24 Hours Spent Thinking Of You // LS

Chapter Two

Unedited
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Hour Two; one a.m.

   Harry and Louis were sat in the living room and they had to admit that things were getting awkward. They hadn't said much to one another since Harry hugged Louis and now it was turning into an awkward silence. It was one in the morning, so maybe their tiredness had something to do with it? Harry was sure that wasn't it. They both had a million things racing through their minds and neither could work up the courage to voice them.

   "What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" asked Louis in a whisper.

   He wasn't sure why he was whispering, they were the only two in Harry's flat, but it probably had something to do with the fact that he still had an inkling of feelings for Harry that he could never seem to get rid of and he was afraid that if he spoke any louder Harry could hear the shakiness of his voice. He desperately wanted to hold Harry again, but they had been down that road and unfortunately, the car ran out of gas before they could arrive at their final destination together. They had begun to walk, but they grew tired before they could find a resting stop. So, they decided it would be best to hitch a ride with someone else, but they each only took one person... They had started to finish the journey with other people.

   "Just thinking," mumbled Harry. The two friends paused and silence welcomed them once again, but it wasn't as awkward as before. They were occupied in thoughts and memories of each other and that created the comfortable atmosphere they had been longing for.

   "About what?"

   Harry wasn't sure if answering honestly would ruin the comfort they brought each other in the moment, but he hated lying to Louis. Lying to Louis is what broke them up in the first place.

   "About us."

   Louis was silent, but Harry didn't feel the tension he had felt when he and Louis broke from their hug moments ago. He felt warm and welcomed; accepted.

   "I- I have a girlfriend now, Harry," said Louis, his voice cracking. Harry knew this and didn't mean to make Louis feel like he was trying to get back together. He knew that would never happen.

   "I know!" replied Harry, quickly. "I didn't mean it like that-."

   "Oh," whispered Louis and Harry couldn't help, but catch the disappointment.

   Louis was confusing him. One minute, Louis was making sure Harry knew nothing was going to happen, but when Harry tried to play it off coolly, Louis was obviously upset by that.

   "I just meant that I wish I had handled things better five years ago."

   "You and I were young and stupid. We both said things to hurt each other, it wasn't just you, darling."

   "I never meant to hurt you," whispered Harry, placing his hands in his lap. "I never meant what I said."

   Louis was silent. He was worried that if he glanced at Harry, he might give in and cry.

   "I missed you," admitted Louis. "Eleanor told me to call you so many times, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't hear your voice again, I was too scared."

   "I never made an effort to call you either, Lou. It wasn't just you. Besides, most people can't even stay friends after a breakup like ours, so I think that us even texting over the past few years is something great." Harry braved a look at Louis's face and timidly wiped away the falling tear on his cheek. "Hey, don't cry. Why're you crying, love?"

   Louis faked a smile and stared into Harry's eyes. "Because it's my fault we aren't still together. I should have listened to management, I shouldn't have signed that stupid, dumb, useless contract that prohibited me from being myself or being close with you in public. I pushed you away when I should have been pulling you closer and now I'm with someone else."

   Harry wasn't sure how to respond, so he pulled Louis into a hug. If he had known that then hanging out again would be so emotional, he would have called Niall over instead. At least then, they would just laugh most of the night until one of them grew tired and fell asleep, drunk on the floor. With Louis, Harry was worried one of them would cry themselves to sleep on the couch they were sitting on.

   "We were young and you felt like you had no choice. Simon flew you to L.A. and was a manipulative asshole. You were only twenty years old, Lou. Any one of us would have made the same choice if we thought being out was going to ruin our careers, the other guys' careers. Hell, I did make that choice for a while."

   Louis squeezed Harry harder and attempted to resist his rigid breathing. He hadn't cried with Harry in years and he didn't want to start now.

   "I'm sorry," whispered Louis. "I'm so, so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, Harry."

   "I forgave you a long time ago, Louis," said Harry, pulling away. "We all make mistakes sometimes and that's okay. Only when we are mature enough to apologise or admit to them, is when you know you've changed and when I can recognize that you aren't the same person I fought with before. If that had happened now, we wouldn't have made the same mistakes because we already made them and we learnt and grew from them. Louis, I am so proud of you, I hope you know that."

   "I just miss my best friend, Haz," grinned Louis. "Can we go back to that? Before we admitted feelings? Can we just be friends again? Real friends. Not just messaging each other happy birthday once a year or getting updates on song and album releases. I want to really talk to you again. I want to call you and hang out with you again, in public if you're okay with that."

   Harry grinned widely and nodded. "I'd like that."

   Louis smiled lazily and ruffled Harry's dark curls.

   "Alright then, Curly. Shall we order some pizza?"

   "Oh yeah, definitely," agreed Harry, throwing an arm around Louis's shoulder. "Beer?"

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This one was kinda sort... SORRY!