The following weeks passed in a dream-like state for Harry. He was with Louis all the time and they were basically inseparable, attached at the hip like they used to be.
And Harry couldn't help but feel like everything was falling into place.
Their exams had passed and the end of semester was nearing. Both Harry and Louis were returning to their respective homes for the break, but still had a few more days together before they went. So they'd planned to spend every day together up until they had to leave.
Harry smiled as he got ready for the day, trying to pick out the perfect outfit to meet Louis. Even though the two were best friends again, Harry's feelings for the boy hadn't waived, if anything, they'd only gotten stronger.
Even when he was only 12 years old, he knew he had found his soulmate in Louis, and that wasn't going to change. He was madly in love with him, even though Louis didn't feel the same.
But honestly, Harry could live with that. He didn't mind the unrequited love, because at least it meant they were friends again after all those years of being alone.
Harry slipped on a white button up shirt with his skinny jeans, buttoning it up to his navel before putting a few necklaces over his head and some rings on his fingers.
Then, he ruffled his hair and ran his hand through it a few times, before giving himself one more lookover in the mirror.
Then, he put on some boots, got his things and left the room.
He wandered down the hallway, avoiding eye contact with everyone, until he got to Louis' room, and was surprised by what he found.
He was going to knock on the door, but it was already open. Harry's jaw fell open when he saw the scene inside.
Louis' bed was covered in clothes, the material surrounding an open suitcase. Louis was standing in front of it, his back to the open door as his head bobbed up and down in time to the music he was playing.
He swung his hips a little bit and was singing along as Harry watched. The younger boy would have found it endearing, but the image of Louis packing only made him nervous and scared.
"But it's the price I pay, destiny is calling me." He sung as he folded a shirt. "Open up my eager eyes."
Harry stood in the doorway, frozen, as Louis placed the shirt in the case, and then turned around, going to reach another item of clothing, but his eyes instead landed on the boy in the doorway.
"Oh Mr Bri-" He began, and stopped once he saw Harry standing there. "Harry-"
"Y-You're leaving?" Harry whispered, his hands limp by his sides as his face creased in worry. But Louis' couldn't hear him properly; his music was too loud.
"I-" He began as he rushed over to the speaker and turned it down, so the song was a dull melody in the background. "What?"
"You're..." Harry trailed off, looking around the room. "You're l-leaving. Today?" Harry asked again, his eyes dropping to the floor as he deflated.
And so Louis dropped the shirt he was holding and rushed straight to the doorway, wrapping his arms around Harry's waist to pull him inside and close the door.
Once the door was closed behind them, Louis pulled back from the hug and cupped Harry's cheeks.
"I'm sorry, love." He said softly, looking into his eyes. "Mum called, she's not got many days off and she wanted to spend some time with me while I'm on break."
"Oh." Harry said softly, looking down to the ground as he chewed on his bottom lip. "W-When are you going?"
"I was going to leave this afternoon," Louis answered, moving his hands to Harry's shoulders as he gently rubbed his best friend's upper arms, trying to comfort him. "Probably around 4ish."
"I just got you back." Harry whispered. "And now I'm losing you again."
"You're not, curly." Louis chuckled. "You'll never lose me again, okay? We're always best friends, always."
"Always." Harry nodded. "At least we have today, right? Like, before you go this afternoon?"
"Of course." Louis nodded too, stepping away as he went back to the suitcase. "I was just packing now so that everything was ready. I was actually going to come down and see you once I was done, but you came up here surprised me, Haz. I thought we were meeting at 10?"
"Yeah," Harry blushed as he smiled and Louis turned slightly, facing the suitcase again. "I woke up early, more time with you that way."
"Aw," Louis chuckled. "Well aren't you cute."
Harry blushed harder as Louis continued to fold his clothes and put them into the bag, so Harry stepped up behind him and bent over to rest his chin on Louis' shoulder as he watched.
They stayed in silence for a while like that, Louis smiling to himself as Harry's warmth comforted him and his long hair tickled his neck. It was nice, he thought, because it gave him a sense of security, like whenever he was with Harry, he was at home.
He felt Harry's lips graze his neck as the younger boy nuzzled into his neck, smiling widely as he continued to watch over Louis' shoulder.
"You right there?" Louis asked with a light laugh, and Harry sighed before pulling away completely, spinning around in a small circle and landing on his back on Liam's bed, arms spread wide like a starfish as he laid on the matress.
"Yep." He answered. "M'bored though. Can we do something, Lou?"
"When I'm finished, Curly." Louis laughed. "Christ, it's like we're 10 years old again. You're so restless."
"You gotta admit," Harry began, staring at the ceiling. "Life was better when we were 10."
"True." Louis replied, placing the last of his things in the suitcase before zipping it up and turning around to face Harry.
He smirked when he realized that Harry wasn't paying attention, and was lazily staring into space, quite clearly in his own little world.
So an idea crept into his mind.
With a smile, he quickly crossed the room and jumped on top of Harry, his knees on either side of Harry's waist and his hands by Harry's head as he leant down on top of him.
Harry screamed in suprise, and Louis laughed, rolling onto his side as he clutched his stomach and laid next to his friend, side-by-side.
"That was gold." Louis chuckled as Harry blushed, embarrassed by the squealing sound he'd just made. "My god, Haz."
"Shut up." Harry mumbled, turning to his side so the two boys were facing each other on the bed. "You scared me, Lou."
"Aw. M'Sorry." Louis giggled once more, cupping Harry's cheek, before pinching it lightly. He smiled, scrunching his nose up as he did and making Harry's heart beat faster, before the older boy stood up and stretched his arms about his head.
"So, what do you want to do today?" He asked, and Harry shrugged, still recovering from having Louis laying by his side. Even though they'd hung out like that every day and held each other and touched each other and been really quite close, Louis' presence never failed to leave Harry breathless.
"I-I don't mind." Harry answered, leaning up on his elbows so that he could see him, his shirt gaping wide and revealing nearly his whole chest.
"M'not really in the mood to do much, really." Louis admitted, looking out the window at the miserable day outside. "How about we go and get some food, and then come back here and watch movies?"
"Sure." Harry nodded, smiling as Louis extended his hand to help him up. "Seeing as though it's raining anyway." Harry took his friend's hand with a small smile and tried to stand, but instead got distracted by Louis' sparkling eyes when he grinned.
So Harry being Harry, and the clumsiest person on earth, somehow managed to lose his balance, leaning too far forward and into Louis' own body. They fell, the two of them toppling to the ground with the older boy underneath and Harry's body pressed up against him as they hit the floor.
"S-Shit," Harry mumbled, his face flushing red as his hands came to rest on either side of Louis' head. "S-Sorry."
"No its okay." Louis laughed, looking into Harry's eyes. So Harry paused and stared back. He swore there was a moment where Louis' eyes flickered to his lips, and he almost thought Louis was begging to be kissed, before he remembered that Louis was in fact straight.
He knew, because Harley had told him the other day that the two of them had dated in high school, and Louis had always dated girls, never boys. So Harry was stuck being just the best friend.
"Are you going to move, curly?" Louis laughed again, making Harry scramble to his feet before Louis did the same, straightening out his t-shirt.
"You right?" Louis asked, taking in Harry's flustered appearance. When Harry nodded, Louis simply nodded back, before turning around and getting his wallet and keys from the side table.
"Ready to go?" Louis asked, and Harry nodded again, smiling back.
.
An hour later and they had been to the supermarket and were back in Louis' room.
"Ugh," Louis sighed as he flopped onto the bed, dropping the shopping bags without a care where they landed as he simultaneously shoved his suitcase off the bed.
Harry chuckled, closing the door behind him as he gently placed the bag he was holding on the floor. They had gotten chocolate, crisps and a tub of Ben & Jerry's, because when Harry saw it and pouted at Louis, there was no way Louis could deny him what he wanted.
So Louis had let Harry get the ice-cream, the younger boy leaping for joy and planting a kiss on Louis' cheek before they continued down the aisles, trying to find the rest of their messy feast.
Neither of them thought Harry's kiss was too weird, seeing as though they were really close friends and practically inseparable. It was ignored, and put down to a sign of platonic affection between the two, regardless of what other people thought. To them, it was normal and that was all that mattered, just as long as people didn't get the impression that they were anything other than just friends, because Louis couldn't have that happen. Not after what he went through in high school.
Once they were done, the two boys immediately returned home, Louis complaining about having sore feet the entire time. Harry simply laughed it off, the little crease between the older boy's eyebrows just coming across as cute.
When they finally arrived back, Louis only wanted cuddles from Harry, and to eat the food while watching films all afternoon. After all, that day was going to be the last time the two boys saw each other for 2 weeks while on uni break.
"What do you want to watch?" Harry asked as he gingerly took off his boots and placed them by the door, and then pulled Louis' shoes off for him too while the older boy laid perfectly still, face first on the bed.
After Harry was done and put the shoes away, Louis slowly rolled over to look at the boy, squinting his eyes as he thought. While he did, Harry picked up the food bags and placed the items on the bedside table before getting two spoons from Louis' drawer and putting the bags in the bin. He liked to be tidy.
"Um," Louis said, shuffling up on the bed so that he was leaning against the headboard, staring at Harry with a grin. "Maybe... Lord of the Rings?"
As soon as he'd said that, Harry stopped and watched as Louis' smile got wider. Louis remembered. He actually remembered his favourite movie. Harry couldn't even count the amount of times he'd forced the other boy to watch it with him when they were kids, even though Louis found it incredibly boring and almost always fell asleep during it.
"You remembered?" Harry asked with a smile as he sat on the bed next to Louis, the older boy putting an arm around his shoulder as the taller boy snuggled into his side.
"Course I did, Curly." Louis chuckled too. "Best friends, remember? That means I know everything there is to know about you."
"Oh do you, now?" Harry laughed along, looking up at Louis' smile.
"Yep." Louis confirmed. "I know you loved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. We used to watch it everyday after school."
"Yeah," Harry blushed, looking down at his feet as he remembered. "And you used to make me watch the football when it was on, too. I know how much you loved the Donnie Rovers. Had a jersey and everything."
"I did, I did." Louis chuckled, before the two of them settled into a comfortable silence, Louis pointing the remote control at the TV as he scrolled through the list of films.
"Oh!" Harry said when he saw one he liked, pointing at the screen. "Dear John! Can we watch that one? I-I know its kinda girly but-"
"Of course we can." Louis cut him off, selecting the film and pushing play. And Harry smiled at that, Louis never judged him for his choices, and that was just one of the many things that he loved about the boy.
The two of them settled down, Harry resting his head on Louis chest as they watched the film begin, a block of chocolate between them to munch on.
Harry sighed happily, excited for the film, which made Louis happy. He wanted his curly boy to be happy, and the sure-fire way for that to happen was to treat him like a princess.
So Louis bit his lip as he thought for a moment, and then thought 'fuck it'. They were alone so there was no one else around to see, and Louis really wanted to do it. Besides, it was just an affectionate exchange between two best friends, nothing more.
When they were alone, Louis had no problem showing Harry how much he meant to him, but the moment there were others around and they started to assume things about their relationship, Louis felt very uneasy. He couldn't have people thinking that they were a couple or anything.
But for now, they were alone, so Louis gave Harry's side a squeeze, pulling him close before gently pressing a kiss to his head, before he brushed Harry's hair out of his face.
"Mmm," Harry hummed. "Thanks, boobear."
"Its been a while since you've called me that, curly." Louis said fondly, still stroking Harry's hair as the boy seemed to like it.
So Harry tilted his head up to look at Louis, who smiled back down at him. Harry had secretly been wanting to use the pet name for a while, but was afraid of Louis' reaction. Though now he realised there was nothing to be worried about out.
"M'gonna miss you, Lou." Harry whispered. "Over the break, I mean."
"Me too, Hazzy." Louis answered, before leaning down and kissing his nose quickly, then returning his attention to the movie.
Harry did the same, his eyes stuck to the screen as they watched, but the only thing going through his head, was how right it felt to be in Louis' arms.
.
After three films, Louis decided it was time to leave.
So Harry helped him take his things to his car, before they said their goodbyes.
"Well," Louis breathed. "Thanks, Haz."
He smiled as he pulled Harry in for a hug, the younger boy hugging him back just as tightly.
"It's alright, Lou." Harry answered in a small voice as Louis pulled back, keeping his arms around Harry's back.
"I should head off." Louis said softly, and Harry nodded, looking down. "I'll miss you, H."
"You too, boobear." Harry whispered as they got closer and closer, unable to tear their eyes away from each other.
Until Louis remembered they were in public, and people would be able to see them in the carpark.
"Well," Louis said again, untangling himself from Harry's grasp as he turned around and opened the car door, coughing nonchalantly. "I'll see you in two weeks then, curly."
Harry frowned, but let him go as he watched Louis get into the car and wind the window down.
Louis laughed lightly, as Harry leaned down to the window and smiled one more time, resting his arms on the window frame as he grinned at his best friend.
"Call me when you get there?" He asked, and Louis nodded, so Harry smiled wider, getting lost in Louis' bright eyes.
"Course." Louis answered, and Harry leaned forward, catching the boy off guard.
He surged forward, pressing a kiss to Louis' cheek, before he leant back and stepped away from the car completely.
Louis waved, before driving the car out of the parking spot, and away from Harry, leaving the younger boy to watch as he drove away.
And it really hurt Harry, because the last time Louis drove away, he didn't look back, and it was 6 years until he saw him again.
But he knew this time was different. Louis was coming home this time, Harry knew it, and it was all going to be okay.
So Harry sighed and made his way back to the building, flopping down onto his bed the moment he got into his room. He closed his eyes, and laid an arm over his face as he sighed.
Harry thought about he and Louis, and knew that he had to do something. As much as the two of them insisted that they were 'just friends', Harry knew there was something more.
When they were 12 and in their final year of primary school, they had a school dance to celebrate their graduation, and at that dance, there was undeniable chemistry between them. It was the best night of Harry's life, and he doubted Louis had forgotten about it. It had meant so much to the both of them, they'd talked about it for weeks after; everyday, in fact, until Louis had left only a month later.
And when Louis left that day and moved to Doncaster, they had shared something extraordinary as well. It was one of those moments in time where Harry remembered every single detail; the different colours of the flecks of blue in Louis' eyes, the slight curve of his waist where Harry's hand fit perfectly, the sound of birds chirping in the tree, the breeze ruffling Louis' hair lightly as Harry had admired his beauty.
In their final years of primary school, when they'd outgrown childish toys, but still wanted to spend time with one-another, they had found a tree. And that tree had become 'their' tree and beneath the branches, the two boys had shared some of their most intimate moments. Harry wasn't sure if Louis remembered, but over the weeks at uni, it had become apparent that he did.
Even after 6 years of complete separation between the two, there was still a bright spark. Harry was unsure at first, because of how cold Louis had been, but after getting close again over the semester, Harry knew that there was something there between them. He could feel it when Louis looked at him, and when he kissed his head and cuddled him and stroked his hair. Even when they were walking to class, or simply standing side-by-side, Harry could feel it. And he was sure Louis could too. It was just like when they were in Year 6 again, and they were each other's whole world.
At the beginning of the school year when they had reconnected and both began at Leeds University, he was afraid that maybe Louis didn't feel the same as that day when they were 12, and had shared with each other things that they'd never share with another.
But after the last few weeks of soft touches and affectionate glances, Harry knew.
He just had to get Louis to remember.
.
.
.
i'm so excited to write the flashback to when they were 12 at the school dance, and the day that Louis' left, and the things that happened under 'their' tree.
get excited guys
thoughts?
feelings?
opinons?
I've been going through some things lately so I'm sorry updates aren't all that frequent x