keep in mind || hs au

twenty six

       Sixty seconds longer would make exactly forty eight hours since Harry locked himself in the guest bedroom. He didn't come out to eat, he didn't get ready for work, he didn't pick up any calls and he much rather less came out for Jannes. He had been upset before but this was something different. More painful. To see Aurora come to his house with her wedding dress a mess and a face run down broken hearted over his abusive words was doing something to him. His insides churned every time he remembered her face. What she said to him at the end was what he tried to block out the most. He didn't want to be the worst one yet, if he couldn't be hers he at least wanted to be the best memory she could have.

"Harry?" The voice called behind the locked door.

Harry scrunched up the tissue tossing it on the floor. "Go away" he demanded.

"It's Louis, open up"

Harry wiped at his eyes as he got up from his comforting warmth to unlock the door. He felt like such a stubborn child being grounded and sent to his room. But this was punishment in a sort of way, like when a child is sent to their room to think about what they've  done... to feel guilt. He felt all of it.

Louis looked at Harry with sorry eyes. He had never seen Harry so run down like this when he was sober.

"I messed her up badly" Harry broke into a fit of tears.

Louis engulfed him into a hug as he rubbed his hand up and down his back slowly and comforting. "We all make mistakes Harry, but you know the best part about them?" Louis broke their hug as he handed him a tissue. "We get to fix them"

"She put her head to a gun and asked to be shot! You know how horrifying that shit is?! You know how bad it fucking feels to know you make someone that unhappy?" Harry sat back down on the bed and bawled into his hands.

Louis was loss at words as he sat next to Harry. "I don't. I don't know how it feels. I've spent my whole life after high school growing up with Sabrina, making her happy, making sure I'm not screwing around, making sure she gets her happy moments at least once a day. Loving her inside and out. You and Aurora... you two are so far yet so close. I wish you would've listened to yourself while she was here, maybe you would have loved her like I love Sabrina"

"I failed her. I could have stopped the wedding" Harry gazed at the band around his ring finger. He slipped it off tossing it somewhere in the room.

Louis shook his head in disapproval. "That's not what I meant. How are you gonna rebuild a bridge to Aurora and burn the bridge to Jannes. You'll be stuck with the same guilt. From now on listen to yourself Harry" Louis snatched the ring off the floor and put it at the palm of Harry's hand.

"I don't understand?" Harry stared at the ring in confusion.

"You wanna divorce Jannes? Fine. Clearly she's not making you happy anymore but if you just want to divorce her to get Aurora back don't do it. Aurora is perhaps happy now. Let Jannes go and let Aurora go, if Aurora comes back to you... then she's yours" Louis smiled.

       Aurora had plopped down on the couch after a long day of swimming. Her arms were tired as well as her legs and the thought about being sore in two days was excruciating. Desmond smiled at the sight in front of him. She was chilling with no make up on, not a single worry about her appearance as she chugged a bottle of champagne down her throat.

"You're very impressive you know that?" Desmond chuckled pressing a kiss to her temple.

"We haven't had a drop of alcohol all day, I think we both need this right now" Aurora said as she handed him the bottle.