Pandemic Lovers

Chapter 1

Trigger Warnings: Death tolls mentioned (based on official stats from the CDC website)

"Coronavirus has taken the world by storm with over 198,778,175 cases worldwide and 4,235,559 deaths. The UK government has required everyone to lockdown, only allowing people to leave for necessary items. Other countries are following suit."

The tv rang out in the background, delivering news that seemed to be true only in movies. This is like a horror movie, or one of those movies The Rock would star in. Harry watched the screen, listening intentionally for any sliver of good news that could come from the news, he didn't find any. Charts and graphs filled the screen as "Covid-19 shuts the world down" scrolls repeatedly at the bottom of the telly. He grumbled and opted for turning on Netflix instead, sure to find something more entertaining and less worrying to look at. Scrolling through page after page he settled on The Office, the dry comedy was funny to him and kept his mind off the chaos ensuing on the outside of his apartment.

His phone rang pulling Harry's attention away from Dwight ranting about how Jim put his stuff in Jello again. It was his manager, surely this wasn't good news as he rarely ever called Harry. He sighed reluctantly as he pressed the green answer button, knowing that this call was going to be a dreadful one. It was.

The call lasted an hour, his manager coming out with bad news after bad news, almost as if he was the news. Harry was stressed and had an uneasy feeling in his stomach, one he got when he was unsure what the future would hold. His tour was postponed and fans weren't happy. Having spent months waiting for him to arrive on the stage and bless them with his presence, they'd have to wait longer now. His acting career was also placed on hold, as he had no way of returning to the States to resume filming with the country being on lock down. The no income didn't worry Harry, the safety of his friends, family and crew did though. As well as how heartbroken his fans must be knowing they'd have to await his arrival. He didn't enjoy social media and opted for the social media managers to send out a pre-typed tweet on his behalf, he typed it up in his notes app and sent it as a screenshot to his manager to distribute.

He didn't know what he was going to do for an uncertain amount of time locked away in his apartment, but he knew he didn't have much to complain about. He was well taken care of and had the means to safely survive however long he needed to, but he knew others didn't have this luxury. He immediately took to the internet to find charities he could donate to or other helpful things he could do, since he couldn't leave his house. This occupied him for a few hours before he settled on a few different ones and sent confirmation with his manager on how much to donate and if they were trust worthy. Once he was well informed he donated a mass amount of money, hoping to help someone who needed it.

After all was said and done, and 2 seasons of The Office were completed, Harry sighed. Unable to figure out what he would do next. His phone was a few inches from him, so he decided he might as well use it. He scrolled through his messages before stopping and hovering over one text thread. He hadn't talked to them in a while. He had read about their accomplishments and how well they were doing, how happy they seemed. Harry wanted to check in, but couldn't seem to press down and type anything out. He sat like this for awhile. Staring at the glowing screen in the emptiness of his living room. He sighed and worked up the courage to press down on the text thread. March 23, 2019 the last text was sent but never read or answered. He shook this off, not wanting to create even more doubt in his mind on why this was a bad idea.

Text To: Louis T.
20/03/20 - 1:13am

Hey, Mate! Hope all is well, sorry I haven't texted in almost a year. Time is a construct I haven't figured out yet. It's been rough. I hope you're doing well and that you're healthy during this uncertain time. Hope to hear back from you. Xx - H.

His thumb hovered over the send button. Was this too forward? Too in depth? Should he have just sent a simple "Hey!" and waited upon the text back? He wasn't sure, he clicked send anyways after a few moments of arguing with himself.

He sent out a few more texts, simple ones. Not nearly as deep as the one he sent to Louis. For some reason they had fallen out of touch and rarely talked unless it was necessary to do so or they'd seen each other in public. He knew why, he knew things ended messy and that they both decided it'd be best to part ways. He wasn't sure about his sexuality and Louis wasn't sure about his either. That was something they both felt, at the time, was something they needed to figure out alone. It hurt alot, stung even, when he woke up and Louis wasn't the first notification on his phone. It had gotten easier as his schedule filled up, but still stung on the nights that Harry was left alone with his phone and thoughts. His photos full of their memories together, but he had nobody to look at them with. He hoped for an escape.

He placed his phone on the charger before he headed to get ready for bed. Deciding not to stress over it any longer, as it would drive him insane if he did. He took a shower, did his skin care, and his heart lept and sped up as he heard the ding from his phone.

From: Louis T.
20/03/20 - 2:21am

Hey, Harry. Sorry I haven't reached out, things have been rough. I meant to text you last year more often, but figured you'd want the space. I'm doing well, healthy as ever. Hope you're well as well and taking this time to relax from your busy schedule. Hope to hear back from you too, though this isn't a letter. - L.

He re-read the text. Unsure of why he was so nervous about what it would've said. He knew he didn't have his read receipts on and decided it'd be weird to message back straight away. Instead, he opted for sleeping and he'd return the text in the morning. For once as his curly hair hit the pillow and his brown eyes closed, he fell asleep with a smile. Sure to dream of the boy he had loved before but didn't know what love was.