drowning on a dry land [ls]

Chapter 10: My lifeline

"Harry, what are you doing here?" Louis gasps.

"Louis I'm here to tell you that I'm sor-"

"No, you look like a tall frog! Wait what?" He got a whiplash from how fast he snapped his neck.

"We're getting back to this one later," he said, gazing amorously at Louis. Louis tried not to melt under his stare. "I went to Evan's house and he told me that you were gonna propose to me. He said that they saw you sobbing near the jeweler's shop," He put a hand on Louis' waist and kissed his forehead. "I'm so sorry I made you feel like you couldn't go through the proposal."

Taylor abruptly went back to her desk and buried her face in a novel. Her cat leaped on her lap to adjust herself in front of the novel. Lord knows what the feline must understand of it!

"No, it's not entirely your fault. I got cold feet," Louis admits with his eyes on his shoes, refusing to meet Harry's. Three fingers were gently brought to his chin, Harry coaxed him into meeting eyes with him. Louis gave in the moment he started speaking to him in the gentle tone he'd been craving for.

"Honey no, you got cold feet because you had already given an order for the ring a month before you heard me mock marriages and thought that I was gonna reject your proposal." He looked pained. His eyes looked pained. "Evan said that after we returned from my parent's house you called the store to cancel the ring but no one picked up. It escaped your mind and the day we were babysitting Mason, the store called you saying that the ring was ready, you didn't know what to do." Harry nervously chewed his lips.

"When did you talk to Evan?" Louis spoke after a moment of silence.

"A week ago," he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"And you didn't come to me immediately because?" He was desperate and he hated how his voice was betraying him.

"I couldn't face you, Louis. I have been such an asshole to you. I didn't wanna be a needy prick who you'd tolerate until you couldn't anymore. I thought you'd be better off without my mess with someone more secure and less clingy." He sighed. "All this while I missed you so much, Lou. I missed everything we did. Especially us waking up early to go to our garden and lie on the grass. And checking how the new flowers were faring. You know, two days I came to this shop to buy one of the flowers that we planted and Taylor told me that y-"

Louis quickly looked over to Taylor who had a knowing smirk cast on her face. She winked at him and motioned her fingers in the air to form a heart. He blew her an air kiss. The cat purring on the table looked up at them with her head tilted with curiosity. "Just one more thing," she disappeared behind her desk and leaned down to pick up something red.

"Taylor, what are you doing?" Louis questioned only to have that red mass thrown on his face. "Ouch! Whatcha did that for?" She looked a little apologetic but clapped her hands together and oh it's a red beanbag

"Don't mind me, just clearing some space out," she pretended to dust her spotlessly clean desk. "The store's almost empty. I'm gonna head out for my lemonade break. Meredith will keep you company." The cat softly meowed at the mention of her name and sat upright. "Take care, little one." She kissed the cat's forehead and petted softly. She informed her helper and promised him to get some lemonade for him as well.

With a final, a very obnoxious wink in Louis' direction she was out of the store.

"Let's do a re-do, yeah?" Louis mumbled softly with his eyes twinkling with anticipation. Harry took a few steps back. After making Louis wait for an awful lot of seconds, he cleared his throat.