Obliterate || Book Four

XXII

C H A P T E R    T W E N T Y    T W O:

They're laying in bed that night, Harry curled up with a textbook to his holiday break reading and Louis texting away on his phone, when Harry finally snaps. He's kept it in all day, was polite to his mum, but the stress has been there all day.

He's not really paying attention to his textbook, so he lets it drop against his chest, sighing and turning to look at Louis. He turns his head and lifts one eyebrow at Harry, expression soft.

“What's up?” he asks as he reads a text.

Harry sighs again. “Can you, like, stop texting? I kind of want to talk.”

“Sure, baby,” Louis replies, switching off his phone and sets it down on the night table. “About your mum and sister, I'm guessing?”

Harry nods, his hair dragging against the pillow. “Yeah.”

Louis gathers his textbook and sets it on the table beside his phone, then rolls over so his head is propped on his hands, facing Harry, who's in the same position. He entertwines their fingers and kisses his nose, waiting patiently.

“When you're ready,” he says.

Harry closes his eyes and leans closer, feeling the heat radiate off of Louis' skin. It's comforting, and when he opens his eyes, he knows he can do it.

“I don't like how mum tried to make excuses,” Harry begins in a small voice. “All I wanted was for her to apologize in the very beginning, not have me push her to. I feel like I have to screen her to see if she really means that she's sorry and that she loves me, but I don't want that. I don't know, I'm not really making sense.”

“No, baby, you're okay,” Louis assures. “Your mum—She wouldn't have come down here if she didn't love you. I know she's made a lot of mistakes, that's apparent, but it's also obvious that she understands where she went wrong. She might not want to admit that it happened, but she knows. I can tell. She's apologetic, I can see it.”

Harry sniffs. “It hurts to see her. I want to have a relationship with her but I don't know how to. How did you maintain a good relationship with your mum?”

Louis frowns. “Babe, come on.”

“Please,” Harry responds. “I can't do this on my own, Lou. I really need you right now, more than ever. Please.”

Louis pushes him on his back and slips an arm around his waist, resting their foreheads together.

“As I grew up, my mum and I fought a lot, I won't lie,” Louis starts by saying. “I told her she'd lose me if she didn't respect the fact that I was eighteen, an adult. She aruged, saying that as long as I was living in her house that she could have total control. I said that she needed to back off, that I wasn't seven anymore and that if I was of age for sex and drinking and that she needed to loosen the reigns.”

“So... what, I need to tell my mum she can't be overbearing?” Harry's being a smartass on purpose and Louis wants to kiss the words out of his mouth, so he does.