the royal family of the music industry

18. the lakes

Harry Styles, 2017

More than four hours later, after they had showered (which took longer than expected) Harry and Louis remember what they had told Niall and rush downstairs into the dining room.

It's quite warm with many candles lit on candlesticks creating a majestic yellow tint in the room.
Loud laughter echoes from the stone walls since everyone is a bit drunk from a long (probably wine-containing) meal and Louis and Harry manage to enter the room unseen and run towards the two free seats.

As they sit down, Zayn looks at them, before glancing at the watch on his wrist.

"Four and a half hours." He states.
"That's a fucking long time."

"You mean that's
a long time fucking." Niall corrects him and laughs at his own joke way louder than he should.

Before Louis can sass back, Taylor speaks up. "Looks like Larry finally decided to join us. This is our newest member, our first princess," She points to the person next to her. "Billie Eilish."

Harry smiles at Billie, who just stares at him and Louis, mouth agape, slowly forming into a shocked smile, bringing her ring-clad hand up to cover her mouth. A squeal escapes her lips as she continues looking between the two back and forth.

"So it's really been real all along?" She says eventually and before Harry or Louis can answer, Niall slams his fork down next to his plate.

"HELL YES IT WAS. LARRY IS THE REASON I STILL BELIEVE IN
LOVE." He yells and Taylor pats him on his back comfortingly, nodding while Zayn is still laughing at the two for taking so long to come downstairs.

"Literally four hours. How many rounds were that?" He asks incredulously.

"That." Harry warns. "Is none of your business."

Zayn bites his lip and nods, looking at Louis.

Louis turns his head and looks at Harry, Harry shakes his head no and Louis turns back around.

Him and Zayn just look at each other.

"Six." Louis says eventually and Harry groans.

"That is not true." Harry defends both of them. "He's lying. Honestly, he could never do six."

Louis turns is head to him, expression full of offence. "Sorry darling, but I believe no one could, actually."

Zayn bursts out laughing and Liam just gives up, covering his face with his hands while Niall seems to have an interesting conversation with Billie, Rihanna and Mick, who tells them old stories about the times where him, David and Freddie annoyed Michael.

Apparently, they always stole his crown or spray painted his throne and one time, they set his gown on fire.

"David kept his old yearbook from his last year at high school. Every time someone from his year died and he heard of it, he crossed their picture out with a red marker and wrote deceased next to it. Said he was in his own weird version of the hunger games." Mick says laughing and raising his bottle of beer, making a toast for David.

Zayn leans over to Harry and Louis.
"Remember when Liam said in an interview that you're like brothers? And Lou's facial expression was like: wait I eat his ass, though."

Louis bursts out laughing and Liam bites his lip, the other around the table don't seem to have heard what Zayn had said.

"He does, though." Harry smirks and Zayn laughs even harder, while Louis leans over to Harry and takes his hand in his own, pressing a kiss to his lips.