If You Only Knew

Chapter 9

The morning light spills softly through the curtains, the room still wrapped in the warmth of night. I stir from my sleep, the quiet murmur of Louis' voice drawing me out of my dreams. "Good morning, Hazza," he whispers, his breath warm against my ear, and I find myself melting into the sound of his voice, letting it pull me closer to wakefulness.

I nuzzle further into his chest, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breathing beneath me. A smile tugs at the corners of my lips, a smile I can't quite hide. "Hi, Lou," I whisper back, my voice still thick with sleep.

Louis runs a hand gently through my hair, his touch so tender, it makes my heart ache. "How are you feeling, love?" he asks, his voice soft but full of concern, like he's searching for any trace of discomfort I might be hiding.

A shiver runs through me, not from the cold, but from the weight of everything I've been holding in. I pull myself a little closer to him, burying my face in his chest as I let out a shaky breath. "I'm scared..." I confess, my voice barely above a whisper, but Louis hears me, of course he does.

"Of what, love?" he asks, his arms tightening around me, pulling me even closer as if to shield me from whatever fears I'm carrying.

I swallow, trying to find the right words, but it's hard to say aloud what's been tangled up in my chest. "That you regret what happened last night," I admit, my voice trembling just slightly. "And that it will change us, that it'll be awkward or... or maybe you'll realize you don't feel the same way and you'll push me away." I look up at him, my eyes searching his, desperate for some reassurance.

Louis' eyes soften, and he leans down, his forehead resting gently against mine. "Oh, love," he murmurs, his voice full of sincerity. "I promise you, I don't regret it at all. I like you. I really do. I think deep down, I've always had feelings for you. I just never understood them, not fully." He pulls me in closer, his arms wrapping around me like a promise, a safety net. "You don't have to worry. I'm not going anywhere."

A warmth spreads through me at his words, and I feel the knot of fear inside me begin to loosen. He likes me. He really likes me. The truth of it settles in my chest, filling me with a kind of quiet joy.

Louis gives me a soft smile, the kind that makes everything feel a little bit brighter. "You know what?" he says, his voice light but serious. "Get up, get dressed. I'm taking you out for breakfast, and we'll talk everything through. We can take our time, Haz."

I can't help the grin that spreads across my face. "Yeah, okay, that sounds great, Lou."

Louis chuckles, brushing a strand of hair from my face. "But first, I need to shower. I feel gross."

I laugh, playfully swatting at him. "You're always so dramatic," I tease, pulling myself out of bed.

Louis grins mischievously. "Sure, love, but you use my shower. I'm going to use the girls' shower." As he walks toward the door, he smacks me lightly on the ass, and I yelp in surprise, the sound of my laughter echoing in the room. The playful touch lingers, warming me from the inside out.

I shake my head, still chuckling as I make my way to the bathroom. The water is warm as it pours over me, and I take my time, letting the droplets cleanse away the remnants of yesterday's haze.

As I stand under the stream, the water cascading over me, my thoughts drift back to the whirlwind of emotions that spun between Louis and me the night before. The kiss, the feelings I hadn't known I'd been carrying for so long, and the way he held me as if I was exactly where I was meant to be.

The sensation of his lips against mine, the way his touch had sent shivers through my body, comes back to me in vivid flashes. But even more than that, I remember the way he looked at me when I expressed my fear—the way he made it clear, with just a few words, that nothing was going to change between us, that we were solid.