Perfect now (Larry Stylinson AU)

Chapter 23

2 years later

Louis had moved out to New York where he was studying Psychology. He had met quite a few friends, unlike what he thought. But something still did not feel right. He had great friends, a stable life, a simple and sweet family now that Simon had left but yet, somehow, he still was not half as happy as he used to be.

Harry, on the other hand, had spent a year drown in darkness. He had dived into his own sorrow and had waited an entire year to get out of it, thanks to Niall and Liam. They had come to visit him, after hearing he wasn't doing great and made him realize that, though Louis was not part of his life anymore, he still had everything he had wished for for years. How ironically funny was it to plan out your entire life and meet that someone that just turned everything upside down ? Anyhow, he had moved on from it. If Louis had found the strength to let him go that day at the airport, Harry could be happy here in London. He had opened up himself to new people, found great friends and moved in with three of them, Perrie, Eleanor and Mitch.

« Hey, H ? Mitch called out from his room. »

Harry raised his head from his screen on which he had been working and walked to his friend's room. He found him laying on his bed, typing whatever on his phone.

« You called me ? he asked, walking in.
- Yeah, when are we flying back home ?
- Tomorrow at eight, Harry eyed the room and saw Mitch's suitcase opened on the floor, still empty. Haven't you packed, yet ?
- No but we still have hours.
- Yeah like we're leaving the house at four in the morning and it's already eleven at night ?
- Exactly. Packing only take me a few minutes. »

Harry sighed and shook his head, laying down next to his friend. He laughed at Mitch's attitude towards packing which, strangely enough, made him think of that tiny blue-eyed lad he hadn't seen nor heard from for a long time.

It was noon when Harry, Mitch and Eleanor arrived at the airport. Anne was waiting for them by the car and ran in her son's arms as soon as she saw him. She was happily crying, embracing everyone warmly. Harry had turned his gaze away, while his friends were greeting his mother, looking back to that massive white airport. Loads of repressed and long forgotten feelings and memories came back to him. He remembered every words from that day, from the day. He could still see Louis' blue eyes, staring blankly at him, and telling him in the most hurtful words that he did not love him back. At the time, Harry thought Louis was just afraid of admitting he could feel love and could be loved but he soon realized that the pure and simple truth was right in front of his eyes. He had played dangerously with fire and had gotten burnt to the core of his heart.

« What have you done to your hair, H ? Anne laughed as she passed a hand through his, now, short hair, bringing him back down to Earth. »

Harry laughed and climbed in the car in the passenger seat. His friends were only spending a few days before each flying back home. When they arrived, the house did not feel homely in Harry's eyes anymore. It felt like a box, holding once joyful memories, which Harry had tried to forget everyday since. He could feel his presence everywhere, see him in every corner of the street. Being back was painful, hard and was bringing back loads of feelings Harry had tried to bury. It had been two years. Two years since detention, two years since he had gone away and two years since he had not came back.

When Anne opened the door for them, Gemma threw herself at her brother and did not let go of him for a few minutes under Mitch's and Eleanor's amused eyes. After warm and emotional greetings, Harry showed Eleanor the guest room and his own to Mitch where he started unpacking. His friend was looking at the baby pictures of Harry, hanging around the wall of his room, making fun of every weird ones. He walked through the room, touching every comics on the shelf, looking everywhere to what used to be an eighteen years old room. At some point, tired of walking in circles while Harry was in the bathroom, Mitch sat on the chair next to the desk and began opening every drawers. At some point, he found a bunch of Harry's old pictures, the ones he had taken before leaving. There was the draft of what seemed to be a portfolio, probably the one he had applied with. Curious as he was, Mitch took them all out and placed them on the desk. He did not know much about photography but still was interested in who was that blue eyed guy on every single picture, angelically smiling and looking so in love it almost broke his heart. When he heard the bathroom's door open and Harry walk in, he turned around, showing a picture he had picked where the sun gave the boy golden hair and made his eyes outshine every single thing in the universe.