Louis' house

1. prologue

"Next door" He repeats, and this time points directly at the ghost house, next to Harry's.

That this house is absolutely in no shape to live in, isn't even the most surprising thing for Harry. He just keeps frowning while a ton of questions bounce around in his head, trying to decide which one to ask first, but Louis seems to know him well enough, too, so he knows which question wins before Harry knows it himself.

"I had no idea you live here. And, in my defence, the doorbell doesn't say Styles..." Louis squints his eyes at the small name tag above the doorbell. "It says Adler"

"Yes..." Harry confirms slowly, chewing on his bottom lip. This should never have happened. This whole situation should never have occurred. Harry should be in his dining room now, with the dinner he cooked in the middle of the table, eating and chatting with his-. He shouldn't be standing here, rejected and disappointed, and talking to Louis Tomlinson, of all people. With whom he has shared so much of his past.

Louis seems to understand Harry's hesitation at the topic, and doesn't press why Harry's name is not on the doorbell. Instead, he rubs his hands together, like he always does, and bites his bottom lip awkwardly.

"Well" He starts and Harry straightens up, fingers still gripping the edge of the wooden door like a lifeline. "I just came by to say hello to my neighbours, and ask if you maybe have a charger I could borrow for the night..."

"You don't have a charger?" Harry asks, and can't keep the amusement out of his voice, a smile slowly creeping onto his face. Louis smiles as well and Harry could scream with how happy he is that the awkward tension is finally lifted, even if it's just a tad.

"No" Louis' voice is laced with laughter. "It was a very spontaneous decision to move here, and in all the haste, I forgot my charger"

Harry nods, before he clears his throat and steps aside, holding the door open for Louis to come in. He watches closely as Louis eyes the interior presented to him, the tiny crease that forms between his eyebrows as he looks at the sharp edges, all the white, the marble and the glass; how clean and empty everything is. He has enough decency to not comment on it, though and Harry has never been more grateful.

Louis thankfully just keeps talking, while toeing off his shoes. "The house is a right mess, I'm telling you" Harry smiles and walks into the living room, Louis following, subtly glancing around. "No lamps, a broken kitchen, the stove doesn't work, and I'm honestly kinda scared to walk into the attic, maybe the roof has a hole or something, wouldn't even surprise me." He laughs slightly while Harry bends down, reaching behind the couch to unplug the charger.

When he turns around, Louis seems to be extremely interested in the ceiling. Harry only smiles and clears his throat, reaching out to offer the charger to Louis, who takes it. Their fingers brush.

"Thank you. The only thing that works over there is water and electricity." Louis chuckles and turns around to walk back out of the living room and into the hallway.

"Got anything to eat, then?" Harry asks, walking after him and watching as Louis starts to put his shoes back on.

"No, I was planning on ordering Pizza"

Harry nods slowly, an idea running a marathon in his head. "Want some curry? I just cooked" He points behind himself into the kitchen, Louis' eyes following his hand.

"Sure" Louis says after slight hesitation, taking off his shoes once again. "If you don't mind"

Harry shakes his head and walks into the kitchen, pulling out two new plates and cutlery, placing everything on the clean area of the kitchen island. He motions for Louis to sit down on one of the barstools, while he pulls out two clean glasses. "What do you want to drink?"