Young & Beautiful

Then. At last.
“Tonight,” Harry promises, quiet, eyes locked within Louis’. “I’ll stay tonight.”
Louis feels his chest expand.
Thank god.
It’s enough. It’s not everything…but it’s enough.
He turns to leave as Harry watches him, eyes unblinking, face hard. He watches him, his curls
ruffling in the wind, before he suddenly strides forward before Louis’ hand reaches the door
handle.
“Louis,” he says, quiet and loud at the same time, voice pitched in fear.
Louis turns immediately.
Harry stares at him, eyes scorching him alive.
“I’m sorry,” he says, overwhelmed, frail. “I don’t know—you weren’t there tonight and I wasn’t
sure if it was because—I don’t know if I—I didn’t mean to—“ he cuts off, swallowing, eyes wide.
His hands clench at his sides. “Thank you. For coming tonight. For coming here.”
Fuck.
Louis’ insides soften.
“I always come,” he says, lips twisting in a self-depreciating smile. “For you, at least.” He tries to
sound wry, but he sounds hurt instead. He licks his lips.
“I wasn’t sure if—“ Harry falls silent.
His heart drags. Rejection, rejection, rejection.
“I’m the one who should be sorry,” Louis says. He looks away, anywhere but at Harry. “I
shouldn’t have kissed you.”
In his peripherals, he sees Harry stiffen.
He swallows past it.
“You need a friend,” he says, hollow, keeping his voice level. “And I respect that. I don’t know
what I expected, I just…” And he can’t help it, he looks to Harry, looks into his wide, wide green
eyes and pale, terrified face, his brows that are beginning to pinch, his lips whose fine, red lines
warp into a grimace. “I lost myself. Just, for a moment…” He breathes through his nose.
Now is not the time, Louis. Now is not the time.
But, of course, he ignores his rational thought, instead opting for doing what feels right, because
he’s lost right now and he can’t think properly, he’s spinning out of control.
“I thought… I thought, maybe, if you just knew how I…” He stops, once more unable to look at
Harry, voice weak.
Okay. Maybe he can’t do this after all.