Always, Forever (Larry)

Chapter Three

Louis found himself crouched on the floor, rummaging for a specific box under his bed. With a sigh of relief, his hand landed upon a small plastic container which slid in front of him with ease. Popping open the lid, Louis crashed onto his bum as his heart sank to the floor.

His eyes blurred as a wave of emotion filled his head, Harry's scent pouring out of the box. Louis carefully pressed his hands into an old grey jumper that Harry had let him borrow one night on tour. He carefully slipped it over his head and headed downstairs to curl up on the sofa.

Just as Louis started to escape reality, his phone rang. The screen lit up with a photograph of Liam, his best mate, and Louis smiled faintly. Reaching for his phone, he pressed the green icon and held it to his ear.

"Hey mate!" Liam's voice echoed down the phone enthusiastically as Louis fumbled desperately to turn down the volume.

"Hey." Louis didn't mean to sound sad or disappointed, he just wasn't in the mood to talk. Liam picked up on his tone almost instantly and was terrified. Louis hadn't sounded like this in months, and the last time he did... well... it didn't end well.

"It's Harry, isn't it?" Liam took an educated guess as to why his best friend was trying, but failing, to muffle the sound of escaping tears on the other end of the phone. "Can I ask you something?" Liam enquired bluntly.

Louis was taken aback. "Sure," he replied weakly.

"Why don't you tell him how you feel? You could explain everything, you know, I'm sure he would understand."

Louis' mind instantly pulsed as memories and feelings collided with his skull. He loved Harry, that much was obvious. He always had, always would. At least that was what Louis knew.

It was early on a Tuesday morning. I received a call from Simon that woke me abruptly. Annoyed, I answered to find him wanting me to drag myself into the office at 5am. Coffee in hand, I slumped into a chair facing the dick and four other management members.

Their faces were stern and neutral at the same time; something was wrong. How that was possible, I don't know, but I woke up swiftly that's for sure. After I asked if there was a problem, the room was silent. The only response I got was what looked like an A4 book pushed across the table towards me. Honestly, I don't even want to think about how many trees went into printing that contract. But that's what it was. A contract.

My heart started to skip. I knew there would be a reason why I was the only one being presented with this. A reason that there was only my name on the front. A reason that we were doing this at 5am on the day before the first and most important concert of our third world tour. Deep down, I knew. I just didn't want it to be true.

The more I read, the more pieces my heart shattered into. By the end of the script, I couldn't breathe. Both heart and lungs had turned to dust and the only expression shot in my direction were five smirks. Fucking pricks. This was bullshit.

Another 5 years with Eleanor. More press interviews and denials. My family life becoming entirely public to create different media content against my name. I could deal with all of that, just about. But it was the last paragraph that finished me.

I, Louis William Tomlinson, agree to the following confidential and secret terms to my relationship with Harry Edward Styles. I will not speak to him via any form of communication. This includes texts, phone calls, or direct speech/gestures, including through a third party. I will spend the next five years living with my girlfriend, Eleanor Calder, and will move out of Princess Park immediately. I will make Mr Styles believe that I no longer love him and want nothing to do with him. I will never speak of this contract to anyone other than Liam Payne as he will be briefed and control the situation when I am alone with Mr Styles. Failure to comply to these terms will consequently see Mr Tomlinson and Mr Styles dropped from One Direction and prevent any future record deals with the company.

I couldn't take this away from him. He was not going to be dropped from the band. So, I did what I had to do. I will make Mr Styles believe that I no longer love him and want nothing to do with him. 

Louis took a deep breath and collected his thoughts before replying. "I can't tell him now. It's not necessarily too late. I just... can't. Saying it out loud makes it true and writing it down knowing that he will read it makes me sound pathetic. I want to say something, I do, I just don't know what or who to." It was at that moment that an idea sprung into Louis' mind. An idea that tested the fate of the universe. The ultimate decider of if him and Harry were meant to be.

"Mate, can you come around tomorrow? I have an idea I want to tell you about." Louis sounded almost excited as he jumped off the sofa to fetch his laptop.

"Sure," Liam responded optimistically, "noon?"

"Perfect." And with that Louis hung up, opening his laptop and typing in his password.

Google maps appeared on his screen, zoomed out to see the entirety of London. It was quite big, as Harry would say, and each road seemed like an endless possibility reaching for the hope and desire buried deep within Louis' chest. He dropped a random pin into the map, holding his breath as a road name appeared. Automatically scanning the road for evidence that house number 28 situated itself there, Louis sighed with relief.

Opening a word document, memories crowded his mind. He thought of nothing but Harry, and his fingers flowed like fish swimming in water. He started his letter, everything he ever wanted to say, with the words:

Dear girl at 28,