Young & Beautiful

Excellent. He’s becoming a weeper. Splendid.
He only pulls himself out of his revelry when tiny feet begin padding up to him, pulling Charlotte
away and immediately climbing upon him.
“Louis!” they squeal as one, eyes bright and clear and unbroken.
“Well, hello,” he grins, not quite whole, mussing up pigtails and kissing red, blotchy cheeks that
feel like the skin of peaches. “How are my girls?”
And they all beam at him with endless adoration and missing baby teeth and they’re a mix of pink
and blue and Velcro shoes and it’s all he needs right now, it’s all he wants.
“Good to have you home,” his mum says again as she watches, and, yep, she’s getting emotional
as she stares at the scene, unaware of the kettle steaming behind her insistently, beginning to
screech.
He doesn’t even nod to her that it’s ready, doesn’t impatiently point it out. Just holds her smile and
feels yet another fucking wave of emotion and a gratefulness for his mum that he hasn’t felt in
years as he feels his sisters jab at his ribs to get his attention and, yes.
This is all he wants right now. This is all he wants.
**
When Louis goes to text Niall as he dumps his bag in his room, he notes, with a bitter taste in his
mouth, that Harry hasn’t called, hasn’t texted. Most definitely doesn’t even know he’s left for
home.
Why would he?
He swallows past the gravel that’s begun to coat his throat, begins to tap out a half-hearted
message.
‘Good luck at the Brits tonight. Not gonna b able to make it. Tell u later.’
It’s about eleven seconds before Niall responds.
‘r u fucking serious??! Where r u?? I’ll come get u’
‘home’
‘the fuck Tommo? It’s the most fucking brilliant goddam day in existence tho u cunt!’ And then:
‘whats wrong’
Louis can’t bring himself to answer that right now. So he doesn’t, instead tapping out a ‘Have fun
tonight ireland. Send me pics’ and tossing the phone onto his nightstand before leaving the room,
leaving it all behind as he makes his way back to his family.
**
Stan comes over for dinner.
It’s nice, it’s fun, they all laugh and the girls cling to him at every opportunity they get during
dinner, giggling and standing by his chair, sauce flecking their cheeks. He indulges them—he
always does—and Louis and his mum smile, just watch and laugh occasionally.