I'm fine, We're fine [boyxboy]

Four

A/N: Little filler xx As always, thank you HunterMay18 for proofing all of my stuff! I hope you guys enjoy this and if you are, y'all should check out my other story, Adore You! xx

Lottie's POV

I knew Louis was lying.

The evening after his and Harry's trip, I knew something was wrong. Louis had left bright-eyed and bushy tailed with a pep in his step. The next time I had seen him, I wasn't able to miss the patch of off-colored makeup he had around one side of his face. I hadn't missed the dark scab on his swollen bottom lip either. Why mom and dad didn't notice, I would never know. They were good parents, they really were, but Louis was their good boy. What reason did they have to give him a second glance? He was always, well, perfect. They had no reason to think twice about anything that happened to him. I thought it was weird and I asked mom once, about a week after I noticed.

"Mom, what happened to Louis lip?"

"Oh, honey, he didn't tell you? He and Harry were running back through the woods when it was raining and a limb caught him."

It was a concrete lie, sure. There had been many times we had been playing when we were younger and something like that had happened. A briar would cut our legs or we would trip over a piece of rotted wood, scrape our knees or elbows. It was kid stuff but when it came to Louis, I just didn't believe it. Call it sister's intuition.

I had pleaded with him many times to tell me what had happened. I told him it would be our secret, just me and him, if he would only tell me. Somehow I thought it would work because I was his sister, we were partners and I would have done anything for him.

Louis would have forgiven me telling our parents what happened after he had entrusted me with his secret, right? I wouldn't know though because he wouldn't tell me. Whatever it was, he hadn't deemed it important enough for me and it wasn't sitting well.

After the first week I left him alone. If I knew my brother as well as I thought I did, he would confide in me when he was ready.

Louis never did.

Harry didn't come around much for about two months after that. I questioned Louis; I poked and prodded with everything I had. When it came to Harry, he became jittery and jumpy, like a thief who knew he had been caught. I could see it plain as day. When Harry was brought up, my brother was quick to change the subject or find some reason to leave the room. Mom and Dad would ask about him, questioned where he was and Louis always had some excuse.

Oh, he's just working.

He's visiting his parents and sister.

Harry isn't feeling well.

It was always something and they believed him because Louis was their good boy. Louis never gave them any trouble, not even in high school. They had no reason to suspect when something was off with him. I knew him better though. I knew when he wasn't feeling well because he would always keep an ice cold bottle of water with him and a cold, water soaked rag to dab his forehead with. I knew when he was excited about something because he did this little jump where he pushed up through his toes and bounced. When he was about to cry, that lower lip would tremble, but he would smile. The smile would stay until I asked the golden question: Are you okay? That was it. Louis would burst into tears.

I knew Louis better than the back of my own hand.

I had been the first person Louis came to when he had met Harry. He told me about their first date, their first kiss, and much to my dismay, the first time they had screwed in his bed, his car, other places. He showed me the sweet messages, the good nights and I love you's from Harry. Louis told me everything up until that day. He had become a ball of secrets after that. At first I thought it was something I had done. Maybe I had responded wrong and offended him or maybe I didn't respond like he had hoped and still offended him. Perhaps I had seemed like I didn't care, but as I watched him, I knew it wasn't me.