Young & Beautiful

etween two fingers.
And fuck.
Instantly, Harry’s eyes widen, and before Louis can say or speak or think, Harry pops up off the
ground like a daisy, a wobbly smile plastering his lips.
“You’ve come early!” he remarks, voice only slightly off. “The dinner isn’t for another couple of
hours.”
Louis stares at him from the ground, heart still thumping.
“We got a bit bored, to be honest,” Liam says, wrapping his hands around Zayn’s arm, pulling
him close. “Decided to help you prepare and whatnot. If you need us, that is.”
There’s a brief pause, one where Louis only hears his pulse in his ears, and he can feel Harry
thinking, can see the wheels turning behind his eyes, the brief clenching of his fist. And then it’s
gone.
“Of course,” Harry smiles, opening his arms in welcome. Sweat beads on his brow. “Come in,
boys, come in. Beverage?”
It’s all bizarre, totally at odds with what was just happening, and Louis is still positively reeling
from everything—Harry’s mum? Is maybe alive?—but he pushes it away, pushes everything
away as much as he can as he stands up as well.
Liam and Zayn immediately look to him, surprise alighting their faces.
“Louis!” Liam says happily, excited. “I didn’t know you were here! Are you helping Harry as
well?”
But Zayn’s eyes cut through him, reading every thought he possesses, before slicing over to
Harry.
“Er, Li? Maybe we should go. Come back a bit later,” Zayn says coolly, but his eyes are
processing, absorbing.
“What? Why?” Liam asks, brow furrowing. “I want to stay.”
“Darling—“
“Please, can we stay?” Liam begs, full on pouting, and Louis can only stare and watch, standing
beside Harry who is just barely swaying on the spot, the heat from his body assaulting Louis.
All he wants to do is hold him, keep his pieces together. Kiss his tears and massage his thoughts
and let him speak, let him release. (When did he become such an incredible sap?) But now Liam
and Zayn are here and it doesn’t look like they’re going anywhere, Zayn failing abysmally in his
attempts to resist Liam’s wide, pleading eyes.
“Well, all right,” Zayn relents, casting a glance in Harry’s direction. “But only if we’re honestly
not…in the way.”
Liam turns his wide eyes to Louis and Harry.
Another brief pause.
“Oh no, not at all,” Harry smiles.