In Too Deep (Dancing With The Shadows)

twenty three

He groans, standing to peep out the window. He draws the curtain back slightly and sees a bald head and large frame taking up the step of the cottage. He opens the window and whistles.

The man snaps his head up. He shakes his head. "Finally! I've been knocking on this bloody door for the past five minutes. Can someone please tell me where Harry Styles is?" he says exasperatedly.

Louis realises now that this is probably David. He motions with his head toward the cottage. "He should be in there!"

"Then why isn't he out yet? He's normally very good at being punctual."

Louis sighs. Knowing Harry, he probably fell asleep whilst getting ready to leave. He hasn't been sleeping much the past two days as it is anyway, the lack of sleep is probably catching up to him, much like it is Louis, evident in the way his head throbs. 

"Give us a moment, I'll come down and drag him out meself," Louis decides, leaving the window and going down the stairs, Clifford watching him go with a big yawn before the pup is falling back asleep.

Louis strides up to the door when David moves away from it. He knocks once. "Harold, so help me God if this bald headed man at the door doesn't get your arse in that car in the next five seconds, I will be personally writing that will of yours for me!"

There's no response.

Fuck.

Louis can only think the worse. Harry was about to go shower when he left him last. What if he fell asleep on the shower floor and drowned?

Louis doesn't wait a second to open the door that is naturally unlocked now, striding into the cottage and running down the hallway to the bathroom. He falters when the hum of the water tank is silent, and the door is ajar, revealing that the room is absent.

He walks the length of the house to the masters bedroom where he finds the neatly made bed, Louise the bunny propped up between the pillows with Harry's cases laying idle on the duvet.

"Where the bloody hell is he? He's gonna be late for his flight!" David's voice shouts from behind him, startling Louis.

"Jesus, you need a bell," Louis snaps. He thinks for a moment before it comes together like a puzzle in his head. "Okay, give me five minutes and I promise I'll get you Harry, I think I know where he is."

"If he's not by my feet in the next five minutes, I'll leave without him and he can get an earful from Jeff," David decides, storming out the room whilst fishing in his pocket for a cigarette.

Louis rushes out the house and hops into he golf cart that sits in the log shed beside the Oak cottage. He starts her up and reverses out the spot, speeding (well, speeding as much as a golf cart can) down the pebble path, stones crunching under tires.

The oak trees thicken around him and he parks the cart when he sees the slight gap between the bushes. He hops out the cart, yelps when a bee whizzes past toward the foxglove. He wades through the bush and to the opening where his little secret spot is. 

There, Harry sits on the stump, using a stick to draw patterns into the dusty dirt. Harry's head snaps up when he hears the sound of footsteps, shoulders slumping in relief when he sees Louis.

"Hey, your driver is a very loud man. Woke me up," Louis says sitting beside him and bumping his hip into his. 

Harry closes his eyes and tears begin to skid down his cheeks. "I don't want to leave, Louis."

"Then don't," Louis says hopefully.

Harry smiles sadly at him. "I have to. It's all part of the contracts. I wish I didn't have to, really. I just needed to clear my head before I got into the car."