100 Days

10

Harry didn't think that Louis would come back after he had realized what a loser his neighbor is but to his surprise Louis rang his doorbell the next day as well.

They spend the whole Sunday together in Harry's apartment. Louis is like a whirlwind that came into his life just as he was about to end it. But he can always do that tomorrow.

Louis talks and laughs and tells him stories. Harry doesn't say much but Louis doesn't seem to mind. They order pizza together and watch a movie in Harry's living room.

The best thing about Louis is that he doesn't pity him. He doesn't look at him like he feels sorry for him. He looks at him often but he always smiles like he's happy to see him.

Harry knows that Louis can't save him and he won't ask him to but he's gonna enjoy his company until he grows tired of him. His pills aren't going anywhere.  

"It's getting late. I'm gonna go home and catch some sleep but I'll see you tomorrow. I have next week off before I start my new job." Louis says.

He can live another week. 
"You don't have to. You must have better things to do with your life than hang out here." Harry protests.

"I like hanging out with you." Louis answers.

"Oh. Okay." Harry replies. He doesn't understand why. 

Louis gives him a goodbye hug. It feels nice so Harry hugs him back.
"Get some sleep, Harry." Louis says softly before he leaves.

His apartment feels empty when he's alone again but he's happier than he has been in a long time. It's such a strange feeling. He knows that he will feel even worse when Louis has grown sick of him but for now he will cherish every second he gets to spend in his company.

He wakes up early the next morning and hits the shower. He spends half an hour in front of his closet trying to decide what to wear. When his doorbell rings he runs to the hallway and opens the door with a smile. Louis smiles right back at him.
"Hi curly, looking good today."

Harry blushes.
"Thank you. You do too."

Once again Louis stays for the whole day. Harry tries to talk more and every time he says something Louis listens. When it's time for lunch they eat leftover pizza from the day before.
"So I have an idea. Instead of going out on the street, we could go up." Louis says.

"What do you mean?" Harry asks while he takes a bite from the pizza.

"We're gonna go up on the roof." Louis grins.

Then he would have to leave his apartment. Can he do that? Technically he would still be in his building just on top of it. Louis sees his hesitation.
"Hey, it's okay. If it's too much we'll stay here. I just thought that it would be a good start to get you outside. You need some vitamin D, you're so pale."

"I'm not your charity case Louis." Harry mutters.

That makes Louis angry.
"No, you're my fucking friend, okay?"

Harry's heart skips a beat.
"Okay, let's try. I can go up on the roof, I think."

"Great! You're not gonna jump off it, right?" Louis asks and stares at him pensively.

"Of course not." Harry answers with a hollow laugh and Louis doesn't look convinced.

Louis tells him to get a blanket so he goes to his bedroom to get one. Louis follows him behind, chatting but all of a sudden he stops talking and Harry turns around to see what's going on. Louis is looking at the bottle of sleeping pills on his nightstand. Harry hurries over to throw them down in a drawer.
"I have trouble sleeping."

Louis sighs and comes up to him. He cradles his cheeks and caresses them with his thumbs.
"You're a wonderful person Harry and you deserve the world. Don't do anything stupid, okay? Promise me."

"Okay." For now.

Louis gives him a sad smile.
"It breaks my heart when I think about what happened to you. Don't let it break you."

Too late.
"Okay."

Harry grabs a blanket and they walk towards the door. His anxiety levels are sky rocking.
"Wait! I can't!" He gasps.

Louis wraps his arms around him and hugs him without a word. It calms him. Maybe he can do this after all? He reaches out a hand and opens the door. Louis takes his hand and entwined their fingers together. Harry takes a hesitating step outside his apartment. Louis lets him take the lead. The elevator is just a few feet away and Harry steps out. He locks the door behind them before he hurries over to the elevator and pushes the button. Louis hugs him again.
"You're doing great. Close your eyes. Focus on me." He says softly.

Harry takes a deep breath. His nose is nuzzled in the crook of Louis's neck. He smells wonderful and he tries to focus on that even if his mind is screaming for him to get inside his apartment again. The elevator arrives and they step inside without breaking their embrace. Louis is whispering soothing words of encouragement the whole time. Before he knows it they have arrived at the top and Louis leads them to the door to the roof. Harry is walking backward with his eyes closed but he trusts Louis. He won't let anything bad happen to him.

Fresh air hits him and he opens his eyes and looks around. They're out on the roof. He can feel the sun in his face and the wind in his hair. It's a beautiful day outside.  
"Are you okay?" Louis asks.

"Yeah, I think so." Harry answers. He lets go of Louis and takes a step back.

He spreads his arms and leans his head back and starts to spin around and around. He lets out a liberating laugh. Louis watches the scene emotionally. He takes the blanket and spreads it out and Harry comes to lay down. They spend a couple of hours looking up at the clouds while they talk about this and that. Harry feels free.