Once in a Lifetime

Twenty-Four.

After a couple weeks of lectures, football training, gym sessions, dates and sleepovers, Louis found himself shuffling around the kitchen trying to make something nice for the sleeping birthday boy in his bed. Today was the day Harry turned 21, a day that Louis was determined to celebrate in the right way. Fortunately for them, it landed on a Saturday, so nobody had to rush off to classes or get bogged down with work.

"Lou, do you need a hand?" Liam asked, yawning as he entered the kitchen. Louis nodded eagerly, telling Liam that he wanted something special for Harry to show him how grateful he was for everything. Together, they made a breakfast fit for a prince, and as Liam set the table, Louis went to wake his sleeping beauty.

"Babe, wake up," he whispered, gently stroking Harry's chaotic curls away from his face as he stirred slightly.

"I'm so tired," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he blinked blearily into the light.

"That's what you get for wanting to stay out after Niall's gig," Louis laughed, earning a pout from Harry. "You're so cute when you look like that."

"I'm not cute," he mumbled, doing nothing but backing up Louis' statement. Slowly, Louis leant forward, his lips brushing against Harry's soft cheek.

"Happy birthday, Haz," Louis whispered, sending a shiver down Harry's spine. As he pulled himself out of bed, throwing on some comfy clothes and running a hand through his hair, he followed Louis down the stairs.

"Happy birthday!" Niall and Liam chorused, opening their arms for Harry to walk in to. They all sat around the table, tucking into the delicious pancakes, waffles, sausages, bacon and toast that Liam and Louis had prepared. The conversation flowed easily between the four of them, each of them laughing and smiling at Niall's lack of table manners, Liam's fatherly scolding, Harry's corny jokes, and Louis' funny faces. When Harry told his favourite knock, knock joke about a hula hoop, he looked across the table to see Louis' reaction. He was laughing, his eyes crinkling at the edges so that the blue had almost disappeared, and his lips curved upwards into the most beautiful smile. Harry almost forgot to breathe. He and Louis had been dating for about a month, and Harry could tell he was falling for the boy, but he was too nervous to take their relationship further. He was worried that everything was moving too fast for Louis, maybe he was just a distraction from his grief? Maybe he didn't feel the same way about Harry, as Harry felt about him? He shook his head, shaking the thoughts away as he joined in with the new conversation. He just had to trust that everything would be alright.

After a lazy morning of TV and cuddles on the sofa, Louis dragged Harry out of the house for some fresh air. They walked hand in hand towards the city centre, the February chill causing their cheeks to become all rosy. They walked in and out of the shops, both boys trying on clothes that the other picked for them. When they'd finally had enough of the silliness, they stopped off at a local café to warm up.

"Hello, could I get a hot chocolate and a cup of tea, please," Louis ordered, paying for both their drinks and standing off to the side to wait for them. They talked between themselves until the barista called their names, Louis stepping up to sprinkle one sachet of sugar into Harry's tea.

"It's still sweet that you, um, remember how I like my tea," Harry smiled, sipping his drink as they made their way home.

"How could I forget? It's still your name on my phone," Louis laughed, wincing when the heat of his drink burnt his tongue. Harry looked at him confusedly. "Don't worry, just stupidly burnt my tongue."

"Do you want me to, uh, make it better?" Harry asked, stopping his walk so that he could see Louis properly.

"And how do you plan to do that?" Louis asked, swallowing nervously as Harry closed the gap between them. They were in the almost empty street now, just a few minutes away from the house. Harry smirked, his usual anxious persona slipping away as he gazed into Louis' deep blue eyes.