Perfect now (Larry Stylinson AU)

Chapter 27

It was New Years Eve and Nick was throwing his party tonight. Louis was quite excited to get there as it would be just like the old times. The ones he associated to Harry. The two ex-lovers had been talking a lot lately but never mentioning the past, as if they had both unconsciously agreed on that. They had exchanged numbers again and were sending each other the most random facts or lamest jokes. But, they had not seen each other alone, yet. In fact, they had not seen each other since that day at the Christmas fair, and Louis could already feel like he missed Harry. He still had not gotten over what he had seen on Harry's desks. The memories had dragged him back to his room. When he had walked in, all he could remember was that last night they had spent together. The one he would never forget. He could still feel the tension, scent how nervous he had been and touch from the tip of his fingers the love they had lost. But something had captured his attention. There were pictures of him on Harry's desk, almost twenty, and an inked piece of sheet. He had walked up to it and looked at them, reminiscing every memories they held. At some point, he had read the letter which dragged burning tears out of his blue loving eyes. But, he read it again, and again, just because he could not get enough of it, like it was all just a dream :

You may wonder why I chose him, why he is in every single picture I presented you. In fact, why is he so special ? I do not think I can provide you any logical answer because I have been asking myself this same exact one ever since he walked into my life, just a few months ago. I have never been good at talking and this, right in front of your eyes, is how I express my feelings, how I open myself to others. So this is what art means to me. It means opening up in a way I have never. It means expressing feelings you could not put into words. Falling in love with him was as simple as clicking on my camera and capturing the moment. It's admitting that, in real life, time does not last, which tears us apart. I have lived long enough to know that what I feel for him is not replicable. So, I keep this love locked in those pictures, before my heart breaks and my tears fall. If you take a clear look at them, you will be able to witness our relationship in its whole aspect. We began, as most love stories do, as strangers. I got to know him in unexpected times. Before we even started talking, I knew his habits, his manners, the faces he would make and the reactions he would have. Then we talked. He kept on pushing me away as you can see by the annoyed look on his face from pictures three to five. But that look faded away, letting fondness take its place. From one picture to the next one, you can see his face brighten up. He was opening himself to me in the most beautiful kind of way. That last one means the world to me. I took it on a sunny day. We had spent a lazy morning and I had to drag him out of the house, telling him I wanted to walk under the sun. Truth was, I love how the sun makes his hair look golden and his eyes like the brightest ocean I can sail on everyday. This is when I asked myself if I was falling for him or if I was already in love. A photograph is a timeless necessity in a world where we let things slip through our fingers. So I keep this love locked in time to always remember it. In an inconstant world, I am sure that, here, in front of your very own eyes, I was happy, in love and swept off my feet. I apologize if I wasted your time. This is how I argue my choice of muse because no rational explanation stands out. I'm a man of passion. I get obsessed about futile things then move on to another but I am passionate about photography. I don't think it could ever leave my mind nor my routine. Once, he told me I should photograph what passioned me. Well, here is my other passion. Him. Thank you for your time, I hope you had that someone floating in your head as well.
- Harry Styles.

By the time Harry had walked inside the room, Louis could have sweared he knew it by heart. That's when he realized that, this sheet he was holding, was what Harry had used to get to Uni. Louis thought about what he had been telling Harry all along this year they had spent together : « You have to find your muse, someone or something that inspires you ». Little did he know that, this person, had been him all along. Since then, he had not stopped thinking about it, and about how he had walked away from something so special, so unique. But, how could he have known, at the time, what Harry wanted to stay ? They were only eighteen, just too young to know they had it all.