The press conference

Chapter 18: Just stop your crying

It had been one week since Harry and Louis had confessed their love in the rain. One week filled with love and pure happiness. Harry was on cloud nine.

They had started rehearsals for tour and the whole group was the happiest they had been in a long time. They usually met up at one of their places after the rehearsals to hang out some more with Julia and sometimes other friends and family. It felt like an even happier version of 2012.

"Louis, have you got everything?", shouted Harry from the top of the stairs, dragging his massive suitcase down the stairs.

"Don't get mad, I'm not quite done yet", said Louis with a mischievous expression on his face.

"Are you kidding Lou, we're leaving for tour in 15 minutes and you're not done packing yet, oh god", exclaimed Harry dramatically and Louis just giggled.

"But you loOoOve meee", chanted Louis and oh boy was he right.

One day later they were all sat in the tour bus, playing cards while listening to some music. They were somewhere between London and Glasgow, where they would kick off their tour. Harry was buzzing, he had always loved Scotland, there was something magical about the people and the nature that he couldn't put into words.

"I can't fucking wait guys, I haven't really been performing since OTRA", said Louis and Harry smiled at him reassuringly because he know that Louis had always been a bit insecure.

"You're gonna smash it, you were always the heart and the soul of every show", said Harry and he heard Niall making gagging noises next to him.

"Sappier than ever Haz", giggled Niall, "but I'm fucking happy that you two worked your shit out."

"Fucking hell, me too", said Louis with a beaming smile.

Harry's heart was almost jumping out of his chest, the thick curtain was the only thing that separated them from the massive crowd. Could he still chicken out? Just when he was ready to completely lose it, he felt Louis take his hand and he calmed down immediately, nothing bad could happen to him as long as Louis was there, it had always been like that.

They were 3 songs in and the crowd was absolutely roaring. Their crowds had always been insane but what was happening in this stadium in Glasgow was an absolute joke. He had never seen so many people dance and sing their hearts out without a care in the world, he saw huge smiles, tears, people kissing, it was magical. He knew that he would never stop doing that ever again, they would have to drag him off stage when he was old and wrinkly to get him to stop.

And the best part was that Louis was right there besides him. He knew that there were technically restrictions to how and when he interacted with Louis but he just couldn't help it. He kept sending beaming smiles over to Louis and had to touch him every time he walked past him, how could he not when Louis was there looking like the fittest thing he had ever seen?

Tonight they decided to end the show with Home, kind of as a symbol that the fans and the stage were their home and that they would always come back to this place when they felt lost. Home had always been Harry's favorite and knowing that Louis wrote it for him made it even more special. They all sat in different corners of the stage to create a calm atmosphere when Liam started with the first notes. Once again, Harry couldn't help but stare at Louis from across the stage and smile at him so widely that his cheeks burnt like a bitch. He couldn't look away when he started singing himself.

I was stumbling

Looking in the dark, with an empty heart

But you say, you feel the same

Could we ever be enough?

Baby, we could be enough

That was exactly how Harry felt, he had been lost over the past 5 years, completely stumbling in the dark while trying to find himself, and what he had found out was that he was his best when he was with Louis. He loved many things about Louis but the thing he loved the most was who he was when he was with Louis. And that feeling would never change, he was certain of that.

The song ended and Harry hadn't taken his eyes off of Louis for the whole time.

They were back in the tour bus and were all still buzzing from the high that came with playing stadiums.

"Fucking yes", shouted Niall and everyone else erupted into cheers and laughter as well.

"What a fucking night", said Liam, "hey wanna check Twitter, I bet they're already going insane."

Everyone nodded excitedly. They all gathered behind Liam's laptop to check Twitter.

Harry felt shivers run down his spine and Louis gasped lowly besides him.

Once again Twitter was almost completely filled with pictures of him and Louis, the two of them staring at each other, Harry having his hand on Louis' back, Harry singing Home to Louis.

Twitter had turned into a Larry Stylinson shrine and Harry was well aware what that meant.

The next morning around 9, Harry's and Louis' phones rang and Harry knew that shit was about to go down.

"You're coming down to London, you and Tomlinson, immediately. We scheduled a press conference in which you will deny this bullshit once and for all and if I ever see you look at Tomlinson again on stage I swear to god, this band will be a thing of the past again, I did it once, I'll do it again", said Simon and hung up,

Harry felt the tears building in his eyes and Louis looked awfully pale as well.

"We don't have a choice, do we?", said Louis with a sad expression on his face, "if we wanna keep doing this we gotta deny it, I'm not ready to lose One Direction again."

Harry didn't answer him. How could anyone be so cruel? Didn't they see how happy him and Louis were? That love was love and that it didn't matter between whom it happened? Real love was rare and they had found it but yet people couldn't be happy for them.

Harry felt the tears stream down his face and he silently looked at a defeated Louis. Would it always be like that? Would it ever stop? Would they ever be able to come out?

A few hours later they arrived in London, Liam, Zayn and Niall were already on their way to Edinburgh where the next show would be, all three of them beyond concerned after having seen Harry and Louis' misery this morning.

"There you are, come with me, it's not gonna take longer than five minutes, you're gonna do the talking Tomlinson, I don't trust Styles here", said Simon and shoved them towards a huge black door.

They made their way onto the stage, with 2 ft. distance between them obviously, and sat down.

Ah shit, here we go again.

At first the interviewers just stared at them when finally one took the floor.

"Are the two of you in any kind of romantic relationship?"

Harry glanced over at Louis who was supposed to speak but was silent as a mouse. He had a troubled look on his face and was white as a sheet.

When Louis hadn't said anything after approximately half a minute Harry took the mic.

Fuck this.