As It Was ~ l.s

3: A Family 'Reunited'

The boys had all agreed that Thursday night was the best night for all of them. It was when their schedules were all clear and they'd all be in the same place. The boys had all found themselves in LA for different reasons, but it ultimately worked out in their favor. Well, all but Harry's. He hadn't forgotten about the plans he made with Olivia, and no he didn't intend to actually go on the date, since it wasn't officially scheduled, but he still felt a little bad for bailing on her. He'd feel worse if she hadn't ruined his night, but he felt bad nonetheless.

The five of them had agreed to meet at an Italian restaurant that they used to go to when they were touring together. It was a nostalgic decision made by Niall and Liam, obviously. The paps had gotten word that Harry was going to be at the restaurant tonight, but they hadn't anticipated the arrival of the other four boys. Niall was the first to arrive, with Liam, because they seem to be doing everything together these days, and the paparazzi went ballistic. They knew what was going to happen if both Niall and Liam were here and Harry was due to arrive sometime soon. Zayn was the next to arrive, which had excited the paps even more, something that kind of bothered Zayn since he'd spent most of his solo career out of the public eye, enjoying this privacy. When Louis arrived, the paps were cautious. They were unsurprised that he was there but still just as excited that he was with the boys. Now all that was left was Harry. He was late, something that was unusual for him. When they were in the band, he was the most punctual, the most organised and the most professional. Niall worried that he was having second thoughts.

His worries vanished the second he saw Harry walk into the restaurant. They'd rented out the place so no one else was in the restaurant and it was easier to spot Harry that way. Not that it would be more difficult if there were more people. Harry was literally a spectacle. He was wearing black high waisted flares, a ruffled dress shirt paired with black YSL boots. He was wearing an array of rings, his usual 'HS' rings among others, and his iconic pearl necklace. (refer to the image ^^ that's the basic idea of what I was basing this off of) He was way too overdressed for the restaurant they were currently in.
"Sorry I'm late, I was at a shoot." He promptly apologised and took his seat between Zayn and Louis. He figured that was his karma for arriving late.
"It's fine, you're here now and that's all that matters." Niall smiled at the tall man. After that, the tension eased a little, not completely disappearing, but easing. The boys had resorted to small talk and catching up with each others' lives. Harry had stayed silent the entire time, not saying a word. He knew they probably already knew about what was going on in his life, it was always all over the media.

Just when Harry was about to ask Zayn about Khai and Gigi and what domestic life is like, his phone started vibrating. He looked down at the contact name and groaned inwardly. He rolled his eyes and clicked answer.
"What d'you want Wilde?" He sighed. Louis flinched at the name. He knew Harry wasn't really with her but he recognised that he was "in a relationship" with her for the moment.
The boys could hear a woman rambling on the other line. It was dead silent at the table, nothing but Olivia's faint complaining could be heard. Harry pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"Liv, I have a headache. And I'm in the middle of dinner. Can this wait?"
"No Harry! It can't wait! You bailed on me last minute to go out with the boys! I got nothing but a 'not coming, I'm out' message" Olivia raised her voice, "I had to find out where you were from Twitter updates! TWITTER!" Harry flinched and moved the phone away from his ear when Olivia screeched.
"Calm yourself. I knew if I told you where I was you wouldn't let me go. I'll be home in an hour. We'll argue then. Please don't cut into my family time. It's in the contract." Harry spoke surprisingly calmly compared to Olivia.
"They're not your fam-" Harry hung up on her before she could finish her sentence.
"Sorry about that, again. She doesn't like it when I leave the house without her." Harry rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms.
"You don't have to apologise. We understand. Sorry we didn't really think about your g-girlfriend situation before we asked you to come out tonight." Niall coughed awkwardly.
"Yeah, neither did I" Harry sighed and that awkward tension rose.
"'I live for you, I long for you' my ass" Louis mumbled and Harry stifled a laugh. He chuckled at the joke and he got some weird looks from the boys. They forgot what it was like to be around Harry when he was like- actually laughing. They missed it. Louis cracked a small grin, oddly giddy that he was the one to make Harry laugh.