vogue // l.s

one. (rewrite)

To say the least, the last few years of Louis Tomlinson's life had been challenging at best, and unbearable at the worst. When he was just twenty, he'd shot to stardom internationally with a sensational young adult romance novel, The Waltz. It had led to a great deal of money, a great deal of fame, and, well... A great deal of pressure to put out another bestseller. Louis loved to write. He wanted to write. However, it just wasn't happening.

It had been seven years, since The Waltz changed his life. It had been seven years since The Waltz had ruined his life. For seven years, he'd been miserable. Hiding from the fame, hiding from the press, and the people asking when they could expect something new from him. A few years prior, The Waltz had become a major motion picture. Louis hadn't even attended the premier. He'd yet to see the film. He had once loved his work so much, but now he could only resent it.

Living in seclusion for the past seven years, Louis really only spoke to his family, and to close friends. His mother could see just how frustrated he was with his constant writer's block. That was why she gave him Des Styles' phone number. Louis remember Anne, his mother's best friend. She was absolutely lovely, of course. He'd only met her once, when he was just a little one. She'd passed away a couple years ago, but her husband, Des, still lived on their estate in Tennessee, with his son Harry.

A month away would do him good, his mother decided, and Des was more than willing to have him around. So he'd packed his bags, and flown out, and here he was.

Louis hadn't been to the states in years, not since the release of The Waltz. But god, it was so nice to be somewhere different. It was nice to know that for a whole month, he wasn't going to be Louis Tomlinson, washed up author. He would just be Louis.

Hep touched down in Tennessee late on a Saturday evening, and he takes a car straight out to the Styles estate. Louis gets a strange look from the driver, but he gets into the car with his bags anyway.

They drive is long, a little over an hour. It grows dark, and the ride continues in silence. Louis had thought to put in his earbuds, originally, but had given up on the idea in favor of taking a short nap. He awakens when the driver lets him know they're approaching the property. It is pitch black out, and soon the car is rolling up to the gates of the Styles estate. Jesus. Bloody gates. The gates open, and they pull through, to the front of the large home.

The house is gorgeous. The brick building has a large porch, with white stone pillars, and ivy travels up the sides of the brick. When they pull up, the porch lights flicker on. The front door opens, and out steps a boy.

Not just any boy, of course. Out steps Harry Styles. Harry wears knee-length denim shorts, and a heavy grey sweater. On his feet, he wears a pair of worn, dirty red converse. It's dark out, and he's just come from inside, but the boy's sporting a pair of particularly hideous cat eye sunglasses, which he pushes back onto his head as he walks down to where Louis' unloading his bags from the car, and tipping the driver generously.

"Hello," Harry's greeting startles him a little bit. Louis turns around, and takes a second to study Harry's face. Wide, doe-like green eyes, soft, plump lips, that sparkly with shimmery pink gloss. He's pretty, very pretty. And very seventeen, Louis reminds himself, before his thoughts can go anywhere else. "D'you need help with your bags, Mr. Tomlinson?" Oh, he's polite, too. His southern accent is thick, and so sweet.

"No, no. I'm alright thank you. Is your dad around, love?" Louis asks. He's yet to see Des.

Harry shakes his head. "No, daddy's out for the week. Didn't he tell you?" he asks softly. "He's doin' business with some of his friends, so it's just us for the week."

Okay. Alone for a week, with a really attractive boy ten years younger than him. Fine, this is totally beyond fine.

"No problem. I'm sure we'll get along great, Harry." The car Louis had taken pulls away, and in the red glow of the taillights, Louis can tell how much Harry resembles his mum. It only breaks his heart a little bit, but he really does miss Anne.

"Is it weird?" Louis asks, as he gathers to his bags, and they start to head inside. He can hear the gates shut in the distance. "Being here all alone?"

Harry just shakes his head. "I'm used to being alone," he says, and waits for Louis to step inside.

The huge, heavy wooden doors shut loudly, and Louis can't help but jump a little bit.

It would be an interesting week. And a very long month.

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end chapter one