Burning Skies » larry

Epilogue

One Year Later

Harry could vividly remember the time when he'd so desperately wished to be ordinary. He remembered how much he envied the people he walked past and their casual carelessness towards the world as though they had nothing to hide. He'd worn cotton gloves and kept his distance from people. The last thing on his mind was friendship and love.

Today, Harry was a different person. He was a second year college student taking up History and looking forward to becoming a teacher in the near future. Before, he wouldn't even have dared to think of getting close to children, or any other human being for that matter. Today, Harry embraced his life as it was and took nothing for granted.

Harry learned to make friends even outside of his close friend group. He talked constantly with two other History majors, Adam and Charlotte. He wasn't the trembling mess of a boy he used to be. Although he still got nervous and doubted himself from time to time, it was definitely a huge improvement since then.

Aside from that, Harry was also now a regular visitor at the shelter. He went there on the weekends primarily, sometimes practicing with Louis or Sarah. He'd met every other new housemate who'd arrived there over the past year, and Harry made it his mission to keep in touch with them for as long as they'd let him.

"We'll see you tomorrow?" Charlotte asked him as they walked out of the classroom. Most of their classes were bearable enough, but their majors were of course the hardest ones to sit through. Not necessarily because of the subject itself, but because of the boring professors they often had who just read off of a book and scribbled random words on the board before calling it a day.

"Yup. Be safe!" Harry said, kissing Charlotte's cheek and then wrapping his arms around Adam's shoulders. The taller man patted his back before pulling away with a smile.

"You too!" Adam said as he began walking the opposite direction. Harry spared them a final look over his shoulder and waved, grinning as he walked through the crowd of students pouring out of the building.

Harry unlocked his car and climbed inside, thankful for the muted sounds from outside as he closed his car door. He'd gotten his driver's license a good six months ago, and not long after, he and Louis found a car for him that they were still paying for monthly. Harry took a deep breath and dropped his backpack on the passenger seat before pulling his phone out. He saw his reflection on the black screen, noticing how disheveled his long hair looked as it curled around his ears and down to his shoulders. He had dark circles under his eyes and he could see the light sheen of sweat on the top of his forehead. 

Frankly, Harry's life had been a  bit stressful and busy lately. He was preparing for their finals that would come in the following week, and he also had about three projects to finish before the end of the month. Louis and Harry had recently found a new flat they wanted to move into, but so far they were still stuck in Niall's place because they were both too busy to even start bringing over their stuff to their new flat.

All in all, Harry was tired to his very bones but he'd never felt more alive. He got a wave of adrenaline from the amount of work he had to do. He liked being preoccupied and spending his time on things and people that mattered, such as school and of course, Louis.

Harry sent a quick text to Louis saying he'd just finished his classes and was on his way back. They planned to bring their essential needs to their new flat at the very least and today was one of Harry's few free days to do so.

He pulled over in front of Niall's building and walked inside, greeting the guard at the door as he rushed past her. Once he'd made it to Niall's, he pushed the door open and strode inside. Immediately, he was met with the sight of Niall and Ashley making out on the couch.