pics ; larry #Wattys2015 [completed] (editing because yikes)

xxxi

I can't help myself. I lean over the table and press my lips passionately against Louis', and it feels right. His lips move in sync with mine, and I have to force myself to pull away, fearing that if I kiss him any longer, I won't be able to stop myself from going further.

Louis blushes, and a cheery smile spreads across his face. I shake off the after-glow of our kiss, and feel the corners of my mouth turn down into a frown. "Louis, I need to ask you a question."

Louis' expression quickly turns somber, and he nods. "Let me guess. About Ethan and me, right?"

I nod. "Um, Liam mentioned that you guys were together a while back. Then you said you'd only been in one relationship before, and it sort of messed everything up. Was that your relationship with Ethan?"

Louis traces a small crack in the wooden tabletop, and bites his lip harshly. "Er, yeah. But its really complicated."

I lean forward in my seat. "Would you mind explaining it to me? Because this seems really important, and I'd really like to know."

Louis sighs heavily, and runs a hand through his unruly hair. "Well, I guess things started going downhill when he started fucking other guys, under the guise of studying. And then when I finally found out and confronted him, he got kind of... rough. At first, I thought it was a one time thing, and I just shrugged it off. But then it started happening more and more, until it was happening every day. I dunno, I guess it was just all sort of a wreck."

I feel my heart sink. Ethan abused Louis? "Oh my god, Louis. I'm so sorry." By the looks of his expression, he doesn't want my pity, so I cut myself off. "That's the most I've ever heard you talk. Do you mind me asking what you mean by rough? Like, did he hit you-"

Louis squints his eyes closed, and sucks in a sharp breath before speaking again. "He likes it rough. It rough."

I stare at him quizzically, trying to figure out what he's trying to say. "What do you mean?"

When Louis speaks, his voice comes out sad and small rather than confident. "Jesus, Harry, do I have to spell it out for you? He likes rough sex, and I don't."