You like to preach with a vodka in your mug

Chapter sixteen

Everybody in the living room stares at him like he's done something wrong when he picks up the phone and Harry's shouting at him. What the fuck? Clearly Harry is yelling about how mad he is with his stepdad. Silently, Lottie picks Ernest up out of Louis' lap – he'd gotten over his thing about phones ringing and is now intrigued at who is calling – and shushes him when he whines about wanting to hear Louis' phone call.

Louis leaves the room and drags himself upstairs, where he flops heavily on his bed and begins listening to Harry rambling again.

"So you agree with him?"

Well, shit.

"No, baby, I think you're right," Louis tries weakly. Miraculously, it works.

"Thank you! He was just convinced I'm drunk just because I'm a bit nervous. I don't think I'll get the grades to get where I've applied to so if I want to go to uni, I'll have to go through clearance. I could end up on the other side of the country, Lou. I can't be a four hour drive away, what if I do fuck things up?"

"Yeah, I think you'd do better if you're a bit closer to home," Louis says gently. "What did you say to him?"

"He asked me if I was drinking but he was so accusatory! It's like he expects me to ruin things." Harry whines loudly and it sounds like he's punching his pillow. "You don't think I'm a fuck up, right?"

"No, baby. I don't think your stepdad does either," Louis says calmly. Harry does not need him losing his temper, even if Harry tries interrupting him every other word. "I think he's worried and I think you should take a moment to calm down and go and speak to him again."

"So you think I'm being dramatic?"

"No, I didn't say that." Louis holds his phone away from his ear and groans. "Have you got any bath bombs? You could take a bubble bath and read some of that book you wanted to start."

"Can you come over?"

Yeah, sure, Louis could but after Harry had jumped at the opportunity to avoid telling his parents about his recent relapse, Louis wants to wean him off using Louis as his main crutch. Especially if Harry could be anywhere in the country and Louis won't necessarily have a car at uni all the time: it depends if he gets into his first or second choice.

"Sorry, baby, I've gotta make dinner for the twins," Louis says, only to be met with astounding silence. "I'm sorry. My mum's poorly."

"It's fine. I'll go and have a bath," Harry huffs frustratedly. "Hopefully I'll be less stressed about results then as well."

"That's good then," Louis hums, "I'll call you again in a little bit. Have a nice bath, yeah?"

"Bye bye."

Louis blows him a kiss and decides that, even if his mum isn't actually sick, he can still be good and make spaghetti for his siblings. If he ends up moving away for uni then he'll need to cook anyway. It gets the stamp of approval from Doris and Ernest, who have proven themselves time and time again as ruthless food critics, and he has enough time to wash up everything before Harry facetimes him.

He's still in the bath, and he seems much calmer than about an hour ago. Lottie pretends to gag when Louis blows 'gross baby kisses' to him. It was literally one kiss and it made Harry blush and smile.

Harry tells him about his bath bomb and how it has biodegradable glitter in it and requests that Louis go to a room by himself so that he can show him. Once Louis is safely in his bedroom, Harry flips the camera around and swishes the water around so that Louis can see the way it shimmers. Admittedly, Louis is more focused on how Harry is showing him his naked body but somehow he thinks that's part of Harry's plan. It's Harry's bathtime, he can relax however he wants.