Slipping Away (A Larry Stylinson FanFic)

Chapter Seventeen

Harry groaned as he climbed out of bed the next morning. He'd had nightmares all night about not only Katie and Adaley getting hurt but about Louis. Even though he was furious with the older man he still loved him with every fiber in his being. He didn't think he could love anyone any more than he loved Louis. He shook his head, ridding himself of thoughts of his former so-called 'lover'. He thought forward to the interview and wondered how awkward everything would be for everyone. He sent Katie a good morning text before he climbed into the shower standing under the boiling hot stream of water for a good 20 minutes. Eventually he gained the courage it finish his shower and get dressed. He quickly dried his hair and picked up the phone, shooting Paul a text that they had to get Katie and Adaley. With one last shake of his hair and a half smile in the mirror, he was out the door and on his way. Within twenty minutes he was knocking gently on their door. Katie pulled it open and gave him a half smile. He couldn't help but admire her beauty. She was wearing a knee length light blue dress with boots.

"Good morning boyfriend." She said with a smirk and Harry laughed.

"Good morning to you too beard. Whoops! I mean girlfriend." He joked and wrapped her in a tight hug. Before he could say anything else he heard running feet and an 'ouch' followed closely behind with 'I'M OKAY!'. He laughed and Katie shook her head. So Adaley appeared in behind Katie.

"Hi Mr. Harry." The little girl said and Harry swiftly picked her up with ease, setting her on his hip. She hugged him tightly around the neck and a very peaceful smile came to his lips.

"Shall we? I've gotta be there by ten and its 9:30 now." He said and picked up the bag Katie had packed for Adaley. Katie shut and locked the door behind them as Harry buckled Adaley into the car seat in between Katie and himself. Katie cocked an eyebrow.

"When did that car seat get here?" she asked as she climbed in beside Adaley, making sure that all of them were buckled. Harry gave her a sheepish smile.

"Since Paul has kids I asked him to get the best car seat with the highest safety rating." He mumbled and Katie shook her head fondly.

"You didn't have to do that, Harry. Adaley has a car seat in the apartment we could've used." She said and looked out the window, watching their surroundings flash past. Harry shrugged.

"Well now if she goes somewhere with me she'll have a car seat right there and we won't have to worry about grabbing it." He said and Katie just gave him a slight nod, mesmerized by the buildings around her. Eventually they pulled into a TV studio and Harry climbed out, helping Adaley out after.

"Mr. Harry." Adaley said, making Harry kneel down. "Will you carry me?' she asked in a soft voice. She could hear the screaming of the fans on the other side of the building and it terrified her. Harry nodded.

"Of course, princess." He hummed and lifted her up, putting her on his hip. He was careful to keep her dress down. She, like her mother, was wearing a dress to her knees with cowboy boots only hers was a dark blue with small flowers on it. He held her close to him and took Katie's free hand in his own, interlacing their fingers. He heard some shutters nearby and sighed heavily.

"They're here, aren't they?" Katie said low enough so only Harry and Adaley could hear her. Harry nodded and gently squeezed her hand.

"Sure as hell are. Damn vultures." He grumbled and Adaley crossed her arms.

"No matter how much you don't like them Mr. Harry doesn't mean you can use bad words like that." She chastised and Harry gave her a sheepish smile.

"I'm sorry Ada. I just don't like the paparazzi because they were mean to your mom. They hurt her arm." He said, showing her the brace and Adaley nodded.

"Mommy told me. She said it's just a sprain so it'll get better really fast." She said matter of fact and Harry chuckled with a nod. The door opened before them and they walked in, meeting the rest of the boys backstage. He took a deep breath as the boys stared at not only Katie but at Adaley.

"Lads. I should probably officially introduce you to Katie." He started off, catching Louis' eyes and giving him a nod. "Boys. This is Katie Cane and her daughter Adaley." He said with a fond smile and looked down at Katie who was halfway hiding behind Harry. "And Katie, this is Liam and Niall. And that person back there," he said, pointing to Louis, "is Louis. My best mate." He said with a half smile. Louis partial returned it. Harry took that as a good sign and gently set Adaley down, leaning over to whisper in Katie's ear. "I'm gonna go talk to Louis really fast. Please feel comfortable with the boys. They may be annoying as hell sometimes but they're great guys." He whispered and kissed her cheek. He gave Adaley's head a peck before he walked over to Louis, shoving his hands in his own pockets. "Hey Lou... Mind if we talk?" he asked in an awkward tone and Louis nodded, leading Harry to the bathroom. He shut and locked the door before leaning against the sink.

"You wanted to talk?" Louis asked with a slightly shaky voice, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. Harry nodded and gave him a slight smile. He ran a hand through his long hair and leaned against the wall, putting his foot up behind his rear to support him.

"I know all the shit that's happened over the past few weeks has been hell and I'm sorry for how I acted. I'm sorry for saying something stupid and making Zayn leave the band. I'm sorry for hurting Briana if I did. And I'm sorry for hurting you. I know you truly love her. So what do you say? Best friends again?" Harry said, voice getting thick. He took a deep breath and blinked a few times before he gave Louis a smile. Louis' heart ache severely as he formulated his thoughts. He knew he had to hurt Harry but he didn't know if he could.

"I forgive you but I don't think Briana will. I will say that I'm sorry for leading you on and making you think I felt anything more for you than just brotherly love." He said and clenched his jaw, swallowing back his tears. "But I'm sorry. We can act like best friends during interviews and concerts but when it's just us with the band or with our girls I don't think that can happen. I don't have time for childish games anymore. I'm going to be a father and I need to step up and own up to it." He said, voice breaking slightly. "I do want to be friends though. We just can't pal around like we used to. Things got way too out of hand when we were younger. Again, I'm sorry but that's how it has to be." He said sadly and shoved his hands in his pockets. Harry felt his entire world crashing down. Louis took another breath. "In this interview, by order of management, everyone has to be really excited for Briana and me. I tried to tell them that they couldn't control everyone's emotions but they really gave us no choice. And you're really on their shit list since you blew up at them in the meeting." He said with a slight chuckle, making Harry crack a small smile. Louis gently placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed. Harry cleared his throat and gave Louis a shy smile.

"Do you think I can have one last hug before we walk out?" he asked, nervously running his hand through his hair. Louis chuckled and held his arms open for Harry.

"C'mon you giant. Give me a hug." He said with a huge grin and Harry threw his head back in laughter, making his dimples stand out. He wrapped his arms tightly around Louis' waist and Louis wrapped his arms tightly around Harry's neck. Louis' hand slid into Harry's hair and started to play with it as they had their sweet moment. It was rudely interrupted when someone knocked on the door.

"C'mon boys. The interview is getting ready to start." Niall's voice said through the thick door and Louis called back that they would be right out. Harry pulled away and straightened up, smiling down at Louis.

"Ready, princess?" he asked as Louis turned to fix his hair in the mirror.

"I'm just gonna fix my hair up real quick and then I'll be out." He said and Harry nodded. He leaned down and gently pressed a kiss to Louis' cheek, walking out the door. Louis froze and touched his cheek. The skin there was tingling and his cheeks started to heat up. He sighed sadly and looked at the door.

"I love you Hazza. I really and truly do."