Freedom

16

Harry took a cab home as soon as he landed in L. A and had his bags. He paid the cab driver a fair amount and rushed inside. He dropped his bags at the door and grabbed his old cellphone that he left behind. It was out of power and he rushed to his bedroom to find the charger. He plugged it in and waited impatiently for the phone to reach 5 percent so he could turn it on. The phone was flooded with text messages and missed calls. Most of them were from his management. He took a deep breath and hit the recall button.
"Where the hell have you been?"

"Hi, Jeffrey. I've been in England." Harry answered calmly.

"You fell off the face of the earth for three months!" Jeffrey growled.

"Yeah, that was kind of the point. I'm back now as we agreed." Harry replied.

"My office, now." Jeffrey said and hung up.

Harry sighed and rubbed his neck. He was in so much trouble but it had been worth it. The thought of Louis made him smile. He sent him a quick text on his way out the door from his English phone, explaining the circumstances, and promised to call as soon as he got home again. Louis replied within seconds with a heart emoji. Harry counted the time difference in his head. It was 8 p.m. in London.

He drove himself and walked right in. Jeffrey was sitting behind his desk.
"How graceful of you to honor us with your presence Mr. Styles." he said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry Jeffrey. I needed a break, a real one." Harry sighed and sat down.

"And now you had one. Just tell me that you used it well. How many songs did you write?" Jeffrey asked, sounding really pissed off.

"Six so far." Harry answered truthfully.

"Only six?" Jeffrey questioned.

"Six really good ones." Harry answered with a smile.

"You'll have to go into the studio first thing tomorrow and start working with your crew." Jeffrey stated firmly.

Harry shifted uncomfortably in the chair.
"About that, I was thinking, I want to write and record the album in London."

Jeffrey stared him down.
"Absolutely not!"

"Please, I'm begging you, Jeffrey! I miss England. I want to go home for a while." Harry asked, close to tears.

"You just spent three months there, you'll survive. You're staying here." Jeffrey said dismissively.

"No! Why does it matter where I stay as long as I do my job?" Harry protested.

"Exactly. So you're staying here, I want to have you under close watch. That's the end of this discussion. I expect to see you in the studio first thing in the morning." Jeffrey said dismissively and waved him off.

"Please Jeffrey, just consider it. If I'm happy I write better songs." Harry sighed and stood up.

Jeffrey ignored him and continued to go through some papers on his desk. Harry walked out. That had been a disaster. What was he supposed to do now? He walked out to his car and drove home. He managed to keep the tears away. He parked his car and walked inside. He sat down in his living room and stared at his phone for a while before he called Louis. He answered right away.
"Hi, baby!"

The sound of Louis's voice made him burst into tears right away.
"Don't cry, love. What happened?" Louis asked concerned.

Harry took a deep breath in an effort to calm down.
"Jeffrey is a fucking dickhead! He won't allow me to record my album in London."

"Oh." Louis was at loss for words.

"Please don't give up on me Lou. I love you! I'll make it work. I'll fly to London every chance I get. I'll talk to Jeffrey again when he has calmed down." Harry sounded absolutely miserable.

"We'll figure it out, Harry. I love you too." Louis said softly.

They talked for a while longer until Louis really needed to get some sleep. He was going back to work the next day. Harry ended the call with a heavy heart.

In the weeks that followed, they stayed in touch daily. Harry was really busy in the studio and his management forced him out on dates again to keep up his image. He spent most of them texting Louis.

Harry managed to get the weekend off on their third week apart and he jumped on a plane first thing on Friday morning. He knocked at Louis's apartment door later that night. Louis opened with a breathtaking smile and they crashed their lips together. Later that night after some mind-blowing sex Harry fell asleep in Louis's arms. This was where he belonged.

They spent Saturday cuddled up in bed and on Sunday morning Harry flew back to the States after a tear-wrenched goodbye.

Three months past and Harry only managed to fly to London three more times for a day together each time. It was killing him but most important, it was killing Louis. He was just a shadow of himself. He had lost weight and he had bags under his eyes like he wasn't getting any sleep. Harry knew he had to let him go but he couldn't do it tonight. He just came to Louis flat and he had missed him so much. He just wanted to kiss him one last time. Make love to him one last time. Fall asleep in his arms one last time. Because after tonight nothing would ever come to any good. So that was what he did and he tried to savor each moment.

They woke up the next morning and Harry cooked them breakfast. He was stalling. He didn't want to do this but he knew that he had to, for Louis. He would be happier and healthier without him. He made pancakes and Louis's face lit up in a smile. Harry swallowed down the lump in his throat. He couldn't cry yet. As soon as they had finished eating he embraced himself.
"Lou, we need to talk."