Three Little Words

Chapter 3

Harry runs up stairs to his apartment to find Louis sitting on a stool in the kitchen quietly drinking a glass of orange juice, he doesn’t take his eyes off his glass when Harry walks in, Harry throws his gym bag down on the floor by the couch and walks over to where Louis sits and pulls out the stool beside him and gently places his arm around Louis shoulder.

“I just saw Eleanor. Lou what happened?” he asks in an anxious voice

Louis looks into Harry’s green eyes for only a second before retreating back to look at the glass orange juice “I-” was all he manages to say for a moment then he try’s again “I broke up with Eleanor.”

This shocked Harry and he raises his voice slightly “You did what!” Harry looks at Louis face and notices that he’s hurting and Harry calms himself trying not to upset Louis even more “But you love her?”

“I did. I mean I do, but not enough anymore and I’ve felt this way for a couple of weeks. It was unfair on her, Harry.” A tear falls on Louis cheek and he quickly wipes it away before Harry see’s but he does see it, just before Lou wipes it, Harry hates seeing Lou like this and wraps his other arm around him and gives him a comforting hug. Louis’s heart dances as soon as Harry’s arm is touching his and he silently wishes that this moment would last forever and never end. After about a minute Louis pulls away and says to Harry “Thanks” and walks into his bedroom over to his suitcase which he put in there this morning just before Eleanor came over, he starts unpacking his clothes and putting them away in his draws. As he puts his hand back in the suitcase to grab some more clothes he feels something hard under them and pulls it out. Its his diary, he had forgotten about it, he places it on the ground beside him and carries on unpacking and tides up his bedroom which takes him a good hour then he slowly shuts his bedroom door so that Harry won’t see anything and sits on his bed with his diary and starts writing:

 30th December 2011

Dear Diary,

You could say today has been a busy one. Eleanor came over this morning and well I broke up with her, she cried, a lot, I do still love her but I’m not in love with her and I have felt this way for awhile I knew I did the right thing. It just wasn’t fair to her- to keep lying to her about my feelings or to keep pretending that I was still in love with her. I did do the right thing.

Harry came home from the gym and saw Eleanor leaving the building I guess she was still crying. After I told him that I broke up her he gave me a hug, it probably only lasted for a couple of seconds but it felt like forever. He wa-

Suddenly Louis’s bedroom door swings open and Harry’s standing in the doorframe. Louis quickly shoves his diary under the blue duvet that is on the top of his bed that he is sitting on, hoping that Harry didn’t see what was in his hands.

“I’m gonna start cooking dinner. Do you want some? It’s your favorite Mac and Cheese!” asks Harry oblivious to whatever Louis was doing.

“I’d love some, I’ll be out in a minute to help you.” Louis was glad he didn’t ask about the diary he had hid.

“Lou we all know you can’t cook!”  Harry said with a caring smile and walks to the kitchen closing the door behind him as he leaves.

Louis pulls back out his diary and leaves the last sentence unfinished and only writes ‘Louis’ on the next line. He closes the black velvet diary and walks over to where he hides it, in the bottom of his wardrobe under a loose floorboard. He pushes the box that sits on top of the floorboard to the side and lifts the floorboard up and places the diary in the hole, which it fits perfectly into. He hides it again putting the box back over it and Louis walks out to the kitchen to where Harry is cooking their tea.

The phone rings so Louis gets up to answer it.

“Hello?” Louis asks
He pauses as the person on the other end of the phone talks.

“Aw hey babe! Yeah sure you can we are just having dinner see you soon.”
Then he hangs up. Harry could just make out what he was saying from the kitchen and figures that it must have been one of the lads and dishes the mac and cheese on two plates and places them on the table. Harry calls for Louis to come eat.

“That was Liam. They are all coming over, they said they have something to tell us?”

Harry hesitates for a moment then asked as he sits down at the table opposite Louis “Wonder what it’s about? Are you going to tell them about Eleanor?”

Louis shrugs his shoulders and looks down at his dinner “I suppose if it comes up.” 

-o-

While Louis was clearing the table of their dirty dishes Liam, Zayn and Niall walk through the front door of their apartment. Louis puts the dirty dinner dishes in the dishwasher and joins the others in the lounge.

“Guess where we’re all going on New Years Eve!” Niall couldn’t hide his excitement if he wanted to.

“Andy’s having a party and we’re going!” Liam he sounded just as excited as Niall.

Louis’s face lights up at the sound of a party. Perfect timing Harry thought to himself this is just the kind of distraction Lou needs from Eleanor.

“Party time boys!” Louis calls out. They all yell woohoo after he says that.

“Danielle’s coming so you should ask Eleanor to come too.” Says Liam to Louis, but he notices Harry’s smile fade.

“What?” Liam has the feeling that he just put his foot in it.

Harry looks over at Louis then looks to Liam and shakes his head
“I broke up with her this morning.” Louis said weakly.

A chorus of ‘sorry mate’ and ‘are you all right?’ went around the boys.

Niall tired to ease the tension in the room
“Free and single and ready to mingle just in time for the new years party!” then Niall cracked up laughing at what he had just said.

“The search for fit women has begun!” announced Zayn to them all and then they all lightly sniggered

The boys could tell this was cheering him up “Liam, only taken fellow here. Careful or I might steal Danielle off you” a smile crept across Louis’s slender lips as he teased Liam, his band mates laugh and make ‘woo’ sounds. Liam just let it go, he was glad to see a little bit of the ordinary Louis back.