In Front of Them (L.S.)

Chapter 30

Cameras flashed from every angle as four-fifths of One Direction entered Bienvenue, Magnifique, a new restaurant-bar-club type place. Louis wasn't very sure which one it was, but all and all it was very nice. He was still in a sour mood and hadn't heard from Harry since he left this afternoon. He wasn't mad at him though, more so mad at himself.

Louis had never wanted to make Harry feel like he had regretted telling the world. He knew Harry didn't blame him and in all honesty, he couldn't explain why he'd said the things he'd said. But before he could run after his boyfriend to apologize, he was pushed back down in his chair, and had looked up to see Collin.

Every part of himself was ready to pick up the fight Garrett had coward away from if Collin was about to be a new struggle, but he was surprised when the young man stated, "Give him time. He'll come around. But I can't have half my band missing from my first outing, so please just finish getting ready."

The main room was dark when they'd finally gotten inside. The flashing ceased the second the door closed. This was unlike any opening they'd been to. It was invite-only, the most famous celebrities they'd seen all in one place enjoyed drinks and each other's company all around them. The week before they'd even been given paperwork, NDAs of sorts, stating that while they may take photos inside the facility, direct consent must be given, only photos of themselves with other guests may be taken, and absolutely no video.

The walls were lined with red linen paired with dark ceilings. The floor was golden, dimly lit by fairy lights, and the lit wall behind the bar.

The boys were ushered to a table set for five, and Louis felt his mood shift from annoyance to sadness. He could see the headlines now: "One Direction Split?" "Harry Styles Missing After Bad Mood At Concert" "Trouble in Paradise? Larry Stylinson Over?"

The oldest of the band sat in his seat, the chairs set in a half-circle facing the small stage at the opposite end of the room as the show started.

Act after act took to the small lit platform and performed for the crowd. It's like the fanciest karaoke bar Louis' ever been to. For the fourth time, he turned to Collin at the table adjacent to them.

"Okay, it's been two hours, I think we can go."

Collin looked to his watch once more before shaking his head again. "There's only a few more performances. Just stick it out. Who knows, you might see something you like." Louis couldn't stop the rolling of his eyes before Collin sent him a wink.

It's not that the people are bad at what they're doing. They're all very talented, in fact, some of them Louis would love to hear again. But he's been in London for a total of fifteen hours, half of that without Harry, and he's still yet to go home.

Three more songs and Louis wanted to run. Two more and he's grabbed his coat. One more and everything stopped as his boyfriend took the stage. He felt his jacket fall from his hand as Collin chuckled next to him.

Harry looked amazing.

He wasn't wearing the black suit that he'd taken with him from the studio early today. No, this suit was bright. Red. Flowers covering the whole ensemble with light green stems. A black shirt tucked in under the suit jacket. And his long hair was flowing perfectly down his shoulders and back as Louis stood in awe. Ever part of Harry's appearance screamed confident, but his words came out nervously as he spoke.

"This is, um," Louis sank back down in his chair. They'd only been apart for a few hours but it felt like the first time he'd ever seen him.

"This is called Strawberries and Cigarettes."

(A/N: this song is by Troye Sivan but I thought it fit nicely, so you can listen to it along with Harry if you'd like)

Louis' heart picked up the pace. He'd listened to all of Harry's music, known his entire playlist since he was seventeen years old, but he'd never heard this one.