Letters to Harry

Chapter Fourteen

Louis scampered frantically around the apartment, trying to ensure that the place was not only clean, but he had grabbed everything he needed for the car ride. His shoes, keys, wallet, et cetera, nestled deep into the pockets of his trousers. Niall and Liam stood watching, gleeful smirks pasted on their faces.

"Goodbye you guys! I'm off!" The brunette called, as he ran out the door.

"Bye Lou!" Niall said, waving theatrically as the door closed.

"Where do you think he's off to in such a hurry? Today's the day that Harry gets back.. I thought he would be a bit more, subdued… for lack of a better word. His mood has improved drastically since the bill fiasco.." Liam asked the blonde, wrapping his arm around the younger boy's waist and leading him towards the couch to sit down.

"Dunno, maybe he's going to Eleanor's? He hasn't gone in a while." Niall observed, nuzzling into Liam's neck like a kitten.

"Ni, where have you been? They broke it off when Harry left! El couldn't deal with him in such a state… it was a right brutal thing to do to him though, kicking him while he was down." The Wolverhampton boy smiled sadly at Niall's naivety, kissing his nose softly.

"Why didn't he tell me? Does Zayn know?" The younger boy was curious now, and began to bombard Liam with questions that he certainly did not have the answers to.

"I don't know, Niall.  Maybe he wasn’t ready? Maybe he was a little preoccupied with the love of his life disappearing into thin air." He honestly didn't know.

"Oh… Wait! What? Did you just call  Harry the love of Louis' life?" Niall had finally caught on.

"Yeah, I mean, haven't you seen the way they look at each other? The way that they gravitate towards one another, mirror positions, get antsy when they aren't together. Did you see what Lou was like when Harry left? That’s love, right there. He was so shattered, so broken… Nothing but love could cause that type of pain." Liam said forlornly, glancing at his crush from the corner of his eye. He'd give anything to be able to be straight with Niall, telling him how he really felt about their friendship.

"I guess.. I think I've been a little bit preoccupied myself, lately." the Irishman whispered, slowly kissing a trail from Liam's shoulder to the underside of his jaw until he was centimeters away from his puffy red lips.

"Niall," the older boy whispered, not daring to trust his voice at full volume. "What're you-" He was cut off by the younger boy's pillowy lips colliding with his own.

Their kiss, not heated, but passionate, not soft, but still feather light, was the perfect balance of everything. They didn't care if it was wrong or right, it fit. They fit. Together. The way their lips melded into one, the way Niall's petite frame fit perfectly in Liam's strong arms. Everything was right in the world. Until Zayn casually walked through the door of the Stylinson flat.

"Hey guys? Who's going to pick up Harry? I mean, he gets out today-" Zayn stopped mid-sentence as he noticed Niall straddling Liam's lap in a very inappropriate manner, cheeks flushed and lips puffy. "Uh… Is there something you two want to tell me?" He asked, voice somewhat unsure.

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"HAZ! Are you sure you've got all of your things?" Lou yelled into the room, carrying half of the younger boy's bags. "We've got to get home before the boys start to wonder where I am!"

"I'm coming! Just let me do a once over of the room, and we can go and sign me out." He said, sending the boy he loved a bright smile in return. Scanning the room quickly, for Lou's sake, he picked up his other bags and exited the room.

The walk down the bright white hallway was weird for both of the boys. Harry knew that he would never see them again, nor the people he met in passing. Louis didn't dare think that far down the line, proclaiming that it'd be better to be happy with what he had in the present, rather than what could possibly be in the future.

Harry said a tearful goodbye to Janice at the front desk, and signed himself out, permanently.

"Are you ready, Hazza?" Louis asked, steering the Cheshire boy towards his car. He grabbed the luggage that Harry was holding and put it in the trunk, then added what he had carried.

Harry took one last look around at North  Memorial Depression and Addiction Rehabilitation Centre and smiled inwardly. Goodbye now, he thought, reminiscing about the time he had spent there, I hope I'll never be back, but it was fun while it lasted.

"Haz?" Lou asked again, his voice strained this time, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine." It had taken a moment for Harry to snap out of his revere.

"Are you ready?" The Doncaster lad questioned, pulling the passenger side door open for him.

"Yeah. I'm ready to go home. Let's go see the boys." Louis stared at Harry for a few moments, absolutely stunned by the beauty of his smile.

"Okay." He replied, turning the key in the ignition and pulling out of the parking lot.