Breaking The Ice

All Wet

TJ's POV

I woke up to the smell of bacon wafting through my senses, and I'd almost forgotten where I was until I opened my eyes to see that Harry wasn't next to me. I'd become so accustomed to waking up next to him that it was now strange when he wasn't there.

We'd been back for two days, and there still hadn't been any news on my brother. Harry had done his best to keep me busy, to keep me from driving myself crazy, but I hadn't been able to get more than a few hours of sleep at a time. I kept dreaming that Louis was gone, and I'd wake up in a cold sweat until Harry could calm me down and lull me back to sleep.

I stretched as I got out of bed, yawning as I checked the time to see it was almost 11am and it occurred to me I hadn't heard my phone go off in the middle of the night.

"Shit, Louis!" I said worriedly as a searched around the room for my phone, not finding it anywhere.

I practically tore every inch of that room apart, before I frantically raced down the stairs praying Harry would know where it was. The idea of my phone not being close to me and possibly missing a call about Louis sent me into a panic.

"Harry! Harry have you seen my-" I stopped when I entered the kitchen to see him standing at the stove in his boxers, my phone on the counter. "...phone."

"Sorry, I thought you should rest. I was gonna wake you up if there was any news." He said apologetically when he saw how worried I was as I picked it up off the counter.

"So there's still nothing?" I asked, my heart sinking as I unlocked it to see there was nothing.

"Not yet." He sighed. "But you know what? I've got a good feeling about today. I think today's the day."

"Let's hope." I said, noting the optimistic look on his face.

I knew how worried Harry was about Louis, and he'd done his best to hide it from me. I'd catch him staring off into space every once in a while, lost in his own thoughts before he'd distract himself by asking me if I needed anything, and I knew that every time his mind wandered it went to the same place mine did. Part of me felt guilty that he didn't feel he could express his worry to me, and I think I'd been so caught up in the busyness of life that I hadn't really thought about just how close they'd all grown over the few short months Harry had been there.

Louis really was Harry's first friend in America, and he'd been a big part of Harry's integration into the team. As much as he denied it, I knew Louis had suggested Harry take his old room, and he'd helped him move in and get settled into the dorm. I knew Louis always appreciated Harry's diplomacy and often turned to him for advice regarding the team, and I knew the two of them had a special kind of friendship where they were able to have fun together but also lean on each other when needed. It would have been just as difficult for Louis if Harry was the one in his situation, and I'd been making a conscious effort to remain aware that Harry was going through it too.

Harry's phone rang on the counter with a face time call, and I saw the hesitation on his face as to whether or not he should answer it. He looked over at me and I rolled my eyes at him, motioning for him to answer, before he swiped the screen and did his best to hide the smile that wanted to take over his face.

"Hey, Mum." He said, trying not to sound overly excited.

He had that same awkward look he'd had for the past two days whenever his family called, not wanting to seem too excited to talk to them, trying to avoid rubbing in the fact that he had a loving family while mine had turned to complete shit. I felt bad that he felt guilty for it, so I decided to help ease his apprehension.