Louis' house

9. new years

'I lay it down as a general rule, Harriet, that if a woman doubts as to whether she should accept a man or not, she certainly ought to refuse him. If she can hesitate to "yes", she ought to say "no" directly.'
-Jane Austen

Harry stares at that note, reads it for what feels like the millionth time within the last week, since Louis gave him the book with it in it.

Harry spent boxing day with his family back in Holmes Chapel, while Louis' family came to visit, so they didn't see each other. It was only when it was already dark outside, that Louis called Harry, asking him if he's tired or if he wants to come over and eat leftovers and watch a movie with Clifford.

Harry had actually been in bed already, but sue him if he hadn't gotten up immediately. Louis and Harry did exactly what Louis said they could do that evening, just kind of hanging out. Nothing special, they just relaxed in each other's presence.

Louis gave him his Christmas present too, which is that they would go to this festival on new years eve, to go dancing.

As Harry lays in his bed in the dark, he realises that that will be tomorrow. Time goes fast when he was just with Louis every day.

They finished the house, went to a Christmas market and watched the entire Twilight saga as a drinking game. They went on countless walks with Cliff, played football in the living room and broke a vase, had a snowball fight with the neighbours' twins. They invented a game, which was simply playing frisbee, but you'd have to hold one other item at any times. It ended with Louis falling into the snow with Clifford around his shoulders.

One night, they were slightly tipsy on wine and sat at the piano together, it started with Louis teaching Harry some basics and ended with a deep conversation about the meaning of life in the dim light that was provided by all the candles around the room.

Those were Harry's favourite kind of moments, when they were just sort of hanging out, not doing anything crazy. It was calming, it was good for him. Francis didn't come home and when he texted, saying he'd be back on the third, maybe fourth of January, Harry didn't reply because at the time he was busy doing a handstand competition with Louis.

Everything is just like old times, as if they never stopped. The awkwardness is now gone completely, and Harry is newly surprised every single time they laugh together, how well it fits, how well they fit, as people. It just works.

The note, though. Harry knows what Louis wants to tell him with that, the same thing Gemma said, the same thing his mum said on boxing day (Gemma snitched and told her about what happened with Francis).

It means that Harry should leave Francis.

Because he hesitates to say yes, he's not sure, he has doubts. That means no. Harry doesn't even really care anymore if Francis is cheating or not, that Harry thinks he would do it and doesn't immediately throw the thought away, doesn't trust him to be honest with him must mean something. That the quote is said to Harriet is only a funny coincidence, but it makes everything slightly more real.

Louis says Harry should leave Francis.

And Harry has been thinking about exactly that option endless times, while his fiancé is still on his self titled break.

Harry wouldn't really know what he would do after that, how that will turn out for him, if Francis would leave or throw him out, but in that case he would probably just go back to his mum until he finds something new. Somehow, the idea of leaving Francis isn't scary anymore, it's a possibility that means freedom and opportunities.

Maybe being single for a while would be good for him, he hasn't been single for more than four months since he was fifteen and the first lad he dated after Louis, he's now engaged to.