The files slipped from Louis' hands, hitting the ground with a dull noise.
Harry was still staring at him, his words echoing between them. Or maybe they were just echoing off the walls of Louis' skull because his mind was completely blank except for Harry's upset expression and those words.
For a moment, Louis thought he would just drop to the floor, too, with a dull noise. It'd be too easy, though. That wouldn't fit his usual luck of having to take on every challenge that presented itself in his life. He had to face Harry instead.
"You're twenty," Louis heard himself say, as if it wasn't his voice. "You're twenty in that picture."
Harry's gaze dropped to the photo again and he withdrew his hand from it. "It's in my mum's garden."
Louis nodded. He had no idea what to say. Or what Harry expected him to say. Every word he could say could make this worse. He had planned to slowly prepare Harry for this. Now both of them had been thrown at the deep end, and Louis didn't know how to save them.
He probably couldn't save this.
"Louis." Harry looked at him again, eyes still intent. "Why is there a picture of us in my mum's garden?"
"Because," Louis choked out, hoping that Harry wouldn't run away from him. "Because I was there, Harry. And I remember all of it."
Harry frowned slightly. "All of what?"
Swallowing thickly, Louis ran a hand through his hair. "The three years," he replied. "Those three years you don't remember. The accident. The hospital. I remember all of it."
Shaking his head, Harry finally stood up. "That's not true. I was alone."
"You were not." Louis took a step closer to him. "You were with me."
It didn't even take a second for Harry's mood to revert. Louis could see the change on his face; could pinpoint the moment denial kicked in. He looked angry, his jaw stubbornly set. "I was alone in that car."
"You don't know that, do you? You can't remember any of it." Louis knew he had fucked up the moment it was out of his mouth. That had come out completely wrong and he wanted to take it back, say something else instead. Something that wouldn't make Harry hate him even more than he probably did right now.
Harry looked shocked for second, then his brows knit together in anger and his lips formed a thin line. He dashed past Louis without another word.
"Harry, wait." Louis followed him, catching Harry's wrist when he reached the door. "Baby--"
"Don't you dare call me that again." Harry pulled away from him. "I don't believe a single thing you're saying."
Louis' heart sank with the realisation that he was losing Harry. He had to do something, had to somehow make Harry stay and listen to him. "Come on, love, you need to calm down."
"I don't want to calm down." Harry turned on his heels, stomping out of the office. "I don't ever want to see you again."
Louis couldn't stop the whimper escaping him. He watched Harry dash down the corridor and disappear around a corner. His heart weighed heavily in his chest, and Louis wasn't sure it was beating at all. Maybe it was, but with even less purpose than before.
He slammed his fist against the doorframe and Cecilia shrieked quietly. She quickly lowered her gaze when he looked at her, pretending to be busy with something else. Louis ran a hand over his face, feeling his body go numb. His breathing got ragged and he felt dizzy.
"Mr Tomlinson?" Cecilia asked, her chair rattling as she shot up from it.
"I'm good." Louis wasn't, but what was the point? He'd never be good again. He had hurt Harry. The one thing he had promised himself he'd never do in life. The one thing he had tried to prevent from happening in the past five years. "Go back to work."
