~*~ Louis (continued) ~*~
Several hours later, Louis opens his eyes slowly and takes in his surroundings. Harry is sleeping peacefully in his arms. Liam and Zayn are snuggled up on the loveseat, and Gemma and Niall are nowhere to be found. Sitting up, Louis begins carefully disentangling himself from Harry when he hears it. The faint sound of the shower running infiltrates his senses. He concentrates on the sound and smirks when he hears a male giggle and a very district female voice shushing him.
Crawling over Harry, Louis takes the remote from the table and turns off the TV. He picks Harry up and carries him to their room before returning to knock on the bathroom door. The voices inside go instantly quiet. “There are condoms under the sink.” Without waiting for a reply, he returns to his room and slides into bed with his boyfriend.
Light filters softly in the room when Louis wakes again. When he opens his eyes, he finds Harry staring back him. “Did you know who I was before we met?”
The abrupt question doesn’t surprise him. “No,” Louis answers honestly.
“When did you figure it out?” Harry presses.
“Remember the night at your parents’ house when I was gone for so long and you couldn’t find me?” Louis reminds him.
“The night my dad tried to pay you off,” Harry replies with a frown.
“Yes,” Louis confirms. “When we first got there, you never really introduced me to your dad. I told him I was Tommo, but he never supplied his name in return. Temporary Fix didn’t provide anything other than you wanted to be called. I didn’t know your full name until your sister said it earlier that evening, but I didn’t think anything about it until I walked into his office. I saw a folder labeled Markum, and I realized immediately who your dad was when I saw it. It all clicked into place. Your dad continued reaching out several times over the next couple of months to request meetings. He had no idea who I was, and I intended for it to stay that way, so I declined each meeting.”
“Why did you finally accept the meeting then?” Harry asks.
Louis kisses Harry’s gently before responding. “The night you came home so distressed in February lit me on fire from the inside out. Just knowing what happened nearly killed me. It kept eating at me until I couldn’t take it anymore. Zayn had to drag me out of the flat one day in March while you were at school because I put my fist through the wall. I couldn’t stand the idea of you continuing to be hurt by anyone, especially a man that calls himself your father. I had the wall repaired the next day before you got here. After Zayn got me out of the flat, he drove me to the middle of nowhere. There was nothing around for me to break or hit, so I took my aggression out on him.”
Harry looks at him, stricken, but remains silent allowing Louis to continue. “I hit him four or five times, I think. I can’t remember. Maybe more, but each was readily returned. He knew what would happen when he took me there. It wasn’t the first time he’s done it. I ended up yelling and screaming and completely breaking down right there in the open. When I pulled myself together, I knew I had to do something, so I accepted the next invite.”
Louis pinches his bottom lip, tugging on his piercing. “I’ve been working with Zayn, Niall, Liam, and Gemma to make sure everything fell into place with no room for failure. I thought of every potential outcome and made sure I was able to get the one I wanted that kept both you and Gemma safe. We asked your mom repeatedly to leave your dad, but every time, she refused. Last night, she called Gemma. When she answered the phone, your mom was crying. By the looks of her face and neck, it’s clear as to why. I’m afraid to ask if there are other bruises beyond where we can see.”
