Facade: Love, Lust and Deception

CHAPTER 16

There were a lot of emotions swirling in the room. A blonde leprechaun looking boy and a slightly Greek god looking boy sat across from him with an expression that was unreadable.

Their eyes darted rapidly between Harry and Louis who was sitting in Harry's lap.

"Both of them blurred for me a while back. I've been dizzy for over 30 minutes now" Niall mumbled, making a sound and falling backwards on the couch.

"So.... Louis and you are....."

"Dating." Harry completed, starting to get exasperated from how slow Zayn was speaking.

"Right." He blinks and rubs his eyes.

"We'll come back to that later, first of all. What the fuck happened? Why hasn't he been coming to college or receiving our calls? We've been so worried."

Harry glances at Louis, eyes closed but the slight movement beneath his eyelids proved that his sleep was light, filled with anxiety and restlessness. Harry took a deep breath, he felt uncomfortable telling everyone something so delicate and emotional without Louis' consent but it had to be done.

He had seen his boy suffer alone, hidden within the cloud of his dark memories and submerged under the waves of hysteria. Harry knew there were other ways, but he wasn't patient enough for them. He wanted the person giving Louis so much pain punished, and now.

When he started speaking he could feel the air in the room shift, the boys sat up straighter and the colour from their faces drained. The worry on the crease of their foreheads intensified ten fold.

"I want to know anything you both might know about this. Any suspects"

Zayn shifted, the floodgates holding back the thoughts opening.

"His father. Mayor Tomlinson." he grits out.

Harry's blood is boiling, rage spilling out on his skin as his fists clenched. His heart felt heavy, he'd been giving that man money, dealing with him when he was the one hurting the person he loved.

Harry loves Louis. He loves Louis so much.

Guilt, rage and realisation made a tightening and suffocation knot in his chest that refused to leave when Zayn spoke.

"And how will you help him, Harry?"

How will Harry help Louis?

Harry had never been clueless in his life. Ever. Not even a second of hesitation or doubt whenever he made a decision. But right now, with his world tucked safely in his arms he made the decision to let him go.

"Zayn, Niall. By now you already know that I am not an actual professor"

They nod slowly, the thought clear on their faces since the moment they entered.

"All my life, I was trained to protect this information with my life. I was trained to die but never reveal the secret. But today, my horrific cold heart is in pieces at my feet. And I am helpless in love and the need to protect Lou. I trust you boys, I trust you boys to keep him safe. I will provide you with everything you need to run away. But you need to leave this town first thing tomorrow. What I do, what I am about to do is normal in my line of business."

His hands trembled, a lump forming in his throat.

"But Louis is the brightest star here. He cannot know this right now, not until I have avenged the pain and hurt he was put through all his life. I don't have the strength to watch the betrayal in his eyes. I love him. And it's a scary thing. I will come back, I will come back and tell him everything but he has to go right now."

He will come back, with his hands clean and his heart open.

—----

Harry watched as Niall carried a sleeping Louis to his car. A slightly older man he remembered as David was in the driver's seat. His friends, Taylor, Kendall and Florence were sitting in the back with him. He knew they had questions and he had the answers but they had to wait.

Zayn was walking back to him, he slowly handed Harry a bracelet Louis always wore. A soft blue bracelet with his initials on it.

"I hope you don't break his heart"

"Can't even think about it"

With a nod, Zayn walked back to the car as they drove off towards the one road that will take them to London.

Harry walked back into the house and Louis was everywhere. The half eaten pineapple cake was kept on the table. His half knitted scarf rested on the hand rest of the couch. The spot they spent their evenings on, Louis' head resting on Harry's shoulder as they watched a movie, felt cold and uneasy now.

The bed was still dented in the shape of his body's curves and when Harry reached out he felt Louis' warm breath against his wrist, the bed smelled like the delicate boy who no longer was around.

And for the first time in 15 years, Harry's heart felt the pain and emptiness that flowed through his eyes. Filling up the space on the bed with his tears.

Harry cried until Louis' smell faded from his arms and the scent of revenge coursed through his veins.