fine line

𝚜𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗

September 2010

Harry had never been heartbroken before, but if he had to guess, he'd say this was how it felt.

He'd just made it to live shows, and he was beyond excited to celebrate with Louis. They'd planned a night under the stars, probably ending in making out, and maybe even more. Harry's blood was buzzing under his skin with anticipation.

However, when he got back to his cabin, where Louis said he would be waiting, it was empty. Harry checked in every room, under every bed, in every cupboard. Nothing.

Louis must've gotten held up at his own cabin. He still had one cabin mate left, a boy a few years older than them named Luke. Harry was maybe slightly jealous of him, especially before he and Louis started...whatever it was they were doing. They were boyfriends, right? They'd never explicitly labeled it, but they'd been sneaking around and kissing — and recently, way more — for almost a month. That had to mean something.

Harry thought it was probable that Louis had to do something in his cabin, but the worry was still present in the back of his mind. He sat on his bed and watched the clock on the wall with rapt attention, waiting.

Five minutes passed. Ten. Fifteen.

By thirty, Harry was really worried. What could he possibly have had to do that took this long?

He forced himself to wait until nearly 5:30, although by then it was far closer to dinner than he'd like. They were supposed to have almost two and a half hours, but now they'd have half that.

At 5:30 Harry stood up and made his way out of his cabin, looking around like a spy as he walked between other cabins exactly like his until he got to Louis'. He took a deep breath, steeling his nerves. He wasn't sure what he'd say if Luke answered the door, but he figured he'd cross that bridge when he got to it.

He reached up and knocked on the door. The cabin doors didn't lock, but he figured it was more polite to knock.

It was in fact Luke who answered the door, and he looked oddly smug. Harry barely noticed, though. He was focused on Louis.

"Hi," he said, almost breathlessly. "Is Louis here?"

Luke's smug smile stayed on his face. It was a little scary, if Harry was honest. "No, actually, he just left."

Harry's face contorted in confusion. "Left the cabin?" he asked, but a sinking feeling was already settling in his stomach.

It was confirmed when Luke shook his head, still with that damn grin. "Left the X-Factor, mate. For good."

For good. The words felt like a cold shower, freezing Harry in his place. His fingers curled into fists at his sides as he struggled to comprehend.

Luke just watched him, his expression unchanging. Harry needed to see for himself.

He stepped forward with purpose, and finally, the grin slipped from Luke's face. However, he didn't stop Harry from marching into his cabin.

Harry wasn't sure exactly where he was going. He'd never been inside Louis' cabin; they'd always slept at his, mostly because of Luke. He had a nasty habit of poking around other people's business, Louis said. Harry's cabin mates were much more focused on themselves, and then there weren't any.

Harry checked all of the bedrooms, and each one he found empty further added to the pit in his stomach. He finally reached the last room, which Luke was standing guard in front of.

"This one's mine," Luke said, setting his jaw stubbornly.

Harry figured there was no point checking it, since he was pretty sure Luke wasn't hiding Louis in there.