Once in a Lifetime

Thirty-Three.

By the time July came around, the boys were in full-on summer mode. They were spending countless days eating ice cream on the beach and a staggering number of nights sipping cocktails in the garden, endless smiles following them wherever they went. They had all been putting off what to do now that they had finished education, each of them knowing that things were bound to change, but none of them having the courage to bring it up. The day Louis opened the letter to say their contract was up at the end of August, meaning they had less than two months to sort themselves out, he had shut himself in Zayn's room and cried his problems away. He didn't want to leave the house that kept some of his favourite memories of Zayn, he didn't want to admit that Niall could easily move back to Ireland, he didn't want to think about Liam applying for jobs in London, and he couldn't bear the thought of Harry leaving him. He had always known that relationships that started during university rarely worked out, but he really wanted his to be part of that minority. Harry had become such a huge part of his life, someone that he had come to adore over the months they'd been together, but the idea that they'd go their separate ways soon was beginning to creep slowly into his mind, tarnishing the future he had dreamed in his head.

"Don't forget I've got my flight tomorrow, Lou, are you still alright to get me to the airport?" Niall asked a few days later when they were having a barbeque in the garden, the sun just beginning to disappear over the horizon.

"Yeah, that's fine, I'll drop you off on my way home."

"What time are you leaving?" Harry asked, his feet propped up on the outside table.

"I have to be at the airport for midday, so probably like 11.30am to be on the safe side?" Niall replied, looking to Louis for confirmation. He just nodded, taking another bite from his cheeseburger.

"Okay, do you want me to stay tonight, or should I go home?" Harry asked Louis, the latter just shrugging in response. Louis had been having some issues the last couple of days. You see, he'd never really been a relationship type of person before, always running away before things got too serious and he had to properly commit. But, with Harry, things were different. He wanted everything with him, even though they'd only been together less than half a year, and the thought that that may not be possible was eating him up inside. That's why he had decided to go home for a while, back to Doncaster to spend time with his family and get his head around Harry not being by his side all the time. He had to learn to function alone, because that is what he was going to be come September. "Okay, well, we'll just see how late it gets and, um, go from there?" Harry tried again, sighing when he hardly got a response from Louis. Louis knew he was being rude, that Harry didn't deserve to be treated like this, but he still wanted to protect the heart that Harry had begun to mend. Liam and Harry were both staying in Manchester, Liam was working a summer job in a café and Harry had to sort out things with his flat. He had been talking a lot lately about how his lease was running out and how he needed to find somewhere else to live as well as apply for jobs. Apparently, according to Liam, he didn't know whether he would be staying in Manchester or going somewhere else which only added to Louis' anxiety.

By the time it got properly dark, and Niall had already gone upstairs to finish his packing, Liam said goodnight to Harry and Louis, leaving them to clean up as he went to have a quick shower and go to bed. Louis picked up the plates on the table, carrying them into the kitchen and dumping them into the boiling water Harry had filled the sink with.

"You can go if you want," Louis said, grabbing a tea towel to dry up with.

"It's fine, I, um, do you want me to go?"

"I just want you to do whatever you want," Louis answered, placing the plastic plate in the cupboard above him.

"Seriously, Lou, are you alright? You seem really quiet recently and I'm, um, a little worried," Harry asked, glancing at Louis as he continued to scrub the ketchup off Niall's plate.