Burn to ash

Chapter 17

It's funny; when Louis was put into a boy band almost ten years ago, he certainly didn't think he'd be spending quite so much time in quite so many meetings.

But if he's learned one thing about the music industry, it's that they love meetings just as much as about anybody else.

It helps that Bernard's not in charge of this particular meeting. He's here-most likely because he knows his presence will piss Louis off more than anything else-but he's not running it.

Liam is.

Louis already knows what Liam wants to discuss. Liam's already told him, even though he hasn't told anybody else. Louis wonders if he'd told Liam to forget it, if this meeting would be happening at all. Truthfully, he isn't even sure why he didn't just tell Liam to fuck off and forget the whole thing. He could have and it's possible Liam would have. Because as good as this might be for the five of them professionally, Liam is something beyond loyal and something way beyond considerate.

Louis wonders if Liam even showed him the emails because Liam was secretly hoping he'd kill the entire idea before it even began. The Louis of six months ago certainly would have. He would have growled sourly, gone back to his lonely, sad little cave and wrapped up in his own self-pity.

He might peek into the cave once in awhile still-usually when Harry's passively-aggressively pressuring Louis to forgive him so they can finally have sex again-but Louis doesn't want to go back there. That part of his life is done.

He's still not entirely certain what lies ahead.

In the end, that's why this meeting is happening.

"Got a few emails from management," Liam says thoughtfully, as if he himself isn't certain what to think of them. "Sales figures and such from the single. It's selling really well. Even getting some strong radio play."

Louis is curious if the real reason why is the raging inferno of gossip about him and Harry and the status of their relationship, but he doesn't say anything. Sales are sales, radio plays are radio plays. Even if people bought their music for the wrong reason, they've still bought it. He's not going to complain.

"Probably because they're convinced there's some kind of magic secret decoder ring in the song, like if you play it backwards, Louis tells the world how much he wants to shag. . ."

"Thank you, Nialler," Louis spits out before Niall can get to the inevitable end of that sentence. Like the world needs to be more aware of just how desperately he wants to shag his ex-boyfriend. He glances over at Harry, wondering if he should even be embarrassed that Haz has heard this entire exchange, but Harry's expression is one big dimpled grin. He looks entirely pleased with himself. It definitely won't help anything, but Louis really, really wants to kiss him.

He's tried to keep the kissing mainly to a minimum-limiting kissing to the kinds of opportunities that might lead to something more and ultimately might help convince Harry that Louis' forgivingness just isn't necessary. But so far, Louis has frustratingly struck out on that front. Harry will definitely let Louis kiss him, but only to a point. He'll let him touch him, but only to a point. He'll be all melting and sweet and docile until Louis goes for his dick and then that fucking annoying spine of steel is back again.

Louis is proud and all of how much self-control Harry's found, but Louis also wants to get laid almost as much as he wants to breathe at this point.

"Yes, I think we're all pretty aware," Liam adds in with a bit of a snarky look in Louis' direction. "And that might be why they're buying, but since they are buying, management's become interested in what else they might buy."