I Love You But I Can't Breathe

Chapter Eight

"Did someone call for a mover?" Liam asked, leaning against the door. 

Harry smiled, and ushered him in, heart rate quickening when he saw Louis standing behind the other boy. 

"Hi, babe," Louis said, voice warm and a little raspy like always. "Did you end up getting any sleep last night?" he asked, running his hands up and down Harry's arms gently. "You scared me on the phone, love." 

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "My chest just felt kind of tight. Thanks for staying on the phone with me," he added with a shy smile, as Liam headed off to his room to collect his things, leaving Harry and Louis alone in the front entrance. 

"No problem," Louis said, leaning forward to kiss Harry's forehead. "Missed you," he murmured softly. "It's always so much easier to fall asleep when you're with me." 

"Me too," Harry murmured, nuzzling against the warm crook of Louis' neck. "I like it when you hold me..."

"Louis!" Harry's mum said. Harry's head snapped up, and Louis quickly dropped his hands off of Harry's waist. Harry hadn't even noticed she had came into the front hall. 

"Anne!" Louis said, still a bit startled. "How are you?" 

"I'm good," she replied, smiling as Harry had shuffled away from Louis. The younger boy wasn't comfortable with any bit of PDA except in front of Niall or Liam. He was fine holding hands when they went out, but he was shy about kissing in public, or cuddling or being too close in front of his mum. "You haven't been around in ages- is work keeping you busy?" 

"Yeah," Louis nodded. "But Angela just got back from maternity leave a few days ago so I finally get back to my normal hours now." 

Harry's mum nodded, looking over at her son. "I saw Liam go past your room with some boxes- are you sure you're good to move out today, sweetie?" 

"Yeah, well, I was supposed to move out last weekend but then... yeah, we were going to move me out today." 

Anne sighed. "Are you sure you don't want to stay here a little longer? Who's going to drive you to your appointment tomorrow?" 

"I can," Louis replied. "Or Niall, or Liam. He'll be fine, Ms. S." 

Liam came into the front entrance, his biceps straining as he lifted up a particularly heavy box. Harry's stuff was mostly already packed up, since he'd originally planned to move out about a week earlier. 

"I'm gonna get these boxes into the van," Liam said. "Do you want to check your room and make sure you've got everything?" He smiled when he saw Harry's mum. "Hi, Ms. S! How are things?" 

Harry left Liam and his mum chatting in the front entrance, with Niall patiently lugging boxes out from the hallway to the van, as he made his way to his bedroom. 

Harry stood in his nearly empty room, the sunlight streaming in through the window and the sheets still a mess from when him and Niall didn't feel like making it that morning. It was peaceful, but vacant. 

"We had some good times in this room," Louis sighed, wrapping his arms around Harry from behind. 

Harry snorted. 

"I don't mean it in that way," Louis insisted. "Although, I mean, yeah that too." He kissed Harry's shoulder, and tightened his hug on the younger boy. "I mean, we've bonded in here... I remember the first time you brought me over, and you were so awkward-" 

"I was not," Harry huffed indignantly. 

"Mhmm, baby, you were. But it was okay, I was your first boyfriend." Louis tucked Harry's long hair behind his ears.