Fooled (Larry Stylinson) ✅

30. Apologies

Louis' Point of View 

My eyes flitted open to the sensation of warm sunbeams coming through the blinds. My head pounding violently, I reached for my phone, intending to look up what time it was. That's when I realized I wasn't on my couch -- I wasn't even in my own house. 

I was in Harry's.

Memories of last night flooded in and out of my mind, similar to the tiny rays of light that were sprinkling through the window. Doctor's office. Me leaving. Smoking. Zayn's voicemail. Harry. I had hurt Harry. Throwing up. Passing out. Drinking. Lots and lots. The train. Brooklyn. Harry's apartment. Kevin -- no, Chris. Then Harry. And then what? 

My memory began to get foggy as I tried to remember what happened between Harry and I. Nothing intimate, that was for sure. We mostly talked, but what did we talk about? I wrinkled my nose and racked my brain for details. 

 I had apologized. Of course I had apologized. I told him I hoped we could forgive each other, that we had both fucked up. And I hugged him. I hugged him and he asked me inside. And we ate pizza and he carried me on his back and jumped around like the horse Johnson I had ridden when I was a kid. 

My heart started to flutter as I thought of those interactions. Though the exact details were still shaky, the concepts were pure in my mind and I just knew that Harry and I had the time of our lives. Or at least I did. 

But I had been drunk. I had been drunk and carefree and I was hardly thinking -- fuck, I had even eaten pizza guilt free for God's sake. I wasn't sure if I could do that now for Harry, if I could be that happy, loving Lou that he had just met a few hours ago. 

Honestly, I was scared. 

I sat up, trying not to make any noise as I felt around on the couch for my phone. Maybe it was better if I just left and went home. Harry had probably just felt bad for me last night, he was probably just humoring me. He probably didn't feel the same way. I was just stupid. I was always stupid when it came to guys. Always, always. 

After a few minutes, I realized my phone clearly wasn't on the couch, so I decided to use the bathroom and go back to sleep until Harry woke up and could help me find it. But as I walked down the corridor, Harry appeared in the doorway of his bedroom, his curls messy and his eyes heavy with sleep. He was wearing the same pajama bottoms as yesterday, but this time he had no T-shirt on. His torso was lean and long -- gorgeous. 

"Hey, Lou," he said, smiling down at me as I approached him. His bright green eyes looked sort of blue in the dull sunlight. "How'd you sleep?"

"I, um, good," I said, trying to force a smile. It just didn't feel right. 

"I figured you'd be up early since you went to bed so early last night. Can I get you anything?" he asked, walking out into the corridor and switching on the lights. I watched his hips sway in his flannel pants and resisted the urge to grab his waist and cuddle up onto his chest. 

"Yeah... I. Harry can we talk?" I asked. The awkwardness was killing me -- Harry was acting like everything was fine. Like I hadn't waltzed in here drunk and unannounced last night. But I couldn't have felt guiltier... 

"Sure, Lou. Can I get you anything? Tea? Water?" he asked as he headed towards the kitchen. "I'm making tea for myself, by the way." I nodded. "Sure, I'll have tea, thanks," I said, taking a seat back on the couch in the neighboring room. I could see Harry through the doorway, bustling around with the teapot. 

Not too long afterwards, he followed me into the living room with two cups of English breakfast tea. His mug had a picture of a cartoon hippo on it that said Madagascar and mine had a photo of a purple unicorn on it with a bright blue background. They were odd mugs, but they were special, charismatic.