Well, this one is better, I promise.
I just wanted to say that if you are in a violent relationship similar as Harry's in this story, please don't ever doubt to get help, to report this situation. Don't ever think it's the way they love. Because that isn't love. Don't try to justify them.
I'm sure there's a lot of people that really loves you and cares about you, as much as I do.
I love you, and I care.
So please, please take care of yourself and get help.
Domestic violence had increased during the quarentine, and there's a lot of cases that we don't know about.
That's all I wanted to say.
I love you all, thank you for all your incredible messages and comments, you all make me so happy every time I read your replies.
I'll read you again tommorow :)
Mag 🦋
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
- Edited -
[ Louis' POV ]
As I got ready to sing Harry's song for the first time, I wanted to make it special. This was for him, this needed to be more... Intimate in a way.
This wasn't a song I was ready to sing in public yet, this wasn't a song I was ready to release.
I needed this to stay between us.
So, I turned to call him, to let him know this was for him and for him only.
But he wasn't there.
I told the band to wait a second so I could look for him backstage. When I saw Liam, he said Harry had left the side of the stage a while ago.
I frowned, getting my phone out of my pocket so I could call him and ask him to return. It wasn't until I looked at the screen that I saw the three missed calls from him just minutes before.
What could have possibly gone wrong?
I felt my heartbeat rising and my jaw tensing. My body bracing for the worst.
When it started ringing again, I accepted the call immediately.
"Harry?"
"Lou." - He sobbed. - "I need you. Please."
My heart clenched only by hearing his voice.
"What happened? Where are you?" - I rushed to answer.
Harry kept quiet for a moment, his sobs filling the silence. And then, I heard a voice shouting far from the other side of the line.
"Harry! Are you talking to that asshole?! Open the fucking door!"
When I heard that, I knew what was happening. I rushed to grab Liam by his wrist, and I started running towards the parking lot. I pushed people out of the way and just kept going. I didn't care about the soundcheck, Harry was more important.
"Louis, please." - Harry said almost in a whisper.
"I'm going, baby. Don't open the door for him. Okay? I'm on my way." - I said, trying to keep calm so I wouldn't worry him. - "Start the car, Gael!" - I shouted in a frenzy as we got closer to where he was parked.
"What's happening, Louis? Why are we running?!" - Liam asked.
"It's Harry's boyfriend. Call 911."
We finally reached the car, quickly climbing inside and shutting the doors.
"Where are we going, sir?"
"Take me to Harry's house. Fast. Now!"
"Yes, sir." - Gael said and started driving out of the parking lot as fast as he could.
"Okay." - I heard Harry whispered.
"Don't hang up, please. Keep talking to me." - I said to the phone.
"Harry, open the door now!"- I heard that son of a bitch shouting at my baby again.
Austin kept screaming at Harry, and it was making my skin crawl.
Harry sounded weak, fragile, scared. And I couldn't take it. I couldn't listen to it without feeling physical pain.
"Lou, please hurry." - Harry whispered to the phone.
And I swear I was about to cry because of not being able to do anything while Gael was stuck in traffic. Fucking L.A.
It was the first time in my life that I felt truly useless.
"I'm coming baby, I'm coming. Stay where you are, you're doing great." - I tried to remain calm.
"Okay." - He mumbled.
Harry's breathing stabilized and I felt relieved for a second, he wasn't crying as loud as before. The line remained quiet for a bit, until Austin started talking to him again. This time, he seemed calmer, and he was trying to convince Harry to open the door with sweet words.
I wasn't having any of it.
"Harry, please don't let him in." - I begged. -"He is just trying to trick you, okay?" - Gael turned around in a crowded street and he had to hit the brakes, almost crashing against another car. - "C'mon, this fucking traffic! Fuck!" - Then I returned to the phone. - "I'm going baby, I'm going." - I was losing it, I needed to get there, to save him.
Austin was still trying to convince Harry to open the door for him, and I felt Harry doubting, I knew he was giving in, I knew I was losing him.
"Harry?" - I couldn't hear his breathing anymore. - "Harry, love, are you still there?"
I cursed to myself. I knew he had left the phone aside when he didn't reply.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of a slamming door, followed by a thud.
"Where is that phone?!" - Austin shouted on the other side of the phone. - "So you are that asshole who pays my boyfriend to have sex with him, aren't you? Pleasure to meet you." - He snorted. - "Get ready, because now is your turn to listen while I fuck this slut hard and force him to forget your shitty name." - I gulped, shaking my head and turning my free hand into a fist. - "You're going to learn who you belong to." - Austin whispered then.
I could hear how Harry was fighting him, how Austin was hurting him, and even if it was wrecking me on the inside, I couldn't stop listening, I needed to hear Harry was still there, I needed to know he was still fighting. And I couldn't leave him to go through it alone.
"Louis!" - Harry shouted and I had to bite my tongue to not cry in response.
I kept hearing how he was threatening Harry, how he was hurting him, how he was insulting him, how he was denigrating him. And I couldn't do anything more than to listen to it. Just listen to how my baby was being tortured and forced.
"Hold on, baby." - I said and Liam looked at me when a tear ran through my cheek. - "I'm coming to get you."
I kept repeating those words, trying to convince myself everything was going to be okay.
And after what seemed like hours of torture, I heard the phone call ending.
I tried to call again but there was no use. Nobody picked it up.
When we finally arrived at Harry's house, the door was unlocked. So I ran inside, not knowing what to expect, not knowing what I was going to find.
I just wanted to save Harry.
"Harry! Harry?! Where are you?" - I called while opening every door that I could find.
I finally found the bedroom and saw him there.
Laying on the floor, soaked in blood, just like the first time I saw him, with his trousers down and semen all over his thighs. His eyes were shut, and his mouth was filled with blood.
He had bruises and red marks all over his body.
And he was all alone, Austin was gone and there were no signs of him.
Liam entered the room seconds later and he gasped when he saw Harry. He didn't say anything, he was already calling an ambulance.
I kneeled down next to my baby. I just needed to make sure he was still alive. I needed to hear his breathing.
So I took a deep breath and leaned over him to hear his low and weak breathing, then I placed my hand in his chest, trying to find his heartbeat. It was weak as well, but at least he was still alive.
The police showed up minutes later, asking both Liam and I for a statement.
I didn't let go of Harry, not until the ambulance got there and took him.
🚲
When Gael parked in the hospital, I rushed out and raced towards the entrance. The paramedics were taking Harry straight to the emergency room and several doctors were around him in a second, they didn't let me see anything, they just told me to wait.
So, I did.
With dried blood in my hands, the flashing images in my mind, trembling and scared.
I waited.
I waited for almost two hours when they finally came to tell me how he was.
"Mr. Tomlinson. Are you a relative of Mr. Styles?" - The nurse asked.
"No..."
"He is his boyfriend." - Liam interrupted.
"Oh, okay." - She frowned. - "Have you talked to the police already?"
"Yes, we did. We did." - I stuttered. - "How's Harry? Can I see him? Please." - I begged.
"Yes, you can come inside to see him. But I'll have to ask you." - She pointed at Liam. - "To remain here."
Liam nodded and patted my shoulder, trying to give me strength, courage.
I took a deep breath and followed the nurse down the hall to Harry's room.
"He didn't present major injuries, but we ran all the necessary tests to make sure we weren't missing anything anyways." - She smiled softly.
"Thank you so much." - I nodded.
She pointed to a room and turned around, giving a polite nod as a goodbye.
Before even opening the door, I tried to prepare myself for the worst.
Inside, all I saw was a beautiful boy in a hospital bed.
A boy in pain.
And I had terrifying flashbacks of the accident. Harry had suffered do much in the past weeks.
He didn't deserve any of this. He didn't deserve to be a victim; he didn't deserve to be in that bed.
As I got closer to his side, Harry slowly opened his eyes.
"Lou." - He smiled weakly.
"Hi, baby." - I said and took seat in the chair by the side of the bed. - "I'm so glad you are okay." - I sighed.
"That's because you saved me, again."
"Don't say that." - I shook my head, softly reaching to take his hand in mine. - "I could have prevented all of this, but I didn't. You are hurt, Harry. I didn't save you from that."
Harry sighed and intertwined our fingers.
I could see the tiredness below his eyes, the bruises on his skin, the dry blood on his face, and the lack of brightness in his pupils.
"But you came. And that's all I needed."
"I'm going to take care of you now. I'm not leaving your side not even for a minute. Do you hear me?" - I said and kissed the palm of his hand.
"Thank you."
"You'll get tired of me being around you all the time." - I joked, trying to lighten the mood a little.
"I could never get tired of you." - Harry smiled softly, squeezing my hand. - "You are my knight in shining armor, yeah? And you are my Louis."
"I am your Louis?" - I said, a smirk forming on my face.
Harry nodded and extended his arms so I could hug him. I stood up from the chair and leaned over him, wrapping him in a careful hug.
I left a kiss on his forehead and took seat on the chair again.
"How are you feeling?" - I gently asked, running my fingers on his fringe.
"Good." - He nodded. - "The doctor said I'll be okay. Just some shallow bruises." - He smiled.
"Yeah... but... baby, do you remember everything that happened? Aren't you..." - I sighed. - "Aren't you I don't know, angry? or sad? or... afraid?"
"No." - He grinned, squeezing my hand.
"How do you keep your beautiful mood after everything you went through?"
"I don't give it much thought. That's all."
"Harry, maybe you should..."
"I didn't get to hear your song on the soundcheck." - He interrupted, and I understood he didn't want to talk about it. - "I really wanted to."
"Right. Do you want me to sing it now?"
"Would you do that?"
"Of course." - I smiled.
"Wait. No. I don't want to hear it yet. I want to be with all my attention and energy to listen to it. I want to feel good when I hear it for the first time."
"Well, I can sing another one then. One that you already know?" - I said.
"You owe me Little Things." - He smiled at me.
"Little Things will be then."
"Wait."
"What baby?"
"Can you cuddle with me like last night?"
"I thought you'd never ask." - I said and climbed into the bed. I got inside the covers with him, wrapping my arms around him as he rested his head on my shoulder.
"Now you can sing." - He giggled.
"Okay, are you ready?" - I asked and he nodded.
I cuddled him closer to me and kissed the top of his head. I cleared my throat before starting to sing.
Your hand fits in mine like it's made just for me
But bear this mind, it was meant to be
And I'm joining up the dots with the freckles on your cheeks
And it all makes sense to me
I know you've never loved
The crinkles by your eyes when you smile
You've never loved your stomach or your thighs
The dimples in your back at the bottom of your spine
But I'll love them endlessly
I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth
But if I do, it's you
Oh, it's you, they add up to
I'm in love with you
And all these little things
As I finished the song, I looked down at Harry to find him completely asleep, my chest as his pillow and his hands fisting the hem of my shirt.
I surely could get used to have him in my arms, I surely could get used to sing him to sleep, I surely could get used to his calm breathing and his beautiful scent on my nose.
He was unique, but he was hurt, very hurt.
I had to remind myself yet again that he was fine now; that he was safe.
And I didn't have to worry while he was in my arms. Because I was right there, holding him and shielding him from any harm.
Right then, I made a promise to myself.
I was going to help him get through all the pain. For as long as he'd let me.