oops! (L.S)

chapter 24

The night went fairly well than what Harry had imagined. Louis did whimper a few times in his sleep and he couldn't really blame him for that.

The scared look on Louis' face when he saw him angers Harry to a whole new level. He didn't even know his heart held so much anger and hatred towards someone until a mere few hours ago.

Harry knew Elliott was bad news from the beginning but he didn't want to jeopardize Louis' happiness. He would never do that. Even though Harry had his doubts about Elliott from the beginning, he didn't know Elliott would be capable of doing something so horrible and disgusting.

The whole night Harry couldn't sleep properly. Not because he was not exhausted but because he wanted to be there for Louis.

Harry kept whispering sweet nothings to Louis the whole night, assuring him he was safe and he would never in a million years let anything happen to him, ever again.

The next morning, Louis wakes up snuggled against a warm body. He can feel the rise and fall of the chest and instantly makes out it's Harry. He feels so warm and safe in Harry's arms, like nothing could possibly happen to him. That is until he recovers last night's memories.

It feels like the airflow to his lungs is suddenly cut off. He can feel his chest constrict. A sudden wave of fear and panic rushes over him and soon he's struggling in Harry's arms. It feels like his ankle has been tied to an anchor and no matter how much he tries to swim back up, he can't.

"Louis, shh. You're okay." Harry immediately sits up. "Hey, look at me." He gently turns Louis' face towards him and stares into his fearful eyes. "I'm here. You have nothing to be scared of. You're going to be okay, it'll all be okay. I'm here."

Louis inhales a few sharp breaths, without breaking the eye contact. Harry's eyes hold so much love and tenderness in them that they're enough to soothe Louis.

Once Louis calms down, he drops his head on Harry's chest and simply listens to his heart beating. He focuses all his attention towards the sound of Harry's heartbeat. In response, Harry cradles Louis' head against him and lightly the kisses the top of his head.

"You're okay."

They stay in the same position for about two minutes, not a word exchanged between the two. After about what feels like forever, Louis finally speaks up. "I need to go the bathroom."

He gets up and out of bed. Harry too, pushes himself off the bed and walks to the kitchen, to make them some breakfast.

In the bathroom, when Louis looks at himself in the mirror, he can't even recognize who's looking back at him. His eyes are bloodshot from crying so much last night, his arm is starting to bruise where Elliott had a strong hold of him and it looks ugly.

He feels disgusting.

Louis decides to take a shower. He lets the hot water wash over his body, letting all his tensions drain away along with the water.

Even after taking the shower, he still feels dirty. He can still feel Elliott's touch on his body and he winces, just thinking about last night. He doesn't know if he'll ever be able to look at Elliott, let alone be in the same building as him.

He doesn't know if he'll ever be able recover from such a deep wound Elliott has left in his heart and soul. To find out the person you were so close to, you liked so much; you were just a bet to them. It hurts, just the thought of it alone hurts like hell. It cuts through his heart and it's the kind of hurt which will take a very long time to convalesce.

Louis doesn't even realise he's a sobbing mess until Harry knocks on the bathroom door, asking him if he's alright. He quietens his sobs and splashes some cold water on his face.