Young & Beautiful

Harry seems to catch them, his eyes finally blinking as he turns his head to smile at Louis.
“I’m glad you stayed.”
Louis wants to live in those words, wants to live in the lips that formed them, the smile that
colored them. Feeling watery and gushy and wavy on the edges, he rubs his thumb along Harry’s
arm, unable to stop himself.
“I’m tired,” Harry says, turning back to the window.
Louis hums agreement, unable to look away.
“I want to lie down. Can we lie down?” Harry asks.
We.
The ground feels uneven.
“Of course we can,” Louis says, a little too breathlessly, and Harry smiles again, small.
Harry nods to his bedroom, settling soft eyes on Louis. “I’ll be in in a second. Go ahead,” he says
with that smile before turning away and disappearing into the adjoining room.
Louis’ insides are doing strange things. Somersaults, backflips, the crab walk. Strange, strange
things.
Shakily, he walks to the bedroom, walks to the bed until his knees bump against the edge. He
crawls in, feeling the soft black fabric beneath his hands, before gently lying down, head rested on
the pillow, pulse rickety. He lies there and he breathes, waiting for Harry to come.
He doesn’t know what’s happening. He doesn’t know what’s going to happen.
But suddenly he has the urge again—he has the urge to confess his love, his undying passion, his
feelings that have been fucking him up so steadily ever since he came to this goddamn school.
In that moment he promises himself: tonight’s the night. He’s gonna do it. He’s gonna tell Harry
Styles that he’s in love with him.
It’s also in that moment that Harry bumbles back into the room, quiet and soft, his jacket now off
and his bow tie removed, shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows. He goes to the bed—Louis’ insides
are sparking, maybe catching on fire—and lies down carefully.
But.
But it’s far away from Louis, not even touching him, and he makes no notice of Louis, doesn’t
look his way or reach out or anything, just lays his hands atop his stomach and stares up at the
ceiling silently. He swallows and Louis sees his adam’s apple bob.
“I hadn’t seen my mum since I was sixteen,” Harry says, cutting the silence. He continues to stare
upwards, separate from Louis.
So Louis doesn’t speak. Just listens.
“She’d been around all my life, though. She was my au pair,” he says softly and Louis’ eyes bug.
Because what? What??