The following two weeks were slow and heavy, with Louis trudging to work every day with dark bags under his eyes and Harry crying himself awake and rubbing his tummy until the aches went away.
With an appointment tomorrow morning, Harry is hoping to finally get up on his feet and stop eating and sleeping all day (which is highly unlikely, he figures.)
Yet, the pair had spoken almost every day (although not in person.) Harry called at noon, usually an hour after he woke and his body couldn't handle waiting for him and the baby to hear Louis' voice again (he knew the baby couldn't hear, but for some reason they weren't so sad when Louis would giggle and tell Harry about Marky and his days at the office.)
They'd speak of Louis' laundry and what he needs to buy at the store this week, also the baby and whether they think the little bub will be a boy or girl. They both insist they couldn't care less, but Louis can't deny a curly haired little boy running around the house with big green eyes and Louis' button nose would never be all that bad. Except, of course, the fact he would never be in their house. His eyes sting at that thought.
Harry then notes that he's starting to get bigger and bigger, and at seventeen weeks he's getting closer and closer to the five month mark.
"Our little Louise is about the size of a turnip, and she's sporting ears now, Lou! Ears! Tiny, tiny baby ears. Isn't that the cutest thing you've ever heard?" Harry laughed, pacing back and forth in Cassie's kitchen, Caleb trailing behind with his hands crossed like Harry, mimicking his giggles.
Not quite, Louis thinks, it's not as good as Harry's giggle and his singing.
But instead he says "Louise again, H? I told you, we are not cursing our gorgeous child with that name." The sound of the word our leads to a tiny skip in both their hearts, and a tiny drop in Harry's stomach.
"Oh c'mon, Louis! It'd match you and she's gonna be your twin. It's cute." Harry's smile is deep and the incident from the last two weeks is in the very back of his head.
All Louis does is shake his head, moving his messy hair onto his forehead.
"And what times your appointment?" Louis questioned. He sat back down, giving Mark a stern pat on the head.
Mark seems to be the only one who hasn't recovered from Harry and Louis' outburst. He still looks for him, which on occasion causes Louis' bed to feel even more empty.
"11:00 I believe. Dianne wants me there early, to check in on how Lou- I mean the baby is doing. After my, uh, accident." Harry gulps at the thought.
"I'll be there at 10:30." He wants to ask him to lunch, to take him to the store and pretend he doesn't know where the angel hair pasta is because he likes watching Harry give directions (the green of Harry's eyes was far deeper when they radiated intent.)
"Alright. Goodbye Lou." Louis returns the goodbye and reminds himself to tidy up.
He hadn't seen Niall Horan in what some might call ages.
Niall, the now faux blonde investor was planning on stopping by within the hour for lunch and Louis would be terribly embarrassed if there were baby books and pickle jars everywhere (he kept them around, made him feel like Harry had never left.)
Marriage, he thought, a vow Niall would soon be making with his bride. Very beautiful, Louis had noted when they met at Niall's last get together. Sadie, he believed her name was.
They were due to be married in September, around Harry's 23rd week.
Before Louis could begin to think about Harry there was a loud knock and a hoarse chuckle coming from the door to Louis' (and Harry's) apartment. Louis jumped to his feet, running a hand through his feathery hair nervously.
"Lou! What the fuck man, I haven't seen you in ages." Niall pulled him in for a tight hug, Louis' dress shirt wrinkling at the impact.
"Fuck, I know." Louis mentally recalls his college years, both smiling and cringing at the thought.
For a while they simply watched tv, but not like Lou did with Harry, they just watched American football and laughed and bonded over past memories Louis was sure he had forgotten.
"So, how's the love life, Tommo?" A nickname that Lou hadn't heard in a long time.
Louis laughed.
"Ask me later, Horan." Louis grimaced, and he tried to laugh, he did. He couldn't help but feel the weight on his chest.
"Oh come on, you've always had the girls and guys alike falling all over you. You've got to have someone in mind." Niall sipped a beer that had been sitting in Louis' fridge.
"I guess so." Louis thought for a minute.
"If I tell you something, can you like, not completely walk out or laugh? Like, it's important." Louis gulped, and Niall's grin vanished as he sat up, nodding his head quickly.
"I kinda, maybe knocked a guy up, a few months ago." Louis winced, Niall nearly breaking the table as he slammed the beer bottle down onto the coffee table.
"You what? Shit." Niall's blue eyes were wide and cautious.
"Yeah, I know. And I also-" Louis sighed, leaning back into the couch and listening to the sound of Niall's gasps and Marky's paws on the hardwood.
"You don't," Niall shook his head. "fuck, Tommo. You love him." He gulped, standing up in order to pace back and forth.
Louis nodded.
"What are you doing here with me, loser?" Niall laughed lightly, "and where is he? I wanna meet the poor bastard that's hatching your baby."
"He's staying at a friends." Louis stare was blank and empty towards the granite island.
"Oh my god," Niall groaned painfully.
"I know." Lou buried his face in his hands, grimacing and crippling under the weight on his shoulders.
He saw Niall check his watch from the corner of his eye, before grabbing his navy blue blazer and heading toward the door.
"I'll be back soon Tomlinson, you need to fill me in on this one." And with that he was gone, dangerously leaving Louis with an open bottle of beer and his very sickening thoughts.
Meanwhile Harry sat in the guest room in Cassidy's two bedroom apartment down the road. He'd been able to get up and move around for almost two weeks now, and his lack of exercise was overwhelming.
Louis collected himself, putting his workout hoodie on that Harry would wear to yoga and his favorite running shorts. After feeding Marky, Louis rushed out the door with hopes of shaking Harry from his head, which he knew was impossible, but the idea wouldn't do any harm.
He awaited seeing Harry in person for the first time the following morning, and shook at the thought, pushing his headphones in even further hoping the sound of some SOHN would avoid the thought.
Harry's eyes were watery, rubbing his tummy through his Psychedelic Furs t-shirt. His shorts were growing too tight despite his relatively small bump, although it really had grown since Louis last bent down and kissed it.
Louis, he thought, and it burned.
"Cass?" He called into the kitchen.
Louis' lip was sweaty and so was his hair, the waning August sun beating down on his calves and forehead.
As his run grew long he began to turn back. The jog, although peaceful, couldn't shake the thoughts of Harry.
Harry, he thought, and it burned.
Cass ran into the guest room.
"I need you to take me somewhere." Harry shuddered.
Louis ran into his bedroom.
"Marky!" He smiled.
"Take you where, H?" Cass' brows furrowed.
Louis poured a glass of water, pulling the baby books back out onto the coffee table and reaching down to pat Mark's head.
And Harry thought for a minute, although not a solid one, no one would need a real 60 seconds to conjure up what Harry began to sputter.
"Home." He said.
a/n: I hate to irritate everyone with my complaining and worrying but I'm so so sorry if this story is being rushed at all because I absolutely adore it and wouldn't want to spoil it by making it lame ://///// please help me out with some opinions because THEY ARE ALWAYS GOOD!!!! I love you and thank you for appreciating me