Do You Remember Summer '09? || l.s.

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(a/n) harry is me bc im so scared to post my writing and i don't like this chapter but whatever

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July 23rd, 2010

When Louis performed in Battle of the Bands almost a year ago, he never imagined an agent would contact him.

Here he was, stepping into a waiting room to discuss his future career.

As he opened the door, he noticed three other boys already waiting.

One had blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and one was humming quietly, his eyes fixed on his hands. He recognized all of them from the competition. He especially recognized the third boy with black hair, who was styled in a perfect quiff. He was the second-place winner in the band competition.

Louis decided to sit next to the blonde-haired boy. When he settles in, he is greeted with a "Hi! My name is Niall, what's yours?" in a cheery Irish accent.

"Louis," he says, smiling at Niall.

Just then, a door opened on the other side of the room, and a man with gray hair appeared.

"Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson," he called, scanning the room, "Come with me."

The four boys shuffled into the smaller room and lined up as the man sat down, turning to face them.

"There's a fifth coming, but he is running late," he mentioned, eyeing the door.

A moment later, the door swung open again, almost hitting Louis. A curly-haired boy walked in, looking slightly out of breath.

"Sorry I'm late," he mumbled, catching his breath.

Louis squinted at him, trying to place where he knew this boy from. He leaned in slightly to get a better look, but. The curly-haired boy glanced up briefly before dropping his gaze with a scowl. Louis figured he must be another competitor from the Battle of the Bands.

The man in the chair clears his throat, drawing their attention back. "Hello, boys. I'm Simon Cowell." He paused, letting the name sink in. "Let me explain why you're here."

Louis straightened his posture, eager to hear what Simon had to say.

"Each of you has been specially selected to form a boyband," Simon continued. "My team and I believe this could be a massive opportunity. With the right work, you could become one of the biggest groups in the world."

The boy who had been humming earlier, Liam, Louis remembered, frowned slightly. "But...I already have a band."

Simon nodded, acknowledging him. "We know you had commitments, and it might be hard to leave them. But trust me–this could change your life. You have until the end of the week to decide."

Simon stood up, "Thank you, boys. You're dismissed."

Louis was ecstatic. He had been waiting for this moment his whole life. He thanked Simon quickly and turned to leave, only to feel a sudden shove against his shoulder. He looked up and saw the curly-haired boy–Harry? That might have been his name–pushing past him without a word.

Louis watched him go, confused by the cold shoulder. He shrugged it off and continued out of the room until he heard a voice call after him.

"Louis, wait up!"

He turns around to see Niall jogging over, his face excitedly lit.

"This is incredible! Can you believe we got chosen?" Niall said, practically bouncing on his feet.

Louis grinned. "So, you're in?"

"For sure. My band will understand," Niall replied.

They parted ways soon after, and Louis smiled to himself as he thought about the opportunity. Without a second thought, he pulled out his phone and began writing an email to Simon, ready to accept the offer.

...

Harry sprinted into the building and headed straight for the elevator. People stared, probably wondering why he was in such a rush, but he barely noticed.

As he waited for the elevator doors to close, he thought about his awful morning. He'd woken up late, his hair a complete mess. It took him over 30 minutes to fix it before he could get dressed and run out of the house.

Now, he was on his way to some meeting about his music career–and he wasn't even sure why he'd been called.

Harry hadn't sung a word since Louis's comment at Battle of the Bands nearly a year ago. His mom tried to coax him, but he kept his mouth shut and ignored the stinging in his eyes.

When he finally burst into the office, he saw four boys lined up before him. He quickly stepped into line, scanning each of their faces–until he froze at the sight of familiar blue eyes. Louis's.

He immediately looked down, his stomach churning.

Why did he have to be here?

Louis was going to be just as rude to him again.

Simon started talking about a "massive opportunity," but all Harry could focus on was Louis. How could he possibly be in a band with him? Louis had practically confirmed Harry's worst fear: that he wasn't a good singer.

When they were dismissed, Harry didn't hesitate. He turned to leave, spotting an opening to express some of the bitterness that had been simmering all year. He brushed past Louis, ramming into his shoulder harder than he'd planned. Without looking back, he kept walking, feeling a flicker of satisfaction.

But that only made Harry feel a little better. Now, he had to decide if he should take the offer. Why had he even been chosen in the first place? There had been so many singers at that competition. Why him?

He arrived home, still thinking over his options.

"How did it go?" Harry's mom, Anne, asked, her voice full of excitement.

"They want to put me in a boyband with four other guys," he replied, trying to sound neutral. He hadn't told his mom about Louis' comment a year ago, but he assumed she knew something. She always encouraged him to sing but never pushed him too hard.

Her face lit up. "That's amazing! You are going to say yes, right?"

"I don't know." Harry walked past her, heading straight to his room.

Simon had said they could become one of the biggest boybands in the world–but what if Harry held them back? He wasn't good enough. He was sure he would say no but decided to sleep on it.

The following day, Harry woke up at sunrise. The memory of the offer hung over him, and his stomach twisted. Even if he joined, he'd have to see Louis daily, his face constantly reminded of those stinging words. Was it worth it?

He shuffled downstairs in his pajamas, finding his mom waiting in the kitchen.

"Harry, I wanted to talk to you about Simon's offer," Anne began. She looked at him thoughtfully. "I think this could be a great opportunity for you, sweetheart. You should take it."

He didn't want to think about it this early but replied, "What if...what if I'm not good enough?"

Anne got up and wrapped him in a tight hug. "Honey, you are good enough. Anyone who can't see that is insane."

His eyes stung, but he blinked back the tears, determined not to cry. After a minute, he looked into her eyes and said, "I'll take the offer, Just for you, Mum."

She hugs him even tighter, and he lets himself sink into the warmth of her support.

That night, Harry sat at his laptop and typed a reply to Simon. With a deep breath, he pressed sent, taking his first step toward his future.