Hollow - LS

12| Empty

12| Empty

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"Perhaps the saddest of all are those who live waiting for someone they're not even sure exists." - Rupi Kaur

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Empty

Adjective

Containing nothing; not filled or occupied.

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His mother was beginning to become too much. Louis knew that eventually it would happen. The emotional pain she caused him without even knowing it would become inevitable. And it was only a matter of when he felt like he had enough and not if it would happen.

The days that followed after the last support group meeting were swift yet slow in his eyes. The very idea of Eleanor being interested in Louis never slipped from his mother's mind, and at any given moment, she was always seeming to be mentioning something about her towards him.

He found it slightly weird that she would be mentioning something about her everyday, especially because he almost never said anything back towards her and because it appeared like it was so sudden.

Throughout the days, the only thing he could chalk it up to was it being one of his mother's quirks. But still, it was very questioning why she would be talking about her so much and so quickly.

The conversations revolving around Eleanor and them together had gotten too much to the point where Louis wasn't even sure how to act about it or feel towards it.

The night of the support group, when his mother had remembered and taken the time in picking him up, he asked her about why she was so keen on talking about her and them together. His mother barely got out of the parking lot before responding.

"I think you guys would be perfect together." She said in a clipped tone. Out of the corner of her eye, she gave him a look. "Don't you think so?"

He didn't answer her then, and he still doesn't have an answer for it now. The only fourntate thing out of it was the fact that Eleanor didn't text him again, and he didn't find it in himself to respond to her text from the other night.

And with everything going on and him being confused on how he was feeling, he was certain of one small thing. And that was that he didn't want to be around Eleanor alone.

Another few days without Louis recognizing anything, and before he knew it, the next support group meeting was happening. Fifteen minutes before it was supposed to start, his mother dropped him off at the front without muttering a word. She patiently waited until he got out of the car and then slowly sped off as soon as he closed the door without saying anything further to her son.

Not that it bothered Louis. At that moment, he couldn't think about anything else. He knew it was probably weird that he was continuing to think about this everyday until he grew tired of it, but his mind wouldn't shut down. He knew that he had no feelings for Eleanor and anyone with two brain cells would be able to tell, but he couldn't stop his overthinking thoughts from thinking about how his mother couldn't and how she was so determined to get them together even when Louis wasn't sure on why. And how she was the only one excited about them getting together.

Through his own thoughts, he could vaguely see others walking inside. They didn't spare him any attention, and he didn't spare them any attention either.

Before he knew what was happening, he felt his feet moving him forward before his brain could catch up. And before his mind could see what it already decided, his feet were taking him further past the building and into the forest behind it where he felt completely alone and allowed the emptiness in the center of his chest to spread. But somehow, it didn't bother him.

From where he was standing, he could hear others talking among themselves and heard the door opening and closing behind them.

He didn't question why he was in the forest instead of the building like he was supposed to be, and instead welcomed the silence that it gave him. He stood there and raised his head back until he could feel the stiffness in his shoulders slowly go away.

He moved his neck back and forth, and took a couple of deep breaths, allowing his body to calm itself from the inside out. It wasn't until he felt almost drained that he went to walk back towards the building.

Louis was close to walking towards the door when he heard someone near it, talking to someone on the phone. It wasn't till he was closer to the door that he could make out the figure. Harry appeared closed off as he talked on the phone. And from where Louis was standing, he could hear the last half of the conversation.

"You didn't care then, and now you want to act like you do?" There was a brief silence as Harry waited for the person on the other end to respond. Louis could only see the backside of him, but he could still spot the tense shoulders and stiff spine as he talked. Like he didn't want to be talking to that person. "We needed you then." Another silent moment. "Don't call again. I'm serious." He didn't wait for a response that time and just hung up.

With the phone put away, Harry seemed to stand there, allowing his body to relax. As he did that, Louis walked further to the door until they both could hear the soft squeaks from his shoes.

Suddenly, Harry turned around, spotting Louis for the first time. Neither one of them said anything, although they continued to stare at each other. Floating through the air around them was the unheard question of who was on the phone with him. Because judging by the expression on his face, he knew that Louis had heard it. He just wasn't sure how much he had heard.

But that was a question that Louis wouldn't ask. Mostly because he knew that Harry wouldn't answer it. And if he did, it wouldn't be an honest answer. Not one that would satisfy the both of them.

So instead of asking that, Harry asked something else. Something that didn't surprise the both of them.

"Want to go to the playground?"

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A/N: Happy Saturday! Hope you guys enjoy the new update! (: