hope your life leads you back to my door » l.s.

seven: in this light

Harry stood in front of his long mirror and adjusted his pastel blue dupatta, which was a woven shawl, to rest properly over his right shoulder so it didn't cover his light pink kurta pyjama. It was one of the outfits Zoya had helped him buy and he loved that it was in his two favourite colours. The kurta pyjama was a loose tunic that landed just above his knees with a pair of fitted, matching trousers. His hair was perfectly tousled and curlier than usual thanks to Zoya wanting to try some new shampoo on him.

Deciding he was finally ready to go, he picked up a few boxes of henna sticks and put them under his arm as he walked out of his room. They were all gathering in the courtyard for the mehendi and dholki ceremony, officially kickstarting the wedding events. It was the first of the three celebrations and so far everything was running smoothly. The decorators hung peonies and hydrangeas along with other ornaments all over the house, making it smell and look beautiful. The caterer had prepared an array of British and Pakistani food and snacks, and the DJ was playing pop bangers and Bollywood hits.

The inside of the house was pretty empty with the exception of a few people running in and out to get more food or drinks. Or so Harry thought until he caught a glimpse of someone walking down the hall toward the front entrance and took a step back to see who it was. When he saw that it was Louis, he narrowed his eyes and marched over to him.

"And where do you think you're going?" Harry asked, stopping him in his tracks. He had his travel backpack hanging over his shoulders and his camera around his neck.

Louis looked at him with a guilty expression on his face. "Um, nowhere?"

"Wrong answer," Harry replied back. "You're trying to run away and get out of going to this event."

Louis sighed, giving him a defeated shrug. "You know how I feel about weddings. Don't wanna go to...whatever this is."

"It's a mehendi-slash-dholki ceremony and it's the first of the many events."

"Exactly. So if I miss this one, it won't be a problem because there are more to come."

Harry cocked his head to the side, giving him a scrutinising look. "Do you really believe that?"

Louis nodded casually. "There are so many people out there. I'm sure if I disappeared for this one, it wouldn't make a difference to anyone."

"It would," Harry insisted. "Zoya would be so upset if you just up and left." He paused for a moment. "Hang on. Where are you even going?"

"Going to check out some local spots here. I've heard that Lahore has some great tourist attractions and I wanted to take pictures."

"Your friend Niall is out there having fun with your friends and you're trying to run off to see some tourist spots? C'mon Louis. You came here for Zoya's wedding, not to go sightseeing."

Something flashed in Louis' eyes and it looked a lot like fear. Harry wondered what had happened between the three best friends he'd once known. It was strange because their bond had seemed unbreakable. However, now they barely talked, especially Louis and Liam. Zoya was too busy with everything else to do anything about it, but it was upsetting for her, too. Harry hoped some resolution could come out of them being here for her wedding. If they all talked it out, it would surely get better. For now, though, he had to help Louis through his fear of coming to the event, so he extended his hand.

"Come on," he pleaded. "Can't you do this for Zoya?"

"Like I said, she won't even notice," Louis tried again.

"Maybe, but if you do come, she'll be so happy. Did you see how happy she was when she saw you that actually showed up?"

Louis' expression softened and he looked at Harry for a long moment. Everything was quiet around them except for the chatter and music outside. His eyes drifted from Harry's face and down to his outfit for the first time. Judging from his cheeky expression, he liked it, which made Harry blush for the hundredth time since Louis arrived. It was ridiculous and he needed to get a hold of himself. He was a grown adult, not a wide-eyed teenager with a crush anymore.