If You Got a Minute to Spare (pt.4)

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⚠️by 𝙠𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙧24 on ao3

⚠️summary:

Harry realizes how hard it is to be without Louis. Louis realizes how easy it is to make him feel better.

⚠️words: 4756

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It had been forever.

Okay, so maybe not, like, forever, forever, but still. It felt like a long time.

Louis left after Harry had given him his thirty-seventh birthday present (which had been fantastic, Harry was pretty sure), and even though he'd gotten back just before New Year's, they hadn't been able to see one another. They were in the same city and hadn't been able to see one another in nearly three weeks.

Finally, in nearly mid-January, Harry got the text he'd been waiting for. I'll be back tomorrow. Pick you up Friday from school and spend the weekend together? Really needing my princess right now.

It had sent Harry's heart racing to hear - or, see, rather - that Louis had been needing him. Harry always felt it worked the other way around so much more. Sometimes, it didn't even feel like Louis needed him so much as he wanted him. Quickly, he sent back his reply. Y E S !!! and then, to see if he could push his luck, he added, I can skip Friday. I NEVER skip and none of my courses are even doing anything except review. Please, sir?

Harry stared at his phone, saw the little dots that told him Louis was responding - and then the dots went away. He waited a few minutes, but Louis didn't reply, and he felt rejection stinging in his chest as he locked his phone.

---

"What's wrong with you?" Niall's loud voice came through on Harry's tinny laptop speakers.

Harry sighed, a little embarrassed at being so transparent. Biting his lip, he thought about his answer, not really sure what was really wrong. "I asked Louis if I could skip Friday to see him. He gets in tomorrow," he explained, "and, like. I texted him right back, right? So he was obviously on his phone. But when I asked if I could skip, he didn't respond." Harry chewed on his lip a moment longer, glad Niall stayed silent enough to let him think. "I feel like - any time I remind him of how young I am, I always get kind of self-conscious, I guess," he confessed. He felt silly.

"Don't be stupid," Niall said, typical American bluntness coming through. "He knows how young you are - plus, you're nearly eighteen! He's still with you. He's probably just busy, or fucking around with you to put you on edge. Doesn't he do that all the time?"

Harry felt a shy smirk stretching his face. "Not emotionally," he responded, making Niall cackle. "You're right, though," he agreed with a sigh. "I doubt he's backing out now. He even told his mum and sisters about me, and called me his boyfriend."

Niall grinned and nodded, and then Harry remembered he'd already told Niall about it. His friend, though, bless him, looked just as happy and excited for Harry as he did the first time. Harry resolved not to worry about it, then, and mildly complained about missing him, but let Niall take his mind off of his woes.

When Louis called that night, as he almost always did, Harry asked, in a surge of desperation. "Can I please skip Friday? Can you pick me up from school tomorrow? It's been almost three and a half weeks."

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