~*~ Louis (continued) ~*~
Dread laced with panic settles into the pit of Louis’ stomach at the simple words on the screen. His heart pounds an unsteady rhythm in his chest. Harry has made it clear that he wants nothing to do with Louis, but his gut tells him that he needs to go.
Seeing the color drain from Louis’ face, Zayn asks, “Lou? Who is it?”
“Niall,” Louis responds as if on autopilot. “He said it’s bad.”
Zayn takes Louis’ keys off the hook by the office door and holds them out, dangling them in front of him. “Why are you still sitting there? Go! Liam and I will finish up here.”
Decision made, Louis’ fingers fly over his phone screen.
Where is he?
Almost as if he’s waiting by the phone, Niall’s response comes through immediately.
His room.
Louis grabs his car keys from Zayn’s hand and hurries out of his office without looking back. Slamming the back door of the bar open, he sprints to his car. Thank God, Zayn had driven to see him tonight instead of walking. Sending one last text, Louis jumps in the car and tears out of the car park.
On my way! Stay with him.
Louis pushes his foot down, reaching the speed limit and blowing past it. He needs to get to Harry, and he needs to do it now. His heart hammers as he skids to a stop in front of Harry’s building, jumping out of his car and running inside. The main living area is alive with movement, even at this late, or is it early, hour. People are milling about with anxious looks on their faces, and it unnerves him down to his core. His instincts scream at him that whatever happened with Harry, everyone in the building knows.
“Harry!” Louis shouts, fear skating up his spine as he runs up the stairs. “Harry!” he yells louder, people moving out of his way as he increases his speed down the hall and comes to a stop at Harry’s open door.
“Lou.”
Louis jerks his head in the direction of the sound of Harry’s reedy, cracked voice and spots him in the corner of the room, naked and bleeding from cuts all over his too thin, pale, defeated body.
“Hazza,” Louis rushes in and falls to his knees in front of the broken boy. When he brushes the matted hair away from Harry’s face, Harry jerks away sharply. “Shhh, it’s me, love. I’ve got you.”
Harry looks up at him, pain and wariness etched into his face and eyes with every breath. Louis kisses him on the forehead and whispers, “It’s okay. You can let go now.”
“Lou,” he murmurs so quietly Louis would have missed it if he hadn’t seen his mouth move. Seconds later, Harry visibly shuts down, his body becoming lax.
Niall stands from where he had been sitting on the bed waiting for Louis. “He won’t let me touch him. This is as close as he would let me get. If I tried moving any closer, he would start panicking and flip his shit.”
Louis nods in understanding and tosses his keys to Niall. “My car is next to the curb out front. Will you go park it for me? I need some time alone with him.”
