MARIGOLD |H.S. AU|

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Sorry it took so long!!! Been crazy busy and wanted it to be perfect. ILY <3

I run up to Louis as fast as my legs will carry me, and I wrap my arms around his neck as tightly as I can, my heavy panting against his neck. I revel in his smell and his presence, the way I can so easily touch him and hold him the way I couldn't yesterday.

He chuckles to himself as I grip hold of him, not expecting to see him so soon, so taking complete advantage of it, and for whatever reason he's here, I'm extremely grateful.

I pull away from him and give Meredith her turn, wrapping my arms around her and holding her tight to my body.

"You missed us, hey B?" Louis says cockily.

I nod against Meredith, knowing he can't see me, but not caring how this looks as he knows I've done nothing but miss them both.

I lean back to look at Meredith's face, but don't notice that I've been crying until I feel a tear drop down my cheek.

"How've you been B?" Meredith asks sweetly, not addressing the fact I'm emotional about this while we're still around other people. God I love her. She knows that if I do need to cry about seeing them again, I don't want to do it in public.

"What are you guys doing here?" I ask in disbelief, still not over the fact I wasn't expecting to see them anytime soon.

Meredith pulls me in for a hug again, but to whisper in my ear this time.

"Harry called Lou, said your anxiety is up again?" She says softly, knowing I hate talking about this, and she's right, because as soon as I hear her words, I feel my eyes widen and panic in my chest.

I pull back, looking over to Louis, and he looks back at me knowing that I don't want to discuss this right now. I know Harry did this for all the right reasons, I just don't like the way he went behind my back. He has good intentions, but he shouldn't worry about me like that.

"Don't panic B, just going to follow you to LA, then we will be back to London." Lou tells me, ignoring what he knows M just told me, aware of what the attention surrounding my anxiety does to me.

"Let's go up to my room?" I say quickly, wanting a change in atmosphere as soon as possible, and they both nod in response.

I turn around to see Harry looking at me apprehensively, probably nervous that I'm going to lose my shit with him for overstepping a boundary, and for that reason I just smile at him as I walk over to reception, and as I pass him I say,

"Thank you."

A grateful smile on my face.

He knew I needed them, and although I could be arsey with him about it, I choose not to be, because he did it for me, and as much as I try to brush it off, I needed it.

~~~~

I sat up with Meredith and Lou for hours, talking to them about things I've missed back at home. Not once did I talk about how I've been feeling, but they know talking about other things and distracting me from it is helping. I don't need them to talk me through any of it, I just need their company, to ground me, remind me of the reasons that I'll eventually be okay.

Louis probably knows about what I saw, but doesn't realise that it's the reason I now jump every time the door slams too loud. I've always known he's been more involved than he lets on, and we've never explicitly sat down and discussed exactly what we both know.

I just feel like danger is lurking round the corner, or I'm going to learn something that will tip me over the edge, and it's fucking with my head.