Have I forgotten how to love; remind me once again

Chapter Eleven

A/N Here's a rather happy little chapter for you! Hope you had a great day, and I'm so happy for those of you who has already seen our baby on tour! I can't wait. 

As Louis wakes alone on the couch, his plan is clear; he is going to trick Harry into doing the memory exercises, Harry will remember everything, and they can go back to being engaged soon to be married. It sounds bad when he puts it as 'tricking Harry', but really, Louis is just removing the fear from his boy's mind, making sure they have tried every option for Harry to regain his memory and the life they had.

However, it is a very real possibility that his boy might not remember despite undergoing the exercises, but that's a thought Louis pushes to the back of his mind, behind a door labeled 'not ideal for my mental health' along with the several rejections and hurtful pushes he has received from Harry this past week.

Then there's the little issue with their manager pressing for their tour - and the fact that they've lied and said they're most definitely going, Harry more than ready to join. And the meeting with Simon in two days... God dammit, Louis might be in over his head here, but he is going to take it step by step, and make it all work: First part, Harry.

He knows already that the pictures weren't a success, considering the stress they put Harry under at the hospital, so Louis decides on starting with sense of smell. He can hear voices from the kitchen, and he's pretty sure Harry is out there as well, despite only hearing Liam's voice. Harry has always been the one who gets up early after all.

As quietly as he possibly can, Louis sneaks out of the living room, carefully avoiding being seen from the kitchen, and continuing up the stairs to Harry's room. Well, their room, but Louis still feels like he's about to trespass. He just prays Harry really is in the kitchen, breathing a sigh of relief when he finds the room empty, glad that he still knows his boy, if only this one small thing.

Ignoring the messy bed and fighting the urge to lay down and inhale the scent of Harry, Louis continues to the bathroom, scrambling through the cabinet with his and Harry's things. Finally, he finds what he is looking for; His cologne, the one Harry gifted him ages ago, and since the only one Louis has been wearing - much to Liam's dismay as he is allergic to this particular one.

The ideal outcome would be Louis spraying himself with the cologne, wandering into the kitchen, and Harry randomly recognizing the scent. Ideally, that is and definitely worth a try. So, Louis sprays both of his wrists, then his neck once, then again, and then a third time for good measure. His upper body gets three spritzes as well, and then Louis is headed downstairs, giddy with the hope that he is really going to help Harry - and maybe a little bit with the wish for things to be okay again from a completely selfish perspective.

The kitchen is occupied by Liam, Niall and Harry, Zayn probably still sound asleep in his and Liam's shared room. He is greeted with smiles as he enters the room, but within seconds, Harry's face changes to confusion, his nose scrunched up and his brows furrowed. Louis watches him carefully, hoping to see the exact moment Harry realizes, but instead he's distracted by Liam coughing violently, tears forming in his strained eyes. 

"God, Louis. Why on earth do you smell like that. Did you shower in that awful cologne?" Louis' jaw drops, but he doesn't even get a chance to let Liam know just how offensive that is before Niall joins in. "It's suffocating, really". Louis does what he always has, turns to Harry for help, but he shrugs with a small smile playing around his lips. "It's umm", he fumbles, "a bit overwhelming". With that, Liam and Niall burst into giggles, and Louis has to forcibly stop himself from stomping angrily, a mix of red-hot embarrassment and disappointment flooding his body, cheeks showing just how he feels.

The absolute last drop is Liam - tears now streaming down his cheeks, as he searches for the extra pack of allergy pills he has stored in his wallet - suggesting he should take another shower - this one without perfume, Niall and Harry laughing loudly and Louis stomping angrily upstairs, more upset that he made a fool of himself than the fact that it didn't work.