The College Experience [Larry Stylinson boyxboy]

Epilogue.

As much as I love writing, even words can't express how much love I've felt from all of you who read this story and continue to keep it alive every time you open a chapter. Thank you so so much for your support and kindness, and for your thousands of cute and funny comments and all of your chapter votes. It means the world to me to get so much kind feedback on my writing, and I hope this story could put you in a different world for a little while. Here's an epilogue as my way of saying thank you <3 

"Louis' not here," Liam said, answering the door with his brows draw together in confusion. "He's out with Niall, I think- did he not tell you?"

"I know," Harry assured, tucking his hands into the pockets of his slim black jeans. "I actually came to see you. Wanna grab a latte with me?"

"Um, yeah, yeah, that's uh... I'll just go grab my wallet," Liam said, looking a little bit flustered as he went to his room to gather his things. Harry understood why.

When Louis and Harry were first slowly rebuilding their relationship, they'd traded secrets almost every night, confessions pooling out of their lips like smoke and disappearing into the night. 

It was a pact between them in those first few months. They had to share one secret or one fear every time they spent the night together until there was nothing left hiding between them, until it was natural for Harry to mumbled his worries against Louis' collarbones when they hugged, until Louis got used to tracing slow patterns against the other boy's calloused palms as he admitted the things that bothered him.

One secret every night spent together until there was nothing left for either of them to hide behind.

* * *

"I'm scared that no one will ever want to be with my forever. There has to be some reason why people keep leaving." Harry said, worrying his bottom lip.

* * *

"What if nothing's ever enough for me? Fuck, I binge eat... I binge-drink..." Harry had paused when he heard those words out of Louis' mouth. Louis had never used the term 'binge drink' before, never admitted that his drinking was dangerous a lot of the time. There wasn't anything wrong with having a few drinks. There was a lot wrong with having so many drinks you went unconscious. "I've had my stomach pumped before," Louis whispered, swallowing thickly.  "Twice."

Harry found out the next day that the newspaper Louis was working at part-time was running a story on a girl who had died from binge drinking. They had interviewed her parents.

* * *

"I feel like I see all these big declarations of love everywhere... Niall said I just watch too many sappy YouTube videos... but what if no one ever cares about me enough to do something like that for me?"

* * *

"Sometimes I find it hard to swallow foods," Louis whispered. "Because my throat gets all tight thinking about what it's going to do to my body."

* * *

"I like you better like this, you know?" Harry had said quietly one night when they were snuggling on the couch. "You seem more like yourself now... I don't know why, but before there was always something missing. I like this, it feels real. It feels nice." 

Louis smiled so wide his eyes crinkled.

* * *    

"I feel like everyone forgets I'm bisexual because I've never dated a girl," Harry said. "Sometimes I wish I would have just dated one when I was younger so people would stop bugging me about it."