Together (Larry Stylinson) ✅

Coffee

Harry's Point of View

"Hey."

It was the first time I had seen Louis in two years.

The first time I had heard his voice in that long too.

Two full years. It felt like an eternity. Was it really that long?

We were in a coffee shop in Soho. He was late. He was always late for everything.

I knew that.

But I got here on time anyway.

When he finally arrived twenty minutes later, I greeted him in the doorway, extending my long arms to give him a stiff hug.

I wasn't quite sure how to touch him anymore.

It's scary how someone you used to know better than anyone can instantly turn into a stranger.

Four years of dating felt like a long time. But it all came crumbling down when I decided to move to L.A.

I still can't tell whether it was selfish of me to go or for him to ask me to stay. I'm still can't tell if I have regrets.

Louis' blue eyes are as bright as ever. But they were just about the only thing about him that hasn't changed.

His once scruffy, tousled hair is cut short, styled into a tiny quoff where his bangs used to be. Stubble lines his angular jaw, the one I always used to stroke when I kissed him.

His style changes, however, aren't the only things that are different. Louis looks harder, angrier.

There was something about the way he was standing up straight with his fists clenched up that made him look like a tough guy.

I never thought of him as someone to be afraid of. Now I wasn't so sure.

Louis hugged me, quickly patting me on the back and maintaining distance so our chests didn't touch. Then he began to remove his jacket, a dark brown town coat with black buttons.

Underneath, he wore a long-sleeved, black Adidas T-shirt with black jeans, both of which looked way too big for him.

I understand that baggy was trending, but that didn't seem to be the case here. He seemed to be swimming in his clothes without even realizing it.

And that's when I started to notice things... terrifying things. That he was sick.

His collar bones were jutting out wildly beneath his T-shirt, and his face, though I didn't notice initially, was pale. So were his lips. They used to be rosy, not grey. And did his face look thinner?

I turned to sit down at a table before I could stare at him any further. I didn't like the looks of this... not one single bit.

"Lost weight recently?" I asked, nonchalantly, raising an eyebrow.

Louis let out a choking sound, perhaps meant to be a laugh. "Probably," he said.

His voice was deeper, raspier. He never could kick that cigarette habit.

"How are things going at the publishing company?" I asked, pretending to browse through the menu.

I couldn't stop thinking about the sass in his voice. Probably. So he knew he had done this to himself?

"They're going," Louis said, toying with his lighter. It was a bright blue one. Sapphire.

"Gonna go order. Know what you want?"

I looked at him in bewilderment. Why was he acting so cold like this? He had been the one to invite me to coffee. He was the one who asked me to come here...