Drunk Words, Sober Thoughts

4

A/N: you're gonna like this one. get into it yuh.
___________________________________________

It had been nearly a week since the party, and nothing had happened.

Louis started to think maybe the whole ordeal was just a big slip up.

Someone made a mistake on the invitations.

And the gala... Well, the gala was just what it was. And Louis reconnected with an old lover, and then they moved back to their normal lives.

As if nothing happened.

Bullshit, really.

Because Louis hated the sudden in and out of Harry.

Louis didn't know about Harry, he guessed Harry didn't feel the same, but he was in love.

And his heart was thin ice.

Harry coming in was like a walrus belly flopping onto that ice, for lack of more eloquent words.

Yes, now Louis understood. It should be a good thing that Harry wasn't coming back.

Because Louis had spent years freezing his heart over, and he would not let all of that hard work go in vain.

"Louis! There's been a broken pipe at the shop, Niall's already with me, and I need more hands on deck! I mean, it's nearly midnight for crying out loud!" Liam frantically said through the phone speaker.

"What?? Okay, okay, calm down Li, I'll be there soon, but the weather's shit right now, it might take me a minute longer to get there." Louis said, already grabbing his umbrella.

"Just hurry, the carnations are wetly wilting- Jason I said move the chrysanthemums, not the petunias! No I- well, because why would we move the petunias?!" Liam's end cut off after that, leaving Louis to tiredly pull his shoes on, wondering how his friends were so lucky to have him, and also why Liam was at work so late in the first place.

The shop wasn't so far down from their flat, just a couple blocks really, but the pouring rain outside didn't make the venture exactly pleasant.

And it was cold. Unusually cold for the time of year.

Yeah, Liam was damn lucky.

"Yes Niall, I'm on my way- yes, in the rain- you took the car! ... Okay yeah-"

Louis stopped, noticing someone sitting outside his usual bakery he went to on miserable hungover mornings.

Wet curls, and nervous chewing at the lip.

"Harry...?" Louis said tentatively, hanging up on Niall.

It was in fact Harry, who immediately straightened up, pushing his drenched hair off his face, eyes wide and surprised.

"Lou- what- what are you doing here?" Harry asked, getting up from his seat.

"Uh- I live around here.. you on the other hand?" Louis asked before looking Harry up and down.

"Harry, are you okay? How did you end up here at midnight, in the rain and cold?" Louis asked.

Harry looked down. He looked... He looked ashamed, like he didn't want to tell the story or maybe he was ashamed that he couldn't actually remember it in the first place.

"It's no problem Lou, I'm just trying to call someone to pick me up, or I guess I might have to get an Uber..."

"You don't sound thrilled about the idea of an Uber?" Louis said, somewhat in the form of a question.