Once. (Larry Stylinson)

Till forever falls apart.

Epilogue.

There must be something in the water
'Cause everyday it's getting colder
And if only I could hold you
You'd keep my head from going under
It's your love I'm lost in

Louis wakes up with a start, still unable to sleep on Harry's side that lies cold, he just brushes his fingers over the cold pillow, almost feeling him but not quite. His eyes blink open as the remnants of his restless sleep fade.
Ignoring the sharp ache that reverberates through his chest, he leaves the bed.

His mobile lays neglected on the coffee table, bearing about 50 missed calls from Liam and Niall, both of them worried sick for him and Harry both. It was 11 a.m. which meant that Harry was already in surgery for his aneurysm and chances were that he wouldn't wake up the same. Louis knew that and he was scared, he was so fucking scared for Harry but it was also why he promised himself that he'd stop thinking about it all. He doesn't dare inch closer to his phone, terrified, that it would either carry a news that would break him harder or he wouldn't be able to stop himself from calling Harry and sending him a voicemail telling him how after all this time, it was still him... it will always be him.

Today.... today was supposed to be the day when Harry and Louis' relationship turned 4. Today was when Louis was supposed to go down on one knee and finally propose to the love of his life; get married to Harry and spend the better half of his life with the better half of his soul but in a moment of weakness, fear and anger he threw it all to the flames and gave Simon what he wanted.

It was a beautiful ring really. A simple silver band with two diamonds that shone green and blue when light fell on them and there were the words Home carved on the inside of it. It all happened so fast that Louis couldn't even comprehend. The day Harry asked him for a break, his insides fell, he knew he was slowly pulling back but he wanted, needed Harry to understand, but instead, he ended up hurting himself and Louis both when he came over asking for things to slow down, for them to go back to being friends, they weren't friends!! nor could they ever be, so they tried to keep those secrets in a lie. But friends never love each other like Harry and Louis did. His life crumbled once again when Harry finally gained enough courage to face him after his reckless one night stand that left a woman pregnant and wrecked havoc in the media. It wasn't a fight really, it was just so silent that Louis could've given anything for them to scream, shout, confess, anything!! All he received was the gut wrenching silence that twisted his insides. Minutes after Harry left, Louis was found rummaging through his cupboard where he kept the ring and after bruised knuckles, multiple pints of alcohol and two or was it three? joints, he angrily threw the box with the ring inside it at the wall with such force that the box broke and the ring fell out. Hours later, when he was finally courageous and sober enough, he picked up the box and tried to fix it but it was just as broken as Louis was, beyond repair. Painfully sobbing, he got on his hands and knees as he searched for the ring that had fallen out. Later that night, he was found crying, his sobs now limited to sniffles and tears, on Harry's side of the bed with his head laying in his rainbow bear's lap as he clutched the broken box with the ring inside it for dear life.

Pouring himself a drink, Louis sits down on the couch after staring at Harry's rainbow coffee cup kept next to his, long enough that he sees Harry in his favorite loose white shirt, with his long hairs up in a bun as he dances in the kitchen to the rhythm that flows in his head with the same rainbow cup in his hands, his eyes shining and dimples full on show. Abruptly, Louis turns on the radio, only now realizing how cold and empty the apartment felt, a clear indicator that Harry was gone and it will always be his fault.

He drowns it out like he always does, as he dances through the house to the melancholic melody coming out of the radio with the ghost of Harry's presence.

Painted nails make Harry beautiful!!

I'm in love with Lou and all his little things!

And I'd marry you Harry.

Now kiss me you fool!!

I have loved him since we were eighteen.

My first real crush was Louis Tomlinson.

Words echo in his head as memories dance in front of his eyes, making him dizzy. What they had was a love so pure that every legendary writer would've found their love story fascinating but then just in a flash, it turned into a tragedy Shakespeare would've maybe loved. For once, Louis really wished he would've woken up with Amnesia, just to forget about the stupid things and maybe just for a day, find a little peace. He chases it all down with the shot of truth and gazes around the room, his vision blurred and piercing blue eyes glazed.

You can't sit together!!!

Fags!!

They are just a bunch of disgraceful fuckers!!

Meet Eleanor, she's agreed to be your girlfriend...

I wrote this song for my two best friends who fell in love.

I'm not trying to get back with you.. not anymore. I just need my best friend back.

If tomorrow you won't be mine, can I love you goodbye?

It doesn't give you a right to go fuck anyone just to get a distraction because we were on a fucking break Louis!!

The band will be taking an 18 month long hiatus.

Lou, mum's fading... come home.

The sun sets that evening drunk; just like Louis who is seen dancing through the house alone to the gut wrenching melancholy that buzzes through his head. It helps him imagine Harry right in front of him smiling, his dimples showing, his beautiful eyes shining with love for the older boy and his boyish features that were slowly morphing into more manly ones full on display only for Louis. Every night Louis almost calls him, just to tell him that it would always be him, wherever he may be but stops himself because he just can't.
They may have been too young and too dumb to know things like love but love it was, no matter how beautiful, flawed and painful, it was theirs.

Though his feet don't dance like they did with Harry, he still moves along the beat of his heart that chants Harry's name over and over again just to remind himself that it was Harry who gave him a love so powerful that it could last a lifetime and he was okay with it because once in his lifetime, Harry was his.

Word count: 1245

This is it guys, this part is thereby complete and the rest of their story follows up in the second book called Tenerife Sea.
Thank you to anyone who read this book. I love you!