For your eyes only - l.s

Chapter Twenty-Six

Yayy update! Just noticed that Fyeo hit 3k reads! Thank you all so much!!! And I'm so sorry for updating so slowly but I have a lot going on... Leave a like and tell me what you think if you like. Lots of love xxx

"There we are," Louis announces once he and Harry have climbed the stairs to his flat. He fumbles with his keys for a moment before finding the right one and unlocking the door. "Welcome to my humble abode, make yourself at home."

He enters the hallway and throws his keys on the small table below the mirror. Harry hesitantly enters behind, stepping around Louis to take off his shoes.

"You could've left them on, you know," Louis tells him after putting his pair of sneakers away.

"No way, I'm a decent guest."

"Of course you are..." What exactly was the point of brining Harry here? "Okay then... this is the kitchen, the living room, the bathroom, my bedroom... yeah," he trails off, noticing there's not much more to say about his tiny flat. But Harry doesn't seem to mind.

"Want me to help you with making some tea," he offers immediately, but Louis shakes his head.

"As you've already mentioned, you're my guest. So feel free to make yourself comfortable in the living room or whatever, I'll be there in a minute."

Harry obliges and disappears in the room Louis had introduced as said living room. He on the other hand makes his way into the kitchen and carefully closes the door behind him. So, tea. He takes out his two favourite cups and switches the kettle on. While the water is starting to steam, his thoughts turn to the fact that no other than Harry Styles is sitting in his living room right now, probably zapping through all the channels his TV has to offer. Or staring out of the window. Or-

"Louis?"

Louis jumps, startled to death, when the door flies open behind him with Harry peering inside the kitchen, just in the moment the kettle starts to whistle deafeningly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Harry says, smiling slightly. "I should've known how jumpy you are."

"I'm not," Louis bites back, harsher than intended.

"Oh, somebody's cranky."

"Somebody needs to shut up," Louis retorts but adds a half-smile to it, not planning on insulting his guest. Well, not too much at least. But Harry takes it lightly.

"Should I carry these into the living room?" he asks, polite as always, while pouring water into the two cups.

"Please," Louis nods. "I'll get the milk. Two sugar cubes, right?"

It comes out as more of a rhetorical question and Louis surprises himself. Harry just stares and nods before clearing his throat and disappearing with the cups. Louis shakes his head. Why does he even remember such shit?

Shortly after they settle down on the sofa in the living room. The TV is quietly running in the background. Louis wishes he could turn the volume up before the silence is getting awkward, but the remote control is lying next to Harry's right arm and there is no way of subtly grabbing it.

"Late shift, huh?" he remarks instead.

Harry turns his head to look at him, confused. "Oh, yeah... As I said, I was just walking home when..."

Louis nods, not wanting to force Harry to recall the fresh memories again.

"Why were you there?"

"I had just finished work, too."

"You came home from a film set?" Harry asks, thrilled.

"Ha, no... I wish. Starbucks. Not as exciting but it pays the rent. Acting is fun and all but you know, you can't really live on it. Unless your name is Brad Pitt or Robert Redford or... Well, not Louis Tomlinson, at least."

And Harry laughs. Louis wasn't actually trying to be funny but Harry laughs. And it sounds... nice. It somehow takes some of the pressure from his chest.

After that it's not even half as awkward. They find a way into a conversation and talk, and sip their tea, and munch biscuits, which Louis found in one of the cupboards and which had apparently passed their best-before date long ago. Neither of them really minds.

"Oh."

"What?" Harry weakly asks, wiping tears from his eyes from laughing too hard after Louis had accidently dropped a whole bone-dry biscuit into his tea.

"You have to meet someone." Harry raises his eyebrows at him. "Olivia. She'll be happy to see you."

Harry furrows his eyebrows in confusion and something like... panic?

"Come on, come on. I don't know how I could forget about her." Louis pulls on Harry's arm until he's in a standing position and drags him out of the room. He pushes the door to his bedroom open and turns to his desk.

"Look?! She remembers you, see how excited she is?" Louis basically coos as he's staring at the small goldfish inside the water bowl on the table, surely having small sparkly red hearts pop up in his eyes. Harry is silent until...

"You were talking about a fucking goldfish?"

"Not any goldfish. Olivia!" Louis beams.

"Olivia."

"You were the one who won her. The fair, remember? You must remember, that wasn't even two weeks ago."

"Of course I do but why on earth have you called it Olivia?"

"Why not?" Louis enquires with his hands on his hips and slightly insulted.

"How do you even know it's a girl?"

"I just do? I mean, look at her! She's so pretty. With all her sparkling scales and tiny fins..."

"Boys can be beautiful too... With sparkling fins and all," Harry points out and Louis can't tell if he's joking. He sighs.

"Okay," he groans over-dramatically. "What do you suggest? Taking her to the vet in order to find out whether she's a boy or a girl? This man is going to ask if I broke out from a nuthouse."

"You could call it Olly. Short for Olivia, or Oliver. And the fish can choose whoever they want to be."

Louis looks at him like he's the one from the nuthouse. But eventually he shrugs. "If it makes you happy. You're it's godfather, by the way."

"Am I?"

"Of course."

"Okay. Well then, Olly...," Harry says, turning to the fish and tapping against the glass. He receives a Blob in return. Harry smiles. Louis watches. Somewhat fondly. Thank god nobody is watching him right now. "It was nice seeing you, but I think I should get going now. I hope we will meet again." Blob.

"Want me to give you a lift?" Louis asks although he wouldn't accept a No for an answer.

Harry turns around, opening his mouth, probably to say something like No, I'm fine but Louis gives him a look and he shuts his mouth.

At the end of the evening when Louis drops Harry off at his house, Harry thanks him several times for... well, basically everything. Louis thanks him for keeping him company and for being so kind to Olly. Harry laughs and his eyes sparkle. Louis looks away. They say goodnight and Louis waits until Harry has safely disappeared into the house. He has no idea how to describe the way he feels right now. No fucking clue. But it doesn't feel too bad if he's being honest.