The Best Thing I Never Had [l.s]

•Chapter Six•

Louis gets through another week of work. It's exhausting being the boss and having so much responsibility fall on his shoulder, but he's honestly not been this happy in a long time.

During the week he gets a surprise visit from Lottie who's spending the day in the city, shopping for her senior formal dress. He forgets entirely that she's eighteen and about to graduate and go off to university in just a few months.

In his mind she's still his baby sister who he fell so in love with the moment she was born. He loves all of his sisters but there's no bond quite like that of his and Lotties. She was his first sibling and while most big brothers are jealous about a new arrival— he took on the role as her protector from the day he met her.

He shows her around the aquarium after hours as he had done with Harry. He takes her to dinner after and offers for her to stay at his place the night so she wasn't taking the train back so late. She thankfully accepted his offer and takes his proffered bed while he slept on the couch.

He tried not to notice how his spare pillow still smelled of a mix of Harry's sweat and shampoo, his vanilla cologne still weaved through the blanket he had slept with.

In the morning they talk over breakfast about her boyfriend and she pries him for details on any potential love interests. He stays firmly silent about it, directing all the questions back to her until she starts talking in far too much detail for an older brothers ears and he's pushing her out the door.

They part ways as he heads to work and she goes toward the station to make her way back to Doncaster. He hugs her for a few beats longer than usual just because after so many years of being apart, he finally can.

By Friday afternoon he's exhausted and wanting nothing more than a lazy night in front of the telly and an early bedtime. His friends bug him to go out, Zayn and Liam had met up with some friends and were clearly drunk by seven o'clock. It was raining outside and Louis was already in his soft pyjama pants and the sweater that Harry left at his place last weekend.

No one needed to know that part.

~

Louis has no weekend plans and since he hasn't heard from any of his friends again, he gets ready to settle in for another lazy night.

It's Niall that texts him first. Just asking what he's up to.

Zayn is next, letting him know that he and Liam are already at Marlo's if he wants to come down.

He thinks about ignoring them. Blowing them off and pretending he didn't see their texts.

Then Harry's name pops up on his screen along with a photo of them together, drunken faces pressed against each other, wide smiles and squinted eyes. It was taken a few weeks ago. He doesn't remember the photo being taken or who took it but when he saw it the morning after, he immediately set it as Harry's call ID.

"Hi Haz." He answers and he's sure Harry can hear the smile in his voice.

"Louis! Where are you?" He asks loudly over some music. He sounds tipsy and bordering on drunk. Louis hasn't seen him all week and he's suddenly overwhelmed with how much he wants to.

"I'm just about to head to Marlo's." He says, mind made up. Harry cheers into the phone.

"See you soon then!"

It's busy, even for a Saturday night. He has to wait outside in line like a commoner as the bouncers check IDs and turn away those who have already had too much to drink.

When he gets to the front of the line he's waved in with a friendly greeting and struts his way through the threshold.

He sees Zayn by the bar, Niall and Liam at the pool table and after a quick scan of the room he sees Harry leaning against the back wall talking to someone. He's pushed further into the room as more patrons pile themselves through the door and he's forced to stop sending daggers at the back of a strangers head when he has no right to do so.