Little Black Dress

Chapter 2

"HAZZA!" Harry whipped his head around to see Niall with his hands cupped around his mouth. Upon realizing Harry had noticed him, he waved his hands frantically above his head. Harry nodded in return and ran his hands through his abnormally long curls.
After pushing his way through travelers, Harry reached Niall and the two shared a long-awaited embrace. Zayn, Perrie, Liam, and Sophia appeared too, welcoming Harry with a hug. "We're going to be late!" Sophia pointed at the terminal clock. Harry had always noted that about Sophia, her attention to details and schedules. She was much like Liam in that way. And come to think of it, Perrie was much like Zayn. Maybe opposites don't attract, he thought.
"You ready lad?" Niall's voice broke through Harry's thoughts with a snap. They were all headed to the gate now. Niall had a pair of black wayfarers tucked in his shirt per usual. Clearly prepared for the Bahama sun. Unlike Harry. He knew he had forgotten something. He made a mental note to borrow a pair from Liam, whom he was sure had a spare.
"Ready for...?" Harry finally replied.
Niall cocked an eyebrow at him. "To live it up! Party! Embrace the bachelor life!"
Harry winced at that last part. Every since he was little he dreamed of settling down and having a family. He didn't like being referred to as a bachelor, however true that may be, and frankly, that word choice seemed unfitting for sweet Niall, as well.
"I'm ready for a change of scenery....and weather." He glanced out the window one last time before handing over his ticket to board, why did it always have to look so gloomy here in England?
----
"Mate! Mate! Harry! Haz! Wake up! We're here!" Liam's figure was blurry at first, as Harry blinked, but it was definitely his voice. Something was blinding Harry, a bright sort of thing. Once his vision came into place, he could tell this was sun. Something of rarity in dreary England.
Sure enough, everyone was grabbing their bags and making their way off the plane. Perrie and Sophia were chatting excitedly amongst themselves before disappearing down the ramp, Niall, Liam and Zayn followed, a much mellower tone to their voice. Harry stood up, shakily at first, before grabbing his suitcase and making his way down the aisle.
"Have a nice trip, sir!" A blonde stewardess blushed. Harry smiled and nodded.
The sun was absolutely blinding. He reached for the railing and tried shielding his eyes, even though all he could see was white with occasional bright flashing dots. Surely, Niall had his sunnies on by now.
"You coming, sleeping beauty?" Zayn now turned to yell at Harry. The group chuckling.
Harry shot a sarcastic wave back, grinning at his bandmate's playful banter. Harry felt like sleeping beauty. He was simply not meant for tropical conditions. His curls hung loose, his skin was too pale, and his lips became an uncomfortable dry sort. Still, he was determined to make the best of it.
----
Each couple, or "bachelor" had their own room. It was a grand resort really. With swaying palm trees, silky white sand, and a view of the sparkling ocean. Harry had always loved the ocean. He would stare at it whenever they traveled somewhere coastal. Entranced. Mesmerized by its beauty.
Looking at it through his window now, his smile broke. Remembering why he loved it so much. It reminded him of Louis. Or Louis' eyes to be more specific. The same glistening blue with the power to put anyone in a trance.
"Knock knock laddy!" Niall pushed opened a door conjoining their two rooms.
"Remind me to lock that every night." Harry teased.
"Ay now! That's a bit bloody offensive!" Niall dramatized by clutching his chest. But he was soon distracted by the same view that Harry fell victim too.
"S'mazing isn't it? So different from England and Ireland." He shook his head. "Well, Zayn said to hurry up and meet them on the terrace for dinner." Niall patted Harry on the back before shutting the door behind him.
Harry sat down for a minute, sighing.
After curiosity got the best of him, he ventured into the bathroom to see what grand fixtures awaited him there. Sure enough, everything was brightly tiled, with gold knobs on the shower and sink. Colorful paint filled the walls, giving it a tropical elegance.
Approvingly, Harry stripped down to nothing, turned a gold handle, and let the luke-warm water wash over his body.
----
"It was in the fridge the entire time!" Liam shouted, spreading his arms open like a bird of prey. His jokes had a dull sort of humor to them, but everyone laughed anyhow. They were all settled around the table, lobster and martinis filling all available table space.
Harry was enjoying a blue and pink drink, with a color-coordinating umbrella floating next to the straw. Perrie was chatting him up about her band's new reunion tour album when something caught Harry's eye. Two lean figures were headed in their direction, hand in hand with each other.
"AYYY IT'S TOMMO!" Niall lept up from the table.
Sure enough, Louis Tomlinson and Eleanor Calder had arrived. And suddenly, Harry was blinded by something much brighter than the sun.
Louis had a genuine smile on his face as he greeted each of his old bandmates. Eleanor politely followed suite. Eleanor pulled up a chair, taking a seat next to Sophia.
"Harry." She nodded ever so slightly. Her lips were upturned in what appeared to be the start of a smile. Whether Harry had ever seen her actually smile, he wasn't too sure.
"Eleanor. Nice seeing you again." He was lying of course, but no one seemed to call him out on it.
Perrie patted Harry's arm in a sympathetic gesture before joining the other two girls in idle gossip.
Harry's attention was of course, focused on Louis. He had his arm thrown around Zayn as he joked around with the boys. He looked exactly the same, maybe a little worn out, but no different from the last time they had seen each other.
Harry's mind flashed back. The five of them hadn't been together in one place in almost four years. Sure, Zayn, Liam, and Niall tried to spend equal amounts of time with their two feuding bandmates, but it was no doubt taking a toll on everyone. Harry remembered his last exchange with Louis. It was in the kitchen of the house they once shared together.
"Listen here you stubborn prick!" Louis shouted over the counter, "Spending time with her isn't going to make me love you any less! But she's my girlfriend!"
"Your girlfriend?" Harry had shouted back, "you haven't called her your girlfriend in years! They promised us we could come out last year! But here you are carting yourself around with her! She's driving us apart! Not to mention driving me mad! Her love isn't real! Do you really need me to remind you of that?"
"No. You never let me forget it! But she's the innocent party here, Haz!"
"Innocent party my arse! Since when do you defend her anyhow?" Harry's blood was now running hot and his voice got harder, harsher, with every word. It all came tumbling out of his mouth without any filter whatsoever.
"Since I realized how much of all this hurts her too! And so what? So it's not supposed to bother me how the media labels you as this...this...manwhore?!" Water was welling up in Louis' eyes now. Harry saw a hint of the sea in them, during a storm perhaps.
"But you know I don't love any of them, Lou! Just like how Eleanor doesn't give a damn about you!"
"You don't get to say that! You don't know her like I do, Harry!"
Harry had always been the sweet natured one. But the boys always knew not to push him past his breaking point, because when he snapped, he snapped hard. And in this moment, the only emotion Harry had was jealousy. He was filled with it. So he wasn't necessarily shocked when he heard skin-to-skin contact.
"Jesus Christ!" Louis yelped in pain, staggering back from Harry.
Both of the boys stood in utter horror.
"Lou...Lou I'm so sorry...I I don't know what happened..." Harry sputtered out, his eyes now filling up with saltwater.
"You hit me is what happened you bastard." Louis' voice was eerily quiet, a whisper almost as he grabbed his keys and wallet off of the kitchen table and slammed the front door shut behind him. And that was it. That was the last time they had seen or heard from each other. Until now, that is.
"Harry, aren't you going to say hello?" Liam prompted, eyebrows raised and nodding toward Louis.
He looked quite small, with the sun casting an orange angelic-like glow around him.
The table grew silent, they could've heard a pin drop.
"Hello, Louis." Harry's voice sounded hourse, and a strange pitch at least 3 octaves higher than his normal tone.
"Hi." Louis frowned back, before slapping Zayn on the back and returning to his normal smiley self.
Thats it? Harry thought. That's all he's getting? Not that he deserved much more. Afterall, Harry had been the person Louis trusted, and he let him down. Still, he craved a different reaction.
Draining what was left of his drink, he pushed back his chair. "Excuse me, everyone. I'm not feeling too well so I reckon I'll head back early."