under your bed in new york. // larry stylinson

eleven.

It was 9:01pm when both Harry and Louis were sitting awkwardly on the couch.

After Harry had discovered him in his room, he'd simply gestured for Louis to come outside to talk, and now they were sitting on the couch in an uncomfortable silence. Louis didn't know how to feel anymore. He should be feeling happy - after all, he'd just found out that Harry still loved him, and that meant they could get back together, right? But now he felt scared and nauseous, playing with his fingers and trying not to look at Harry. Milky was curled up on the floor between them, watching them both with big eyes.

The euphoria from reading the letters was slowly wearing off and the doubt was setting in. Maybe Harry hadn't meant anything he'd written. Maybe it was all an elaborate prank. Maybe it wasn't a prank, but Harry had just been confused about his feelings and he didn't actually love Louis. After all, he had a girlfriend, didn't he? Where else would the lipstick stain come from? Louis had just been too eager to believe what he wanted to believe, and he was stupid for thinking that Harry would still love him, and—

"Lou?" Louis flinched a little and turned to look at Harry, bracing himself for the truth. Harry's terrified expression matched Louis' as he said, "I still love you."

Louis' breath hitched, another wave of complicated emotions slamming into him. "W-what?"

Harry looked down at his hands. "I still love you. You read my letters, so I guess you know already, but I just thought I'd let you know."

There was another period of silence as Louis tried to work everything out. He was so confused. "You what?"

Harry sighed. "Louis, I know you heard me."

"I - but - you can't." Harry looked so sad and upset it crushed Louis' heart.

"Lou, I started loving you from the first time I met you in uni and I never stopped. Why is that so hard to believe?"

"D-don't you have a girlfriend?" Louis stuttered.

Harry blinked. "What?"

"Don't you?"

"No! I don't have a girlfriend!" Harry spluttered. "Why would you even think that? I can't even get over you, much less give my love to someone else."

Louis curled up on himself, feeling giddy at Harry's last line, but confused nonetheless. "But - the lipstick stain on your jacket."

Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "What lipstick stain?"

"When I was putting stain remover on your clothes the day I spilled coffee all over you, there was a lipstick stain on your jacket," Louis explained. "Where else would a lipstick stain on your jacket come from, if not from a girlfriend?"

"Louis, I don't have a girlfriend," Harry insisted. "I promise, I would know. I don't remember where that lipstick stain came from, but it was not from my girlfriend because I don't have one."

"Oh." Louis felt a little flustered. "S-so you're single?"

"I have been for the past three years," Harry said shyly. "Look, Lou, I'm sorry if this makes things awkward between us. I know you had something going on with Lucas, and even if you didn't you probably moved on ages ago. This is so pointless, but you found the letters, and I thought I should clear things up."

"I told you, there isn't anything going on between me and Lucas." Louis looked away from Harry's gaze. "We stopped seeing each other romantically."

"I remember." Louis could hear the hint of joy in Harry's tone and it made him smile a little. "Why?"

"Because..." Louis suddenly felt really hot, fidgeting around in his seat. "Because, well, I figured out I still love you too."

"What?!" There were a lot of "What?"s being thrown around, but Louis was glad they were finally getting everything out in the open.