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11.

Harry's POV


"What ya looking at, H?" Niall threw his left arm around his shoulder, glancing at his phone. "Who's that?".

"BAC" Harry told him absent-mindedly, scrolling through their band page on Triplemage, a social media site for mainly photos.

"Is this about what you told me about yesterday? Zayn's ex and his band? Is that them?" Niall leaned closer to the phone.

"Yes, that's their band. I was curious and checked their band page and it looks like Max has some girlfriend at the moment. Poor girl, but who knows if that's even true" Harry clicked on picture after picture and read some of the comments from some fans.

"The chance that it's a real relationship is pretty low. It's the music business, after all. It's mostly fake, so maybe she isn't any better than him. We can't know for certain" Niall plopped down on the couch next to him. "By the way, where are the girls?".

"Playing in the guest room. Well, Eve was pretty adamant to build some Lego castle on the floor. Mae wanted to read but I'm pretty sure Eve convinced her to join forces by now. That's just how she is and gets what she wants, right?" Harry locked his phone.

"She can be pretty persuasive, yes. But you're ought to know best, right? You're babysitting them, not me. And it sounds as if you're quite close by now" Niall retorted casually but there was definitely something he wasn't saying out loud. Harry knew him too well.

"We are close and I'm honoured that they let me into their lives. We took some time to get to know each other and bond and I can't say I regret it. They are amazing" Harry's heart warmed by just thinking about them and their progress over the last weeks.

"You love them" Niall stated. Or asked. Harry wasn't sure.

"Of course, I do. What's not to love? They're Louis' daughters. You have to love them" Harry squinted at his best friend perplexed.

A weirdly satisfied look crossed Niall's face before he spoke up. "How is Louis? Did you two bond as well?".

"I think so? Why? What are you on about?" Harry wasn't sure what game his friend was playing right now.

"Nothing, nothing. I'm just happy you're getting along and were able to bond over something. You know, with us all being friends now and your former crush, I was afraid you'd never be able to just be friends. You know, without wondering what could have been".

Speechless, Harry blinked at his best friend. "I'm with Josh".

"I know that. I'm just saying ...".

"It doesn't matter what I felt months ago. Years ago. I'm with Josh now and that's all that matters, okay? Louis and I are friends and I'm happy that we are because he is amazing but that's about it. I'm not secretly wondering what could have been only because we had a very heartfelt moment and opened up to each other in a way I never saw coming" Harry clarified defensively.

"Okay. Whatever you say" Niall held his hands up in surrender. "How is Josh, by the way? I'm surprised you're spending the weekend apart. You're pretty attached to each other".

"I know you're not necessarily fond of him for some reason but I like him and we have a good time together, okay? He's alright and I'm fine. He's fine, okay?" Harry felt like he had to justify himself.

"I don't have to like him as long as you like him and he likes you. As long as you're happy and he is good to you. Is he good to you, Harry?" Niall checked deadly serious in a gentle voice.

"You don't have to worry about me,  Niall. I'm good" Harry assured him honestly. "He's not like Jake,okay?".

"Glad to hear that" Niall smiled at him in relief. "Hate to ruin our moment but I have to go. Work is calling. See you later, H".

"See you later, Nialler".

Deciding it was time to check on the girls, he stood up from the couch and walked over to their guestroom. Through the door, he could hear the girls playing together and it warmed his heart. He liked having them over. He liked the sound of children's laughter in his home. He liked the absolute chaos they could cause. He liked the memories he carried with him forever now.

The vibration of his phone brought him back to the present. Taking his phone out of his pocket, he saw a new message from Louis. He was stuck at work and would need a bit longer than normally to pick up the girls. Quickly, Harry texted him back that it was alright and he would just cook dinner for them and make sure they were ready to go to bed as soon as he was home.

Ignoring how domestic this made him feel, Harry walked into the kitchen and started on dinner. While preparing the meal his thoughts drifted off to his unknown future. He pictured himself as a father with his kids. He wondered what kind of a father he would be and what his life would look like as part of his own little family. Over and over again, Mae and Eve's beautiful faces showed up in his little scenarios and daydreams together with their stunning father but he pushed these images away and pictured Josh instead and in other scenarios his future husband was faceless. It felt nice.

An hour later, dinner was ready and he called for the girls when he set the table. Pretty befuddled, they came out of the guest room, wondering what was going on. Maeva even glanced at the time and frowned when she saw how late it was and that her father wasn't there yet. Not giving her time to worry, Harry presented the meal.

"I hope you like bangers and mash. I forgot to ask" Harry realised too late that he didn't really know what the girls liked apart from pasta and pizza, which was definitely Louis' influence.

"I love it" Evelina's eyes were sparkling at the sight.

"Where's Dad?" Maeva crinkled her nose in worry.

"He's still at work and is running a bit late, so I thought we could eat while we wait, yeah?" Harry answered her clumsily.

"Okay" Maeva sat down at the dining table.

All three of them started eating and it fell quiet between them but not for long because you could always count on Evelina to ask you questions you didn't see coming. "What's your boyfriend like?".

"Excuse me?" Harry choked on a spoon full of mash.

"What's your boyfriend like, Hazzy? Is he as nice as you or as funny as my dad or as quiet as uncle Zayn or ...?".

"Why do you wanna know that, Eve?" Harry coughed a bit to get some air into his lungs, stalling for a bit more time.

"I'm curious. We haven't seen him much and he wasn't ... I wanna know why you like him" Evelina reasoned her curiosity and Maeva nodded along in agreement. "So, what's he like with you?".

"Well, Josh is ..." Harry put his cutlery down and thought for a moment. "He is ... he likes good food and fancy clothes and big parties and is good with people. I mean, he can talk to anyone and make it look easy. He shows me off and ... We have a lot of fun together and ... He doesn't really get my humour but he's funny".

For a long moment, Evelina only looked at him and pondered over his answer, her sister watching her suspiciously. "Sounds alright to me, I think. He sounds like Nathan's brother though".

"Who's Nathan?" Harry wondered discombobulated.

"A guy in our class. He's a jerk" Evelina told him forthrightly.

"Eve!" Maeva gasped at her sister's bluntness.

"What? It's true" Evelina shrugged totally unfazed. "I didn't say his brother is a jerk. Or Josh. It just reminded me of him because he also likes these things but there isn't really more to him. I'm sure there is more to Josh, right?".

Taken aback by her take on his answer, Harry was lost for words. "Um ... Of course. He is ...".

"I didn't mean to overstep. I'm sorry if I said something wrong" Evelina must take his lack of words as something bad.

"No, it's alright. It was just a question and my answer reminded you of someone. Nothing wrong with that. I feel flattered that you're looking out for me, Eve" Harry was touched by her concern.

"Always. You're part of our family now" Evelina shook his entire world with her innocent words. "You're Dad's friend and we love you. I will always look out for you just like I do for my dad".

"I feel honoured" Harry barely got the words out.

"You're his friend. Do you know why he's alone?" Evelina asked him baldly. "Is he like Nathan or his brother?".

"What? No, you're father is nothing like that Nathan guy, okay?" Harry felt immediately protective over Louis and his kind heart. "Your father is the kindest person I've ever met. He's funny and smart and attentive and a good listener. You can always count on him to have your back. He keeps your secrets and encourages you and makes you feel good about yourself. He's so selfless and ... He's amazing. There really is no specific reason why he doesn't have a boyfriend. And he isn't alone, girls. He has you and his family. You couldn't have a better person as your dad".

For some reason he didn't understand, Maeva was looking at her sister with something close to disbelief while Evelina looked oddly satisfied but also very emotional. At the same time, both of them looked up at him with such clear blue eyes that it almost scared him. The clarity in their eyes almost looked like realisation but he couldn't say what they had just realised. What did he say?

"His family. Our dad has his family and his family loves him. I can see it now" Evelina brought out so quietly he almost didn't catch it.

"Yeah?" Harry wasn't sure what he was asking exactly.

"Yes. Thank you, Harry".

Not knowing what to do, he cleared his throat and stood up from the table to get rid of the dirty dishes. Maeva and Evelina were whispering to each other but Harry didn't ask what about. This conversation has been quite heavy and getting lost in thoughts about Louis and how great he was hasn't been good for his heart.

"Can you read something for us while we wait?" Maeva appeared in the kitchen, holding a book in her hand.

"Of course, Darling. What story did you pick?".

He should have known better. He should have known it would be the fairytale about the princess and the kitchen boy. He should have known they'd like to hear about a good love story, a love story that gave them hope for their father because they worried a lot about him. They loved him to pieces and wanted someone else to do the same. It was heart-warming, unlocking a new certain feeling of longing inside of him. Longing for his own family like this.

Ten minutes into the story, the girls fell asleep in his arms on the bed in his guest bedroom. Closing the book, Harry let his head rest against the wall, enjoying the moment for as long as he could before Louis would take them home. And lying here with them, he could see it. He could see himself as a father right now.

"Oh".

At the sound of that angelic voice, Harry's head snapped towards the door, where Louis was staring at them in something like wonder. Untangling himself from their grasp, Harry crept out of the room and closed the door behind him, now face to face with Louis. "They fell asleep when I read them from a book".

Seemingly coming out of his own thoughts, Louis' gaze focused on him with such warmth behind his eyes. "Thank you for doing all this. The restaurant was packed and I couldn't leave earlier. I could not have done it without you, Haz. You took such good care of them and I ...".

"It was my pleasure. They're amazing" Harry reassured him, touching his shoulder lightly. "I love having them over".

"They love being here" Louis leaned into the simple touch.

"Did you eat yet?" Harry found himself asking, wanting to make sure Louis was also looked after. "I've made bangers and mash".

"That sounds tempting but I have to get them home somehow without waking them, preferably. Eve is a demon when y ...".

"They can sleep here" Harry blurted out unconsidered. "I mean, tomorrow is Sunday and they have nowhere to be and ...".

"Okay" Louis surprisingly accepted that offer. "But only if I get some of your bangers and mash. I have to make sure it's good".

That made Harry smile dopey. "It's good. It took me an hour".

"An hour? For bangers and mash?" Louis blinked at him.

"I had to redo it because I've been distracted" Harry admitted with red cheeks, trying not to think about it again.

"I get that. Cooking with children around can be quite challenging" Louis luckily couldn't read his mind. "Or so I've heard. I never cook with them around".

"Because you don't cook at all" Harry teased him shyly.

"Excuse me? I make excellent pasta, Mister" Louis huffed over-dramatically, puffing out his chest for effect.

"Whatever you say, Lou" Harry giggled while fleeing into the kitchen to make a plate ready for Louis.

"It doesn't sound like you believe me" Louis blocked the way out of the kitchen, his arms creating a barrier Harry could easily pass.

"That's because I don't" Harry leaned against the counter.

"Impudence!" Louis tried to look angry but failed. He resembled an angry kitten or hedgehog like this. "So, there is no other way".

"That sounds dangerous. What level of threat are we talking about here?" Harry cocked an eyebrow at him provokingly.

"Probably a ten out of ten, if you're unlucky" Louis rolled his lip in.

"That doesn't sound like I should agree to whatever you're offering me here. Or threatening me with" Harry's gaze was not fixed on Louis' lips. It wasn't. No, he was only trying to read him.

"You don't have a choice when it's a threat" Louis licked his lips.

"Is it?" Harry hoped his voice wasn't betraying him as much as his thoughts were. Stupid mind.

"Depends" Louis stepped out of the door frame and closer to him. "Is offering to cook for you a threat in your book?".

"You wanna cook for me?" Harry didn't see that coming.

"How else am I supposed to prove to you that I'm right? This requires heavy guns" Louis was right in his reach now.

"Heavy guns?" Harry swallowed his inappropriate comments.

"The heaviest, Haz".

And that was the moment the microwave beeped and announced that Louis' dinner was reheated. Totally unbothered, Louis reached past him and took the plate out of the microwave, grazing his hip lightly before he turned around and left the kitchen. Harry was left staring after him, completely perplexed. Collecting himself, Harry followed Louis' trace and found him on the couch, scrolling through his phone while eating Harry's food. It was too much.

"Do you ... um ...?" Harry croaked out, gaining Louis' attention. "Do you wanna sleep in the guest room too or on the couch?".

For a moment, Louis looked caught off guard. "Um ... the guest room is fine. I'm just gonna crawl into bed with them until they kick me out and I end up on the couch at three in the morning".

"Sounds like this happened before" Harry replied dumbly.

"It did" Louis looked expectantly at him, eating way too cute.

"I um ... I'm gonna get you a t-shirt to ... um ... sleep in and um ... a blanket just in case you need it and then ... I ... we ...".

"You wanna watch a movie before we go to bed?" Louis saved him from embarrassing himself further. "Only if you're not tired".

"A movie sounds great" Harry accepted the offer eagerly, momentarily forgetting that this was his home. "I um ... I'm gonna go and get you your stuff".

Sprinting into his own bedroom, Harry breathed out a shaky sigh and almost choked on it. He wasn't sure what was happening to him but maybe being this close to Louis brought out his former infuriation with the perfect lad, which was an issue. He only wanted to be Louis' friend and that's all that Louis wanted him to be as well. His whatever made him act like a lovesick teenager needed to accept that and move on. He had a boyfriend and it wasn't Louis.

With a t-shirt and a blanket in hand, Harry leaned against his door frame and watched Louis simply existing in his home. Seeing him like this, perfectly fitting in, did not make him think about what could have been. He wasn't thinking about what could have been if they had met earlier. If he had been around more often during the last two years. He wasn't. No, he absolutely wasn't.

The movie and the evening with Louis passed in a blur and then they went to bed separately. All night, Harry had dreams about forbidden scenarios and past emotions and feelings and hopes he had buried deep in his heart. That's why he was a bit cranky when he woke up the next morning. Just in time, he remembered that he had kids over in his home and put on some clothes before he left his room and headed for the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

But when he reached the kitchen he was met with Louis and the girls already preparing breakfast for them as a thank you for last night. He had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. And it hurt, so that meant he was wide awake.

"Morning, Haz. I hope this is alright but we made some scrambled eggs and bacon" Louis spotted him at the door. "Or I tried".

"No, that's alright. Thank you" Harry brought out overwhelmed.

"It's nothing. Thank you for everything you did yesterday. This little breakfast is nothing in comparison and is not enough to rep ...".

"Lou, sh" Harry rushed over to him, grabbing him by the arms. "You don't need to repay me for helping you out. I offered and I had a great day. Friends help each other without ...".

"And family too" Evelina interjected herself into their conversation. "A family looks after each other and we are family, right?".

"I mean ...".

"Hazzy is family now, right? Just like Sean and Niall" Evelina didn't let up, warming Harry's whole body.

"Or Luke and Cody" Maeva added to back her up.

Smiling fondly at them, Louis only nodded. "Yeah, you're right. A family looks after each other without conditions. You're so smart".

"We got that from you".

Leaving this conversation in the kitchen, they prepared the dining table and started eating, talking about school and friends. Harry soaked everything in. He loved learning more about them at all times. It was a privilege to experience this.

This privilege was taken away from him when the elevator doors opened and Josh stood in his penthouse, his gaze ice-cold on their little breakfast group. Excusing himself from the table, Harry rushed over to him and wanted to kiss him hello but Josh only pushed him away, his eyes still fixed on Louis and the girls. This must look kinda wrong to him, Harry realised that.

"What is going on here?".

"We're having breakfast. Mae and Eve fell asleep yesterday and I offered to let them just sleep here. It was the easiest solution for everyone" Harry justified himself, the words feeling cheap and wrong on his tongue and he didn't know why.

"So, you're telling me you had no time yesterday for me when I asked because you were with them? And now when I thought I come over to surprise you they're still here and you're having breakfast because they slept over?" Josh's chest was heaving with anger. "Is there anything you wanna tell me?".

"Oh, no. You got this all wrong. There is nothing going on here. Nothing happened. I was just babysitting for a friend, who needed help and ...".

"I'm not blind, Harry" Josh didn't let him finish. "Isn't that your t-shirt he is wearing?".

Glancing at Louis, who was leading his daughters back into the guest room to gather their belongings, Harry realised Louis was still wearing his t-shirt from last night and that really did look wrong.

"Um ...".

"Um won't save your ass this time, Harry" Josh was fuming by now. "Just come right out and say it. I know it anyway".

"Nothing happened, Josh" Harry insisted on being innocent.

"Don't bullshit me. Look at you, look at him, look at his daughters. Are playing happy family now after you fucked last night?" Josh's voice rose higher and louder by the second.

"Ey, can you tone it down? There are kids around" Louis interfered now, Maeva and Evelina hiding behind him with big eyes.

"Stay out of this, Prick. You've done quite enough" Josh glared at him. "And they're just kids. They don't know what's going on".

"You'd be surprised. So, if I were you I'd better watch my words before dragging my daughters into your psycho games, Josh" Louis stood his ground, appearing a lot taller than he actually was.

"Or what?" Josh was right in his face and Harry didn't know what to do. "I'm not intimidated by a pathetic arsemonger like you".

For a split second, Louis looked at him and it felt like he was waiting for him to say something but Harry didn't know how he could save this moment, so Louis just sighed. "I get it. We're out".

Watching him leave broke Harry's heart because he looked so broken and angry and devastated but Harry had more important matters at hand. His boyfriend still accusing him of cheating.

"Your face says that you wanna run after him, which only proves my point. You fucked him last night. You fucked him while his kids were in the next room. Is that how you think a family works? Do you really think he wants you in his family? You out of everyone?".

"Can you stop it?" Harry lost his cool, making his boyfriend fall quiet. "I did not fuck him last night. We're only friends and you know that. I'm with you. Why should I cheat on you with him?".

"What do I know? Maybe being around that gannet gives you some kind of drill or it makes you feel better about yourself to fuck someone so heavily below your level but I don't care. It's obvious that you two had a wild night and you're trying to ...".

"God, damn it! I did not fuck Louis last night!" Harry exploded fed up. "I'm not interested in him in the slightest. He's not my type and one hundred per cent ...".

"Out of your league," Josh looked pointedly at him. "Can't you see how he is looking at you? He knows you're too good for him and would never go for him, so he tries to pull you in through his kids. Everyone knows you love kids, so it's pretty clever for a simple waiter and it seems to work. But be aware. He only wants you for sex and your money. He doesn't want you for yourself".

"That's not true. Louis isn't like that and he isn't interested in me. I know that for a fact bec ...".

"You wanted in his pants once" Josh understood what he was trying to hide. "You wanted to fuck him and he rejected you and now you're acting like you can be friends? And I'm not supposed to get jealous of you spending so much time with him? Of you playing happy family with a guy you wanted to bone? Or still want to?".

"I don't wanna be with Louis in any way. I swear. I only want you, Josh. I admit, there was a time when I was attracted to him once but that was years ago and didn't lead anywhere. We're really only friends and nothing more. I promise" Harry cupped Josh's face.

"So, you don't wanna fuck him anymore?" Josh double-checked with a nasty glint in his eyes.

"No, I only wanna fuck you".



Louis' POV


Still absolutely pissed but mostly worried about his girls' well-being, Louis ushered them out of the elevator and into their flat. All of the said words and untrue accusations were circling around in his head, driving him nuts. Josh had really gone too far and Louis couldn't believe that Harry didn't intervene at all. Not standing up for him or protecting the girls was a clear statement and it hurt.

"Dad? Are you alright?" Maeva asked him as soon as they were inside and safe behind the closed front door.

"Me? Are you alright, Lovelies?" Louis knelt down in front of his two daughters, inspecting them closely. "Don't listen to what he said, okay? He's ...".

"An asshole" Evelina looked about ready to murder someone.

"Evelina! Language!" Louis admonished her but couldn't really disagree. Josh had proven today how big of an asshole he was.

"But it's true. He was very mean and said bad words and was so loud. He was almost screaming at Harry and you, Dad. And I don't understand why. What did he mean when he said you ...?".

"Look, Josh is Harry's boyfriend and he got angry that he was left out of all the fun, okay?" Louis stopped her right there, not wanting to be reminded of what has been said. "He said a lot of bad things and none of it was true. Please, try to forget about it".

"What did he mean, Dad?" Maeva looked dejected. "That word that he used before we left. What does that mean? Is it cruel?".

Closing his eyes for a moment, Louis inhaled deeply to brace himself. Opening his eyes, he put a brave smile on his face and hoped it was convincing enough. "It's a bad word that good and intelligent people don't use but he didn't really mean it. He's just angry and sometimes people say things they don't really mean, remember? When you fight you say things you don't mean".

"But we always apologise for it. He didn't say sorry. He meant it, Dad. Whatever it means" Evelina frowned disappointedly.

"And Harry didn't scold him for being mean to us. I thought he's part of our family. Isn't family supposed to protect each other? He didn't protect us. Not really" Maeva's eyes were glassy.

"I'm sure he told him off after we left. He always has your back, Love. Don't worry" Louis caressed her cheek soothingly.

Deep down, Louis didn't believe himself. He had seen Harry's face when Josh had called him an arsemonger. He didn't say a word because he agreed and couldn't hide it any longer. He didn't step in because he didn't care. He had wanted them gone to be alone with his prick of a boyfriend, probably shagging their brains out just this second. If Louis listened closely he could probably hear them and that was a disturbing thought. He needed a distraction.

"And now enough of this. It's over and done, okay? Go and get changed. Your nan is waiting for us" Louis sent them off.

Still shaken, Louis used the time they were preoccupied to get ready himself. In his room, he took off Harry's t-shirt and threw it onto his bed, not knowing what to do with it. He should probably wash it and give it back, hopefully without running into Josh. Josh, who obviously hated his guts and wanted him out of Harry's life and Louis understood why. He wasn't anything special and didn't fit into their life. Harry couldn't benefit from a friendship with him and Josh reminded him of that every single day. Maybe it was better if they went their separate ways again. They did it before. They could do it again and spare them some drama.

Considering the weather of late June, he threw on a clean t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Then he brushed his teeth and tamed his messy hair, making himself look kinda presentable. Afterwards, he went over to check on his daughters but they were already ready to go. Without much fuss, they left the house and got in the car, driving over to Louis' mother for a little catch-up.

As soon as she opened the door and took a look at him, Louis knew she saw that something was wrong. Throwing him a look, she greeted the girls first and let them in, where Zoey was waiting for them to play in the backyard. "What's wrong, Love?".

"Nothing. Just had a little run-in with Josh this morning and it wasn't pleasant, to be honest. But I'm fine" Louis waved the matter off.

"You're not. What happened?" Jasmine saw right through him.

"He thought Harry cheated on him with me just because we stayed the night. All three of us, so ... I don't know. It was crazy and he was so mad at me ...".

"You stayed at Harry's place?" Jasmine raised an eyebrow at him in a silent question.

"The girls fell asleep" Louis shrugged non-committally.

"And Harry told him that, I assume" Jasmine wanted to know more about the incident. Like the mother hen she could be.

"Of course but Josh wouldn't listen and flipped. It ... it was ugly but I made sure we left before it could get worse. I talked to them and made sure they were fine. So, we can drop it and just forget about it. Move on with our lives" Louis reported back informatively.

"If you say so" Jasmine understood that he was over it. "But while we're at it. You don't happen to know Josh's last name?!".

"No, why?" Louis didn't expect that question at all.

"Nothing. It's just ... I heard some talk around the hospital about some Joshua Rooney and he's kinda fishy and not someone I'd want around you or the girls. I wasn't sure if it was the same Josh" Jasmine revealed unsettling information to him.

"I'll try to find out if it's him" Louis assured her, already fearing he might have to ruin Harry's happiness with this.

"Good. Now, aren't you supposed to be somewhere? I thought Zayn wanted to see you. Go. You deserve a few hours to yourself, Sweetheart" Jasmine stroked some hair out of his face.

"I'm back before dinner".

Hopping back into his car, Louis drove straight to John's bar to visit Zayn. He needed some distraction and who was better for this than his best friend in the entire world?!

"Hey, Tommy" Zayn greeted him happily.

"Hey, Joey. How's it going?" Louis fist-bumped him.

"Alright. It's not too crowded and I'm off in a few hours and have tomorrow off. A great start into the new week" Zayn wiped along the counter. "When did you get home yesterday? I didn't hear you coming in at all".

"Well, um ... that's because I didn't come home?" Louis cringed at his own words, hating how wrong they sounded. "Before you ask, we stayed at Harry's because the girls fell asleep and you know how painful it is to wake Eve. She's a demon".

"Very true. It's always a fight for life or death with her" Zayn didn't comment on the rest surprisingly. "Anything you wanna get off your chest? You look about ready to explode".

And that made him crack, telling Zayn everything that had gone down yesterday and this morning with Harry and Josh.

"He did not say that!" Zayn drew in a sharp breath.

"He did and Harry didn't correct him, which hurt even more, to be honest. After last night, I really thought we could be actual friends but this morning showed me I was naïve. It was a dream, nothing more. And dreams don't come true" Louis admitted over his usual drink without any alcohol in it. He was always responsible.

"Sometimes they do".

"Not this time, Joey".

"Maybe Harry was only overwhelmed with the situation so early in the morning and didn't know how to act without upsetting either of you, especially with the kids around" Zayn mused out loud.

"No, Joey. You didn't see his face. He wasn't shocked or appalled that Josh called me an arsemonger. He wasn't about to disagree with him because he thinks the same about me but is too polite to say it to my face, which ... yeah, isn't a nice feeling but nothing I didn't already know and I always told you he looks down on me. He could never ... Fuck, it wouldn't be so bad if Maeva and Evelina hadn't appointed him part of the family. How do I explain to them that he isn't and won't stick around?" Louis felt a headache coming.

"Who says he won't stick around?" Zayn's voice was way too gentle, as if Louis would break any second.

"Me. I say he won't and after today, I don't want him to. I don't need him in my life. I only want people around me who actually like me and don't make me feel bad about myself by simply existing" Louis was determined to stay away from Harry from now on.

"Are you sure you're not just saying that because you're tired? This sounds like an exhausting morning and ...".

"It wasn't that early, Joey" Louis rolled his eyes at him. "It was almost noon when we started on breakfast and it doesn't matter. Josh made it pretty clear he doesn't want me around and thinks we're scum and Harry didn't object. The case is clear to me".

"Okay. We do whatever is best for you. If you wanna keep your distance I'm gonna help you, Tommy" Zayn assured him surely.

"Thank you, Joey" Louis smiled gratefully at his best friend. "Now tell me. Is there any progress on the Liam front?".

"I'm not sure. After the incident, we had a nice moment and he was there for me but I can't tell if it's more than friendship. We have always been close. How do I know?" Zayn gnawed on his lip.

"By asking him? There isn't much else you can do in this case, I'm afraid" Louis gave him an apologetic look, feeling bad. "But for all that it matters, the girls think Liam likes you just the same".

"Really? What did they say?" Zayn's ear perked up at that.

"A while ago they said randomly that they think Liam likes you without knowing it yet but by now, they're sure he's aware of it" Louis let him know casually. "But remember, they're ten".

"Exactly. These two girls are very observant and attentive and see things we as grown-ups don't see and overlook. If they tell you something about someone you should just believe them. They tend to be right about these kinds of things" Zayn marked proudly.

"Which means that Liam likes you, Joey. They said so" Louis tried to suppress every upcoming memory of something the girls had said about Harry or Josh in the past. He couldn't handle it.

"What am I supposed to do about that? I can't just come right out and say it, can I?" Zayn looked panicked at the mere thought.

"Why not? You always tell me to go for what I want. Maybe you should listen to your own advice and then, who knows, maybe I'll do the same one day, if it works" Louis advised him optimistically.

"That sounds like a trap" Zayn wasn't convinced.

"Why would I ...?".

"Wait, didn't you say Josh was with Harry today?" Zayn talked over him, his expression stern.

"Yes, why?".

"Because he just walked into the bar. Right there".

Instantly, Louis turned around to see for himself. And there he was, Josh. He was walking towards a table close to the bar counter and three other guys were already hyping up his arrival. It was an odd sight and something about it gave Louis the ick.

"Joshua! Finally. We thought you stood us up" one of the guys bawled loudly, not caring about the other people in the bar.

"Never, Davis. I have solely been held back" Josh took off his jacket.

"I can see that. You look thoroughly fucked" another guy snickered nastily. "The doctor gave it to you good?".

"What do you think?" Josh sat down next to the nasty guy.

"I think he railed you real good. By the looks of it, I wouldn't mind getting railed by him. You mind sharing" the last guy joked dirtily.

"Piss off" Josh admonished him laughingly, clapping him on the shoulder for a reason Louis didn't understand.

"I mean, good for you. From what I've heard, he's pretty odd but at least he's rich and highly respected" the first guy remarked meanly.

"Understatement of the century" Josh snorted viciously.

"His huge dick makes up for it though, am I right? You like it rough and dirty, Rooney. We know you" the third guy cackled.

"Just like you, Liron" Josh winked at him smugly.

"I think I'm gonna be sick" Louis felt the need to throw up after what he had just witnessed. "That's horrible".

"Who talks like that about their boyfriend? He doesn't deserve that" Zayn wrinkled his forehead in incomprehension.

"I always knew something was off about him" Louis grumbled more to himself, trying to digest the fact that Josh was the same guy his mother had warned him of. What was he supposed to do?

"Do you think Harry knows how Josh talks about him? This did not sound as if he even likes him at all" Zayn kept glancing over at them with worry lines visible on his forehead.

"I don't know, Joey. Maybe this isn't as bad as it sounds and they're only joking? Or he's only ..." Louis wracked his brain for an answer but his beeping phone cut him off. "Oh, that's my mum. Looks like these two little demons told her about this morning in detail. I should ... I'm gonna go and get them before ... yeah".

"Do that. I'll keep an eye on them and report back. Hopefully, they're done with whatever this was" Zayn cleared his glass away. "I'll see you tonight, Tommy".

"See you later, Joey".


From Mum:

"Buttercup, why didn't you tell me what Josh said to you? The girls have just told me everything about this morning and I'm in shock. I get why you were so tense. He deserves a punch to the face for what he said to you, especially in front of the girls. And a slap for not caring about their presence during the argument. And a kick in the balls for disrespecting you. I'm quite sure this is the same Josh and that means trouble". 


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What does Jaz mean by trouble? 

Will Louis go through with keeping his distance again?

Should Zayn tell Liam?

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