We'll Be A Fine Line - Larry Stylinson

Chapter One - Love And Fame

"do you remember your script, Harry?"
Zayn's voice rang in my ears but I was lost in thoughts.
"HARRY?" he raised his voice, I jump in surprise. "yes, yes I do."
"good." the atmosphere was thick and awkward, I could hear the shuffling of my mates' feet, none of us liked this.

a hand reached for my shoulder and caressed it softly, I didn't need to look behind me, it was Louis. I recognize him by the way his fingers grip my shoulder and by the way his breath blows on the skin of my neck.

"the interview is about to start."

I swallowed, I've done this a million times, over and over. And yet I can't get used to it, I feel like vomiting. Louis seemed to have noticed my discomfort, because he leaned in to whisper to me. "it will be alright", he said. his hand was covering my ear and mouth both and the soft breathes that came with his whispers tickled my lips.

"it will be alright." I repeated to encourage myself.

the door opened, "come on boys", a well dressed lady said.
we walked on the small stage, it was a plain white painted room, with a big couch in the middle, enough for the 5 of us. A smaller couch was placed next to it, this one was for the interviewer.

Louis turned to look at me, "where do you want to sit?", Next to him, on his lap, on his arm, on his chest, I thought.
"next to you", I said flatly.
it wasn't a live interview, we didn't need to be terribly cautious. A man standing backstage waved at us to grab our attention, a frown on his face. We understood. We weren't allowed to sit next to each others. The other boys were already seated. Louis squeezed my hand gently, giving me a weak smile before he got seated next to Niall, I sat next to Liam, he patted my back playfully, Liam is always friendly with me.

the stage lit up and music filled the room. "We're here today with One Direction!" exclaimed the interviewer happily. we waved at the camera. She started by greeting us and asking how we were doing, then we moved on to talking about the album. "this is your first album, how do you feel about it being up there on the charts?", I didn't care about answering, nor did I have a great answer. I heard a few answers from Zayn and Liam. My eyes drifted to Louis, he was sitting quietly with his hands on his lap, I immediately forced my gaze away from him, I can't right now, I reminded myself.

The interviewer must have asked a question that slipped my mind because Niall opened his mouth to answer.
Now is my time. I turn to look at Louis, with Niall talking I could look at him, because it looked as though I was looking at Niall. Louis noticed, we've done this plenty of times, without looking at me, he gave me a smirk, I blushed slightly. I traced the features of his face with my eyes, he looked so handsome, his hair was soft and well groomed for the occasion and the lighting of the stage showed off the blue of his eyes.

my hands fidget on my lap, taken with a desire to touch him. I thought of where to kiss him first when we get back home. with Niall's voice ranging in my ears, I thought about where to touch him and how I would take him in my arms and snuggle with him. Soon Niall finished talking, I reverted my eyes back to the interviewer.

"Now I want to talk about a certain rumor with you guys." she said with a smile.
here it comes, this is where I need my script. I get ready, I reminisce the few sentences in my head. Louis fake coughs, I laugh. It's alright, it isn't a live interview.

she's talks to me first, "It's about this Larry stylinson conspiracy, the fans think you and Louis are together." she laughs, it sounds silly to her. my heart sinks, I've done this many times, But I hate lying. I open my mouth to talk but I'm immediately interrupted by Louis, he wants do it. It's alright with me.
"Some people genuinely seriously think Harry and I are in a relationship", he laughs nervously. I know I'm a bad liar but Louis is even worse. "it's uhm it's a conspiracy theory like you said, people like to look into what me and Harry do and imagine a relationship". the boys add a few sarcastic comments, I stay silent. we left it at that.

she asks about a dozen more questions. Finally, we hear "thank you for coming!", and the lights turn off. the five of us jump off the couch, we're back to reality now. my heart is heavy and my guts feel like I've swallowed a rock. I hate lying like this, I hate hiding like this, I hate living like this.

~

I throw myself on our couch and Louis throws himself on top of me, here we have no worries in his world. his arms slide around me and he burries his nose in the crook of my neck kissing it softly. I smile, this feeling of warmth and happiness overwhelms me. "I love you Harold", he whispers in a silly voice, the soft movement of his lips caressed my neck. I giggled, "I love you too, Lou".

I turn on the TV, The Notebook is playing, I relax and focus on it.
Louis is fast asleep, snoring slowly. the time passes and the movie nears its end, I think about the two lovers, how could she have forgotten him? it seemed absurd. I get up from where I was laying, careful not to disturb Louis' sleep. the room is dark and quiet, his face is hidden by the shadows, I look at him and think I would never forget him, I would recognize him blind. By his footsteps, by his touch, by the way his breath came. I would know him in madness and sickness.

he shifts in his sleep, I kiss his forehead and shake him gently, "Louis we need to go to bed", my lips are pressed against his as I talk, he yawns and pulls me closer, "okay".

I undress lazily, I look at my naked body and I think I want to fill it with my stories, the one I'm not allowed to say. and I hope Louis does the same. our stories are intertwined, so should be our tattoos. we hop in bed and our bodies find each others. it feels like home, the familiarity of Louis, the comfort he brings me, his warmth, I have found a home in him. and I want it to be him and I forever. I lean to pamper his face and stomach with kisses, he smiles and holds me closer.

BEEP

the sound of my phone, I let Louis go, kissing his hand before pulling away, I reach for my phone. it's Zayn, he sent me a link to watch today's interview. I click on it, the video plays. they cut out the part where Louis asks me where I want to sit, and the part where he fake coughs, as I expected.

It isn't fair, what they do to us. we're too young.

there is a weight that constantly sits in my heart, and at times it grows huge and crushes me. and tonight was one of those times. I turned back to face Louis. "Louis I was thinking-"
"I know what you're thinking", there was sadness in his tone, "you know we can't do that... our fame and careers are at sake if they find out."
I'm scared, I know how important his career is to him. "Louis if that's how you feel...maybe we should live in different houses, it's safer they won't suspect anything." I wanted his happiness more than anything, and Louis found his happiness in staying hidden, he is much more closeted than I am.

I saw panic in his eyes, "no." he said quickly.
"but Louis, if they find out... your career, our career, will be ruined."
"then it is ruined." he said boldly, I'm not used to seeing him look so serious.
"this is all we have, this house is all we have Harry I'm not giving it up for anything."
I felt relieved, I pressed my head against his chest took, a long breath and left kisses where my lips met his skin. at least we still had this. this was ours and no one could take it from us. he wrapped his arms around me and that's the last I remember of that night.

~

"What? a beard?" I chocked on my words

"I'm sorry Harry, management called, they said we're not good enough at hiding it. they need a better plan", he was hugging himself, with his head turned to the ground.

"But Louis..." my voice trembled, I felt betrayed.

"we must." he took my head in his hands.

"must we really?" I thought, but I did not say a word.

to be continued