168 HOURS (Larry Stylinson)

5// Pebbles ll

The next day, Harry had made it his mission to find Louis, and tell him he was sorry if he had scared him and hoped they could still hang out. He even finished his morning jog faster so he would have more time to prepare himself. But he couldn't have prepared himself for the situation he found Louis in.

Harry had slipped away from his family which he found quite an easy objective to achieve. It was almost as if they wanted him chase after another boy. He was now currently pacing around the campus with his phone in his hand, battling with himself on if he should call Louis or if that would sound too much like a desperate teenage girl.

But you know, just a little check up on Louis wouldn't hurt.

Harry called Louis's contact as he was making his way to the little diner where Louis picked apart his pizza when he happened to spot Louis from across the grounds. A huge smile engulfed the boy's face because he hadn't seen Louis in so long -approximately sixteen hours and fifteen minutes but not like Harry was counting.

However, his smile of joy was quickly decomposed by hurt and confusion when he observed the full scene Louis partook in. He was surrounded by three other boys who were all sitting just outside the pool. One boy handed Louis his phone, most probably showing he was receiving a call. Louis just threw it aside and ignored it as if it were meaningless. Harry heard the call go to voicemail. This is the point where Harry because hurt and confused; what did he ever do to Louis to provoke him to ignore Harry?

"Hey Louis!" He called out and approached the fence surrounding the pool. Louis's eyes widened and he looked up at Harry with a panicked expression.

"Harry," he grimaced, "I thought I told you I didn't want to see you until Monday."

Hurt and still anxious to spend at least some time with Louis, Harry quickly jested, "Listen, I just wanted to say-"

"Is this guy bothering you Lou?" One of the boys stood beside Louis and crossed his arms. Harry felt very intimidated and took a tiny step backwards.

Louis seemed to be at a loss for words. "No Liam I just," he appeared breathless, like he had just ran a 10k. He took a sorrowful glance back at Harry and pressed his lips together, "Bye Harry."

The man named Liam guided Louis back to their little group while staring back at Harry with hard eyes. Full of unreasonable shame, Harry trudged back to the hotel rooms with his present for Louis heavy in his pocket.

But him being the Harry Styles he was he wasn't going to turn away so easily from something like this. He left the gift taped to the note he wrote up while trying not to cry because somehow he had upset Louis and left it all folded together neatly and taped onto Louis's door with Louis's name scrawled on it. He only hoped that the rest of the Tomlinson's would be polite enough to not peek at it.

Then he went into his room to watch that shitty Mexican soap opera channel Louis and him made dialogue for and pray his parents wouldn't make him attend a dinner where he would run into Louis.

After his hang with the boys and his oh-very-embarrassing encounter with Harry, Louis had planned on watching the exact same shitty Mexican soap opera channel. Which he gladly would have done in the somewhat-peace of his hotel room, except the boys wanted to drop by and say hi to his family.

When Louis came across the note, he immediately knew who it was from. He had nothing to hide from his friends, except maybe Harry of course but he still peeled the note off of the door and opened it right in front of them.

Sorry if what I told you yesterday scared you off. I understand why you wouldn't want to see me, but I had to apologize and give you this.

"What is it?" Niall curiously asked as he nosily peered over Louis's shoulder and read the note.

"Is it from that guy who's been bothering you?" Zayn asked with a hint of disgust in his tone.

Louis tried to contain his grin and shook his head while stuffing it into his pocket. His cheeks flushed because just how embarrassed could Harry make him be in front of his friends?

"Yeah, it's from Harry. And it's uh," he hesitated," it's a pebble."

"Why did he give you a pebble?" Liam attested and snatched the pebble from his hands to examine it.

Louis grabbed it back and shyly mumbled, "It's just a running joke we have."

Harry wanted it to be more than a joke, but was distressed about how Louis would take it. He nearly went back up to Louis's room and took the note back and then planned on not bothering Louis again. And he totally would have done it if it weren't for his parents; they dragged him to the rehearsal dinner for the Tomlinson's, the same rehearsal dinner Louis would be at.

And Louis was there alright.

Harry wasn't able to not be in an awkward situation throughout the entire dinner. Of course, who would be when the three best friends of the guy you liked were staring you down while you tried your hardest to not cry or jump into the lap of said crush. But Harry was intent on making sure he was going to get Louis.

"I feel like we got off on the wrong foot today so I'm going to start again. My name is Harry and my mum is the one who helped deliver Louis."

Oh my god. Did I just say that? I think I did. Why are you screwing everything up Harry? Oh god, I can't say anything else now that would make me seem weak. I'm not going to make it out of here alive am I.

While just a little bit weirded out by the boy's introduction, the three looked to Louis as if awaiting instructions weather to call a peace treaty or attack.

Louis wanted so badly to cheer Harry up, but at what price of his friends? He voted on ignoring the situation -along with Harry- until it all got washed away. Louis shrugged at the boys.

"So, Hardy," Liam said with a hard tongue.

"Actually it's Harry," Harry quietly corrected with his nerves on frenzy.

"Did I ask what your name was?" Liam laughed at his own joke and shared a 'what-a-douche' look with Zayn.

"You're pretty tall for a kid your age, is your dad Bigfoot? Because that would explain the looks of you." Niall high-fived Zayn under the table.

"Guys." Louis sternly stated with his jaw locked in annoyance, "Please be a little bit civil he's just a kid at least-"

"LOUIS?"

Louis put an arm on the back of his chair and turned around to face the voice, his eyes wide in surprise and brows furrowed in confusion.