Harry Styles' Playmate

Chapter Twelve

Come home, please come home. Come home to me. Harry, please.

The mantra had been running through Louis' head for three hours when he heard the front door unlock. Louis dropped his knees from where they had been bent and pressed underneath his chin as he turned around to face the entrance. Harry walked through the foyer, his head faced down as he ran his nimble fingers through his hair. Louis felt his throat close up from all of the pent up emotions that built up from the fact that he had hurt Harry, even if it was unintentional.

Harry looked up and stopped in his tracks as his eyes made contact with Louis'. His eyebrows were furrowed together in confusion, his bottom lip tugging between his teeth while his feet remained planted firmly. It took just one moment of them staring at each other before Louis quickly stood up from the couch and rushed over to Harry. He wrapped his arms around Harry's neck, pulling the older man's body flush against his own. He smelt of alcohol and a hint of smoke but Louis only held on tighter, burrowing his head into the junction of Harry's neck.

"M' sorry," Louis whispered against the expanse of Harry's skin.

Harry let out a heavy breath and then securely wrapped his arms around Louis' middle. One hand was pressed against the lower points of Louis' spine while the other ran between Louis' shoulder blades. Louis practically mewled from the contact that Harry had denied him for majority of the evening.

"Why are you still awake little one?" Harry murmured into the crown of Louis' hair.

Louis pressed himself impossibly closer to Harry, "Couldn't sleep knowing that you weren't happy. Didn't even want to."

Harry hummed in response and kissed the top of Louis' head, still cradling Louis close to his chest. The pure physical contact alone was enough for Louis' to feel himself start to relax, his cramped limbs finally unwinding under Harry's sure touch. Squeezing his eyes shut, Louis' breathing started to normalize as he listened to the steady thrum of Harry's pulse point against his cheek. Every little thump he heard was keeping him grounded in the moment.

"Missed you," Louis whispered so quietly that if it wasn't for a skip in Harry's pulse, he would have been sure that the statement got lost in the room.

All of Louis' emotions have been thrown into overdrive since he met Harry. Every time he looked at Harry, he felt positively vibrant. He was never allowed to feel much when he was still under watch at the company nor was there any reason to get emotional about anything. It was as if the lack of feelings in his past made him feel everything so passionately at that moment. Harry turning away from him cut Louis deeper than he thought was imaginable and he didn't understand it, but he trusted the way he was feeling.

He trusted Harry.

Everything felt so sudden to him and he knew that he was getting attached way to quickly but with Harry pressed up against his front, Louis had never felt more sure of what he should be doing with his life. He had never been more positive that he wanted to make the dimples in Harry's cheek shine from his remarks. Everything just felt so heavy to Louis and it scared him in the best way imaginable.

Harry pulled away slightly, his palms coming to rest on each side of Louis' neck. "Do you want to tell me the truth now?" Harry asked. It wasn't condescending or judgmental, but hopeful. Harry's doe eyes were looking at Louis cautiously as if he wasn't sure if he wanted to know what Louis' response would be.

"Yeah," Louis nodded, taking a step back from the hold that they had been locked in.

"C'mere" Harry said, pulling Louis closer. His hands ran down Louis' sides until they brushed against the back of Louis' thighs. Harry gave the taught muscles a light squeeze before he bent at his knees and picked Louis up into his hold. Louis instinctively wrapped his legs around Harry's middle, hugging the man closer to him as he crossed his ankles against Harry's back. Louis' fingers gripped into Harry's shoulder blades to secure himself so that Harry could hold him upright.