, you have to go talk to him,” Harry pleaded.
Louis’ eyes flashed, “Harry, no, I said you could do whatever you want, as long as it didn’t involve me. You look fine, you go talk to him. You don’t want someone who’s going to look down on you because of what you’re wearing as an idol anyways.” Louis grumbled.
Harry hesitated before taking a step forward. Just as Louis thought he could get back to what he came here for, Harry turned around and smiled brightly at him. “Louis I got the best idea ever!” Oh god, Harry came up with the most ridiculous ideas ever and Louis was just a bit worried. “I can just go change into one of these,” he gestured towards a rack of see through, floral shirts, “and hide the tag! He’d never know it wasn’t mine!”
Harry was grinning so widely, Louis could practically see him patting himself on the back. Louis raised an eyebrow skeptically. “What if he leaves before you’re done changing?”
“Oh Lou, I just saw him walk in, he wouldn’t leave so soon, not before visiting the new spring Saint Laurent Collection!” When Louis continued to stare judgingly, an eyebrow raised, Harry huffed and took out his phone. “Ok fine, I’ll take a picture in case he does leave, which he won't,” Harry sighed dreamily while holding his camera up.” Louis rolled his eyes and went back to focus on the Adidas collection.
He froze as he saw a flash go off next to him. He quickly spun around ready to grab Harry and run, when the phone in question was thrusted into his hands. He gaped visibly, looking down at the phone and then to Harry. That little shit. After this is over, Louis’ going to kick Harry out of their apartment and never speak to him again. Louis slowly looked up, clinging on to the little hope that Nick wouldn’t have noticed. All hope was lost when he was met with bright hazel eyes. Louis felt his face heating up. He groaned, shoving the phone into Harry’s stupid face and stomping away, Harry’s calling his name, following him out of the store.
In the end, Harry didn’t meet his stupid idol. They went to the food court after the whole Nick Grimshaw spectacle, Louis stomping ahead and Harry easily catching up because of his stupid long legs, apologizing left and right as he tried to make Louis look at him. Louis was so embarrassed and he was so mad at Harry. His first instinct was to save his best friend from embarrassment but Harry’s first instinct was to offer his best friend up for sacrifice. How fucking dare he.
Louis didn’t forgive Harry until Harry had bought him a cup of tea and some Nandos. After that, every time Harry tried to apologize, he was cut off with a glare from Louis. Louis preferred to not revisit that particularly embarrassing moment ever again. When Harry finally gave up, they went back to talking like they normally did, Louis complaining about classes and Harry complaining about how Niall hadn’t said the “L” word yet. After Louis finished eating, and Harry finished nicking Louis’ chips, Harry claimed he had to use the loo, leaving Louis alone at the table.
While Louis scrolled through his phone, he heard the chair Harry had just been sitting on screech as it was pulled back. He looked up wondering how Harry had gotten back so fast when he was met once again with hazel eyes. Louis blushed a deep red when he realized who it was.
Nick Grimshaw gazed back at him with his stupidly pretty eyes, looking even bigger behind his stupid hipster glasses. His sharp elbows pushed down on the table, his chin resting in his stupidly large hands.
When Louis stubbornly refused to look away despite his clear embarrassment, a hint of a smile graced Nick’s face and Louis just couldn’t.
“Listen,” Louis said sitting up straight, “my friends a really big fan of yours so when he was trying to take a picture of you and his flash went off, he panicked and shoved his stupid phone into my hands. So really, it wasn’t me who wanted a picture of you ok. It was my friend.” Louis looked up again to see his reaction and when he saw that Nick was still smiling he exclaimed, “You don’t believe me! Just wait until my friend gets back from the restroom,” he begged. He couldn’t let Nick Grimshaw of all people think he worshipped the ground he walked on like Harry did.
Nick burst out laughing, the first sound he had made since sitting down across Louis and Louis refused to acknowledge how cute Nick’s laugh was. Like a grandma laugh, warm and comforting. Louis could only try and glare at him unimpressed, hoping to conceal how fond he felt over Nick’s stupid grammy laugh.
When Nick finally managed to calm his laughter down, just enough to speak, he said “I’m sorry love, I know it wasn’t you who took the picture. I saw the tall boy, Harry was it?" Louis nodded dumbly. “Anyways, I saw him push it into your hands. Not a very graceful one is he?” Nick asked amusedly.
Louis looked down, scratching the back of his head embarrassed. If Nick Grimshaw knew he wasn’t a fan then why was he even here? Probably just to make fun of Louis. Louis pouted. “Why are you here then. I don’t care much about you and your weird titty showing fashion.” Louis crossed his arms and looked away. Nick could only smile fondly.
“Actually, I’m here because I saw an absolutely angelic boy in Topshop today. Had everything, the blue eyes, the cherubic red cheeks, just like a real angel, but without the wings.” Nick winked flirtatiously. Louis was red again and, this has to be the most Louis has blushed in his whole life.
“Harry has green eyes.” He stated stubbornly. When Nick barked out a laugh, Louis couldn’t help but join him this time. Harry came back from the restroom and couldn’t even make it to the table before he fainted, seeing Louis’ hand in Nick’s, Nick rubbing a thumb tenderly over the back of Louis'. When he managed to gather himself, he asked Nick for a picture, something Nick was all too willing to give. This time when Louis turned his back on Nick Grimshaw, he left with a lingering touch on the back of his hand, ten new digits in his phone, and a date.