Hands of Fate (l.s. soulmate AU)

Chapter 6: Leaving And Growing Up

Being back in LA came with a glaring reminder of the reality Harry lived in. Italy had been a dream, or something akin to it despite how pensive things had been. His reality consisted of a hectic schedule – early mornings, days full of shoots and interviews, posing for the lens and smiling as he answered all measures of questions – at least for the duration of a promo. The months in between the release and the next shoot were relatively mundane. He still needed to show his face every now and then, but not everything was go, go, go.

The little free time he did manage to get outside of the schedule Jeff had assembled, Harry spent it sleeping. The media might speculate what shenanigans he was up to, might twist and try to portray a contrasting image, but Harry could not care less for it. Additionally, he had a great PR team to handle any wayward rumours. Thus, any free time he got, he simply spent it nestled between the covers of his bed.

Well, unless he was thinking of Louis, at least.

And he was constantly thinking of Louis. He caught himself multiple times daydreaming about the designer, recalling the rare glimpses of his smile, the way he lined his eyes, how his hair framed his face, the care he put in dressing himself, the devotion he had to his work, the passion in his eyes when he pitched a design. Even the cold-shoulder and not entirely subtle glares were things Harry found himself reminiscing.

Had he blown his chance? Harry wondered at times. Most likely.

His preconceived notion had managed to squatter whatever he could have had with Louis. Maybe, if it was some other person Harry would not have cared so much, but Louis was someone Harry could have never predicted. There were mysteries surrounding him, things Harry had no answer for as of yet. There was so much he wanted to know about Louis, so much he wanted to reveal about himself, and that had been a revelation in itself.

He had gone from never wanting a soulmate to despising a life without Louis in the span of one single trip to Italy. How had that happened? He could barely fathom the reason himself.

The thought stayed with him all through workday, keeping him distracted during the first segment of the interview. He could hardly tell who was interviewing them, simply following his co-workers’ cues as they answered and joked about. Jeff called him out on it during the commercial break, and Harry finally pulled his head out of the clouds. At the end, he managed to muster his usual charm and evade questions about his personal life, calling it a win in his books.

He had two more interviews in the following days before he had to fly back to Milan. Somehow, the week seemed to drag.

He met up with Mitch and Sarah for lunch after his second interview. It was late by the time his car pulled up the driveway to his house, a dread replacing the calm inside him when he spied the other car parked ahead of him in the garage. Harry braced himself for a confrontation as he walked inside his own house, his steps tentative as he surveyed the space.

“Harry!” Gemma perked up upon seeing him, coming around the coffee table to hug him.

And Harry, he eventually melted into the embrace, folding his arms around his sister and hiding his smile into her hair.

“This is a surprise,” he remarked after pulling away, “You didn’t call ahead.”

“As if I’d have gotten a hold of you,” Gemma pursed her mouth, slinking back to the sofa, “You’re always busy these days.”

He winced, “I apologised for not making it to London.”

“Over a text.”

“I had a sudden project come up,” he defended, pouring himself a glass of scotch from the liquor cabinet.