LOOSE ➶ « l.s. »

63: US

« HARRY »

I was awaken by the sun rays peeking through my eyelids, making me turn over on Li's living room couch. With a heavy sigh, I opened my eyes to find myself staring into the plaid patterns of the cushions. Sitting up, the living room was lit with the morning sunshine, and I stared up the staircase with my lips pressed firmly together. Without a second thought, I found myself making way up the steps.

My heart raced as I walked up the final step, and I found one of the doors in the hallway left ajar. As I peeked through, my heart stopped at the view before me. It was strange to watch him sleep after all the time in which I hadn't seen him, yet as I peered through the slightly opened door, I couldn't help but stare. Louis lied in the guest bedroom's mattress, his bare back turned to me, and his hair going every which way on the pillowcase. I could watch him for hours if I would be allowed to.

An opened door made me flinch away from the bedroom, and turn to see Li stepping out of his room with fingers rubbing his eyes. Taken aback by where I stood in the middle of the upstairs hallway, he asked what it was I was doing.

"I'm—looking for the bathroom" I explained, hearing him chuckle.

"There's one downstairs you know" he told me, opening one of the doors by where I stood, revealing the restroom before he brushed passed me.

Glancing once more at Louis's body asleep on the bed, I stepped into the bathroom. Viewing myself in the mirror, and running gentle fingers over the cuts and bruises on my face, I let out a heavy sigh before beginning the shower. The hot water stung my skin, and I felt myself begin to melt down the drain the longer I remained under the falling water. I winced at every small movement, holding onto the tiled wall to keep myself from falling to the floor.

I cleaned every cut, and massaged every bruise—feeling my body grow smaller with every touch. When I made way back down the stairs, Li and Louis were sat in Li's small dining corner complimented by a stained glass ceiling window. Louis glanced to me as he ate cereal at the window table before Li spoke.

"How'd you sleep, Styles?" he asked me, and I looked up to him before remaining stood at the doorframe of the kitchen.

"Like I was on a bed of needles" I answered, grunting out at a pain in my shoulder.

"Are you going to tell us who did it?" Louis asked, and I couldn't spot his tone.

I sighed out, "I don't know—" I began, before something in my memory made me freeze, "Samantha"

"Your girlfriend beat you to the ground?" Louis asked in doubt, and I began to shake my head.

"I don't know who the hell he is—I've never met him—but he has to be her cousin o–or brother"

"What makes you think that?" Louis asked me.

"Who the fuck is Samantha?" Li asked out, turning mine and Louis's attention to him.

"She's my ex-girlfriend" I told him, seeing Louis raise an eyebrow from the corner of my eye.

"She's been given the boot already?" Louis asked, and my jaw tightened.

"It's none of your business–" I snapped at him, finding the need to unclench my fists, "–but one of the people from last night had ginger hair and told me that Samantha sends her regards"

Louis chuckled out, standing to bring his dirty dish to the kitchen sink, "What the hell did you do to her to make the family target you?" he asked as he brushed passed me.

I snapped out once more, "Like I said—it's none of your fucking business"

"It's my fuckin' business when you come runnin' to me in the middle of the night!"