It is What it is

Epilogue

"Sneaking in your girlfriends or boyfriends is always such a pain in the arse," Paul complained, waiting for Louis to hop out of the van.

Liam and Zayn stood next to him, both taking off their jackets. The change of weather was still a shock sometimes, but mostly, they had all grown used to it. It had been chilly in New York, cloudy and rainy; LA was hot and humid.

An excited feeling spread from Louis' chest, his fingers tingling, itching. "What do you mean?"

"What I said," Paul answered, leading them out of the garage to a lift that would most certainly take them up the lobby of the hotel. He turned to Louis when they were all inside. "And your boy is the worst. He never listens to what I say."

"And his fans track his every move," Liam added from Louis' right, obviously speaking from experience. "So it's not just our fans you've got to sneak him away from."

Paul nodded with a huff and pressed a button.

"Who is it?" Zayn asked, sounding just as hopeful as Louis felt.

"Not gonna ruin the surprise," Paul said with a wink.

Did that mean Harry was here? Louis shifted his weight from one leg to the other, the need to move itching in his every nerve. He couldn't be here. His first solo tour had only just ended yesterday — today? Louis got confused with the time zones. In any case, Harry was supposed to go straight back to the studio after finishing his tour.

Maybe Harry had managed to take a day or two off? It was just like him to make it a surprise instead of warning Louis beforehand.

Just like that one time when Louis had come home from a promo trip to Asia and Harry had been supposed to be in Spain. Instead, a homemade meal had awaited Louis, as well as a very naked Harry, only covered by an apron around his hips.

When the doors of the lift slid open, Paul went ahead, checking if everything was clear, then he gestured for them to follow.

Louis knew it wasn't Harry the moment Zayn froze next to him — just for a second, but he came to a halt, his feet stopping. Then he dashed past Louis into the lobby.

Perrie turned at just the right moment to notice them before she was pulled in by Zayn, his arms winding around her shoulders and holding her close. She buried her face against his neck, hands coming up to grab his shoulders.

Liam and Louis stood back for a minute, giving them a bit of time while Paul organised their room keys. Louis looked away, focussing on that, watching the receptionist handing Paul papers to sign.

"Hey, Perrie," Liam said then and Louis turned his attention back to them. Liam was just hugging her. "What a surprise to see you."

"It was really hard not to tell anyone," Perrie giggled, hugging Liam back. Then she turned to Louis. "Lou, hey, come here."

Louis smiled at her and went for a hug, too, but Perrie framed his face and pressed a warm kiss to his lips.

"Why does he get a kiss before me?" Zayn complained.

"It's from Harry," Perrie explained, not letting go of Louis. She smiled gently. "He sends all his love."

"You two are idiots," Louis commented and drew her in for a hug anyways. He turned his face into her hair, mumbling "thanks" quietly.

"Okay, boys, got your keys," Paul announced from behind them. "Let's go up."

"How was the show, Perrie?" Liam asked, when they moved back to the lift.

Zayn took Perrie's hand, and they stayed close together, even though Perrie's attention was on Liam. "Oh, great! I got an offer, actually, from a shop in London. They sell exclusive fashion and they want one of my lines."