True Colours

Friends and revelations

For the first few weeks after sending the letter, Harry held his breath nervously whenever his phone rang or his doorbell. Especially when Louis moved back into his own apartment he became a little more jumpy. Always afraid that his parents would accuse him in any way. But nothing came and now two months later Harry has come to terms with the fact that he wasn't even important enough to his parents that they would take such a step. It's better for everyone involved anyway. Only one thing bothers him, he would have liked to have had contact with someone, but apparently Harry had also rejected the person with his letter and his decision without wanting to - his sister Gemma.

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A few days after Louis' and his first date, Dean asked him about his family in one of their meetings and wanted to understand his relationship with everyone, including his sister Gemma. And in that therapy session Harry realised that he missed her. In the last few years they haven’t had as much contact as before, she also lived her life and got fully involved in her parents' company, always busy and hardly any time for conversations or meetings. Not like when they were children, when she comforted Harry when he got into trouble or generally did things and played with him as a big sister. The older they both got, the more they drifted apart and that hit Harry hard even back then, when she had been his closest ally for years.

And so, after that session, he called her without thinking about it any further. Harry still doesn't know why he didn't think about it first. But he missed her and wanted to go back to their actual bond, even though he knew well beforehand that there would only be another disappointment waiting for him.

"Harry," Gemma sighed as she answered her phone. “How come you got in touch? I barely have time and have to go to a meeting right away.”

“Hello Gemma, you immediately make me feel so welcome. Quite your parents' daughter, aren’t you?" Harry replied snippily and already deeply hurt, so that Louis, who was sitting next to him and studying, raised his head in surprise.

"God Harry don't always be so weird," his sister replied and Harry could actually hear her eyes rolling. “Now tell me, why are you calling?”

“I actually just wanted to hear how you were doing. Would you have time for a meeting?” Harry said again, deeply sad. "I miss us. How it was between us as children.”

"Oh Harry," she sighed. "It's difficult after you wrote this letter to our parents."

"Why? What do you have to do with it?” he asked and looked for Louis‘ hand for support. But instead of his hand, Louis took Harry in his arms and pulled him close to his side.

“I'm caught between two fronts, Harry, and it's weighing on me. Maybe it would be better if we have less contact until mum and dad calmed down. If they find out that I'm meeting you when you've hurt them so deeply with your letter, the mood in the company will be even worse than it already is. Have you actually thought for a moment how much your letter is bothering them?”

Harry snorted. “Then I don’t want any contact at all. You're my sister and I don't understand you! And I hurt them? Wow. Have you ever really noticed how they treated me once in the last few years?”

At Harry's agitated tone, Louis indicated with his eyes that he should calm down, repeatedly running his fingers through his hair and giving him an air kiss. But it didn't help. Harry could have just started crying about the fact that he couldn't do anything right with his sister and that in her eyes he was now to blame for everything and his parents were playing the victim.

“Mum and dad are just the way they are. They always have been and it won't change. But I love them, especially dad and… yeah, I love you too but…-“