Back To December

14. (Niall)

"Harry. Come on. Up we go."

I pick him up under his arms and start walking him towards the front door of the house. Zayne was waiting in the car.

"Come on Niall. Let him stay." Nick Grimshaw, the latest boy to show interest in Harry, whines grabbing at Harry's wrist.

"No can do. We leave for Seattle tomorrow." I pull him away from Harry.

Harry stumbles and I catch him before he can go down. He was wasted. I was sober. This is how it always went down for the past 2 years. I don't understand what happened but Harry changed. He dated Ed for a while but once Ed told him I love you and wanted to make plans for a future Harry ran. Figuratively. He broke Ed's heart and then changed numbers and blocked him on all social media. Liam left to go to college in Phoenix while Zayne stayed behind. They both worried about Harry too much, almost as much as Louis would.

Louis.

A part of me hated my former best friend for hurting Harry. That part hated going to Harry's house finding him laying by the front door nearly catatonic. He wouldn't say anything other than 'what have I done?' and 'I want Lou.' Another part of me was worried about Louis though. He had vanished almost like he never existed. I went to his apartment with Zayne and everything was cleared out. There was no sign he'd ever been there at all. Jay  tells us that she hasn't heard from him and he pulled out of the community college. We have been looking but no one can find him.

I shake the thoughts from my head as I open the backseat and lay Harry on the leather seats. Zayne leans around from the driver's seat and puts his hoodie under Harry's head making a pillow. I take my seat in the passenger seat and gasp when he turns the car on and his lights shine in front of us.

"Louis?" I blink and open the door..."Where'd it go?"

"Niall. You alright?" Zayne is standing outside the driver's side door following my gaze. "There's nothing there."

"It was. The yellow car. It was there."

Zayne sighs as we close the doors. "Going to Seattle will be good. We all need to get out of this town. Especially him." He looks back at Harry.

"I wish he would let us in. We've been there since day one Z."

"I know Ni. I hate him sometimes then I think about the look I saw everytime he looked at H and then I feel bad because he has to be broken too."

I nod. "Yeah me too. That wasn't the first time I thought I'd seen the car."

He makes the left turn onto our street. "I've thought I'd seen it a few times too but that's impossible right?"

I sigh and shrug my shoulders. "Dunno. Lou was always the suffer in silence type so..."

Zayne pulls in Harry's driveway. His mum isn't home so this makes getting him in easier. Zayne goes to unlock the door while I pull Harry out and wrap my arm around his waist and put his around my neck. Zayne comes back and helps me walk him inside. Immediately we are met with barking.

"Hurley. Place."

I give the command and the dog runs ahead of us and into Harry's room sitting on his dog bed. He'd come a long way and now he was always excited to see me and Zayne,  he also listened to us now when we gave commands. We lay Harry on his bed. Zayne takes off his shoes while I grab the blanket from his shelf and cover him. Hurley jumps on the bed and lays his head on Harry's legs.

"Good boy. You ready to go to Seattle tomorrow? Uncle Z is getting you dinner." At those words the dog jumps down and spins around waiting for his dog bowl.

"Ni! Come here!"

I walk out with the dog following me. He starts eating in the kitchen while Zayne is staring at the refrigerator.

"What's up?"

"Lou." He points to a note on the refrigerator under a magnet.

I miss you more than all the stars in the night sky. I will never forgive myself. I'm proud of you bumblebee.

"It was Lou."

I run to the door and throw it open. I scan the street and point. "Z!"

"I see it." He closes the door and we stare down the street.

I knew I wasn't crazy. What's going through his head though? Why didn't he stay? Why didn't he sign the note? Where has he been?

"Let's get some sleep. We leave at 7am tomorrow Ni."

Zayne gets in his impala and drives home. I walk the short distance back to my house and quietly slip inside. Tomorrow starts a new adventure.

College.

Harry and I were both accepted to the University of Washington and Zayne was tagging along with an engineering internship set up. He would transfer his classes and do the work online while working in the field. The three of us decided to get an apartment together. It was a spacious floor plan on the third floor with three bedrooms. Hurley would be tagging along so we had to get his temperament tested before we signed the lease. Luckily the dog daycare here passed him and even gave us some references to ones in Seattle close by.

6am came and Zayne was honking his horn for me. I threw my duffle in his trunk, hugged my mum and then we met at Harry's. The uhaul was parked in his driveway with Zayne and I boxes already packed in. Harry was putting the last of his in when he ran over to the car.

"It's time?" He asked hesitantly.

"It's time H. Plane leaves in an hour. Your mum and Jay will drive the uhaul up."

"Well let's go then." Harry hugged his mum and Jay.

They both told us to call when we landed and got to the apartment. Hurley would be staying until the mum's came up so he wouldn't have to fly knocked out.

"You guys saw the note didn't you?"

I nod and Zayne tightens his grip on the steering wheel.

"Don't Z. It was my fault."

I turn around now confused. "He left you on the fucking floor H. How is it your fault?"

Harry looks out the window and sighs. "He wanted more. He didn't want to be just friends but I was drunk and scared. I told Ed that Louis was just a friend. He wasn't. I also told him that hearing words over and over they lose their meaning."

My shoulders slump and Zayne looks at me from the corner of his eye. It makes sense now. Louis loves him. Louis didn't want this. Harry didn't want this.

"Butterflies." Harry and I both look at Zayne confused.

"Butterflies?" Harry and I both repeat.

"Love is like a butterfly. It goes where it pleases and it pleases wherever it goes. We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever."

"Very poetic Z." I tap his shoulder.

He rolls his eyes. "Louis is Harry's butterfly. They may find different partners but they only truly mate once in their lives. He's proud of you H. Carry that with you and have hope you'll see him again."

I watch Harry smile. Zayne is always good with words. As we boarded the plane none of us knew that Seattle would hold a ton of surprises for us.

It would all begin when we made our way to baggage claim.