17 Black (Part Two)

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bro my HEAD HURTS AGAIN LMAO

i'm abt to take my journalism exam so wish me luck 🕳🤸‍♀️ (update 3 days later, i passed woooo)

I LOVE U ALL SO MUCH U GUYS ARE SO SWEET AND SUPPORTIVE

thank u @tmahaffey82 for the inspiration for part of this chapter!

love u sluts (in a nice way)

don't hesitate to message me if u ever need anything!!

-raine <3
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"No, I didn't tell him," a voice says lowly, bringing Louis out of sleep. He opens his eyes a little, realizing there's no one laying next to him. Turning his head a little, he sees Harry sitting on the edge of the bed, holding his phone to his ear.

"Have you gone mad, Z?" He says, to who Louis now knows is Zayn. "I had a fucking panic attack just by being reminded of him, so how the hell would I be able to actually tell Louis?" He whispers the last part, and Louis immediately wishes he was still asleep, because he's most definitely not supposed to be hearing this conversation. Harry sighs, seeming borderline exasperated.

"I know it's been almost three years, Zayn," he mutters bitterly. Louis almost feels chills run down his spine, because never has he heard Harry so angry before. "Trust me- I want to be able to talk about it with someone and move on more than I want to breathe. But the closer I get to Lou, the more I feel like-", he stops, putting his head in his hand.

Louis frowns. What could be so important for Harry to tell him? More importantly, why is it causing him so much pain?

Zayn's voice comes from the other line, too quiet for Louis to understand what he's saying. He watches as Harry grips his hair, shaking his head.

"I know, I know. But by not telling him, I feel like I'm hiding it from him, and he already has trust issues. I don't want to be any cause of that- I care too much. It's scary, really, how much I care about him. I've spent so long doing everything in my power to not get close like this to anyone again, but he got through to me without even trying to," Harry says, making Louis' face heat up.

"But the more I like him- which is already way too much- the more I feel like I'm going to fuck up again. I can't do that to another person, Zayn. Especially not Louis." What does Harry even mean by that? Why 'especially' not him?The next time Zayn speaks, his voice is raised, and Louis is listening closely enough to hear him.

"You didn't fuck up, Harry! Cory's the one who fucked up, and that's not on you. It's not your fault, Haz. Please believe that."

Listening to what Zayn's saying, Louis' more confused than ever. He wonders who Cory is, and what he did to Harry. Or, apparently, what Harry did to him. Louis doesn't know what they're talking about, but he already agrees with Zayn. Harry could never do anything bad to anyone- he knows that for sure.

"I'm trying," Harry whispers, sounding close to tears. "I gotta go, I have to wake Louis up. I'll see you later. Bye, Z." He clicks off the phone, and Louis is quick to close his eyes, not wanting Harry to know he heard anything. He doesn't want to force Harry to tell him anything he's not ready to. Even if that's all he can think about.He feels the bed shift, then a warm hand on his shoulder. Instead of shaking him, like Louis expected, the hand moves up to his face, Harry's finger lightly tracing over his cheekbone. His lips are suddenly pressing against Louis' forehead, and Louis tries to keep his heart rate steady.

"Louis," Harry says quietly, any trace of sadness gone from his gravelly voice. "S' time to get up, bub."

Harry's name for him leads Louis close to exploding, and he opens his eyes to see a warm smile over Harry's too-pink lips.