Two Hearts In One Home

Reconstruction and working through

A new guy started working with them two weeks later. His name was Niall and he had recently moved to London from Ireland. He was all smiling and friendly. Both Louis and Liam knew how it was to be the new guy in a new city. They were planning on going out to a club on Saturday so they invited him. Niall immediately agreed.

Louis had continued his weekly therapy sessions and they did him good. He didn't feel depressed any longer. Of course he had moments when sadness just washed over him from the thought of Ethan no longer being with him but he wasn't paralyzed with grief. He could go on with his day. It almost felt normal. He had three wonderful years with Ethan that he would forever cherish but he had to go on by himself now. He was alive and he didn't feel as guilty about it as he had done after the accident.

The workweek went by fast. He looked forward to a night out. He was young and alive and he was gonna try to do the best of it. He fixed his fridge and dresses up and took a look in the mirror feeling good about himself. This was going to be a great night out.

Liam and Niall met up with him and they headed to a club downtown. The place was packed. They ordered drinks and found a place to sit. A couple of pints later Louis was a happy drunk. He dragged Liam and Niall to the dancefloor and started to move to the music. His head was buzzing and he felt like he was on top of the world.

A cute guy started to dance with him and he went along with it. He smiled at him and waved his hips to the beat. The guy came closer and grabbed his hips and Louis danced along. He even did a little grinding. He felt carefree. A little innocent, flirty dance with a cute guy was just what he needed. He didn't think twice about putting his arms around the guy's neck, it was just fun dancing. When the guys leaned in to kiss him he let him, because why not? But the kiss was sloppy. The guy used too much tongue. It was nothing like kissing Ethan. Louis froze and stumbled backward. He stared at the guy he just kissed and he panicked.

Louis turned around and rushed towards the toilets. He could feel tears burning behind his eyes. He kissed someone else. His sight was getting dim and he smashed into someone as soon as he entered the bathroom.
"Oops!"

He looked up to apologize just to find those green eyes looking back at him.
"Hi."

His eyes traveled down to Harry's chest and he couldn't control himself. He launched forward and pressed his ear against his chest so he could hear his heart beating. Ethan's heart. He burst out crying. Harry froze but then he sighed and wrapped his arms around him and let him listen to the steady beat of the heart. Louis lost it. Deep sobs emerged and he clutched Harry's t-shirt in the back while he listened to the only part that was left of Ethan.

Liam and Niall came rushing into the bathroom but they stopped in their tracks when they saw the scene in front of them. Harry held out a hand and shook his head so they backed out to give them some privacy.

People passed them, giving Louis an odd look but he didn't notice. He just hugged Harry tightly, letting him comfort him. He knew that he was crossing a line. Harry was a stranger who just happened to have Ethan's heart. He took a couple of deep, shaky breaths and managed to calm down.
"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Harry replied softly.

Louis took a step back and wiped his face, feeling utterly embarrassed.
"No, it's not. Thanks for...I'm gonna get out of your way. Again, I'm sorry."

"Do you need to talk? We can go somewhere. I'm a great listener." Harry smiled.

"My mess isn't your problem, Harry." Louis replied.

Harry scratched the back of his neck, rubbing his palm over the spot.
"I guess."

"So, ehm, I'm gonna go. Bye." Louis said awkwardly and hurried out of there. He heard Harry saying goodbye to him.

Niall and Liam were waiting for him outside the door.
"Are you okay?" Liam immediately asked.

"I don't know. I'm sorry guys but I want to go home. You can stay." Louis said.

"What? No, we'll go with you." Niall immediately replied.

"I just wanna be by myself." Louis sighed.

"We're gonna crash on your couch. If you need company you can join us in the living room but if you wanna be by yourself you can close the door to the bedroom, knowing that we're just outside that door. You shouldn't be alone, Louis. You're not alone." Liam said.

Louis blinked away some tears that welled up.
"You two are wonderful. Alright, come on."

The door to the bathroom opened and Harry stepped out. He locked eyes with him and gave him a nod as he walked by.
"What about him? Wanna invite him over as well? You seem close." Niall said.

"What? No, that was...we don't know each other." Louis protested.

"Really?" Niall wondered, looking skeptical.

"Leave it." Liam muttered.

Niall seemed curious but he didn't push it. They went to get their coats and shared a taxi to Louis's flat. He went to get some pillows and blankets as soon as they stepped inside the apartment and laud them on the sofa.
"I'm hungry. Do you have something to eat?" Niall asked.

"Ehm, sandwiches?" Louis suggested with a sheepish smile.

Niall shrugged his shoulders so they went to the kitchen to prepare a midnight snack. Louis made some tea while Liam and Niall made sandwiches. They brought it to the living room. Louis hesitated but decided to join them. Liam turned on the tv and flipped through the channels and stopped when Rocky 4 came on. They watched the movie, munching on sandwiches while they were talking and laughing. Louis forgot all about the bad, sloppy kiss and his involuntarily cuddle with Harry Styles.