Little Black Dress

Chapter 3

Once again, Harry awoke to sunlight streaming in through the window and blinding him. He stumbled unsteadily into the bathroom, what the hell was in that blue drink last night? He turned the tap on and pulled some clean trousers out of his suitcase.
----
"It was right there!" Liam was at his jokes again. Everyone was arranged around the table again, as if they never left from the night before. A warm, gentle breeze was blowing, and oddly enough, it reminded Harry of Louis. Warm. Gentle. But strong enough to sway the trees.
"Harry's up!" Niall took a swig of his orange juice.
"You don't look too good, are you feeling any better? Would you like some breakfast?" Sophia had a genuinely concerned tone to her voice, much like Liam's.
"No thank you, I think I'll just take a stroll down to the beach, get some fresh air."
Harry was halfway past the resort when Eleanor came cheerfully his way. She was digging around in her purse, pulling out sunglasses that perfectly matched her brunette hair. She was pretty. Just not the pretty Louis deserved.
"Oh, good morning Harry." She stopped briefly, examining him almost.
He made an attempt at a grin and half wave before continuing down the path to the beach. It was early morning, so not many people were out. Just a few couples enjoying a morning jog. This wasn't really a kid-friendly resort, which made Harry like it even less. Once he reached the water he paused, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply the smell of salt and coconut.
"Relaxing, innit?" An all-too familiar voice spoke, so quietly it almost got lost in the tropical breeze.
Harry turned to look at his old bandmate, genuinely surprised, and rather curious if he was addressing him or someone else.
Sure enough, Louis was sitting down just a few feet away from Harry. How had he not seen him? He could pick Louis out of a crowd of 1,000 people, much less a fairly empty beach. Louis stood out from the creamy white sand surrounding him, he was tan, the total opposite of Harry's milky skin.
"Yeah. I suppose so." Harry took what seemed like an hour to form words. And he still hadn't formed the ones he wanted to. He wanted to scream that he was sorry. Shout it so people in England could hear it as it got carried over the waves. But Louis was starting to get up. He stopped to watch Harry with a stare so broken it looked like shattered glass. Not breaking gaze, Louis brushed sand off of his backside. He nodded, for no apparent reason, before starting the trek back up the path.
Harry stood staring at the ocean. What the hell was that? Was he mad? Hurt? Louis wasn't the type to hold a grudge but what was even going through his head?
Harry realized his heart was beating rapidly, and his cheeks had turned a rosy pink. He knew why. He knew why the second Louis walked out that door. He had fucked up. And he had fucked up bad. Unforgivable almost, but still it pained him to see Louis. He longed to reach out and cup his head, run his fingers down his smooth arm.
Harry looked down at his tattoos, more specifically, his matching tattoos. He found irony in the ship, the ship that no longer had a compass to guide it. It was sailing blind over choppy waters, that sooner or later, would go down completely.
----
"Hurry up mate!" Niall shouted from the door. While the couples had gone for a sunset stroll on the beach, the two single lads had decided to go to the nearest club. Harry spritzed some cologne, threw his hair into a bun, and left.
They squeezed in the back of a hotel van and started down the road. The ocean slowly disappearing with every mile until it was out of sight.
"Oh yeah! I used to love that band!" A blonde girl shouted over the music. Harry had put on his charm three drinks ago, and the girl wouldn't shut up about how she used to have posters of him in her room. Her name was Sharon, or something, he was sure she had told him at some point.
"So did I!" He downed the last of his drink, waving to the bartender. Sharon was now giggling hysterically at his lame attempt at a joke.
As the bartender poured him another drink, Harry scanned the crowded room for Niall. He had disappeared with some brunette over half an hour ago.
Sharon kept talking as Harry choked down his 7th drink. He reached up to cup his hand to his head, feeling his head pulsing and beads of sweat rapidly forming.
"Would you like to go somewhere a little more quiet perhaps?" He whisper-shouted into her ear. She eagerly nodded and took him by the arm, leading him through the swarms of people. Harry surveyed the room one last time, feeling bad for abandoning the lad. But he wasn't exactly helpless on his own anyway. And it's not like he couldn't catch a cab back.
----
On the van ride back to the resort, Harry learned the blonde's name was actually Holly and that she had told him this, "too many times to forget it". Had he ever talked to a Sharon? Did he know any Sharons?
They stumbled down the resort hallway. She was screeching and laughing as she pulled him further past the rooms lined with DO NOT DISTURB signs. She rounded a curb before halting to a stop and screaming, "Oh my God, excuse me cutie!" Harry kept pressing on his temples, trying to relieve some pressure. For the love of God, what were in those drinks? But he managed to regain focus at the sound of Louis' voice.
Shit. Louis had turned a corner to run into, literally, Harry and his one night stand. Thankfully, Eleanor was not in sight, for her look would have echoed pure disgust.
"Ah. I should have known." Louis nodded, jingling his keys as he stepped aside to let them through. What the fuck did that mean? And why that tone? Holly continued trying to pull Harry's arm off, but he stopped in his tracks. Even drunk, all he had to do was stand still to overpower her.
"Incriminating tone is it not?" He looked Louis dead in the eye. Inches from his face. Louis just smiled smugly. "This is a crime, is it not? I hope you didn't leave Niall there alone, the poor lad. Well, I'll let you...get to it. El is waiting for me inside."
Harry watched Louis walk away before turning the key into a room. Why was he still with her? Had he lied to Harry all that time? About not loving her, he meant.
"Come onnnnn!" The blonde insisted, still pulling.
Harry finally allowed himself to be taken, anything to distract him from the horrible truth his mind so commonly drowned him in.
----
"Screw you sun." Harry murmured, chucking a pillow at the window. A note was left on the bed table beside him. They always left notes. Scared they had embarrassed themselves with one of the biggest pop stars of their time. He didn't even bother to read it, just tossed it aside.
"What a night!" Niall busted down the conjoining door. The drinks clearly only had an effect on Harry.
"Yeah Nialler. Sorry I left you."
"Nah, no worries. I think I might have left before you actually." Niall helped himself to a glass of water from the mini fridge in Harry's room.
"My head hurts." Harry rolled over, being careful to keep the sheets over himself.
"I'll go find Payno and see if he has anything for that." Niall had found an apple somewhere, not hesitating to take a huge bite before shutting the door behind him.
----
"Sweet dispositionnnn...like no one's watching youuu..." The music rang through Harry's entire body as he sprinted along the waves, dodging them as they nipped at his ankles. That used to be one of the many songs he shared with Lou. It was torture listening to it, but the good kind. Like when something hurts so much it almost feels good.
Everyone was back on the terrace, finishing up breafast. Harry snuck up behind Zayn and engulfed him a sweaty, sticky hug.
"Damn you Harry! Go take a shower or something!" A hint of a smile in his voice.
Harry grabbed a banana off the table, smiling and panting. He felt someone watching at him. He had just shoved half of the banana down his throat when he realized Louis was staring at him from across the table. Why was it they only had such uncomfortable exchanges?
"Told ya some fresh air would do ya good!" Liam smacked Harry's abs. Harry winced and slapped his face with the banana peel. This started a wrestling match between the two that ended somehow in the pearly sand. It burned Harry's back and stuck to the sweat like a sheet.
"Damnit Liam, now I gotta shower again!"
"You could use it." Liam joked, grabbing Sophia's hand before heading down the path. Zayn slapped Harry's head, one arm looped around Perrie's waist. Niall winked lovingly and followed the others' footsteps, sipping his orange juice out of a paper cup and chatting with Eleanor. Harry whirled around to see Louis left sitting at the table, eyes still trained on him.
"So, how was last night? Didn't know you were still into that."
Harry picked up a glass of water, "Into what?"
"Girls. Hookups. One night stands. Take your pick."
The sassmaster had returned to his usual self. Something Harry wasn't sure if he liked.
"I'm not. But while all you lads are paired up, I have to entertain myself somehow. Niall isn't into me and there aren't any gay clubs nearby."
Louis nodded at this, amused almost, a small grin starting to creep up on his face as his lips curled around his cup of tea.
"Can't argue with you there." He picked up his phone, took one last long look at Harry, and leisurely strolled down the path the others had just disappeared on. Progress, Harry thought. But this wasn't the Lou he was used to.
----
Niall was out clubbing again, Perrie and Zayn were locked in their room, Liam and Sophia were downstairs checking out a giftshop, and Eleanor was catching some last minute sun outside. Harry sat at the edge of his bed, scanning through missed calls.
A knock sounded at the door, unamused, Harry went to answer it, guessing Niall had locked himself out of his room again and needed Harry to let him through the conjoining door. His unamused expression quickly melted away though, being replaced by a rather surprised one.
"I know. I know. Can I come in?"