So, What? // 1D AU ✓

Chapter 24

~You weren't there~

The most important part of the evening and its moving slowly. Harry could have sworn that the earth has stopped moving, and that his feet drag behind him as the group walks down the sidewalk. He's pushed Louis' hand away, feeling overwhelmed.

The group walks like the girl gang in every movie ever. Harry in front, Louis and Niall on either side of him, and Liam and Zayn in the back.

One foot after the other. Breath coming shakily, but not fast enough to warrant another hit off of the inhaler. As they round the corner, Cole meets Harry's eyes and stands off of the back steps that lead into the club. They're back in the same place that he left him, basically. But so much has changed since then.

"Hey," Cole says, hands in his pockets as he approaches them. As if he doesn't expect Harry to be physically aggressive. Harry looks at him and doesn't feel any of the love that had slowly been drip drip dripping out of their relationship. "You look nice." He doesn't mean that, and Harry knows it.

"He's fucking stunning." Niall crosses his arms and plants himself within a foot of Harry. Finally laying eyes on that man they'd heard about all night. His level of anger almost matches Harry's, but doesn't have much to do with the alcohol that's mostly worn off by now.

Cole sighs, wearing a smile that says that he knows that in a few short sentences, he'll be able to talk Harry down off of this ledge he's found himself on. Now, his only options are to kiss and make up, or jump into the icy water and beat this bitch into the pavement. "We can go back to the house and talk this out. It's late, Harry."

No hesitation. He's ready. "No, I'm really fucking angry."

~You never were~

"Hey, our relationship issues are nothing that these random people should be concerned about." Ever the diplomat, but sometimes words aren't enough. Sometimes you just need to punch someone in the fucking face.

Harry crosses his arms and assumes a stance similar to Niall's, to the left of him. "They aren't random people. These people care about me more than you ever have, Cole." Despite normally being a slow-talked, Harry is talking rapidly. And if Louis was holding his hand, he surely would have felt a rapid heartbeat running through his entire body.

"This is Niall." A tilt of the head towards him. "He was the only one who asked if I was ok when I was done freaking out in that corner. And he gave me this wonderful and totally justified idea to rip your arms off!" A gleeful smile, showing his perfect white teeth. "He's been here the entire night, to make sure I go through with this. He's amazing, and he's not random."

"This is Liam. I broke his nose practicing punching, and he's been the sweetest and most supportive of this plan. Always making sure that we're not too drunk or being total idiots and doing something irrational." Harry looked behind him and nodded at Liam, who nodded back at him, a hint of a smile showing.

"Then there's Louis, the most beautiful man I've ever seen before. I don't even know what to say about him. He's everything you aren't, Cole. Everything I've always wanted but never had." Louis bit his lip and tried to keep from smiling, laughing, and exploding in happiness.