Once in a Lifetime ➳ Larry

chapter ten

Chapter Ten

An ache burns in Harry's chest as he walks through the dense woods, brushing past tree branches and thorny bushes. Twigs and leaves crunch under his faux leather boots. The sun slowly starts to sink into the horizon, leaving fluffy wisps of pink and orange in its path. Harry tries to shake the voice out of his head that tells him to turn around and go back to Louis. He keeps telling himself that he doesn't need Louis. Even if it's a lie, he continues walking.

When he reaches the side of the main road, he sighs with relief. He wants to get away from all of this— away from Louis, specifically. Away from the constant reminders that he is no longer human. Away from the solitude of the cabin that claws at his ribcage and fills him with loneliness.

The echo in his brain says, Breathe.

Harry shakes his head and tries to ignore it. He pulls out his mobile phone from his back pocket and unlocks it, his numb fingers stumbling over the passcode. He ignores the texts popping up on his screen and decides to call Zayn. If he can rely on anyone in the world, it's Zayn. He presses the iPhone to his ear and waits patiently.

It rings three times before he picks up with a gentle, "Rose?"

Harry can't help but smile. "Hey, Angel."

Zayn chuckles lightly. "What's up, mate?"

"Not much," Harry lies, kicking a loose stone with his shoe.

"Are you working tonight?"

"Yeah. Actually, that's why I'm calling you. Think you can give me a ride?"

"Sure," Zayn says instantly. "I'll pick you up at your flat at seven, okay?"

"Um, I'm not at my flat," Harry murmurs, glancing around him. He sees a sea of green leaves and bright skies.

Zayn pauses. Harry can hear him fumbling with his phone. "Where are you, then?"

"Well, I was at Louis's," Harry huffs. "But now I'm just standing on the side of the road like an idiot."

"Why?"

" 'cause I needed some fresh air," Harry says passively. "Don't worry about it, mate. I just wanted to get out of there for a while."

"Well, if you say so," Zayn grumbles. "What's the name of the street?"

"Oakford. 'm about two kilometers down the road."

"Okay, then. I'll see you in 'bout twenty minutes, yeah?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Angel."

"Anytime, Rose. Bye."

Harry leans against a nearby tree and opens up his Scrabble app. He taps at his phone to make the time go by faster. He pushes Louis to the back of his mind, but no matter how hard he tries, he can't ignore what happened. He's shocked that Louis would keep bonding a secret. In Harry's opinion, it's pretty damn intimidating— the idea of being tied down to one singular person.

But now, in an odd way, everything makes sense. He knows why he constantly desires to be near Louis, why he thirsts for his attention, why he feels like he's empty when they're separated. He can hear Louis's voice in his head when he's dancing up at stange. He can sense the lust, the needy desperation, the hot desire that burns in his stomach. At first he thought it was his imagination playing tricks on him, but now he knows it's reality.

He tries not to think about the silver-eyed vampire who stole his heart. He doesn't know why he trusts Louis so much, but he figures it's a combination of bonding and dependency. When he's confused about becoming a vampire, he only has one person to turn to: Louis. He can't go to Zayn or the other dancers for vampiric advice, and he certainly can't rely on his parents or family. And so, by default, he needs Louis.