Unexpected Love

Chapter Twenty Five

The Christmas holidays were my favourite time of year. And this Christmas, it was going to be extra special. Hopefully. I had one more day until the most important day of my life, and I was terrified. But for now, I wanted to enjoy my birthday. I was at home with my family, sitting around the table, enjoying their company. I was going home tonight and that meant back to my house. Back to Harry. The boys had planned a little birthday/Christmas celebration and I was nervous to go back. I'd seen Zayn, Liam and Niall regularly, but Harry was a different story. Yes, we had texted occasionally, and I had seen him once or twice, but I knew that this would be different. The boys had told me how much he was struggling without me and I wanted nothing more that to be able to wrap my arms around him and apologise. Soon, I thought, soon. As the day came to an end and I blew out my candles, I wished for one thing. Tomorrow would tell me if it came true.

I walked into the house I shared with Harry. There were banners and balloons everywhere, and the moment I walked into the living room, Niall, Liam and Zayn pulled party poppers, covering me with the paper. I smiled at them, but honestly, I was just looking for one person. When my eyes landed on him, his curly hair now much longer, I ran up to him, smashing our bodies together until there was no space between us. I squeezed him before trying to pull away, but he pulled me back with so much force I stumbled into him. He laughed slightly, and I felt his chest rise and fall as I rested my head on him. "Welcome home," he said, "and happy birthday." I smiled at him; God I had missed his face. We partied the night away, but after our initial meeting, Harry and I kept our distance a little more. Neither of us knew what to say. When the boys left in the early hours of the morning, Harry and I stumbled upstairs, both too drunk to comprehend what was happening. I walked into my room, throwing my clothes on the floor and jumping into bed. I switched the light off, settling down for the first night in my own bed. Just as I had started to drift off, I felt my duvet pull back, and the mattress shifted slightly. "Harry?" I whispered, "what are you doing?"

"I missed you, Louis. When you weren't here, I slept in your bed every night. Just because you're back doesn't mean I'm moving."

"Oh," I breathed, feeling a warm feeling run through my body. I felt his arm drape over my waist as soft snores escaped his lips. I guess I was sharing my bed tonight.

I woke up extra early that morning to prepare everything. It was Christmas Day and inside I was like a child. I had invited my family, Harry's family, Niall, Liam and Zayn over for Christmas lunch and I was incredibly excited. I got to work in the kitchen, trying to be as quiet as possible as to not wake up Harry. He didn't know our families were coming and I wanted to keep that a secret for as long as possible. When I heard noises from upstairs, I ran up, jumping on the bed and screaming in his ear. "MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAZZA!"

"Merry Christmas, Lou," he mumbled, trying to roll away from me.

"Get up, we have presents and food and its Christmas! Come on!" Eventually he sat up, giving in to my tickles. He got up, throwing on a dressing gown and trudging down the stairs. I had set up our presents under the tree and he was so surprised when he saw them.

"Are these all ours?" he asked, his face confused and shocked.

"Yeah, I know we've had a tricky time recently but you're still my best friend and I wanted to celebrate Christmas with you properly, so here," I explained, handing him a gift wrapped in shiny blue paper, "I hope you like it." He smiled at me, ripping through the paper until he reached the box. He opened it, his eyes shining with anticipation. When he saw what was inside, he looked up at me, a tear beginning to fall.

"You... You did this for me?" he asked, taking the piece of paper from the box.

"Of course, Harry. You have no idea how grateful I am to have you in my life, and now, every time I get sad or confused, I can look up at the sky and know that there is a part of you always with me, guiding me."

"Oh, Louis," he gushed, pulling me towards him, "thank you so much!"

"You're the brightest star in the sky," I replied, my heart filling with happiness as he read the piece of paper thoroughly.

"I can't believe you named a star after me. Makes my present look rubbish now," he sighed, handing me a small box wrapped in green paper. I shook my head.

"If it's from you then its special already." I carefully tore the paper, finding a small black box. I opened it and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Inside was a bracelet that was made to look like a piece of rope, with to speech marks in the middle. I looked up at him, already beginning to cry.

"Its supposed to be rope, it symbolises strength. And the speech marks will help you to remember that life is unscripted. Just because its not what you thought would happen doesn't mean it shouldn't have. You're strong, Louis, and whatever life throws at you I know you can handle it." I let the tears fall, holding Harry as tightly as I could. I cried into his chest for what felt like an eternity, before pulling back and thanking him for the most thoughtful gift that I had ever received.

A few hours later, Niall, Liam and Zayn arrived, and we swapped presents. Zayn got me a pair of shoes, Niall a voucher to a restaurant, Liam a cuddly dinosaur, and he have Harry some colourful shirts. Niall gave me some nice aftershave, Liam a mug with a giant L on, Zayn a mirror, and Harry a picture of them from the day they graduated. Liam got me a PlayStation game, Niall a new duvet set for his bed, Zayn a set of deodorants, and Harry got a new set of books. Harry gave Niall a pillow with 'don't talk until I've eaten' written on it, Liam a CD of his favourite band, and Zayn a new hairbrush with hair products. We were all sitting around the tree, admitting our gifts and talking about the magic of Christmas, when the doorbell rang, and I asked Harry to get it. "What are you doing here?" he squealed when he opened to the door to find him mum, sister and my mum stood there.

"Louis invited us, can we come in or not?" Gemma asked, pushing past Harry to greet the rest of us. We did the usual greetings before gathering around the tree and swapping presents once again. We talked about Christmases as children and how important it was to have our loved ones around us at this time of year. I looked over at Harry as he hugged Gemma, they had such a great relationship and I hoped one day I'd get to know her properly. After I finished preparing lunch, we sat around the table, Harry one side of me and my mum the other. Anne commented on how Harry cooked a great roast dinner and he blushed. I loved it when he got embarrassed, he looked cute. We celebrated together by enjoying our meal, pulling crackers, telling bad jokes, and savouring the time we had together. As the day turned to night, we were all sat around the living room, and I decided that now was as good a time as any. I stood up, walking upstairs and gathering everything I needed. When I walked downstairs, I stood in front of my friends and family and looked directly at Harry. I took a deep breath and put my plan into action.

Since the moment I met you, everything changed,

I never thought my life would turn out this way.

The first time we met, things were so different,

But now I'm here, begging you to stay.

You've changed me as a person,

You made me stronger and helped me see,

That without you, Harry,

I've never been the real me.

You taught me how to be open,

You helped me to be true,

And that's why I can now stand here and say,

Harry Edward Styles, I love you.

I'd like to tell our friends,

And our family here today,

That I, Louis Tomlinson, am openly gay.

Hi guys! Just to let you know, I'm currently writing the next chapter and I'm working on the sequel! Remember to comment and vote on your favourite chapters!