Don't Let Things Die [L.S]

2017

2017

We finally got to 2017.

We were standing in the middle of a large living room, which I quickly recognized as my LA house during those years. But it felt different as I remembered it, it was decorated, and it felt homey.
You could see sunlight coming from the large glass windows, perfect green grass outside and the lines of the city in the background. Inside, a guitar and a notebook on one end of the couch next to young Louis. A beer in one hand, a pen in the other, tapping on the armchair.

Oli was there too. Beer in one hand, the tv remote in the other, changing the channels on the tv without actually stopping to watch what was happening in any of them.

Both of them were quiet, each in their own world. At one point, Oli just gave up his search for something to watch, changing back to the YouTube platform.

I felt Emily next to me, her touch on my elbow, softly guiding me to sit down and watch from the armchair in the corner. She also sat down, both of us clearly exhausted from this non-stop trip through the years.

The memory continued, young Louis clearly trying to come up with ideas in his open notebook, Oli trying to figure out what to watch in the almost silent tv.

I saw Oli frowning, then he turned the volume of the tv up as if he had found something interesting.
I turned to look at the tv, and there, I saw Harry. It was an interviewing lounge, and for what I could gather, he was doing promo for his first solo album.

"Turn that down, please." - Louis said, grabbing his guitar and playing with the strings to find a tune.

Oli rolled his eyes, not caring for Louis' request, instead trying to focus on what Harry was saying on the screen. In the corner of the video, you could see it was an interview from just three days ago.

"Mate, I'm working on something." - Louis insisted.

"Take a break. Watch this." - Oli answered instead, making young Louis look up to the screen.

"What the fuck are you watching?"

"Harry Styles? Your ex band-mate?" - Oli said, sarcastic. - "His album release was a few days ago."

"Oh, right." - Louis rolled his eyes, looking back down and taking the guitar once again.

"Did you talk to him?" - Oli continued.

"Huh?" - Young Louis did not even care to look up this time.

"You know, to congratulate him."

"Nah."

"It's a... it's a pretty good album."

"You listened to it?" - Young Louis frowned, finally looking at Oli.

"Yeah." - He shrugged.

"Why?"

"Because I felt like it?" - He arched an eyebrow.

"Okay." - Louis shrugged.

"So, you're not going to congratulate him?"

"Why would I?"

"Because you know him?" - Oli said, now pausing the video and turning to Louis.

"He and I don't talk anymore. Is not necessary."

"I know that, but still. I believe you should."

"Well, I'm not going to." - Louis said, putting an end to the conversation and turning to his music. Or at least he thought.