The Magic Within You

December 7th

His gaze wanders once again over the houses of Winterhollow, over the cobblestones peeking out from under the trampled snow and over the small shops here and there. Winterhollow was magical and a beautiful place before, but after spending the day with Harry yesterday and knowing that this was the town where he slipped into his own personal Christmas novel, it took on a whole new magic.

When he passes an empty shop, he stops and looks curiously through the dirty windows into the dark interior. Is this maybe an object that Harry himself has stopped in front of, has considered realising the dream of his bakery here? In his mind's eye he sees Harry scurrying around, serving residents and tourists with his beaming smile, captivating everyone - just like he did with Louis.

With a last look at it, he continues on his way to the shopping centre, meets the passers-by with a grin when they squeeze past each other because the sidewalk has only been cleared narrowly and the snow mountains are piling up at the roadside. Really everything has been in a different light for Louis since yesterday. The people around him seem to compete with him in beaming, the snowflakes fall softer from the sky and the sun warms the skin on his face more like before. His heart beats in a whole new beat, the butterflies in his stomach perform a beautiful choreography and his mind paints the most beautiful pictures of Harry in his head. Louis is in love.

The only thing that is still affected are his feet, but he now wants to change it. Louis will finally buy boots so that he can enjoy the next few days with Harry to the fullest. Harry's boots, which are too big, are in his room and Louis intends to leave them there in order to always have an excuse ready for Harry to have to visit him there. Though he doesn't think he needs an excuse - that last hug last night was enough for Louis to know that Harry feels the same way he does.

He felt Harry's breathing quicken and how he pressed his nose against the back of Louis' neck in the embrace. How it was at least as difficult for him to let Louis go. The unsaid lay in their touches and Louis still can't believe that all of this is really happening to him. Here on a two-week vacation that was actually planned with his family, an escape from everyday life.

Although Louis constantly pushes his thoughts away, they always torment themselves in the foreground. Harry and he only have seven more days together - and then? What are the two anyway when he leaves? How far along are they? And can it be so fresh in their maybe-hopefully-relationship or whatever it may be, really good to have to leave the other after such a short time?

It weighs heavily on Louis' shoulders and presses on him in these moments. And he doesn't feel able to bring it up with Harry, afraid that the other man will find Louis forwardness too much and he's going to destroy everything that has just begun. Not everyone rushes into feelings like Louis does, and he doesn't want to catch Harry off guard. Although Harry has assured him that they are on the same page, he doesn't know him well enough to really judge how Harry is in a relationship.

In any case, Louis decided to find out more about him tonight over dinner. He will literally interview Harry if he has to, he just wants to know everything about him. Every little detail and more, after all it's about his angel, his starlight, the most beautiful surprise Winterhollow had to offer.

He will make the most of the next seven days, much to the chagrin of his family, who were nonetheless very understanding at breakfast this morning when there was no topic of conversation other than Harry and Louis' resulting absence from activities together.

However, Louis has agreed to look after the little ones for an afternoon so that the rest of the family can go on a guided snow hike that would be too long and dangerous for the twins.

When he finally arrives in front of the shopping centre, Louis quickly smokes a cigarette, inwardly berates himself again for not having taken care of suitable shoes beforehand because his feet are frozen again and this time his angel doesn't come around the corner with a hot-water bottle. In retrospect, when Louis lay in bed yesterday and thought about the whole day again, something that particularly touched him.