‘Eden ! Let your uncle breathe !’ Harry scolds his daughter when she attacks Niall’s chest with her new boxing gloves.
‘Look what dad got me for Christmas uncle Ni !’ She was running around the flat with her gloves, punching the walls and everyone in her way.
‘I bet you can’t beat me !’ Liam challenged her, not knowing what he was getting himself into.
As they were fighting, Harry was sewing her costume for the upcoming school show. She was Tinker Bell and had to tell everyone how amazing her costume would be because her dad was making it, forcing Harry to spend days working on the green tutu, not that it bothered him.
It had been six years since Louis had passed away. Six years since Harry’s heart had been shredded to pieces. Six years of raising their daughter.
It wasn’t easy at first, still wasn’t to be honest. He would spend the nights awake, ready to feed her or take her in his arms, not wanting to hear her cry, as they were enough tears in the flat already. At some point, Anne volunteered to babysit her so her son could finally get some sleep and work at the gallery.
He had made a friend three years ago, Stella, studying art, and they had helped each other open a common gallery where Harry and her set up a grand opening with an exhibition of their work. Luckily enough, he had sold his photographs at the highest prices, especially Louis’ and Eden’s portraits, thus being able to take care of the girl and her needs. Of course, it wasn’t the only help he had. Louis’ dad was helping him whenever he needed and absolutely spoilt Eden.
Martin had welcomed Harry as his own son since then. He would always say how much of Louis he could see in Harry and pat his shoulder as he would his son’s. He and Eden would always visit Louis’ parents and have a great time, mainly talking about the one they needed most by their side.
It had been six years and Harry was still denying it. Sometimes, he’d see something and think ‘I have to show that to Louis !’ and then stop himself.
The first three years were the hardest. He would wake up in the middle of the night sweating and crying, struggling to even keep himself alive. He wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t talk to anyone, started isolating himself and his friends and family had to force their way to the flat to make sure he and Eden were okay.
He would start cleaning a room and then find a piece of Louis everywhere and sit down to replay everything in his head. He would go through his clothes, put on his jumpers and sniff it till Louis’ smell was gone and then spray his perfume all over again.
He had sprayed a fluffy blanket with the perfume and would always give it to Eden to fall asleep, pretending Louis was right by her side, the way she held it making him sob every time.
He would curse everyone the first few months, especially God. He wouldn’t answer the phone or go outside or allow anyone to even come close to Eden unless he was too exhausted to take care of her.
He would never admit to himself how much of a mess he was the first years. It was still unbearable to this day. His heart was still half empty, his head was still constantly going to Him and he would still find himself scream randomly, still not over the fact that his love had vanished in the air as he remained on Earth.
‘Congratulations ‘ Harry tried to sound enthusiastic, but Niall could see how hurt he was to hear the news. It’s not that he wasn’t happy for his friend, it’s just that he had never had the chance to actually marry Louis, so anyone being able to spend the rest of their life with the one they loved made him feel like he was cursed or something. Why wouldn’t he deserve it as well ?
‘I’ll understand if you don’t want to come to the ceremony Haz…’ Niall said with a low voice.
‘What ? No, of course I want to go. You’re my best friend, I’m not missing this.’ Harry lied. He didn’t want to, he had to. Walking into the venue and seeing everything that could have been theirs, witnessing something that he could have lived. That was a lot.
The night of the school show was draining. Harry was even more stressed than Eden. He had prepared everything. He had been joined by Zayn, Liam and Niall, all of them sitting front row to record her very first performance.
As soon as the lights were off, Zayn had to take the camera however, because Harry’s hands were shaking too much.
A few children erupted on stage, disguised as trees, lost boys, peter pan and everything. It was all well done but as soon as Eden arrived, Harry felt his heart stop. She was a natural. She was singing and acting like her life depended on it, walking around the entire stage and making everyone laugh as she overplayed everything. She was as dramatic on stage as Louis. She had a sweet, soft voice and looked adorable in her white tights and green tutu. When the children came one last time to take a bow and thank the audience, Harry stood up faster than everyone else, applauding and whistling with his fingers as Eden smile big and winked at him, blowing a kiss he returned.
‘Dad, tell me the story again.’ Eden would always wait for the bedtime stories. Harry had a great imagination and could come up with the weirdest yet funniest stories, making the little girl giggle to tears every time. But she had her favourite. And that was a special story to Harry’s heart.
‘But you’ve heard it a million times already.’ He whined as he covered her legs with her blanket. She still slept with the one smelling like Louis, twisting it between her thumb and her pointer finger.
‘And I want to hear it again. So go on and make me sleep.’ She had the sass of her dad, and we’re not talking about Harry here.
‘Alright, alright. Once upon-‘
‘Wait.’ Eden stopped her dad, making him frown as she adjusted herself on the bed, making sure she was surrounded by her stuffed animals and comfortable enough to hear the story.
‘Okay. I’m ready.’ She sighed with a little smile and Harry rolled his eyes.
‘Once upon a time, there was a prince who lived in a village with his parents, the king and queen of Donny. He was very , very wealthy and had a big castle, but he wasn’t happy.’
‘And why is that ?’ Eden asked, just like every single time.
‘Well, the prince Louis was forced to lead the royal life and marry a princess. But she was evil and would always make him miserable. One day, as he was walking around the village in the market, to fetch what the evil princess Eleanor had demanded, his eyes fell on a beautiful jacket. But when he tried to take it, someone else was tugging at it.’
‘Oh !’ She gasped. ‘Who ?!’
‘It was the knight of Cheshire, Harold Edwards.’ Harry said as she widened her eyes. ‘The knight had never seen someone so beautiful and, for a moment, they stared at each other like as if the world had stopped moving.’
‘What happened then ?! What happened ?!’ She rushed him.
‘The prince was about to tell him to keep the jacket, but the village was suddenly attacked and they had to hide. So the prince took the knight in a hidden place and saved him.’
‘Were they hurt ?’ Eden asked as if she didn’t know the story by heart.
‘No, because the monsters attacking the village were being chased already and got caught before they could do any harm to prince Louis and the knight Harold.’
‘So what happened to them ?!’
‘They hid in the place for a while and got to know each other and knew there was something special about the other, something they had to protect.’
‘They were falling in love !’ She screamed. ‘Did they see each other again ?’
‘Of course ! Prince Louis searched the whole village to find the knight and, when he finally did, he invited him to his castle.’
‘What did they do ? What did they do ?!’
‘Calm down monkey.’ Harry said as Eden was biting her blanket, clearly too excited about that story. ‘See, the prince was trapped with the evil princess, he couldn’t be with the knight. So they escaped the village and ran away together. But the evil princess followed them and tried to break them apart, along with other monsters.’
‘What happened to them ?!’
‘They decided to go back to the village and be brave enough to fight princess Eleanor. Of course, they couldn’t do it all on their own, so they met with prince Jawad and the three of them fought her until she finally surrendered and left the village for good.’
‘Yes !’ Eden let out a scream of victory as she threw her fist against her chest. ‘And what happened to prince Louis and the knight Harold ?’
‘They could finally be together, so they got their own little castle with the help of the king and the queen, and took care of their garden, their home and their new born baby Eden.’
‘And they lived happily ever after ?’ Harry hated to think about that part. He hated that she knew the end of that story. He hated how what he’d always finish with wasn’t what reality was made of, how this fairy tell didn’t have an happy ending.
‘Yes. They lived together forever.’ Harry said as he kissed his daughter’s forehead before turning the light off. ‘Goodnight little one.’
‘Dad ?’ She called when Harry was about to live.
‘Yes monkey ?’
‘I know papa is with us.’ She said and Harry felt his eyes getting flooded already. He simply nodded and struggled to speak.
‘I love you Eden. I will love you forever.’
‘I love you too dad. I will love you forever.’ She said, following the ritual they had begun a while ago.
He closed the door, leaving a small gap opened. Eden would often come sleep into his room, thinking there were monsters under her bed and always saying she needed her knight to protect her. Harry didn’t really mind. He hated sleeping by himself. He would always leave the right side of the bed empty to make room for her. She thought she was sneaky and went unnoticed whenever she’ slid the blanket over her shoulder without waking him up, but he would always tickle her gently, making her giggle before pulling her into his chest, just like how he did when she was a baby.
That night, Harry fell asleep thinking about how it could have been, and he knew he would make the same dream he makes every single night…
‘Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson in marriage. Through their time together, they have come to realize that their personal dreams, hopes, and goals are more attainable and more meaningful through the combined effort and mutual support provided in love, commitment, and family; and so they have decided to live together as husband and…husband.’ The minister starts as Louis and Harry stand side by side on the hill.
Everyone is there. There is Niall and Barbara, Liam and Zayn, Anne and Robin, Martin and Jay, even Louis’ sisters and Gemma, Harry’s older sister. Half of them are grinning and winking at the both of them. Harry was still smiling internally from when Louis’ dad hugged him as a permission to marry his son.
Everything was perfect. The sun was shining bright enough to have a beautiful day, the birds were singing, the flowers were as red as they come, everyone they loved was there and Eden was sitting on Jay’s lap, watching her dads a few feet away.
‘Do you, Louis Tomlinson, take Harry Styles to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?’
‘I do.’
‘Do you, Harry Styles, take Louis Tomlinson to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?’
Louis was looking at him with his pinched smile, the one he does when he wants to act serious but his happiness takes over anyway. He looked handsome with his high quiff and his blue suit. He had shaved and looked like the most beautiful man on Earth for Harry. He couldn’t believe that someone like he had decided to spend the rest of his life with him. It felt like a dream. He wouldn’t want to spend his life with anyone else.
He had always asked married people why they got married or if they still lveod each other and, frankly, most of them had no clue. But when he looked into his eyes, he saw it. He saw his future, he saw how much he was going to love him and only him for the rest of his life.
‘I do.’
When it was time to say their vow, Harry was lost into Louis’ eyes. It’s only when he chuckled that it got him back to reality.
‘I vow to cherish every moment spent together, each laugh, each tear, each struggle and each joy. I love you with all my heart and I promise to love you forever.’ Louis says looking in Harry’s green eyes. As he turns around, he takes a ring from Eden. She was carried by Louis’ mother had a white dress with blue flowers on it. Her hair was growing slowly but she already had a light blue bow on the top of her head as she giggled when Louis made a funny face. He slid the ring in Harry’s finger gently and looked up at the man he loved.
When it was Harry’s turn to speak, he took a deep breath before going for it.
‘I vow to make you the happiest man on Earth, being by your side in the better and worse. I promise to love you and our daughter with all I’ve got for the rest of my life.’ Harry struggles to say. By the time he finishes his vows, he’s crying, lips shaking as he puts the ring on Louis’ finger.
‘And now, by the power vested in me, I hereby pronounce you husband and husband. You may now kiss.’
Harry and Louis face each other again, holding hands as they lean in to kiss each other in a soft but meaningful peck, whispering ‘I love you’ and giggling in their mouths. They are taken away from their own world when the crowd applauds, a few shouts of encouragement and ‘congratulation !’ flying around.
‘I can’t believe I can call you my husband. Husband.’ Harry murmurs in Louis’ ear as he waves at his friends and family.
‘Be prepared to hear Mr Tomlinson all day long babe.’ Louis smiles back.
Harry takes in the sight in front of him. There’s the man he loves, their baby girl and all of that here. When he looks at the crowd, he only sees supportive people, enjoying and sharing this moment with them.
When he looks back at his husband, he sees his future, sitting on the porch as they watch their grandchildren play in the garden, remembering how young they once were and most importantly, how in love they are, and how in love they’ll always be, like the world has stopped when they got trapped in that closet, like nothing moves around them.
Forever stuck in time.
THE END