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15.

When Niall had suggested a shared birthday party, Àmbar hasn't been sure if that was such a good idea. Louis could still remember her face when Niall had asked her. Niall had been a bit confused by her hesitation but Louis knew why she wasn't so keen on this. Her birthdays have never been pleasant back home and by now, she was always working on her day willingly to get it over with. So, a party was the last thing she wanted but by some miracle, she had actually agreed under the condition to keep it  simple and small.

Looking around the penthouse now, Louis could say Niall stayed true to his word. It wasn't a big party with unknown people and too much noise. No, it was a small gathering with all of their closest friends and good music and delicious food. Well, and Josh but that really didn't matter to him at the moment. He ignored his presence to focus on Àmbar and make sure she was alright.

But from what he saw, Àmbar looked really happy. Her friends from Germany had actually surprised her at the beginning of the week and were here right now together with Maribel and Kayla, obviously. On Niall's side, there were only Maya, Sean and Bailey alongside his brother, his parents and Harry's sister Abby. And for the better half of his time here, Louis had been avoiding her.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Am?" Louis joined Àmbar, who was taking a breather on the roof terrace. "Not too much?".

"Feasible and bearable" Àmbar inhaled deeply. "Mostly it's fine because I know everyone and I'm close to all of them but they are still people. Many people and many lights and music. That's why I'm out here to recharge for a moment".

"Thought so" Louis had known that without having to ask. "Do you want me to leave you alone?".

"No, stay. I'm alright when it's you" Àmbar offered him to stay with her, which was really special and he knew that. "Seeing Zayn and Liam together makes me really happy. They're cute, huh?".

"Really cute. It's nauseating" Louis chuckled lovingly.

"I apologised again that I couldn't be there for his birthday party but he said it was fine. I couldn't control my work. Still, I feel bad that I was the only one missing" Àmbar let him know vulnerably.

"You weren't. Maya wasn't there. She was with her parents because that had been planned for a long time" Louis told her to take away her unnecessary guilty conscience.

"That's different. Liam is one of my best friends and we've known each other for years now. Maya is new and 'only' Niall's girlfriend. That weights differently" Àmbar contradicted him surely.

"Maybe but he said it was fine and he means it" Louis smiled at her. "Besides, he was mostly focused on Zayn anyway. He wasn't even mad when Harry left because of Josh. So, it's no big deal".

"Were you mad at him?" Àmbar hooked delicately.

"Yes but most of all, I was hurt in a way I can't grasp or explain. He is changing and not for the better. Niall and Sean are seeing it and that worries me. He has been in a toxic relationship before. Why can't he see what Josh is doing? It makes me think that he is okay with all of it. That he thinks and feels the same as that asshole, which would be the worst but ... yeah" Louis admitted downcast.

"I wish I could say you're wrong but I don't know what to think anymore. At first, I thought he was just blinded by a silly crush or sexual tension but lately, he seems different. Josh is openly rude and he is doing nothing about it. Everything about it is wrong but he seems to think it's okay, which ... it doesn't suit the Harry we got to know. Maybe we lost him to his boyfriend, their fucked up society and his new car" Àmbar let him in on her view of things.

"I'm afraid you're right" Louis sighed out with a heavy heart.

"So, you're seeing it too?" a voice startled them big time. Scared to death, Louis whirled around and was met with Abby watching them. "You can see his obvious change in behaviour".

"Yeah" Louis didn't know how to act. This was Harry's sister.

"Louis, right?" Abby guessed as she came over to join them at the railing of the terrace. Àmbar had fallen quiet next to him.

"That's me, yes" Louis was terrified to piss her off for some reason and didn't know why. "I mean ... You're Harry's sister Abby".

"That's me, yes" she mimicked his words teasingly. "Don't be afraid of me, please. I'm harmless as long as you treat my brother right and don't piss me off".

"Don't plan on doing that" Louis was still terrified.

"What? Treat my brother right?" Abby cocked an eyebrow at him.

"No!" Louis panicked but Abby only laughed at him. "I meant, I do not plan on pissing you off any time soon".

"I know. I was only messing with you" Abby couldn't stop laughing.

"She's just like you, Lew" Àmbar noted amusedly.

"So, he's a tease as well?" Abby checked interestedly.

"Hell yes," Àmbar chuckled light-heartedly. "A huge tease".

"Somehow, I can see that" Abby eyed Louis up and down in some sort of inspection. "And I heard only good things about you".

"Really?" Louis couldn't believe it.

"Yes, my brother only ever says good things about you and I can see why" Abby told him casually as if she was not shaking the very ground he was standing on with that information. "But lately, he stopped mentioning anyone who isn't Josh and that's a bit odd".

"He is his boyfriend. That's not odd" Louis defended him directly.

An amused smile rushed over Abby's face before she replied. "That he chose that guy is odd in itself but you might be right".

"He tends to be right quite a lot but not as much as me" Àmbar threw in, surprising Louis with how relaxed she was around Abby.

"Then I assume what you said about my brother and his boy toy is probably right as well" Abby pursed her lips distastefully. "Which is not easy to handle but I can see it. Especially today. I came out here to escape their antics and I found you. Maybe fate?".

"Why would that be fate?" Louis furrowed his eyebrows puzzled.

"I don't know. I was getting mad at a guy for mistreating my brother so openly and I left only to run into you. A guy, who seems to care a lot about my brother, his well-being and his happiness" Abby turned serious now, making Louis squirm under her intense gaze. "A very good friend. The polar opposite of that gold-digger".

"Our Louis here is an angel" Àmbar marked unnecessarily.

"I assumed as much" Abby agreed with her.

"I'm not an angel, okay?" Louis felt highly uncomfortable right now. "It's the bare minimum to be kind to each other, don't you think? We are friends. Of course, I want him to be happy. He's so kind and nice and loving and dorky and gifted. He only deserves the best and when he chooses to be with Josh, we have to accept that and trust him to know what he is doing. He's a grown man and not a child. He can look after himself".

Abby and Àmbar exchanged a look that he couldn't decipher but then Abby rested one hand on his shoulder. "For you, this might be the bare minimum but for most people it's not. It should be but it isn't. Do you really think Josh cares about his well-being or would describe him the way you do? He doesn't".

"Because he isn't me, obviously. He knows him in a different ...".

"He only cares about his career and you know it" Abby saw right through both of them. "I know that you hate him and for good reasons. You don't have to be so ...".

"What? Respectful of Harry's decisions?" Louis got riled up. "I don't make a secret out of disliking Josh but I would never get in between them simply because of that. As long as they know what they have I ... A good friend doesn't ruin a relationship out of ...".

"Fuck, you're really perfect" Abby shook her head in disbelief. "I see why he thinks so highly of you. Everyone needs a friend like you or at least, everyone should try to be a friend like you".

"True words" Àmbar rested her chin on Louis' shoulder. "He is the best and always has your back. He would never bad-mouth anyone if a friend likes them but he's also honest enough to let you know if that person is bad for you. Always in a respectful way".

"I wish I could be like that but I just can't stand Josh and want him to be gone. I'm not very subtle about it either" Abby admitted with a shrug, looking the tiniest bit guilty.

"You're his sister. That's normal".

Somehow they managed to stir the conversation into a totally different direction after that and Louis relaxed in her presence. She was actually really nice and pretty funny and they had a lot in common when it came to their personalities. Àmbar kept pointing out how similar they were until Aria and Sean came outside to look for them. According to them, it was time for cake.

Back inside, the cake was distributed and everyone got a piece of it. That reduced the noises to a minimum for a few minutes and gave Louis the chance to really appreciate this moment here with all of them gathered together. Having this social circle was not something he took for granted. It was special and fragile here and there. Something you had to protect and cherish all the time.

So, when he saw Niall lingering in a corner all alone, Louis went over to him immediately. "Hey, Nialler. You alright?".

"Yeah. I'm just ... I'm having a moment" Niall sounded so far away with his thoughts. "Maybe you noticed but I only have my family around today and no one else".

"This is not no one" Louis pointed at the people in the room.

"No, but ... I only ever really had Harry as a friend and then Sean came along. The three of us are a team and we need no one else but sometimes I just realise again that there really is no one else. No one I could invite to a party like this" Niall opened up to him unusually profound. "I mean, now I have you and your friends and I'm really happy you're in my life but it's still so new to me".

"I get that, Nialler. For the longest time, it was only Zayn, Liam and me. Yes, we had Violetta and Nikki but it felt different. And then I met Àmbar as my neighbour and we were both so shocked that we even wanted to spend time together. Through her, Aria came around more often and like this, their best friends met and fell in love and now they are part of my former tiny group. It's still a bit odd sometimes but when it comes down to it, I have three people I would always turn to and count as my friends without any relations binding them to me, you know what I mean?" Louis understood him so well but he struggled to put it into words.

"I know what you mean. I'm quite close with Bailey but she is Sean's girlfriend and my girlfriend's best friend. We never met on neutral ground and I don't think we'd stay close if something were about to change. I only know Sean will always stay and Harry. Or at least, I hope he will if Josh lets him" Niall put his plate down. "And then I look at Àmbar, who has social anxiety and is autistic but ... she has three friends from Germany here today and ... none of the people I met in Spain would do that for me. Not one".

"She knows Mina since primary school and Charlie since 9th grade, I think? And Lucy is Charlie's wife. Those are her Sean and Harry or Zayn and Liam. And yes, she has Maribel here now but that's still different and ... I don't even know. You don't need tons of friends as long as you have a few real friends. Even if it's just one true friend, Niall" Louis told him a bit more background information to grasp the whole situation.

"I have you now and I think that counts as a big win because you are amazing, Louis" Niall pulled him into an emotional hug.

"Same goes for you, Niall" Louis mumbled into his neck.

"I love you, man".

"And I love you, mate".

"Now that's cute" Maribel's voice startled them apart. "Sorry but Maya was looking for you and I wanted to talk to Louis for a sec".

"Well, I guess we have to separate now, Tommo" Niall grinned at him, his eyes saying so much.

"I'm not sure I will survive that" Louis pretended to faint.

"I'm back as soon as I can" Niall blew him a kiss before he left in search of his girlfriend.

"Cute" Maribel smiled calmly.

"You wanted to talk to me, Belle?" Louis was curious to know what this was all about. "What's up?".

From one second to the other, she tensed up and became serious and that made Louis' heart beat faster. "I don't know how to say this but I feel like I have to say something or I will regret it. Um ...".

"You can tell me everything" Louis encouraged her nervously.

"It's about Josh" Maribel brought out quietly. "I ... You know I work at the same hospital and people talk around there and ... I'm sure your mother already mentioned how shady he is but ... All I can really say is that he is a cheating gold-digger and shouldn't be here with us. He is only using him and isn't secretive about it at all".

"You mean he tells people about this at work?" Louis hooked to make sure he got this right.

"Tells them, jokes about it, gets hyped up. It's horrible, Louis. The way he talks about him behind his back is disgusting and he brags about their sex life to other doctors to get their attention and make them jealous. I've seen it. I just don't know what to do. I'm not that close to him. He won't listen" Maribel revealed to him shockingly.

"Fuck, I knew it was bad but hearing this ... Someone has to tell him the truth and ..." Louis got so angry and then he realised what she wanted from him. "You want me to tell him".

"I think he might listen to you. If not, then maybe to Sean but ... I can't just go up to him and tell him all this. I don't think he even remembers who I am. That would be weird" Maribel gnawed on her bottom lip unsurely, seriously feeling conflicted.

"No, you're right. It has to come from a friend but maybe not me. I will talk to Sean and maybe we'll find a way ...".

"Okay, do that but maybe someone should rescue Aria. She's under attack, I fear" Maribel's face darkened at the sight of Josh talking to Aria, clearly making her feel uncomfortable.

"He chose the wrong person to mess with" Louis growled darkly.

"It sounds dreamy. I wish I would get paid for sitting around and drinking coffee all day. Madness" Josh's voice was heard distantly.

Determinedly, Louis marched over to them and pulled Aria into his side as he heard Josh downgrading her entire job. "Can you piss off? She clearly doesn't wanna talk t oyou".

"No one asked you, Lewis" Josh rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"And no one asked you to go around and comment on everyone's lives. No one wants to hear it, so bugger off. Leave my friends alone" Louis tightened his grip on Aria when he felt her trembling.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Josh hissed loudly, gaining everyone's attention now, clearly on purpose.

"Me? Who do you think you are? This is the birthday party of my friends and I only want you to tone it down and not ruin their day with your intrusive and disrespectful comments" Louis handed Aria over to Àmbar before stepping closer to Josh. "Give it up".

"You're the one who should give it up. Why do you keep bothering me? Are you that bitter that Harry is with me and not with you?" Josh asked him provokingly, smirking evilly.

"I wouldn't mess with me right now if I were you, Josh. I know some things you surely don't want to come out right here and right now. I'd better be careful with what you say" Louis didn't back down and threw Josh a challenging look. "What do you think, Cheater?".

"I think you two should give it a rest" Harry stepped in now with a disappointed look on his face. "You're ruining everyone's mood".

"I didn't start this. He came at me" Josh claimed childishly.

"Seriously? Weren't you the one who belittled Aria and her job just for fun because that's what you do?" Louis wasn't having any of this. "And then you caused a big scene instead of keeping it low?".

"It's not my fault you can't handle the truth" Josh shrugged coolly.

"Can you give us a second, Babe?" Harry petted Josh's cheek.

"Better make it fast" Josh glared at Louis but left them alone.

"Why can you never be civil with him? Why do you always have to provoke him until he snaps?" Harry asked fed up.

"How is this my fault? You didn't hear what he ...".

"I don't care what he said, Louis!" Harry exclaimed loudly, making Louis flinch and people watching them again. "I know you don't like him. I know no one here does because you're all envious of him and that's why you will always find a reason to make him look bad. Every bloody time and I'm sick of it".

"That's so not true" Louis couldn't believe he was serious.

"Isn't it? Then why do you all keep pissing him off? Especially you, Louis" Harry hissed at him angrily. "I wanted you two to get along because you are important to me but I can't let you treat him like shit only because you regret that we never fucked when we still could. You didn't want me back then but now when I'm happy you are trying everything to ruin it. How does that make sense?".

"Do you actually think that?" Louis asked in a small voice, knowing the others were still watching them. It was deadly silent.

"It's obvious to me. You don't like him and make no secret out of it. You are always so passive-aggressive towards him for no reason. Josh is great, okay? He's funny and ...".

"So, you took him back after he cheated on you because he is funny? Are you for real?" Louis had enough now.

"He didn't cheat on me, Louis. That entire thing was only a big misunderstanding. After we calmed down, he talked to me again and explained everything" Harry's voice sounded strained.

"And what did he say? That they are just friends?" Louis snorted in a mocking voice, seeing Josh lingering close by.

"They are just friends. His friend Kyle was going through a bad break up and he was being a good friend to ...".

"Come on".

"Louis, I know deep in your heart you meant good but you were wrong about this, okay?" Harry balled his hands into fists. "I know you never wanted to cause any harm and no one is blaming you particularly for this ...".

"Sounds like it though" Louis clicked with his tongue.

"Louis, I ... This has gone too far and it needs to end here. I think ... We might need some space, Louis. We shouldn't see each other for a while, okay? It's the best for everyone" Harry informed him formally while Josh was smirking triumphantly in the back. Many gasps were heard in the distance but Louis only felt numb.

"Wow". That was all Louis brought out in utter disbelief.

"Lou, this isn't ...".

"It's Louis for you from now on" Louis cut him off bitterly. "I'm done here. I hope you'll be happy with that bastard. Don't ever contact me again, Harry. And stay away from my family".

"Louis ...".

"No, you made your choice. Now live with it" Louis didn't give him the chance to talk, walking over to the elevator with all eyes on him. He knew they were all pitying him but he didn't care. "Oh, one more thing. If someone else gets pregnant, don't text me. Text him".




After he had left the party, the party was over. Àmbar and Aria had followed him out of the penthouse as soon as the elevator doors had opened and her friends from Germany, Zayn and Liam had followed suit. Through Sean, he had gotten to know how the entire situation had escalated the moment they were gone. Niall and Abby had been hella mad at Harry and had tried to knock some sense into him but to no avail. Josh had tried to intervene, which had led to Niall ordering him to leave. Of course, Harry had jumped in and had lain claim to his own home and his right to have his boyfriend over. That had only led to Niall kicking both of them out for the night because otherwise, it would have ended in death. That's what he had said according to Sean.

And Louis ... Well, Louis wasn't sure what he was feeling or how he was doing. After being literally kicked out of Harry's life now that he had actually considered them friends and somehow had a certain place in his life, he felt numb and empty and stupid. Stupid for believing the people around him that Harry cared about him. Stupid for thinking they might work out as friends. He felt dumb for loving him although Louis had known from the start where this would end. Although he had known he wasn't good enough to be in Harry's life. Although he had known he would get kicked out of his life eventually. He had held onto that kind of hope and tempting fantasy so tightly that he hadn't seen this one coming. He had been blinded by his own feelings and desires. He had been blind and dumb enough to fall for a fantasy.

That fantasy was lying in front of him now in shards. Dozens of broken pieces of his heart. He had known hoping Harry might love him one day had been wishful thinking and would only cause him harm and pain but feeling it now was even worse. He would never again listen to someone else when it came to love apart from his own mind. His mind had warned him but his heart had listened to the false hope around him. That would never happen again.

With his head held high, Louis pushed the pain away and focused on his family. His sister's wedding was the next big event on his list for this year and that shouldn't remind him of Harry but it did. Only because he had originally planned on asking Harry to be his plus one as Liam and Zayn were taking Niall and Sean with them but now he was taking Sam with him after making sure Paul and Maria were fine without both of them for a day. It was nice to finally do something together out of work. They hardly managed to do that and it was such a shame. So, he was glad for this change.

The wedding was taking place at a lake because Sophia and Tyler had met by this lake and every important moment had brought them back here. That's why it had taken them two years since the engagement to organize the wedding ceremony here. The small boathouse by the lake had been booked out the entire time. But this September 21st it was finally happening and Sophia was buzzing with excitement while Tyler looked absolutely in love.

The ceremony in itself was kept pretty simple and small, which suited the couple perfectly. Seeing his sister this happy filled Louis with so much love and pride. His sister was married now and he still couldn't believe it. It felt like a dream. Maybe it was a dream but definitely a dream come true for her. A wonderful dream.

"I'm really glad you're here with me, Sam" Louis let his friend know when some guests were slow-dancing on the dancefloor.

"It's my pleasure, Louis" Sam took a hold of his hand with a smile. "I'm honoured that you asked me. I know you had different plans but ... I'm here to make you enjoy yourself. I'm here to make you happy. Are you happy, Louis?".

"As happy as I can be" Louis smiled genuinely at him, glancing at his girls dancing with each other. "Look at them. How could I not be happy when I have them? They are my life. My everything".

"And they are as special and beautiful as you" Sam smiled back.

"He's right, Buttercup" Jasmine joined them at their table with Zoey. "You are my beautiful son, who has equally as beautiful daughters with their dad's special touch. A magical trio".

"God, stop" Louis hid his face in his hands, blushing madly.

"Not until you believe me one day" Jasmine shrugged unbothered.

"That might take a while" Sam grinned cheekily.

"We're not known for giving up easily" Zoey winked at him.

"Oh, definitely not" Louis huffed faux-annoyed.

"Aw" all three of them coed at him exaggeratedly.

"Whatever" Louis rolled his eyes, a smile breaking through. "If you excuse me for a second. I have a sister, who got married and owes me a dance. She won't take away the one day in my life when I'm allowed to be all sappy and fuss over her".

"She's gonna love it, Buttercup".

"We're definitely filming this".

"Please, send it to me later. I might need that someday".

Leaving them to their evil antics, Louis squeezed through to the dancing people until he had reached his sister, who was dancing with her husband. After admiring them for a few seconds, Louis tapped her shoulder lightly to make his presence known. "Sorry to interrupt but I think you owe me a dance, little sister".

"Thought you forgot" Sophia let go of her husband, letting Louis pull her into his arms instead.

"I could never forget about something as important as this, Love. It's your wedding day and I'm so happy for you. Fuck, look at you" Louis's eyes were stinging with unshed tears already.

"Don't make me cry again, Louis. I cried too much already" Sophia warned him without any heat behind her words, tearing up too.

"You're allowed to cry as much as you want today, Soph. And I am obliged to cry just as much, if not more as the older brother. It's my duty to be all sappy and emotionally unstable today" Louis spun her around before wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.

"You always are sappy and emotionally unstable. You're a big softie, Louis" Sophia snivelled smilingly. "And I love you for it".

"Not as much as I love you, Sophia".

"Wanna bet?".

"Not today. Just accept my endless love, Mrs. Storm".

They danced for what felt like an eternity and Louis savoured every second of it. Life tended to rush by way too fast nowadays and wanted to hold onto every precious moment for as long as he could. Because one moment he was dancing with his sister, and the next moment the wedding was over a week ago and he was on his way to his daughter's annual presentation at the music school. Time was an odd concept to Louis. It was slipping away.

Nonetheless, he was excited to see his daughter on stage with her first piano solo. Zayn and Liam were right there with him like they always were and Louis loved them for it. Evelina was getting restless next to him because she was more patient than he ever was as a child. He couldn't wait to see Maeva play on stage.

Luckily, they didn't have to wait long until the concert presentation began. It consisted of various group performances of each class and some solo performances on the violin, the cello and last but not least the piano. Immediately, Louis could see how nervous his daughter was but she killed it anyway. Spellbound, he watched her play and shed a few proud tears. His girl was so talented. He was blessed enough to have her as his daughter.

The last performance of the presentation was a choir with a soloist for the verses and ad-lips. It was quite impressive but no one has been better than Maeva today. As soon as the concert was over, they headed backstage to celebrate her. When she saw them, she ran into Louis' arms with an ecstatic smile on her face. Then she hugged Zayn and Liam together before attacking her sister. But then she glanced around the room and started frowning.

"What's wrong, Love? Are you looking for someone?" Louis got worried immediately, wondering what could've changed her mood.

"Is Harry not here?" Maeva literally broke his heart with her question. She sounded so hurt and betrayed.

"No, he isn't. Why would you think ...?".

"He promised to come" Maeva's frown deepened and her bottom lip started quivering. "I know we haven't seen him in weeks but I thought this might be important enough for him to show up".

Talking himself into not crying or screaming in pure anger, Louis grabbed both of her hands. "I'm sorry that he let you down, Love. But he is busy with his boyfriend and couldn't make it".

"But he promised" Maeva started crying now, breaking his heart.

"I'm so sorry that he broke his promise, Sweetheart" Louis pulled her into his arms for a soothing embrace. "He shouldn't have made a promise he can't keep but I'm sure he's devastated that he can't be here today for you. Right, guys?".

"I'm sure of it" Liam jumped into action while Zayn looked just mad and heartbroken at the same time. "He's definitely very sad that he can't be here right now and broke his promise".

"I'm angry but I don't want him to be sad" Maeva proved once again that she had the kindest heart and that made it worse.

"But I want him to be hurt" Evelina looked pissed off.

"Eve, this is not ...".

"I know it's not right but he hurt my sister" Evelina's face crumbled so quickly. "No one hurts my sister without consequences".

"Believe me, Eve. He will regret this and that regret will eat him alive and that's enough" Louis assured her bitterly.

"Good" Evelina sounded satisfied now. "I guess that means he won't show up at my competition, huh?".

"No, because he made a promise for that too and apparently, he can't keep them because he has a way more important boyfriend".

Maeva should be right about that. A few days later at Evelina's first karate competition, Harry didn't show up either, surprising no one with his absence. Louis could see that a tiny part of Evelina had still hoped he might keep his promise and that part broke right in front of him but she hid it better than her sister, which worried him big time. Evelina was way too good at covering up her emotions.

And just like that, September came to an end and October started grey and dull and cloudy. Harry's absence was a still lingering feeling in the air by now but they all worked around it. Like the great friends they were, Sean and Niall had started looking after the girls now in Harry's place and that helped mending the broken pieces of their lives. There were only five of them now when they spend time together and it was alright. Niall and Sean looked a lot less happy than usual but they were pushing through it. Louis himself was trying to get over Harry but he kept having dreams about him, making it impossible to suffocate his love for him.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed since he had last spoken to Harry. A month since the incident at the birthday party. A month since his heart has been shattered and he wasn't doing any better.

So, when he came home after an exhausting day of work to Niall watching the girls one late-October evening, he was on the verge of asking about Harry. He was ready to drop his anger to find out if he was doing okay. But Niall looked miserable and that was way more important. His friend needed him right now.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Louis sat down next to him on the couch, hearing the girls listening and singing along to music in their room.

"Maya and I broke up today" Niall breathed out shakily, his eyes fixed on his hands. "And my brother just asked if we'd like to come around for dinner tomorrow. It was just too much to handle".

"Niall, I'm sorry to hear that" Louis wrapped an arm around Niall's shoulders. "You wanna tell me what happened?".

"Nothing really happened. We didn't fight or anything. It just ..." Niall exhaled heavily, seemingly collecting his thoughts. "You know I've had this feeling that something was off between us for a while and she confirmed that today. We talked about it and came to the same conclusion. We still love each other but we're not in love anymore. So, we made the decision together to break up".

"I really don't know what to say" Louis was lost for words.

"Me neither. I don't even know why I'm so sad. I saw it coming months ago and I do feel relieved in a way. It was the best for both of us but a part of me is ... We've been together for five years and it feels strange to be without her now. We were so used to each other and maybe that was the main issue. Somehow, we both took each other and our relationship for granted but never made plans for the future together" Niall disclosed his deepest feelings to him. "If you are truly meant to be it's different. You don't take each other for granted. You're always scared of losing the one you love. Not always consciously but still. Well, maybe I'm making this up now".

"I wouldn't know, so it doesn't matter. Make up as many theories as you want, Niall. I'll gladly listen to every single one of them, no matter how unrealistic they might get" Louis smiled down at him in something he hoped resembled encouragement and comfort.

"Thank you, Louis. You are the best friend anyone could ever have and I love you" Niall cuddled up to him.

"And I love you, Niall" Louis caressed his hair soothingly.

Contently, Niall sighed lowly and snuggled further into his chest, mumbling something. "He doesn't know what he lost but he will".  


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Will Harry realise what he did? What he lost?

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