California Sold

Chapter 8

AO3 AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi! Here's another double update. The truth is my chapters get way too long, so I will probably end up splitting the next two updates in two chapters each. There are two (4) chapters left after this, so I expect the correct number of chapters will be max 13, possibly 12, we'll see. :) I'm not entirely happy with the writing in the first part of today's update, but I hope it's not complete shite lol. Enjoy! xx

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When Louis fell in love with Elliott, he could tell something was happening to him. There was something fluttery, bright, and soap bubbly inside him. Each time Elliott would smile there would be rollercoaster swoop in his stomach. Being with him felt right. Everything about Elliott and Louis as combined entities was right. The universe agreed upon it.

Louis doesn't know if that is what everyone feels like being in love, but that is what Louis remembers love being like. There is something similar blossoming inside him when he looks at Harry. It is not quite the same, but it still results in the same brightness he perpetually felt around his ex-boyfriend.

Harry's happiness is a direct transection to Louis'. Every laugh and he feels a little lighter. Giggling like he does now, face close to Liam's where they are situated on the sofa in the dressing room, Louis can't help but smile fondly. He bites his lip not to seem too enthralled by the sparkly aura he has been surrounded by these last few weeks, because after all, staring creepily at your best friend probably isn't socially acceptable.

Harry is in a sky blue buttondown with white dots, his long chocolate hair in pretty ringlets. Julia has finished his makeup for the day's filming of a TV appearance for the upcoming weekend, and most of them are simply relaxing on the couches while they wait to start. The boys are taping a talk show episode with John Hoechlin today, one of many interviews they have done and will be doing throughout August.

The last couple of weeks have been filled with promotion work; TV appearances, radio interviews, paparazzi shootings, etcetera. For Louis there has not been much work to do. Harry has been busy with work, and Louis has mostly been spending his time chilling out with Lottie. They spent a couple days at the beach while Harry was busy, did more shopping, visited Universal, and checked out the classic tourist attractions. Louis tagged along one day when Harry was visiting a sick child through a charity organisation, which was heart-breaking, but watching the way that Harry seemed to light up the little girl's life for the day was worth the sorrow it brought, though it was severely overwhelming.

They celebrated Lottie's nineteenth birthday in quiet. Harry invited over some of the people from the team, and Niall showed up. It was a quiet affair with cake and drinks, along with some swimming in the pool. Lottie posted an Instagram picture of her cake, thanking Louis and Harry for making her birthday the nicest day in Los Angeles so far.

Other than that, Harry has been papped alone and with his band for nearly two weeks now. The team want Harry and Louis separated for the time being, just to tone it down a bit after the almost kiss picture and the hug filmed through Snapchat during the music video shoot. Harry groping Louis' bum had not been caught in the clip, but they had been captured with their arms around one another.

While they are trying to cool it down, they still want them to remain connected, ensuring this through social media. They have been establishing frequent interaction between their separate families, making it clear they are very close over the last weeks. That most of their family members already follow one another almost everywhere on social media helps. Lottie and Gemma have tweeted each other in the past, and doing so now perpetually, sometimes alluding to Louis and Lottie still staying with Harry in Los Angeles, sends the message home quite well. Meanwhile, Louis' mum likes pretty much any and all of Harry's tweets, and even posted a throwback picture of her and him from his teenage years. She takes 'helping Harry' very seriously.