C H A P T E R S E V E N:
It's a few days later, Louis lounging around his house, when Harry comes bursting through the unlocked front door. Johanna really should remember to lock it when she goes out and leaves Louis alone.
He looks surprised. “Harry?”
“Hey,” Harry pants. He waves a few letters around. “College acceptance letters came today.”
Louis perks up at this and beckons Harry over, kissing his cheek and telling him he'll “be back after I check the mail”. Harry turns over the stack of letters in his hands and bites his lip. He's so nervous.
Louis comes back with a handful of letters, four for him and the rest for Zinnia. Her and Harry look like they have the same amount of letters, which is probable considering they both applied to many of the same high-ranked schools.
“Want to open yours first?” Louis asks.
Harry shakes his head. “Same time. I'm so scared.”
Louis sighs and places his letters on the couch. He cups Harry's cheek and presses their foreheads together, starting at Harry until he goes cross-eyed.
“You'll get in wherever you applied, you're that smart,” he says. “You're brilliant, baby.”
Harry flushes bright pink. “You're only saying that because you're my boyfriend.”
“No,” Louis disagrees, “I'm saying it because it's true. If you were stupid, I would tell you. I'm pretty blunt.”
“Louis,” Harry breathes in shakily. “Louis, I need to tell you something important.” Louis kisses his forehead and nods. Harry continue. “I applied to some universities in the United States.”
“Oh,” Louis gasps, face falling. “Oh.”
“Harvard is the top ranking school in the world. It keeps getting one hundred percent in it's reputation and education score,” Harry justifies, “of course I applied there. I also applied to Stanford, Yale, Princeton, NYU, Cornell, Brown, and the University of California.”
“Oh,” Louis repeats.
“Louis, please,” Harry begs. “These schools are big deals. If I get in, you have to be happy for me. If you love me, truly love me, you'll be happy.”
“Are you crazy?” Louis spits out. “Of course I'll be happy for you. I'll miss you, but I'll support you. I'm just a little in shock because of how many schools you applied to.”
“Education was one thing my parents had planned out when they were together,” Harry smiles. “Part of me working so much is to pay for it. Even though my mum drank a lot, she always made sure she kept adding the money she was supposed to into mine and Gemma's funds every month. I have about two years worth of university paid off with my parents funds alone. With my money, I could pay for the international fees for three years of college and still have money for travelling.” He fiddles with his finger. “But enough of my bragging. Let's open letters, okay?”
Louis nods, grabbing his letters and ripping one open. He hears Harry do the same. His first three letters are a miss, but University of Bolton, Business School, accepted him. He clutches the letter in his hand, waiting for Harry to be done opening all his.
Once he has, Louis says, “I got into Bolton.”
“That's great, Lou,” Harry sounds enthusiastic, throwing his arms around him in an embrace.
Louis squeezes him back and laughs. “Alright, Harry, enough of you being a good person. Tell me all the schools you got into.”
“Okay,” Harry pulls back, looking insecure. Louis doesn't know why. “Brown, Princeton, University of Aston, University of Bradford, Brunel University, University of Wolverhampton, Yale, Cambridge, Cornell, NYU, University of California, Trinity University of Dublin, Oxford... Harvard.” He mumbles out the last one. “Everywhere I applied. How in the hell is that possible?”
“You're SAT's were off the charts,” Louis answers, “that's how.”
Harry's shaking. “I'm in awe,” he says.
Louis stands off the couch and pulls Harry to his feet, scooping him up by the backs of his thighs and spinning him around.
“That's amazing, baby,” he cheers. “You're so smart, Harry. So smart. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, but can you put me down?” Harry inquires with a laugh, clutching onto Louis' shoulders.
Louis shakes his head playfully and grins. “Nope. I'm good having you like this.”
“You're going to drop me,” Harry says.
“Nope, never going to drop you,” Louis disagrees, jumping a little to hoist Harry's slipping body into a better position.
“Aren't I too heavy?” Harry asks.
“You're not, promise,” Louis replies.
“Spin me some more,” Harry requests. He makes sure his grip on Louis is tight.
“Okay. Hang on,” Louis instructs.
Harry laughs as Louis starts to spin him, his face lit up with happiness that Louis hasn't seen in a long time. Louis looks at how pretty he looks like this and can't stop the grin that takes over his face.
It matches the one on Zinnia's and Johanna's as they watch them by the coat rack.
“Having fun?” Johanna asks.
Louis stops mid-swing, depositing Harry to the ground. The two of them aren't big on PDA in front of Louis' mother. They get rather shy and reserved around her.
“Yeah,” Louis clears his throat. “College acceptance letters came today, we were just celebrating the fact that I got into Bolton and Harry got into every school he applied to.”
Zinnia gasps. “Letters came?”
“Yours are on the kitchen table,” Louis tells her.
She bolts to the kitechen, squealing as she goes.
“Is it just Bolton you got into, babe?” Johanna asks Louis.
He nods. “Yeah. I know you were hoping I made it into Brunel, but no such luck. Harry did, though.”
“Where have you made it into?” Johanna focuses her attention on Harry.
“NYU, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Brown, Cambride, Brunel, University of California, University of Wolverhampton, University of Bradford, Oxford, Harvard, Cornell, Trinity University of Dublin, and University of Aston,” Harry answers.
Her eyes widen. “Wow, Harry, that's plenty of good schools. Louis told me you were smart but I didn't know you were Harvard smart.”
“Mum,” Louis hisses.
“What?” she questions. “Harvard is very prestigious. You should choose that school, Harry.”
“Mum,” Louis warns.
“Oh, I don't know,” Harry shrugs. “Harvard is all the way in the States, and Oxford has been my dream school since I was eleven. Besides, Louis won't be in America.”
Acting like Louis isn't there, Johanna says, “Don't base your answer on that. Decide based on what you think will be best for you.”
Louis about to say something when Zinnia screams, dashing out of the kitchen with seven letters in her hand.
“Oxford, Cambridge, Brunel, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Brown!” she shouts.
Johanna cheers, pulling her into a hug. “Congratulations, sweetheart.” She then moves to hug both Harry and Louis. “Great job, the three of you.”
“Thank you, Jay,” Harry says.
“How about we go out for ice cream, just the four of us?” she suggests. “My treat.”
Zinnia purses her lips and shrugs. “Sure, I'm good with that.”
“Do you think you could give Harry and I a minute, mum?” Louis asks, reaching to clasp their hands together.
“Don't be too long,” Johanna warns.
Louis turns and dashes up the stairs, pulling Harry with him. Louis pushes him down on his bed, quietly shutting the door so his mum doesn't catch wind of a rule being broken. He really hates that one.
“What are we up here for?” Harry inquires.
“I got you a little something, because I knew you were going to make it into at least one of the universities you applied for,” Louis replies, then adds, “I just didn't think it was going to be this many.”
“Oh, Lou, you didn't have to get me anything,” Harry frowns.
“You're right,” Louis agrees, “I didn't have to, but I wanted to. You've worked so hard all your life, at least let me get you a little something.”
He pulls out a phone from his dresser and Harry gasps. It's a simple Android, Louis not having the money to buy something really fancy, but something about the way Harry's eyes water tells him he doesn't need to get anything fancy for him to be happy.”
“A little something,” Harry bursts out, shooting of Louis' bed and into his arms. “Holy shit. I can't accept this, Louis. It's so expensive.”
“I added you onto my family's phone plan, so it's really not that bad,” Louis assures him. “Will you please accept it? Sometimes I worry about you and it'd be nice to talk to you whenever I feel like it.”
Harry bites his lip. “I don't know. I didn't get you anything.”
“That doesn't matter,” Louis says. “Besides, I can't take it back now. Just take it.”
“Okay,” Harry finally gives in, reaching for the electronic device in Louis' hand. He turns it over.
Louis sits beside him and unlocks the phone, scrolling through the screens to show Harry the different settings. “I set everything up,” Louis explains. “I put all the music you like on it and I downloaded the games you play on my phone to yours. All the information is there. My mum is in on this, but her only rule is that if you go over the data or texting and calling plan, you pay for it.”
Harry nods frantically. “I understand. Oh, god, I have a phone. Thank you so much, Louis.”
Louis cups his cheek and smiles, pulling him in for a kiss. “You're very welcome,” he says with a chuckle. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Harry reciprocates.
“Boys!” Johanna calls. “Get downstairs, it's time to go.”
Louis stands up, tugging Harry to his feet and wrapping his arms around his waist as Harry curls his around his neck.
“We'll be down in a second!” Louis shouts.
He reaches for Harry's phone and tucks it into his back pocket, patting his bum and grinning cheekily. Harry's eyes widen.
“Ready to go?” Louis asks.
“Yep,” Harry answers immediately, wriggling from Louis grip and shooting down the stairs.
Louis laughs and follows him down, slipping his shoes on when he gets to the door. The indent of the phone in Harry's pants makes him smile.
“Jay's in the car,” Zinnia informs him, holding the door open for him and Harry. “She got sick of waiting.”
Louis just smiles and grabs Harry's hand, swinging their arms back and forth as they walk to the car. Zinnia huffs playfully and pushes past them, getting into the front seat. Louis holds the door for Harry and climbs in after him.
“Is Dairy Queen okay?” Johanna asks as she starts the car.
“It's fine, mum,” Louis rolls his eyes. “Just drive.”
Harry squeezes his hand. “Be nice.”
“I definitely approve of you, Harry,” Johanna chuckles. “You're much nicer and more polite than that Carson boy. I never liked him.”
“Mum,” Louis hisses in a warning tone, “enough.”
“Have you told him?” she asks.
Even Zinnia, who typically jumps at the chance to embarrass Louis with Johanna, looks uncomfortable. Harry is fidgeting and Louis looks plain irritated.
“It's none of your business, but yes, I have,” Louis says. “Now, can we drop this? I don't want to be discussing a three-year ex-boyfriend with my current one.”
Johanna mutters out a “sorry” and goes back to driving, Zinnia softly singing along to the radio and Harry and Louis silent in the back, their heads resting together. Louis' stroking at his arm with her thumb.
“Love you,” he whispers in Harry's ear.
Harry doesn't reply, but his smile makes up for it.
A/N: Sorry to end it there, but I thought it was a good place. Thoughts on this chapter? I've watched The Lego Movie with my brother and two Castle episodes as I've written this chapter. I miss new Castle episodes, but season four, episode three and four are two of my favourites. Also, the revealing of the journal and the court day will come with time. You'll have to wait and see, because this is honestly not the write time for drama. We're only on the seventh chapter, we have, like, twenty to go. Dedicated to CrushingBarriers for her super lovely comment on the last chapter. Have a great night, guys xxx.