I Hate You (Larry Stylinson) ✅

18. distractions

Feb 24

Harry's POV

"Hey, so um..."

I close my mouth, biting my tongue as I try to think of what to say. I sound so fucking awkward, but what am I supposed to do in this situation? What are any of us supposed to do?

Louis just got told he's basically dying and won't get better unless he follows this meal plan. I obviously want to make sure he fucking follows it - so do Niall and Liam. The thing is, our help is the last thing in the world Louis seems to want right now.

When we were at the grocery story, he snapped on Liam about treating him like a child and not giving him any independence. I understand that, I truly do. But Louis has proven that he's pretty much helpless on his own. He couldn't even get a few bites of chicken down in the hospital. How is he going to do it at home, unattended?

"What?" Louis asks, crossing his arms and looking up at me as I stutter.

"I don't know, I just want you to promise me you're going to try. Like we talked about. And you can always call me or Niall or Liam if you need something. You got that, right? And Liam will come with you on Monday to your first appointment, too," I babble.

Louis looks at me, his bright blue eyes contrasting sharply with the purple circles beneath them. His pale skin is so taught against his face that it looks like it's painful for him to even smile.

"Yes to all of it. I got this Harry, truly," Louis says, almost too enthusiastically.

"I'm just so worried," I admit, biting my lip. I take a seat on the stool next to the kitchen counter. "I really care about you."

"I care about you too," Louis replies, taking a seat next to me. "At least I think I do. I'm still a bit angry -- at everyone. Sorry I snapped in the store... and in the car. I just feel so under pressure. And I can't think clearly. Sorry if you thought I was ready for more, I'm just not."

I grab Louis hand, quickly making eye contact with him to see if he's okay with that. "No, no. I'm sorry for rushing stuff. I know our relationship started horribly. I traumatized you. It might not even be a good idea to move forward."

Louis squeezes my hand back and shakes his head. "No, it could be.... but I have my health to sort out. You have the Eliza thing. Maybe it's best to keep the romance to a minimum until it's like... taken care of."

Fuck. Eliza. I had completely forgotten about her.

"Yeah," I reply, pushing some loose curls out of my eyes. "Yeah, you're right."

"It's funny," Louis says, pointing to the counter. "This is exactly where we were sitting when I decided I hated you a little bit less. When you told me that story about Eliza..."

"Is it now?" I ask, startled. "That wasn't an attempt to win you over, I was just sharing."

Louis laughs, though he looks more in pain than anything else. "I know, I know. But it was the first time I saw you... vulnerable. It humanized you a bit."

"I can come off as an asshole. In fact, most times it's my fault that I do," I say. "But I struggle underneath too. We all do, I guess."

Still holding my hands, Louis nods and scoots his seat closer to me. "We do. Liam is upset about Zayn. Niall is stressed with work... did you know the business might go under? That's why he was so obsessed with that Pret project. It's their biggest client. You have your kid, and your... Eliza. I have my eating disorder. We're all fucked up in one way or another."

The business might go under? Holy shit. Now I feel like an asshole for cancelling that presentation. I had no idea it was so important to Niall.

"Yeah, no one is perfect," I reply. Louis looks at my mouth, but when he notices me watching him, his eyes flick away to the floor.