A/N: The first fraction of this chapter is an illustration of Louis' dream. The reason it's written in italic and third person is so that you'll be able to separate it from the rest.
This is where it all begins, I suppose!
Louis, May 14th
It was the fourth of September.
Gregarious birds were chirping in melodies of Mother Nature, which emitted tones that resembled jubilant flutes in an orchestra.
Meanwhile, Louis was walking down a narrow route, his figure surrounded by a dense thicket, leaves in alternative shades of green brushing along his sides as he followed the tortuous pathway. Fresh air fanned past his cheeks once he finally stepped out into a familiar sparse area-which he'd visited numerous times before-where the crowns of the trees invited a clear sky into the forest.
The radiant sun was in the very centre. It was the middle of the day.
Louis let his eyes shift from the blindingly bright source to what was peacefully resting in front of him. Beneath cliffs of stone was the sleeping water, its exterior untouched by the wind that seemed to have expired. Louis thought It resembled an immense mirror due to the treetops and creamy blue-coloured sky reflecting into its frail surface. The lake had never been more still.
The sound of a twig snapped in half lured Louis' attention.
His head turned to the side and a feeling of warmth blossomed within his body when he laid eyes on the origin of the sound. The bubbling sensation mostly contained of relief, but also pure joy. In some ways he felt as though he had never been more glad to see that particular face, even though the sight of it always reminded him of how he was the luckiest chap on the planet. And he was even more glad, when their eyes met.
Harry was walking along the cliffs, his footsteps much too slow to Louis' approval. A khaki green jacket embraced his marine hoodie and grey shirt while a beanie captured his lively curls, and Louis thought he looked genuinely breathtaking. Or else, it was just this moment that was breathtaking, like when they both smiled, approaching each other, or when Louis' hand hurried to touch the other's the very second he was within reach. For a moment the two simply stood there, gawking and gazing, taking in their surroundings by simply breathing heavy breaths in each other's presence.
"I hoped I'd see you here," Louis was the one to break the silence.
Harry chimed in by sighing, but still letting his loving smile remain. "Did you really doubt I'd come?"
The shorter one let his gaze fall. "You can't ever be sure."
Harry was quick to adjust Louis' grip around his wrist to carefully slide their hands together. Their fingers clasped like ropes in a knot, Harry's squeezing Louis' in comfort to grant him with all the approval he needed.
"Why here?" he asked.
Louis looked up, his brows creasing in bafflement. "Because it's perfect. It's-It's everything you ever wanted."
"It's just a forest." Harry shrugged.
"But you told me-"
Harry took a steady step forward, intertwining all four hands together in a firm grip. "Everything I ever wanted...was you."
In the blink of an eye, I sat up in bed and instantly rubbed my face to erase the tiredness. My mind rallied with thoughts and audible vision sampled and stolen from the dream that had just occurred in my sleep.
When I blinked, all I could see was the lake, the trees and Harry. And our hands. Our intertwined hands.
The darkness of the room was invited into my vision when I forced my eyes fully open. I hadn't even realised how firmly I was gripping onto the sheets until I had looked down into the mattress. Sweat had begun to form over every possible body part and my eyes were watering in fright, because what I had just dreamt was no ordinary dream. I had been there. Most definitely, it was a dream, but I could feel it. Sure, it was in my head, but I was living it.
My breathing had quickened, and after picking up on the change I allowed myself to settle down, but it was difficult. As it was pitch dark, another bundle of hours seemingly remained until Harry would awaken. With that in mind, I plunged back on the pillow that I despised in comparison to the one my friend had borrowed, and once again shut my heavy eyes.
Lake.
Trees.
Harry.
Harry,
Morning light had the ability of painting a photographic picture when it burned through Louis' bedroom window.
A dimmed yellow shade fell over his sheets where he laid, passed out, like a rag doll. He wasn't covered by the linens anymore, which was the part that made my skin prickle with jitters. Though, the sole piece that was hidden by the white was his bottom, thankfully. But as he was lying on his stomach, the golden skinned muscles in his spine and back shoulders was tensing and softening as he breathed into the sheets and bathed peacefully in the early sunlight.
Finally, his tattoos were on display where I could secretly inspect them. There was still a problematic amount distance between us, which made it a lot more difficult. One that initially caught my eye was painted on his tricep and designed to give the appearance of a deer, which horns stretched and embraced the edges of a large, pulsating heart. Right underneath, was a bird, equal in size, with wings that comfortably rested against its feathery figure. Kind of like Louis himself, from that angle.
Due to this peacefulness, I was afraid to wake him.
"Louis," I ended up humming with an increased heart rate.
Unexpectedly, his head snapped up and my heart instantly jumped in my chest. The boy-with his feathery hairs, like the bird-shook his little head while staring dumbfoundedly into the wall, almost as if he'd thought my voice was all in his head. Perhaps he didn't even realise he was awake. For that, I smiled, sat up straighter and finally obtained an even better view.
"You awake?" I whispered.
This time, he snapped again, but not as vividly as before. A slight turn was added to his neck, which allowed him to invite my perking frame into his morning-tired eyes. My fists clenched in reaction to the sight and I felt my fingernails boring sharply into my palms as I tried to prevent myself from spilling a squeal in excitement. This was how I reacted to his tousled hair and the way its spiky ends were messy from the touch of his pillow.
This boy looked like a little hedgehog that had just came out from hibernation.
"Morning," he mumbled, voice adding sparks to my chest, which was already on the verge to morbidly exploding. "What's the time?"
"Like ten thirty, or something."
"Oh shit," he cussed and sat up, looking exhausted. As I stared, I was obliged to hold my breath because when he rubbed his eyes, his chest rose, and his gestures caused his muscles to flex. At the top of his torso was a tattoo in intricate calligraphy, which I of course, already adored. "Have you been awake for long?"
I blinked to tear my eyes off his bare body. "Oh, um, no. Just five minutes, barely."
"I should make you breakfast," he yawned, so adorably, pushed his fringe off his forehead and scratched his tummy as if it was itching.
My lord! You are the most precious human being I have ever come across.
"Oh! You don't have to do that. I can eat something once I get home," I suggested.
Louis, in his tiredness, finally smiled. "Shut your mouth. I'm making you proper breakfast. Period."
My heart bursted with warmth. "Is this some five star hotel I'm staying at?"
The boy seized the nearest pillow and flung it at me so that the soft fabric crashed against my face. Thereafter, I quickly caught it and tossed it away, revealing my smile.
"If you're my guest," he said, "then I'm gonna have to treat you like one."
"So you throw a pillow at me?" I taunted.
"Shush," he laughed while shuffling and climbing over the mattress to reach the edge.
This man was only wearing boxers, which was why I instantly turned to look the other way. That view could surely give me a boner within seconds. No, thank you.
His feet paced over the floor, I heard, and he was motioning towards the closet. Bless him, I couldn't bare the thought of him walking around like that another five minutes. I could've suffocated!
"Now, are you a tea-drinker or my mortal enemy?"
I snorted at the phrase and fumbled with my duvet next to my feet to keep my eyes trained on myself. "I do drink tea."
"Are you lying?"
"No!" I laughed. "Two lumps of sugar. And a dash of milk."
There was a snort. "A real man doesn't put sugar in his tea, Harry."
A laugh came from my nose, and then I a thought from the night before corrupted my mind. "I thought we established I was a miracle."
Louis was quiet for a moment. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure you denied that investigation."
I smiled to myself. "You're right. I'm no man and no miracle."
Louis' feet moved from their previous position and I finally allowed myself to observe him. Still topless, he wore his signature grey sweatpants. For that I winced, but the look on his face settled me. In his hand was the pillow I'd tossed, and before I could blink, he had dumped it into my face for the second time.
With an even bigger smile, I watched him walk off and leave me with another set of words:
"Don't underestimate yourself," he said, and exited the room.
***
Louis' attempt at making me tea was successful.
He must've made an effort, I was convinced, hence the beverage had tasted nearly identical to how I would normally take it. About twenty sips in, I was watching him from across the table as he chewed on a sandwich and typed something into his phone. The boy had styled his hair now, but he still looked like the cuddliest of cuddly teddy bears.
"Hey, Louis," I spoke up and carefully set my cup down on its faucet.
He looked up. "Mm?"
"Did you have your dream?"
Once his facial expression faded, I was hard to distinguish the emotion behind his features. The thought had made his brows stretch and lower lip carefully slide into his mouth. For some reason, it seemed as though he was examining my face just as deliberately as I was inspecting his. But at last, he chewed on the lip that was trapped under his teeth and swayed his head, side to side.
"No."
The hope that had been building up as I had stared at him steadily sunk in my chest. "Nothing?"
He shook his head again.
"Well, maybe some other time then?"
Louis looked down and sniffled. "Um, yeah. Some other time. Maybe."
***
Hours later, I was yet to shut the door to my flat when Niall sprung upon me in the hallway.
"How was it?" he chanted, eyes wide as a bug's.
The door clicked behind me. "What's this? I thought you loathed my bond with Louis."
"Bore off!" he barked. "I just want the juice! What happened? Something interesting?"
My mind scanned through the series of events of the day before as well as the moments we'd shared the same morning. It was everything from when he snuggled my leg, to when he told me about high school, to when I hugged him on the bed, to when I watched him wake up, when his hand had been staring in every direction. All of that, brought a bubbly smile to my lips.
"It was nice," was all I said.
"What was? Give me one detail!"
For some reason, I felt like telling him would spoiled the treasure of it. What I had established with Louis was something out of the ordinary, something that was intimate and open, a connection worth keeping between the two of us only. But the anticipation on my best friend's face drove me nuts. Still, I decided it was enough to screw with him, since I'd never imagined he would openly ask me for details about this subject.
"Well, we...kissed," I lied.
Niall's jaw dropped entirely. "What?!"
I nodded devilishly.
"Jesus, Harry! This-This must be the greatest new of the week-bloody hell-year!" He covered his mouth with his hands, shock dripping from every part of his face. "Did you actually turn a straight man gay?"
My tummy ached from restraining the laughter. "Do you like it? Do you think we suit each other?"
"Yes!-I mean, m-maybe, yeah."
"Ha-ha! Psych!" I guffawed, holding my stomach as I bent backwards in glee. "I could trick you into anything!"
Niall turned red as a beet. "You didn't kiss?"
I scoffed and shuffled out of my boots. "Of course we didn't. You have to be an absolute bellend to actually believe that. But, at least you admitted that you think he's good for me. I knew you were hiding that."
He grumpily crossed his arms. "You're a bellend for doing that, you skunk."
***
A/N: I hope you liked the dream. I know it's confusing right now, but it's meant to be that way. It's a bit of a mystery that needs to be solved, in a way.
Thank you all for reading. It means so much to me.