Cancellation? Vacation!

T W E L V E

When Harry finally enters the room later that night, Louis is already sleeping with his back turned toward him. He's clearly shutting him out and Harry can't blame him.

He sighs and shimmies as quietly as possible in his pajamas before getting under the covers. The only sound that can be heard is the buzz of the air-conditioning, lulling him into a night of disturbed sleep.

Due to everything that has happened, he doesn't exactly wake up well-rested and it feels like he didn't sleep at all. To top things off, Sam could arrive any minute, so he forces himself out of bed, even though his brain is begging him to get some sleep, and gets ready for the day.

Just when he's about to walk out of their bedroom, he glances back at Louis over his shoulder and then shakes his head. He deserves the silence and he needs to fix this.

With that in mind, he walks down the stairs and shoots Sam a quick text to see where he is.

He's going to tell him to leave as soon as he sees him and that's that.

Only a few seconds after the text is sent, he receives a reply telling him that his ex is only five minutes away from the island. Sam, of course, has all the details of the trip because it was the plan that he would come along.

Harry lets out a sigh as he steps outside, the humidity of the morning hitting him in the face, and he breathes in the summer air before a content noise leaves his throat. Fresh air never fails to calm him down and that is exactly what he needs at the moment.

What feels like two minutes later, he sees a cab pulling up next to the villa and Harry mentally prepares himself for the encounter. He braces himself for having to say harsh words to get rid of his ex and probably receiving hurtful words in return, but he knows he can do this. He can stand up for himself. He has to prove to Louis that he can do this.

"Hi, Harry!" Sam exclaims happily, immediately pulling him into a stony hug without asking some form of permission. Harry tries to move away, not feeling comfortable with hugging his ex, but Sam has him in a tight grip, preventing him from being able to escape.

"I spent every penny I have saved to come here, but it's so worth it to see you again," Sam complains as he pulls away. "Are you happy to see me?"

Harry takes in a deep breath, "Look, Sam-"

"We're going to have loads of fun and before you know it things we'll be like old times again." He continues with a smile.

"Sam!" Harry now practically yells, finally getting Sam's attention. "You have to leave."

Sam is a little bit stunned but quickly manages to recover. "Oh, you want me to stay in a motel or something?" He suddenly looks so broken, and it tugs Harry's heartstrings. He knows, however, that he has to be unkind now, something he isn't used to.

"Sam, I think you should grab the next plane and head back home. If you need a motel to stay at until the flight, then I think that's a wise idea." He says, sounding more confident than he usually does around his ex-boyfriend.

Sam's jaw is dropped and he blinks a few times. "You want me to go home? You for sure want to come with me, right?" He chuckles.

Harry closes his eyes. "Sam, I think it's a good thing that we broke up. Things were going downhill for a long time with us and I think it was actually a good idea of you to break things off. Of course, the timing could have been better, but we aren't right for each other..."

Anger suddenly is shown across Sam's face, making Harry take a tentative step back. "You don't want me anymore? You think you're too good for me?"

Harry quickly shakes his head. "No, of course not, that is not what I said."

"So, you do want me?" Sam says, now seeming more hopeful. He stretches his arm out and grabs Harry's arm. "Come to the motel with me then. Let's have some alone time."

"Sam, no," Harry says, at a normal volume. When Sam doesn't listen to him, he repeats the sentence, this time saying it louder. "Sam, no!"

His ex still keeps pulling him toward the cab and because the verbal communication clearly doesn't work, he tries to physically make clear that he doesn't want to go with him.

"I think he said no." He suddenly hears a booming voice say behind him, immediately comforting him because of its familiarity.

Sam now suddenly does turn and laughs when he sees Louis' small body standing outside the door of the villa. "And who is this then? Have you been cheating on me, Harry? Is this Nail? Or Zen? Or Lime, or what were their names?"

"It doesn't matter," Louis interjects before Harry can utter a reply. "Harry isn't interested in coming with you, so I think it's better if he comes back with me."

Sam's eyebrows raise in the air and he is about to reply, but Harry manages to wiggle out of his grip before his ex can say more bullshit and he runs toward Louis, who has his arms open and is waiting for him to embrace him.

Sam just seems frozen, clearly not used to experiencing rejection. When he recovers, though, the most hurtful words Harry could ever imagine escape his lips. "You know you won't be able to come back to me, right? I don't want secondhand things." He shakes his head. "You aren't able to come back to the apartment again with me, or ever go on a date with me again. If you leave with that man, we're never getting back together."

Harry nods. "I know. I don't mind that."

Sam snaps upon hearing those words, unleashing loads of harsh sentences. "You were a lousy fuck anyway, I mean you didn't even want to fuck." He laughs. "Luckily a lot of other women and men were up for that. You missed out on a lot." He shakes his head. "You are just annoying anyway, I'm better off without you."

He steps into the cab and shuts the door. Harry tries not to cry until the cab is out of sight and when he releases a sob. Louis is immediately ready to pull him against his chest and comfort him as well as he can.

Harry is eternally grateful. He feels so broken and unwanted all of a sudden... The kindness coming from Louis softens the ache in his chest and makes him feel a little less damaged. He can't thank him enough.