Loved By Him

nine

Concealing his sniffles, Louis wipes at his eyes, shooing away the tears threatening to fall. He keeps his eyes away from the window next to him as he sits on the plane, afraid of accidentally seeing the younger boy he left in the airport.

He didn't want it to go like this.

But it had to.

He had to return to reality.

Plus long distance doesn't work.

He's tried.

Instead, he nervously wrings his fingers, staring into his lap and taking deep breaths.

"Welcome passengers to Flight 0928, Hawaii to Doncaster. Our flight today is about fourteen hours, so settle in, relax, maybe turn on a movie, and our flight attendants will be around with food and drinks in a little bit. For now, please turn your attention to the front of the plane for our safety procedures..."

Louis ignores the announcement, mind swimming with thoughts. Through the fog, he could only make out one clear sentence.

Am I making a mistake?

--

Harry stands in the same spot, shock-filled and heartbroken. His face is definitely tear-stained and his red-rimmed eyes are starting to itch. He needs to move, but he can't feel his feet. His body has gone numb.

He stares down at the ground, relaying over their last conversation, last moments, trying to figure out where it all went wrong.

I thought I loved him.

"Sir?"

A deep voice startles his deafening silence, making Harry tense up. He breaks his stare from the floor, the spot where the feather-haired, blue-eyed boy once stood.

"Are you alright?"

Harry turns his head to look behind him, meeting a soft pair of brown, worried eyes. When Harry doesn't answer, the man asks again.

"Mate, are you okay? Do you need help? You've been standing there, staring at the same spot for the last 15 minutes."

Harry just shakes his head, eyes filling with new tears. The man in front of him takes a careful step forward, arms open hesitantly.

"May I?" He asks gently, being met with a small nod from Harry before the younger boy collapses into the brown-eyed stranger's arms. The man just rubs Harry's upper back softly, letting him cry into his shoulder.

"Let's go get something to drink, yeah?" He suggests, pulling Harry back steadily after a few moments, eyes scanning the boy's face. When he decides everything is alright, he collects their bags together and starts the short walk towards the cafe nearby.

It takes Harry a few minutes to settle down, wiping his eyes on his sweater and sniffling. The brown-eyed man left to buy them a few coffees, returning with some croissants as well.

"Thank you..." Harry hesitates, waiting for the man to introduce himself. The man across from him stops sipping his coffee, finishing Harry's sentence.

"Oh uh, Liam."

"Thank you, Liam." Harry repeats. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Liam asks, tone soft and eyes sympathetic.

" 'm not sure, just sorry. For being so emotional?" Harry shrugs, brain still foggy with emotion.

"You are totally okay, no need to apologize." Liam replies, picking at his croissant. "You don't have to tell me, but did something happen? You were standing there for quite a bit of time."