Save Myself // Larry Stylinson

Chapter 6

Chapter 6: VI

Summary:

Well, this has been a long time coming, and I'm really sorry about that. I got caught up in a short story that was stuck in my head and wouldn't leave me alone (its called New Man and I posted it, if anyone cares)

This is a short chapter, and I'm sure the next one is going to come a lot faster than this one did.

I'd just like to say that the response to this story for me has been really overwhelming. I've never gotten so many comments on a fic and its really fucking amazing, and I'd just like to say that I read every single one, and they mean so much to me. I appreciate every single person who reads this and its amazing to me that people care enough to leave feedback.

Thank you all so much.

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"Well, well, well, if it isn't Louis Tomlinson," said Matt, shifting his gaze momentarily from Harry back to Louis. Louis was terrified. There really wasn't another word to sum up the feeling. "I must say I was surprised to see your car here, figured you'd be done with classes by now,"

Louis wanted to tell Harry to leave to both protect the image Harry had of him but also to protect the good in him against matt's volatility. He didn't know where this would go but he wished there was some way to tell Harry he didn't have to stay.

Then, of course, because there was no way to really measure what to expect of Matt, he smiled calmly at Louis.

"Miss me, baby?"

Louis looked at Harry then, taking in his expression. It was kind of hard to read. Louis wasn't sure what Harry was thinking but most of all he wasn't sure what Matt was thinking. He seemed so calm and so at ease, but he was throwing daggers in Harry's direction. Louis had never felt so helpless and clueless in his life.

Without much feeling behind it, Louis began to nod. He had missed him, hadn't he? He didn't really feel certain about anything in that moment. He wished he was really ready. He wished he'd listened to Terri and opened up so that he knew what to do. Most of all, though, he wished that Harry wasn't part of this. He didn't want their time together to end. He wanted to keep on being the person Harry saw, but he knew he had to let it go. He had to let Harry go and face his own problems. Matt was his own problem and he'd invited it into his life and he was the only one who could face it head on.

"You're not going to introduce me to your friend?" Matt's blue eyes were cold and icy and he looked, in a word, terrifying. Louis didn't want Harry anywhere near any of his.

But before Louis' mind could come up with a way out, Harry reached his hand in Matt's direction, "Harry,"

Matt took Harry's hand in his quickly and Louis could see the iron grip he shook it with. This was probably the weirdest place Louis had ever been. He didn't have a clue what was happening.

"Matt," he said, giving Harry a snake-like smile.

Harry nodded and met Louis' eyes briefly before turning back to Matt, "charmed I'm sure,"

Harry needed to leave. He needed to leave before this whole thing exploded. Matt was a ticking time-bomb—always had been—and Louis didn't need collateral damage. The trouble was that there wasn't an easy way to approach it. He didn't want Harry to think that he wanted him to leave. That he wanted to be left alone with Matt. He just wanted Harry to not have to worry about the same ridiculous things that he had to.

So without a plan of attack, Louis, Harry and Matt stood at an impasse. Louis couldn't think of a single reason why Harry hadn't used his next class as an excuse to escape yet. It didn't make any sense. He should have been sprinting in the opposite direction, but he was standing there, rotating his gaze from Louis to Matt and back again. He was waiting for something, maybe an explanation or a dismissal—Louis wasn't sure.