Bound by Pages | larry

nineteen

Harry slammed the door behind him, leaving him and Louis confined to his room. He tugged at his hair and sunk his face into his hand. He knew he looked distressed, but he didn't care. He knew Louis was standing in the corner of his room, but the other boy didn't really know what to do, evident by his awkward stance. Harry looked like a complete mess, but his best friend had just died. Wasn't he allowed to?

"You called?" Harry was snapped out of his trance by a voice. He jumped a little, forgetting that there was actually someone else in his room. As he turned his head towards Louis, he felt a slight stinging burn in his eyes, which was weird because he hadn't been crying. 

"Yea, I did," Harry spoke. He didn't provide any more details. What was he supposed to say? 'My best friend just died and I called you here so you can watch me drown in my misery.' Yea, that wouldn't quite work out. 

Harry watched Louis take a couple steps toward him. Harry looked down, trying not to let his emotions flood out of his eyes. "Any particular reason you called me?"

"No," Harry whispered without thinking. Obviously, Louis had enough on his plate, though as soon as he said it, he instantly regretted it. This relationship was filled with dishonesty. Louis kept the fact that he hurt himself from Harry, but Harry hid that he knew. Harry hasn't told Louis anything about his parents either. Their lies had more layers than a wedding cake. 

"You sure?" Louis spoke softly. He bit his bottom lip and wrapped his arms around the larger boy. Harry smiled at the grasp. Louis almost never just showed affection like that, but seeing the small boy snuggle his head into Harry's chest just made his heart mad. It was amazing how Louis could make him smile like that, even after the day he was having. It was almost like he knew exactly what was wrong.

Harry really didn't want to do anything but cuddle and waste the day away. Usually, he hated wasting time so much, but today it just seemed right. His mind was fuzzy and there was a painful tightness in his chest but Louis was lying with him. If a perfect boy was holding him, did it matter if he was about to cry?

~

For a couple hours, they did nothing but lay there. Harry focused on his breathing as the time flew by them. Harry let his gaze sit on Louis' eyes that were gently shut. His eyelids fluttered a couple times a second, showcasing his long, dark lashes. It was amazing how understanding and considerate Louis was being, even when he had no idea what was wrong. 

For Harry, sadness always came in waves. Huges waves that cause detrimental damage when they crashed onto the sandy shore. First, he felt it in his chest. A deep pang that seemed like it would never fade. A shiver that ran down his body, hitting his head, shoulders, and all the way down his spine. His eyes started welling up with tears that came from the bottom of his lungs. 

Harry sobbed because he had just lost his best friend, and he couldn't think of anything better to do about it. He grabbed the glass on his nightstand from when he got thirsty the night before. He stared at the intricate details on that specific glass. His parents received it as an anniversary gift a couple years back. Wouldn't it be a shame if it broke?

Harry threw the glass at the wall on an act of impulse, admiring the spiral of water that spilt out as it spun. The crash wasn't as loud as Harry expected it to be, but the shatter was even more magnificent. The glass broke in all the etched patterns of the original design and so many places more. It all looked like slow motion to Harry, the way that the glass spiderwebbed at the point of contact, and splintered out before eventually hitting the floor. 

His head was spinning and Harry let his mouth fall open. He stared at the broken shards of glass on his hardwood floor. He felt a hand on his own and was met by Louis when he turned around. Louis slowly dragged him back to sit on his bed, and he happily complied.