Some things change. | l.s.

26

"I hate this, I want to go home." Louis grumbled, throwing his chino pants covered leg over his thigh to get comfortable on the backseat of the Maybach he was sitting in for five hours already.

"I know, but you heard David. He doesn't accept a no and this will have consequences if you don't go through with it." Mallory argued from the other line of the phone for the thousandth time now. "Don't think too much, Lou. Try to relax and if you radiate the confidence you do in the office then everything will go just fine, trust me."

"Easy for you to say, but Harry will be there and Zayn. And Sheila who apparently still has some kind of obsession with me even after such a long time." Louis huffed annoyed.

"Can't blame her." Mallory chuckled. "I know you'll be just fine. Don't worry so much and I highly doubt they will do anything. I'm still not okay with how they treated you and I hate them for it and I still want to smash their heads with a baseball bat, but I'm convinced they started using their brains now and think of what they did and what impact that had on so many things, especially Harry."

"But still." Louis grumbled.

"You're sounding dangerously like Madison when she's trying to argue and you're a grown up man, so get yourself together and don't whine like a baby." Mallory said sternly. "You didn't want to get rid of him when you had the chance to, now you have to live with your decision and as for the others you are still their boss and you're not going to be alone with anyone if you don't want that."

"You're mean." Louis muttered.

"I'm not mean, Lou." Mallory laughed. "You know I'm right. If you're not feeling well call me and I'm gonna come and support you, but try it at least and don't always think the worst, okay?"

"Fine." Louis huffed. "I still hate this."

"I know. Text me when you arrived, yeah? I gotta go." Mallory chuckled and waited for Louis to agree reluctantly before hanging up.

Louis tried to get out of this -in his opinion- stupid team training he had to participate in as well which he didn't understand in the slightest, but after a lot of arguing with David he had no choice but to go through with it so here he was now getting driven by a transport service David hired to Berwick-upon-Tweed to spend three days with eleven of his employees- he was glad at least Laura was there as well after he insisted that he needed his assistant.

When they reached the small east coast town the sun was slowly setting and when they rolled onto the parking lot of the Berwick holiday park everyone was there already waiting for him. He hated that because they were waiting just for him and suddenly he knew it was a bad idea being late on purpose.

He looked out of the window seeing a pool of people, but as if it was natural he could only focus on one and he hated it. It was the same every time and no matter how often he told himself it was accidental, that he didn't care, deep down he knew it wasn't and one severe reason was their kiss two weeks ago. Harry was standing on the right end of the group a little aside from the others with Zayn seemingly in conversation and he couldn't take his eyes off him. He couldn't interpret what he was feeling every time he took him in, but he despised it. And he despised that he still- even after everything, after he ruined his life twice, ripped his heart out twice, and made him fall for him twice- couldn't not care about him.

"Sir?" The driver brought him out of his rigid and he shook his head quickly.

"Yeah, thank you." Louis smiled abstinently.

Once he climbed out of the car a gust of wind hit him and he was glad he decided against a button up and wore a turtleneck instead which was covered by his warm coat he was pulling on now to tighten it around his figure.