10 Years Later (Larry 1d)

Chapter 46

A few minutes later the plane was landing, juddering to a halt on the landing strip as the plane taxied to the airport. They both stretched in their seats, stiff from having been seated for most of the long flight as the pilot welcomed them to the Seychelles. They all quickly peeled off their layers, pulling on shorts and flip flops from their luggage while they waited to be let off the plane. After fifteen minutes or so, passport control boarded the plane and checked their details, clearing security checks before leading them to a small buggy and driving them to a helicopter where they flew to a private island.

They spent the first hour exploring the small island, mapping out the terrain as their butler gave them the tour, showing them the bar, restaurant and spa. When James and Chris were happy that the place was secure, they left in the helicopter, heading to a neighbouring isle until they were needed, though Harry laughed and told him there was little chance of them leaving the island and they should just enjoy their holiday. Louis whistled as they were led around their large and spacious villa, their things already unpacked for them while they had been given the tour.

They went through their itineraries for the week with the butler, arranging scuba diving and spa treatments for each day. Harry chose to do yoga on the beach while Louis had his singing lessons via Skype and they booked private sailing and fishing experiences. Once they'd chosen their options for the week, they changed into swimming trunks and applied suncream before heading to the beach, hot sand underfoot as they padded towards the water before leaping under the warm and gentle waves.

They spent their days swimming and sunbathing on the beach, rarely wearing more than their trunks, if that. Louis' olive skin deepened to a warm nut brown in the sun, and Harry's pale limbs turned the colour of warm amber, despite the factor thirty he constantly reapplied. They relaxed together in the spa, getting couples massages, manicures, pedicures, body wraps and facials over the course of the week. They ate delicious meals prepared by the chef, fresh tropical fruit in the mornings and succulent fish in the afternoon and evenings.

Louis' singing continued to improve over the week, daily lessons paying off as he practised over Skype with his teacher, starting to go over the old songs. Harry contorted his body with his yoga instructor on the beach, returning sweaty and relaxed to pepper Louis with kisses, before showering and heading off together to scuba dive. They spent their evenings watching the sunsets, hand in hand on their patio or the beach before making love, their pants and groans echoing over the deserted island. All in all it was paradise.

On their last night there Louis couldn't sleep. He gently lifted Harry's arm from where it was resting on his chest and slithered out from under the thin sheet covering them. He padded barefoot to the patio, pulling on some boxers and grabbing a pen and pad of paper on the way. He didn't really know why, he just wanted to make sense of the ideas and feelings swirling around his head. He hadn't written for over ten years, but in the past it had always been what he'd done when he couldn't sleep, a way to sift through his emotions when it all got a bit too much. He sat at the table on the patio, moonlight and stars lighting up the view, the dark water lapping at the shore as it reflected the light.

He clicked the end of the biro to make the nib appear and rested it against the paper, pausing for a moment before taking a breath and writing the first thing that came into his head. He'd written five pages of mostly nonsense before he'd stopped, using the exercise to purely pull the thoughts out of his brain. He read over the pages, his heart beating in the quiet as he gazed over the feelings of love, of home, happiness, doubt and hope in writing. He started a fresh sheet, and picked out a few of the key thoughts,

There was something missing in her eyes,

I found what I was missing in his eyes,