Harry Styles: Real Person [BOOK ONE]

Chapter Twelve: The Meeting

Louis kept a close eye on Harry that morning. He woke up the young boy early, worried that he may end up staying in bed all day, forced him in the shower (taking the razor out first, something he used to do all the time) and sat him down at the counter in the kitchen. Harry didn’t seem too upset, more like he was just numb. He didn’t talk throughout the whole forced shower and dressing and he didn’t say a word when Louis asked him if he wanted coffee or tea. Louis sighed, Harry would come around in a while but until then all the boys were going to suffer. Louis decided to ignore it. He had a plan, anyway. Harry sat at the counter in silence while Louis started making breakfast, humming to himself. He was making Harry’s favorite pancakes (favorite because they were the only thing Louis cooked that tasted good) and he was going to force Harry to eat them. Usually when he was like this he would stop eating and instead drink. That was just not going to fly with him this—

“Louis?”

Louis jumped and threw the spatula when he heard Harry’s voice behind him. He almost forgot that Harry was actually in the room. He picked up the spatula and cleaned it off. “Yea Haz?”

“What would happen if I never find anyone?” Harry asked him, staring at the counter. His lip was jutted out and he looked like a lost puppy. “Like, what if I’m like 50 and I still haven’t gotten married or anything?”

Louis rolled his eyes. “Harry you’re insane. There are a million girls who would willingly date you. Hell, you have 10 million followers on twitter; I think your odds are pretty good.”

“You’re forgetting that none of those girls know I really am.”

“Well then,” Louis said, turning off the stove and handing Harry a plate of pancakes. He stared blankly at them. “You’re just going to have to tell them. Tell them who you really are and see who stays. You can’t expect anyone to know you if you don’t tell anyone. Now, eat before I force feed you.”

Harry slumped but picked up the fork and started, slowly, eating his pancakes. Louis smiled, feeling accomplished.

His phone rang a minute later.

From: Mum :)

To: Louis

                If you still want to stop by the hospital, come by at 10 :)

Louis looked at the clock. It was 9:20 and the hospital was about a half hour away. He would need to leave soon. He looked at Harry, eating his pancakes like they were spinach or something equally gross. “Harry…” he started slowly. Harry’s head shot up. “I’m going to go out for a little while. I think maybe you should go over to Niall’s or Liam’s or…”

“No.” Harry interrupted him firmly. “No I’m going to stay here. I’ll be ok Lou.”

“Are you sure?” Louis didn’t like the idea of leaving Harry alone so soon after his breakdown. “I can have one of them stop by if you don’t want to go out…”

“No Lou. I’m ok. I promise.”

He looked serious, although the sadness showed behind his eyes. He sighed. “Ok Harry, I trust you” he said while getting up and sliding into the TOMs that he had kicked off. He walked around the counter and wrapped his arms around Harry, who merely squeezed his arm a little, and then walked to the door. “See you later Haz.”

Harry didn’t respond.

Mary’s chemotherapy appointment was at 9:30AM but it felt like midnight when she left for the hospital. She had been up all night, thinking and thinking. She thought about Harry and cancer and lies and being famous, but mostly about Harry. She even went so far to make a pro and con list for dating Harry. There were 34 pros and 2 cons. The cons being “what if he has to break up with me because of the cancer?” and “what if he wants to break up with me because of the cancer?” But even after making the list she still didn’t know what to do. She needed a sign, something to tell her what to do. But so far the closest thing to a sign she found was an actual sign. A big poster board of Harry and the other One Direction boys hanging in the window of a CD store on the way to the hospital. That only made her feel worse.