Teach Me (Larry Stylinson)

Epilogue

Year one away from each other, as anticipated, was the worst. Harry would argue, if he could, that he had it way worse than Louis.

Louis got to be in a new place, he didn't have to go around and see all the places they'd gone to or could've gone to. Harry was stuck with his empty house and empty heart and he had to see the day when a family moved into Louis' old house. He had to listen to Bruce sit by the front door and whine, waiting for someone who wasn't ever gonna come in.

He had to find Louis' missing socks in his laundry or stuffed in his couch, had to see his favorite cereal stored in the pantry.

He had to look at the right side of his bed and know that there would be no more cuddling or soft kisses, he had to tell Belle and Rosa that Louis was going away and he had to harbor the pain by himself when Rosa passed away later that year.

Everything reminded him of Louis, his toothbrush remained in his bathroom and a small, stupid part of Harry thought that maybe he'd come back for it.

Harry knew in his heart though, that Louis would buy another, a replacement, Louis was out there looking for a replacement for everything and Harry had to stay here with all of the old and worn things, the things that made his heart hurt and throat close up.

Harry cried when ants got into Louis' cereal and when Bruce had torn up the toy Louis had bought him, he cried when he stopped finding Louis' socks around the house and he cried when Netflix removed Grease, he cried when he woke up in the middle of the night, reached out for his boy and there was nothing, but more cold sheets.

There was no more laughter in his house, no singing along to Disney or movie nights or ice cream sundaes. No more of the snacks or cookies that had once filled Harry's kitchen, Louis always bought them and when they ran out Harry didn't have the heart to go and buy more.

There was no more sex, no more cuddling, no more, staring into each other's eyes, no more talking about nothing and everything, there was seemingly no more happy, no more sun, no more Louis. There just simply was, no more.

*

Louis remembered the heartbreak of his first day without Harry, when he knew it was real, that he was going away and that Harry wasn't coming to the airport to say goodbye.

He remembers standing there with shaking hands, his teeth biting into his cheek to keep from crying as he over heard Liam calling Harry continuously because Louis had thirty minutes before he had to get on a plane and there was still time.

But Harry didn't come. It wasn't like a movie with a happy ending where right before he boarded the plane, Harry shouted his name and they turned and ran to each other and all was well because Harry promised that he'd be here waiting for him when he came back.

It wasn't like that at all, it was hard and ugly, Louis hugged Liam and Niall and they told him that they were sorry it had ended this way and that they were sure Harry had meant to come. Louis knew he didn't, he'd known since he'd woken up and the first unanswered call from Liam, just confirmed that Harry wasn't going to come.

Even Eleanor had come to see him off and when she realized that Harry wasn't coming, she'd just squeezed him tightly and kissed his cheek, saying quietly that she was sorry, since Louis had been so certain he was the one.

Zayn didn't show up, but that was okay because he'd been with Louis the night before, holding him when he cried because Harry hadn't talked to him and he was beginning to think he wasn't going to say goodbye.

Louis said goodbye, to his only friends, and the second he got on the plane he burst into tears, settling in his seat with a hand over his mouth and another on his stomach.