Star Crossed: Forbidden [larry]

Chapter XXXVIII: Ephemeral

"We were declared guilty," Luke told me as Louis and I were heading to get changed for the trial.

"I'm so sorry, we're going to get out of here, I promise." We were guided to a small room to change.

"What did Lottie say when she visited?" I asked as I unzipped my jumpsuit. Louis pulled out his tux and hung it up.

"She fell in love, Har. With a girl." I froze in place and searched his eyes. They weren't what they used to be. They used to hold so much hope and spirit but now they were so broken. I pulled him into my embrace, letting him sob into the god awful jumpsuit that I hated. I had only seen him cry once before and it broke my heart to see him like this. We pulled back from the hug and I used my thumb to wipe his tears. We changed in silence. Before we left the room, I put my hands on his waist and kissed his lips. 'Cause for all I know, it may be my last chance to. The kiss was different from our other kisses, it wasn't heated or sweet or romantic, it was heartbreaking. We pulled back from the kiss and left the room. The courtroom was filled, my eyes scanned every single face in that room, hoping to see my parents but they weren't there. Gemma was, and Katy and Niall and even Zayn and Perrie. The attorney lead us to our seats in front. The judge took her place and the trial began.

There were so many people in that room that I had known all my life and yet they looked at me as if I were a stranger. Louis took the stand first.

"Before I say whether I declare guilty or not, I have a few things to say. Have any of you ever fallen in love? Have you ever had that feeling of butterflies in your stomach whenever you're with that someone? Have you ever looked into your lovers eyes and felt infinite, like you could take on the world? I may only be in my early twenties but I know what love is and I was taught all my life that loving a guy was wrong and I never questioned that until I met Harry. I stand before you today and I am not ashamed to say that I am in love with Harry Styles. Send me prison or kill me, I don't care anymore. This man, has made my life worth living again, made me believe in love again. So go ahead, send me to the gallows but for what? For falling in love? When did falling in love become a crime next to murder? When did falling in love cause your own parents to beat you or stop loving you? When did love become something punishable by death? I can't change the fact that I'm in love with Harry, and I wouldn't want to. But are we really to blame for following our hearts? For falling in love?" Louis stepped off the panel after telling the judge he was declaring guilty. He took his seat beside me and I laced our fingers together. Numerous people from local churches took the panel and spoke about how homosexuality was wrong. I was called to the panel and went up there.

"I've always been a fan of Romeo & Juliet. Fascinated by their love for each other. How they were willing to do anything for each other. In a way, I know how it feels to be them. I fell in love with a man, and well for some reason here that's outlawed. But Romeo and Juliet were not to blame for falling in love. And neither are we. A wiseman once said, "love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind." We cannot choose who we fall in love with, but we do choose whether we accept it or not. And I do, I accept the fact that I love Louis but does that really make me a criminal? Does that mean I should be sent to the gallows? Years ago in America, whites couldn't marry blacks, but now look around this room, there are both blacks and whites together in one room and some are in love with each other. I'd like to hope that someday that's the same for homosexuals. I declare guilty." I left the stand and sat back down beside Louis. It was now up to the jury. The jury members decided rather fast. They handed a paper to the judge which she smiled at.

"Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, you are both found guilty of Sodomy and are punished upon death." I shook my head, deep down I knew this was going to happen. Most people in the audience left with smiles on their faces. I noticed Gemma and Niall hug each other, they were both sobbing into each other's embrace. Zayn had tears falling down his cheeks as he left the building with a cigarette in hand. They put handcuffs around Louis' and my hands and lead us out of the courtroom. We were put on a small bus with some other prisoners and were taken to the death penalty prison. It couldn't end this way. It just couldn't. We didn't deserve to go this way.