The Ring {L.S}

Chapter 14: Tiles of Love

"Please, spend the night. I'm so, so sorry."

Anne's tears fell from her eyes and created a wet spot on the hem of her blouse. Louis turned back toward the end of the driveway and reached for the handle of the Mustang. Before he knew what was happening, Anne appeared beside him.

"Please, stay Louis. I am so sorry. Please, listen to me." Louis turned around to look Anne in the eye, he didn't want bad blood but he didn't know how not to be angry right now.

"You're not fucking sorry. You really hurt me." Anne stared into Louis' face blankly, unsure of what to say.

"You don't think i'm good enough for him?" He whispered the words like he was telling the greatest secret. He wasn't going to cry, he was pleading to understand. "What have I done that makes you feel this way? Through this whole dinner all I've done is try and try to show you who I am."

Harry appeared on the doorway looking at the two of them in the middle of the driveway. Louis looked over Anne's shoulder with sad eyes when he realized that Harry had been crying harder than he was when he left.

"I don't think any man is good enough for him, if I'm being honest." Louis was quiet, he was trying to understand. His eyes were still locked on Harry, but he was listening to every word that Anne was saying.

"After his father, he's never been open with his feelings. Harry keeps his emotions in. I've just watched him tear himself apart over Michael, please understand." Louis' heart skipped at the sound of that dreaded name, but he understood. His face was still and indicated no sign of any emotion. This whole night made him numb to his emotions.

"I hear you, Anne. But give me a chance. I deserve a chance, and I'm going to stay here tonight. For Harry, not for you." Harry turned around and walked back into the house. Anne nodded her head, and turned around too. Louis called after her making her stop dead in her tracks."I don't like seeing him cry." She nodded her head and walked back toward the front door. Louis followed, keeping his distance. When they got back into the house, Gemma was finishing cleaning the kitchen. She told Louis that Harry was in his room, and gave him a look that couldn't possibly mean anything good.

The stairway to his bedroom felt like it took an eternity. There was a faint sound of a record spinning in the background, but it was too quiet for Louis to make out from the outside of the room. He wiped his hands on his pants and breathed deeply before reaching for the knob of Harry's bedroom door. His heart was swollen and he wasn't sure what was to come, but there was nothing in the world that could've stopped him from going into Harry's room at this very moment.

When he walked in, Harry was already in his navy boxers sitting in his bed with the scrabble board laid out in front of him. A thousand suns shined from Louis' smile at the sight of Harry, and he knew that this is what he wanted right in this moment despite everything happening around him. He wanted the long emotional nights, the innocent scrabble games in bed, and the endearing look coming from Harry until the end of time. Nothing could change this feeling.

He walked over to the side of the bed, bent over and placed a small kiss on top of Harry's curls. "I love you so much," he breathed into his hair and Harry wrapped his long arms around Louis' torso.

Louis pulled away to look into Harry's eyes and bent down to be eye level. He placed his hand lightly on Harry's chin, and spoke quietly just so the two of them could hear.

"There's nothing to fix here, we're okay. I promise."

Harry nodded his head and looked into his lap. There wasn't anything left to say. They were going to be okay. It was obvious that there would be hiccups in the road, and they were working through the differences that arose in their lives.