You Can Call Me Daddy

Chapter 32

Louis didn't come home that night. Or for the rest of the week for that matter. He spent his time at work and thankfully stayed in the spare room at Niall and Liam's home. Louis drive right over and after he told them what happened, they more than welcomed him to stay as long as he needed.

He didn't call Harry back even though Harry persisted. Eventually, he turned off his phone all together to try and forget what was going on.

Harry wasn't who Louis thought he was if he was able to say yes to the arrangement without even asking Louis how he felt. How could someone so keyed into other people's emotions, not see what he would be doing to his own boyfriend by saying yes? The hardest bit of it all what that he didn't talk to Louis about it. If he asked Louis before he said yes, Louis would have been angry, but he would have understood that it was Harry's career.

It was the fact that he didn't even ask Louis. Or consider the fact that baby Darcy would be coming into their lives shortly. It was actually that afternoon of the interview that Louis got the call saying they found them a woman who was giving up their daughter once she was born and the baby could be theirs. It was going to be a surprise for when Harry came home.

Louis told the woman on the phone that they would wait for another baby girl. He hoped at least.

Louis was staring out at the view from his office when he heard someone knock on his door.

"Come in Eleanor," Louis said blandly.

"Hi Lou."

Louis turned around to see Harry standing in front of him.

"Harry," Louis said helplessly, "I can't do this right now."

Harry walked closer to Louis and ran his fingers through his curls, "I know, but I'm leaving in a few hours and I had to see you."

"Leaving?"

"Simon is sending me on a small tour around England for the month," Harry said.

"You...you're going to be gone this whole month?" Louis asked, his voice raising an octave at the end as he felt his throat close up.

Harry nodded and began sniffling.

"Well, great then," Louis replied tightly, closing off from Harry completely.

"Louis I-" Harry began but Louis was already brushing past him to open his office door.

"Have a great trip Mr.Styles," Louis said cooly.

Harry put his hands on Louis shoulders but removed them just as fast when Louis pointed at him and sternly said, "don't you fucking dare Harry."

"Louis, I love you so much. I'm sorry! I shouldn't have agreed but please don't shut me out. Please don't," Harry begged.

"Goodbye Harry," Louis said sharply as if his entire world wasn't crumbling down.

The moment the door closed behind him, Louis sunk down on the ground and completely broke down. His love was leaving without another thought about what it would do to their relationship.

Another decision without involving Louis at all.

__________

Seventeen days had passed since Harry left and everything seemed grey from Louis' perspective. After the sixth or seventh day, Harry stopped calling and Louis stopped thinking that he would just show up at their house.

Louis went into work and ran his business, not even having the energy to insult Eleanor anymore which is when she started to help him out. She bought him clothes and brought him dinner at the office so he didn't have to go out. She must have heard his goodbye with Harry, he assumed.

He avoided any news about Harry, if he came up in conversation he shot it down, if he was on the radio, Louis turned it off. Niall eventually stopped asking and Liam just gave him heavy sighs. He stopped sleeping at their house after that.

Louis then stayed in his and Harry's️ house but didn't sleep in their bed. Every night, he curled up in one of Harry's sweaters and tried to sleep. He didn't even feel as crushed as he used to that Harry was pretending, he just felt lost. He felt genuinely lost without Harry around and at that point he wasn't even sure if Harry would come back to him. Did Harry give up on him?

The TV was turned on but Louis wasn't even paying attention to it when his phone rang and he saw it was an unknown caller ID.

Louis accepted the call, "Hello?"

"Louis? It's Simon, we need you here right now," Simon panicked on the other line.

"What happened? Where's Harry?" Louis demanded, already grabbing his keys off the counter.

"He kept telling me and I didn't listen, it's all my fault, I-" Simon rambled and it scared Louis even more.

"Simon! What the fuck is going on?"

"I'm so sorry," Simon said with a crack in his voice.

"Simon..."

"Harry was attacked and got shot, he's in intensive care," Simon told him quietly.

For the second time, Simon's words made Louis' world crash to the ground.