"The scariest thing about distance is you don't know if they'll miss you or forget about you."
'The Notebook' by Nicholas Sparks
"You're here in Ireland?" Louis' voice sounds so lovely over the phone. Harry feels like he's back at home until Niall's heavy breathing reminds him that he's still in a train station in Ireland, thousands of miles away from Boston.
"Yeah." Harry says, laughing half heartedly.
"What? Why?"
"I wanted to surprise you." He answers. "It didn't turn out well."
"I'm just glad you're safe, to be honest. I tried texting you earlier, but you didn't answer. I figured you were just busy with work, not here in Ireland!"
"Yeah, I haven't had wifi since I've arrived." Harry turns, leaning against the wall beside the pay phone. "I miss you."
"I miss you too." Louis says. "When do you think you'll get here?"
"Hopefully tomorrow, if it all works out."
"Find another phone and call my hotel room again if it doesn't work out, okay?"
"I will. I love you."
"I love you too- oh, wait. By the way, guess what."
Harry grins into the phone. "What?"
"The landlord called, and," Harry can hear Louis' excitement. "We got the apartment!"
"That's great, Lou. Everything is working out for us, I'm so happy."
"I have to go, Harry. Some of the other doctors I met asked me out for drinks. I don't want to be late." Louis says, and Harry nods even though he can't see him. "I miss you, and I love you."
"Love you, too."
"Bye."
"Bye." Harry hangs up the pay phone, and sighs. Niall pushes up off of the wall he had been leaning against waiting for Harry's phone call to end.
"Ready to go?"
"Yeah, I'm ready." Harry nods.
The two of them set off for the exit, silent at first - tired - before Niall speaks up again.
"So Louis is a doctor?"
"You hear him over the phone?"
Niall nods. "Yeah."
"He's loud." Harry laughs. "And yeah. He's a neurologist."
"Sounds fancy."
"It pays well." Harry jokes.
"Is that why you're with him, then? The money?"
"No." He shakes his head. "I love him."
"It's just that..." Niall starts, and Harry waits for him to finish. He's dying to know what bitter remark Niall is going to make this time, truly he is. "You've barely talked about him all day."
"You never asked about him."
"Okay." The Irishman says. "Tell me about him."
"His name is Louis, but you know that. He's a neurologist, but you know that too. He's funny. He's smart. He-"
"Sounds like a real keeper." Niall rolls his eyes, and Harry huffs.
"What do you know about love anyway? Nothing. That's what. So leave my husband alone." He snaps, and Niall simply shrugs.
"Fine. But that doesn't sound like love, what you just said about him."
"Oh, really?" Harry pushes open the train station doors. "Then what did it sound like?"
"Uninspired." He says. "Which isn't love. Uninspired is what you sound like when you're describing a coworker, not your husband."
Harry is quiet for a moment as they walk down the stairs and onto the sidewalk. "Whatever."