168 HOURS (Larry Stylinson)

3// Pebbles

Louis awoke the next morning to the sun rays streaming through the pale hotel curtains and poking at his face. He was alone in the bed and he heard no crying and felt no feet jumping on his back. Being alone felt unusual to Louis because he was used to the presence of his siblings and was mostly sure he fell asleep with Harry. Louis froze and became wide eyed as a feeling of shock passed through his body.

I had slept with Harry, Louis mused.

The last thing he recalled was telling Harry he was feeling drowsy and then he couldn't control the need for sleep.

What if I did something in my sleep to Harry that made him uncomfortable? What if now he's never going to talk to me again. Oh god I completely ruined our friendship by just sleeping.

"You up Lou?" Harry peered around the bathroom door and shook the towel in his hair.

He found Louis sat up on the bed with an overwhelmed look in his eyes. His breathing was heavy, his hair frazzled, and he looked Harry up and down with an anxious expression.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked with concernment lacing his voice.

Louis blinked hardly and his eyes lightened up as he realized Harry was acting in no manor signaling anything went wrong the night before. "Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." Maybe he was dreaming about the closeness of their sleeping bodies.

Harry nodded precariously and turned back to the mirror mounted onto the wall. There was a purple blow dryer on the right side of the sink. He had been using it for the past twenty minutes to completely dry his hair before finally he pulled some clothes on.

"In case you're wondering, my family slept on the other bed, and right now they're helping set up for the rehearsal dinner. Which I was instructed to tell you to report to immediately," Harry found it amusing how quickly Louis was jumping out of bed and grabbing his things. "But I want to show you something first."

After minutes of Harry trying his upmost hardest to persuade Louis that it was okay to miss just a little of the rehearsal, Louis finally gave in and followed Harry out of the building.

"I found it on my jog this morning," Harry explained when they started taking a restricted path through mangles of brush like a child's bed head.

"Harry I don't think this is a good idea. We're going to get caught and I need to get back to the dinner before my mom worries too much." Louis worried as he turned back and couldn't make head of a way out. It seemed like they were stuck in these endless plots of trees and shrubs.

However, Harry listened not to Louis. "Come on it's just a little further this way," he grabbed Louis's hand and pulled him to a sharp left, further into the thicket.

"Harry I honestly think-" Louis cut off his sentence short when Harry dropped his hand and looked at Louis with breathless anticipation.

There was a magnificent, shining waterfall about three stories tall. It ran into a sort of in-ground bowl made of pebbles: white marble pebbles, swirly black pebbles, all of the sorts. If it was nature made or not, it was the most breathtaking thing Louis had laid eyes upon. He suspected somebody was taking care of it since it looked as if the surrounding weeds and plants had been cut. But the dullness of the surroundings made it glimmer even more.

"It's beautiful," Louis breathed. He bent down and ran his hands gently over the wet stones in admiration. Recalling a fact he had recently learned about the use of a pebble, he lightly laughed.

"What is it?" Harry asked and sat down on the ground beside him. Louis flicked the water droplets off his hand and sat down, mirroring Harry.

"It's just something I learned on the Internet a few weeks ago." Harry still looked interested so Louis continued, "Whenever a penguin wants to confess his love to another, he spends days scrounging in the deep waters to find the prettiest pebble he can. He then presents it to the other penguin who can either accept or deny it. If one of these pebbles were presented, the male would for sure win over the lady." While Louis explained, he twisted a white pebble between his middle and pointer finger. When he lazily threw the rock back into the water with a 'plop' he turned back to Harry who seemed deep in thought as he gazed at the water with his eyebrows knitted together and his lips slightly pursed.

Louis watched Harry and drew his lips to the side of his face, "Harry can we come back here later?" Then Harry looked up with a look of hurt in his eyes and Louis felt awful. "I mean it's truly beautiful, and I'm glad you wanted to show me it. But I can probably sneak away from the rehearsal later and bring back some food."

Harry grinned and told Louis that sounded like a fabulous idea and then apologized for keeping him. Louis then asked Harry to lead him out of the brambles and Harry happily obliged.

"See you back here around fourish?" Louis asked when they reached the outskirts of the woods.

Harry smiled with his dimpled-filled smile, "Perfect," he answered. Louis took a deep breath and turned to run towards the white, flourishing tent where the rehearsal was being held.

"Louis wait." Louis turned back to face Harry, his blue eyes shining in the sun. "I have a proposal." Louis furrowed his eyebrows together and took a step towards Harry onto the gravel pathway.

"What do you mean proposal?" Louis was starting to become anticipated and unsure of what this situation was.

Harry took an apprehensive, shaky breath before speaking. "One hundred and sixty eight."

Louis was now more confused than when he started, "What?"

"One hundred and sixty eight hours." Harry stated with a pinch more of confidence coursing through his body.

"What's that?" Louis nervously laughed.

"That's all the time I need to get you to fall in love with me."

Louis gawked at Harry for some time, repeatedly running and replaying those last words in his head until he put together some apt words.

"And you think you're in love with me?"

Harry shrugged with a sly smirk, "I'm thinking about it," he admitted.

"You've got yourself a deal."

It was all Louis could think about all the way through the wedding rehearsals. Harry, Harry, Harry, Harry, Harry. He felt weird doing this because he was partly certain he had feelings for Harry too. But yet he wanted to see what extent Harry would travel.

Harry had one week. One week to make Louis feel the same way he did.

He thought about this as he slowly made way to his hopefully empty room while ever so precariously picking out precise details to make four o'clock as close to perfect as he could.