Unexpected Love

Chapter Thirty One

A whole week without Harry had flown by. I had been so busy at work that I was hardly home long enough to notice that he wasn't there. We'd called each other every night to talk about our days, and I could tell he was having such a great time in the capital. He never stopped talking about the people he had met, and I knew he was in his element. When he talked about the demonstrations and talks that he had been to, he was so attractive, the passion for his chosen career laced every word he said, and I couldn't wait for him to come home. "Just one more day," I said, smiling at him. His face dropped a little, but he quickly covered it up with a big grin.

"Yeah, anyway, I have a long drive tomorrow so I'm going to get some sleep," he said, reaching over to turn the camera off.

"Oh, okay, love y-" I didn't get to finish as Harry already hung up. That was weird, I thought, we always ended the call saying we loved each other. I put my laptop down on the bed and picked up my phone, pressing on Niall's name.

"Hello?" he answered after a couple of rings.

"Hi, can I talk to you?" I asked, worry taking over.

"Sure, what's up, Louis?"

"It's Harry. You know he's been in London this week and he's coming home tomorrow but when I mentioned that he said he had to sleep and hung up without saying he loved me."

"Oh, that's strange, that's not like Harry at all. He loves telling you he loves you and hearing it back. Maybe he's just tired?" he suggested.

"Maybe. But what if something's wrong? What if him being in London has made him realise that he doesn't love me anymore and that was his way of telling me?"

"You're overthinking it, Louis. He's probably just had a busy week. When I talked to him yesterday, he seemed a bit stressed, like I said I'm sure he's just overworked and there's nothing to worry about."

"Okay," I mumbled, before thanking him for his help and hanging up. I went downstairs to make a cup of tea, the house feeling strangely quiet. When I sat on the sofa, I put the TV and watched a FRIENDS episode, remembering how Harry knew almost every episode by heart. It was his favourite show and he always made me watch it with him, not that I minded, I enjoyed hearing him laugh at the jokes. When it ended, I went back upstairs, crawling into bed and letting sleep take over.

I woke up to the bright afternoon sun shining through the windows. I checked my phone; Harry should be home soon. I made my way to the shower and let the hot water cover my body, lathering myself in my favourite body wash. When I was dry, I put on my favourite black jeans and white band tee, brushing through my hair and making sure I looked good for Harry. I sat in front of the TV, marking the latest pile of homework from my students, when I heard the front door open and close. I jumped up, running over and engulfing Harry in my arms. He held me for a minute before giving me a quick kiss and leading me back to the sofa. "I missed you so much," I stated, fiddling with his fingers and looking into his eyes.

"I missed you too, Lou," he said, giving me another kiss on the cheek. We sat there for a while until he stood up to unpack. Whilst he was doing this, I ordered dinner and waited for him to come back down. When he sat back on the sofa, I put my arm around him, nuzzling into his chest.

"I'm so glad you're back, never leave again." I felt his body tense slightly, and I looked up at him. He tried to smile but I knew something was wrong. "Harry?" I asked, shifting my position so I could look at him properly, "what's the matter?"

"It's nothing," he replied, shaking his head and looking down. "Don't worry about it."

"No, tell me. Maybe I can help?"

"Not yet, Lou. Please. Let's just enjoy tonight and we'll talk later." I nodded slowly before standing up and walking away into the kitchen. I grabbed some plates for dinner and couldn't help but let my mind drift to the darkest places. What wasn't Harry telling me? The rest of the evening went slowly, we ate in relative silence and spent some time on the sofa watching The Notebook. I had tried to rest my head on Harry's shoulder, but something didn't feel right, so I spent the rest of the film laying on the other sofa. When it ended, I mentioned that I was going to bed and Harry nodded, not following me upstairs. I got into bed, hoping Harry would join me. When I heard the door creak open, I turned the lamp on, looking at my boyfriend. He had been crying a little and suddenly I got incredibly nervous, dreading the conversation that we were going to have to have. "Can we talk?" he mumbled, sitting on the edge of the bed. I nodded, encouraging him to continue. "I really did miss you, Louis. Being away from you was harder than I thought it would be. But being in London was an amazing experience and I met some fascinating people. The way of life down there is so different, and I enjoyed every second of it. I met this one man who owns a practice in Kensington. He's great, Lou, we got on really well and he was so interesting to listen to. We were talking about the work I was doing up North and I said that I wasn't really enjoying the geriatric treatments and he suggested that I switch specialities. He offered me a job, Louis. It's such a great opportunity and it's in paediatrics. I could work with children and use equipment that I've never used before and it would be incredible. I could learn so much. The only problem is its in London and it would mean leaving for a few months..." he trailed off, tears falling from his eyes. I stared at him, his body shaking as he cried.

"You have to take it," I managed to say, trying to hold back my tears. "This is a great opportunity, Haz, you've worked too hard to throw this away."

"But what about you? What about us?" he cried, taking my hand in his.

"We'll be okay, Harry. I promise."

"You don't know that!" he said, raising his voice slightly.

"No, I don't, but I know that I love you and we can make this work," I countered, squeezing his hand. "Maybe if things go well for you, I can look for a job in London when this school year is finished. We could start a new life in the city, how cool would that be?" he nodded a little, a small smile creeping onto his lips.

"That sounds amazing. You'd love it there, Lou. Everyone is always so busy and there's always something going on, you'd fit right in," he chuckled, cupping my cheek. "I love you; do you know that?"

"I love you too, Harry. Now get into bed so we can snuggle." He did as he was told, shuffling under the sheets and being the big spoon. As I started to drift off, I realised I hadn't asked an important question. "When does the job start?" I whispered, hearing Harry sigh.

"Twoweeks."

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