{REUPLOADED}

Concept: JJ sets up a sort-of date for Harry and Cal.

[3920 words approx.]

//

Cal POV

"Oh Callum," says JJ in a sing-song voice as he approaches our usual table. He takes a seat opposite me, and beside Simon.

"What JJ?" I sigh, and he grins at me widely.

"I've got something for you," JJ says, handing my jacket over the table. I blush slightly, and take it from him. I'm assuming that it's Harry who's folded it neatly, since it definitely wasn't Jide. "He says that he'll see you in Chem."

"Okay," I respond, feeling slightly guilty as I unfold the jacket to drape it around my shoulders. Harry's scent still clings to the collar, and it makes my insides feel fuzzy.

"He also said sorry he can't sit with us, but he promised his mate Vikk that he would eat with him," JJ says, and I nod to him.

"I already knew that," I respond, and JJ quirks a brow at me. "He told me."

"When?" Asks JJ, seeming confused.

"We texted a bit this weekend," I admit, and JJ reaches over to pat my shoulder heartily.

"Jeez, good on you man," he says, seeming genuinely proud of me for actually talking to Harry.

"Can one of you please tell me what happened on Friday?" Pouts Simon, before muttering. "Jeez, I miss a week of school to go on holiday, and everything bloody happens then."

"You should have been there, Si. I observed their behaviour very closely, and there's no way young Harry doesn't like Cal," JJ says in a jokey accent, causing me to blush again.

"You're playing," I say dismissively, and JJ scoffs.

"I saw you two in the cinema room. Harry isn't one for physical affection, he wouldn't have let you do that if he didn't like you, at least a little bit," he says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"I suppose," I respond with a shrug. I guess what JJ is saying makes sense, but I don't want to get my hopes up.

"So come on then, I need to know. What exactly went down Friday?" Inquires Simon, seeming even more interested now.

"Well my friend, Cal and Harry were getting very close," JJ says, with a smirk. "There may of been some cheeky hand holding going on."

Simon gasps dramatically. "Hand holding before marriage? Callum, that is so unholy," he says, shaking his head. I roll my eyes at him.

"You say the stupidest shit sometimes Si," I say, a teasing edge to my tone.

He pouts at me. "Rude."

"True," I respond.

"Ladies, come on, stop bickering," JJ say, holding his hands up. "So, what's your next move Cal?"

"I don't know bro. I want to take him out again, just the two of us, but I don't know where or when. Or how to ask him," I reel off, and JJ sends me a smirk.

"Well, looks like it's a good job I organised something for you. Again." He slides two tickets across the table, and I examine them.

"Winter Wonderland?" I say, looking up at him and feeling a little confused.

"Yeah. It's his birthday on Saturday, and he told me that he's always wanted to go. I figured you would jump at the chance to take him," JJ smiles. I feel a surge of gratitude towards him. Even though I didn't ask him to, he's still trying his best to help me out with Harry.

"Thank you JJ," I say, sincerely. "How much were they? I'll pay you back."

"Bro, don't worry, it's on me," he says, patting my shoulder gently. "My payment will be you not talking about him all the damn time."

Simon laughs. "You really think that them getting together will stop that?"

"Yeah... on second thoughts, maybe not."

//

Harry POV

"Harry, this is all really good, but are you sure that he likes you?" Vikk says, worry evident in his eyes.

"I'm almost certain Vikk," I respond, and Vikk sighs gently.

"And you think you might like him back?" He asks. I feel my cheeks heat up slightly.

"Yeah, maybe. He's really sweet, you know? And he's hot as fuck," I say, and Vikk laughs at me.

"He is fit, I'll give you that. But Harry, he's a fuckboy," he reasons.

"He might seem that way, but I text JJ about him this weekend. He says Cal has been going on about me for months now. Surely that means it's genuine?"

"Maybe. Just be careful with him, please. You know how ruthless those three boys are rumoured to be," Vikk says. I shake my head at him.

"I know what people think. But he's not actually like that," I insist, but Vikk just sighs.

"I get it. All I'm saying is be careful," he says, raising his hands in surrender.

"I will," I promise. Suddenly, the bell that signals the end of lunch sounds. Vikk and I both groan quietly, but get to our feet.

"What've you got?" He asks, as we start down the corridor.

"Chem," I respond, and Vikk wiggles his eyebrows at me.

"Chemistry with Mr. Airey," he teases, and I elbow him lightly in the ribs.

"Whatever," I laugh. "I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Yeah, laters Harry," he calls, before disappearing into a crowd of people. I smile softly, but suddenly feel two large hands rest on my shoulders. I turn around quickly, yanking out of their grip, and catching them off gaurd.

"Woah, relax Harry. It's just me," Cal says, an I let out a breath. "I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay?" He asks softly, looking me in the eyes. I swear, his eyes are the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Like crystal clear waters. I don't think I'll get over how pretty they are any time soon.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I breathe, and he lets out a sigh of relief.

"Good," he smiles. "Now, maybe we should go inside instead of just standing out here?" He gestures towards the open door of our Chemistry lab.

"Ladies first," I say teasingly, and he feigns a look of confusion.

"If that's the case, why're you expecting me to go first? You're the prettiest out of the two of us, so therefore closest to being a lady," Cal says, and I can't help but blush. He lays a hand gently on the small of my back, and nudges me towards the door. "Seriously though, we do need to go in."

"Right," I respond hastily, before walking into the classroom and taking my usual seat. I look around for where Cal is seated, and find that he actually sits just behind me, but with one person between us.

Our teacher takes the register, and then starts the lesson. She explains that we're going to be recapping a required practical. It's one that we'e done loads of times before. But I find myself getting excited. Because I get to spend the hour with Cal.

"Alright you lot. Pair up, and get started," our teacher says after finishing the demo and brief. At least half the class are on their feet as soon as she's said that. I look around to catch Cal's eye, and he motions for me to go over to him. I stand up, and walk confidently over to him.

"Hello again," I smile, and he grins back nervously. "Do you wanna get the equipment, and I'll set up the Bunsen burner?"

"Yeah sure."

We spend most of the hour just talking, maybe flirting a bit, and not really focusing on what we're meant to be doing. It's safe to say that we messed up the practical horribly. But neither of us mind really.

"Hey, Harry?" Cal says, as we're standing together behind his desk, waiting for the bell to go.

"What's up?" I ask, and he blushes slightly.

"I know it's your birthday on Saturday, and I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go to the Winter Wonderland with me?" He asks. He probably thinks I haven't noticed, but I can see his fingers writhing together anxiously. I smile up at him.

"Yeah sure, that sounds great," I say, and he lets out a relieved breath. I can see him visibly relax. "I've got to be back to mine for six though, I'm going out with my family for a meal."

"That's fine. Should we meet there at say... eleven?" He asks. I nod.

"Perfect. I'll look forwards to it," I say. He smiles at me, and I see a hint of something I don't recognise.

"In that case, maybe you should take this back," he says, handing me his jacket with a small smirk. "I hear it's going to be cold on Saturday." I blush lightly, and take his jacket back.

"Well, what if I wanted you to keep me warm instead?" I say innocently, and he blushes bright red.

"I could do that."

//

Cal POV

It's Saturday.

I'm standing outside the entrance to Winter Wonderland, waiting for Harry to show up. And I'm probably the most nervous I've ever been in my life.

I don't have JJ here with me this time. What if I mess up? Say or do something he doesn't like?

Suddenly, my phone starts ringing. Without checking the caller ID, I pick it up.

"Hello?" I ask, and hear a laugh through the phone.

"You're freaking out already, aren't you?"

"JJ? Why are you calling me?"

"To make sure you don't have a heart attack before he gets there."

"How do you know he isn't here already?"

"You wouldn't of answered if he was."

"Fair point."

"Anyway bro. Just remember to breathe, be yourself, and it'll be fine."

"Alright. Thanks JJ."

"Your welcome. And most importantly, make sure he has a good time too."

"Hell yeah I will."

"A'ight. Tell me about it later."

"Yep. Bye JJ."

"Bye."

I hang up the phone and put it in my pocket, letting out a loud sigh.

"Who was that?" I turn around and see Harry, who's just stopped by my side.

"Just JJ," I say, while looking him up and down. And Jesus, he looks even better than usual. I didn't think that was even possible.

He's wearing a light grey skater skirt, and a plain white T-shirt tucked loosely into it. He's got black suede ankle boots on, and a black woollen scarf draped around his neck. And of course, he's wearing my jacket over the top.

"D'you like it?" He asks shyly, spinning around. I smile at him.

"You look great," I say honestly, and he grins at me.

"Can we go in now?" He asks, and I nod. As soon as he gets that confirmation, he grabs my hand, and starts dragging me enthusiastically towards the entrance.

"Someone's excited," I muse, gripping his hand lightly.

"I've always wanted to come here," he explains. "And I already know it's going to be amazing."

"Why's that?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I'm here with you."

We get in with no problems. When I ask Harry what he wants to do first, he has no idea. He seems to want to do everything all at once. His eyes light up like a kid in a sweet shop. There's a temporary ice rink, stalls for food and other things, along with some fairground rides.

We spend the day going through pretty much everything that is there. My mum gave me thirty pounds to bring with me, so I tell him that whatever he wants is on me.

First, we head for the rides, and make certain to try all of them. Waltzers, dodgems, all sorts of various, standard things. But we save the best til last. The Ferris wheel. When we reach the top, I literally feel as if I'm on top of the world. Looking out over the busy surroundings, with Harry right next to me, his hand resting casually on my knee.

Once done with the rides, we go and get some hot drinks, and wander round the rest of the stalls with them. Harry finds one that's selling tiny ceramic animals, and instantly falls in love with a little ceramic of a black and white dog. When I offer to buy it for him, he refuses, but I get it anyway since it was cheap, and it's his birthday after all.

We just wander around, looking at things for quite a while after that, but eventually get back to where we started. It's then that Harry notices the ice rink, and insists that we should try skating. I try to tell him that it's an awful idea, since I have no coordination, but he manages to convince me to do it anyway. I didn't make it difficult though, to be fair.

Harry's amazing at skating. So graceful, gliding effortlessly over the ice. But instead of doing his own thing, and showing off how good he is, he stays with me. I nearly knock him, and myself, over at least fifty times, but he doesn't seem to care. Quite the opposite really, he thinks how bad I am is absolutely hilarious. After about an hour though, I can make it the whole way around the rink without tripping.

When we get off the ice, I know that my time with him is nearly over. While we take off our skates, I'm thinking desperately of a plan to spend more time with him. He tells me that it's been fun, and that he wishes it wasn't over so fast. To that I reply;

"You could come over to mine?"

"I'd love to."

//

"Hey Mum," I call as I step through the front door, Harry following close behind me.

"Hello Callum," she shouts back, before coming into the hallway. "And you've brought someone with you?" She adds, raising an eyebrow. Harry shifts anxiously. I want to take his hand to reassure him, but can't find the courage to do so.

"Sorry I didn't text you to ask, my phone died," I explain. "This is Harry. It's okay if he stays for a bit, right?"

"Oh, Harry!" she smiles, looking at the nervous boy behind me. "Callum talks about you all the time. You're even more handsome than he said you were."

"Mum!" I hiss, and hear Harry giggle quietly behind me.

"Oh, sorry, am I embarrassing you?" She says, rolling her eyes.

"Yes," I respond, and she waves a hand dismissively.

"I'll let you two go then," she says. "Also, Harry, are your parents picking you up?"

"Umm, I'm not sure," Harry says, shuffling his feet.

"That's fine love, don't worry. We could drop you off if you like," Mum offers. Harry looks at her gratefully.

"That'd be amazing, if you don't mind," he says.

"It's no bother at all. What time do you need to be home for?" Mum asks.

"Six please. I only live about fifteen minutes away," Harry responds.

"Alright. I'll come and get you both at twenty to six then," Mum says.

"Sorted. Come on Harry," I say, making a beeline for the stairs. He follows quickly, somehow managing to keep up with me as I take two stairs at a time. We make it to my room, and I close the door behind me, before flopping back onto my bed.

"Your mum's nice," Harry says, sitting down carefully on the edge of my bed.

"Yeah, she's pretty awesome," I respond, grinning at him. "You can lay down if you like, I'm not gonna try anything," I say, a joking edge to my tone. He smiles back, and moves over to lie down on the opposite side of the bed to me.

"What do we do now?" He asks, looking across at me.

"What do you want to do?" I respond, shifting into a more comfortable position, with my arm across the pillows. Harry shuffles a little closer to me, resting the back of his head on my upper arm.

"Talk about stuff?" He says with a shrug. "I want to get to know you better."

"I know it's kinda dumb, but how about we play twenty questions?" I suggest. He grins at me mischievously.

"I'd prefer Truth or Dare," he says, while wiggling his eyebrows.

"Alright, but prepare yourself. Just because you're pretty doesn't mean you'll get let off easy on the dares," I joke. He smirks at me.

"I sure hope not."

We play Truth or Dare for about half an hour, but both run out of reasonable dares after a while. After that's over, the conversation flows naturally, both of us over the minor awkwardness from before. We tell each other things that we didn't know before, and it makes me feel great. I'm really getting to know him now, and he's opening himself up to me. I think maybe, he might even like me back.

Suddenly though, Harry lets out a huge yawn, and his eyes begin to close slightly. I chuckle at him lightly.

"You tired?" I ask, and he nods, not opening his eyes. "You can sleep for a bit if you like. I'll wake you up before we need to go."

He blinks at me sleepily. "You sure?"

"Yeah. It's fine." I brush a stray lock of hair from his forehead. He yawns again.

"Okay. Thank you Cal," he says, and begins settling down further. He turns onto his side, bringing himself slightly closer to me, his head still resting on my bicep. I can't help but swoon slightly at the sight of him. He looks so peaceful. It doesn't take long before he's asleep. I just lie quietly and watch him.

He stays in the same spot for a while, but then begins to move around again. I just go completely still, praying he won't wake up. He reaches out for me blindly, his hand sliding over my stomach and using my shirt as leverage to turn over.

He shifts so that he's now lying on his front, sprawled out across my chest. His breath tickles my neck as he cuddles further into my warmth, tangling our legs together. I feel a flush rise on my face. Carefully, I wrap an arm around his slender waist, hoping not to disturb him.

We lay like that for what feels like hours, until my mum knocks on the door.

"Callum?"

"Come in, mum," I call quietly. She opens the door, and her face softens at the sight of us. "He was tired," I explain, and she nods.

"As sweet the two of you look like that, we need to leave soon if he wants to be home for six," she says, keeping her voice low. I look down at the sleeping boy in my arms, and my heart melts just a little bit more.

"I wish he could stay," I say wistfully. My mum gives me a sympathetic glance.

"I know Cal. Some other time. I'll leave you to get him up," she says, before exiting the room and closing the door behind her again. I sigh. As much as I want Harry to stay, he has other things to do.

"Harry," I murmur, and gently pat his shoulder with my spare hand, while sneakily removing my arm from his waist. His eyelids flutter slightly, but he just lets out a low whine, and buries his face in my chest. "You need to get up, it's time to go."

"It is?" He mutters sleepily, lifting his chin to look at me with bleary eyes. I nod, and he sighs, seeming as if he just want to go back to sleep. "I'm warm here," he says, pouting at me. I reach up a hand to gently ruffle his hair.

"It'll be warm in the car. You can go back to sleep there if you want," I respond, and he pushes himself up onto his elbows.

"It's alright, I don't really feel tired anymore," he says, rubbing his eyes. When he looks at me now, he does seem a lot more awake already.

"I can't really get up until you do," I say, grinning at him. "You're kinda on top of me." He blushes slightly at this.

"Shit, I'm sorry," he says, hastily trying to untangle his legs from mine, and get off me. I gently grab his waist to still him.

"Hey, calm down. I don't mind," I assure him, and he visibly relaxes.

"Sorry," he says again, and I roll my eyes.

"Stop apologising, you're fine," I smile.

"Okay," Harry says softly.

I help him to gather his things, and then we go out to the car together. I sit with him in the back seat, letting him rest his head on my shoulder, even though he said that he's not tired. I keep sneaking glances at him, unable to keep my eyes away for more than a minute. I'm almost certain that he notices what I'm doing, but it doesn't really bother me.

Having him like this makes me wonder if one day I'll actually tell him that I like him. He definitely already knows, but if I tell him, he could be mine. I could get to know every little thing about him. I want to know him better than I know myself. I want him to like me as much as I like him. I want him to know how beautiful I think he is.

Hopefully some day, in the near future.

When we reach his house, I get out to open the door for him, and then walk him up to his doorstep. We stand there in silence for a moment, and then he thanks me for such a good day. I tell him that it's okay, and I'm glad he enjoyed himself. I stay there, waiting to gain the courage to ask him the question that I really want to ask him.

"Can I kiss you?" I murmur after a little while. He looks up at me through his lashes, and bites his lower lip.

"If you'd like," he says, and reaches to wrap his arms around my neck, pulling me closer than before. I feel my breath catch in my throat as I gently rest my hands on his hips. He looks angelic underneath the glow of the porch light.

Harry is the one who leans in first, closing his eyes as he meets my lips hesitantly. I take a moment before kissing back, snaking my arms around his waist. His lips are soft, and he tastes slightly of chapstick. I hope he will let me kiss him again, because even after this small taste of him, I know I'm going to need more to keep me sane.

He pulls back after what seems like a beautiful eternity, and lets out a soft breath. His eyes open slowly, and he looks as if he's trying to search my soul.

"Happy Birthday Harry," I breathe, smiling at him gently.

"Thank you," he says, and smiles back at me. He leans in again to press a quick kiss to the corner of my mouth, before turning to open the front door, and stepping into the warmth of his house.

"Talk to you soon," I say.

He nods. "Bye Cal." He then closes the door softly behind him, disappearing from my view.

I release a breath, and relax a little bit. I feel as if I'm sprawled out on a cloud, infinitely happy. Nothing can touch me here. I never realised I could feel this strongly about a person. That a simple touch from him could do so much.

It must be magic.

//