For about five minutes, Louis has been pacing back and forth in the living room with his phone clutched in his hand, debating on what to do. There was a small emergency at work and they had called Louis to come in, which meant he needed someone for the girls right now but all of his friends and his family members were busy. All except for maybe Harry. That's something Louis didn't know and wasn't sure if he wanted to find out. He might have apologised to the girls but Louis was still a little bit reluctant to trust him with them again all alone. He knew he was being stupid.

So, he clicked on Harry's name and pressed call, his heart racing abnormally fast in his chest. After only two rings, Harry answered the phone. "Louis, hey. How are you?".

"Um .... good, good. And you, Haz?" Louis stopped his pacing and stared out of the window instead. "What are you up to?".

"I'm fine. I was just about to clean the flat a little bit. I feel like we let it slide one too many times" Harry responded casually.

"Oh".

"Why? What's wrong? Did you need something? I don't have to do this right now. It can wait" Harry sounded instantly alarmed.

"No, it's fine. Don't let me keep you from your chores. I'll find ...".

"Louis".

"Fine. I um ... one of my colleagues has a family emergency and they need me at the restaurant and I have no one to keep an eye on the girls, so um ..." Louis trailed off a little embarrassed.

"I'll be down in two minutes".

The deafening beeping of his phone signalled him that Harry had ended the call but Louis was frozen in place with his phone plastered to his ear, unable to process what just happened. When his doorbell rang, Louis jumped and almost got a heart attack. Completely out of it, he walked over to the door to open it and let Harry in, who looked way too eager right now but beautiful as always with his cheeks tinted lightly red and dimples out.

"I'm here" Harry sounded breathless, making Louis feel dizzy.

"You are" Louis definitely had a dopey smile on his face. "Come in. I was just um ... getting ready to leave. Thank you for ...".

"You don't need to thank me, Louis" Harry waved him off. "Of course, I help you out when you need me. I um ... I feel honoured that you even asked because I know you normally don't really do that and especially with ... after what happened I didn't expect it".

"Don't take this the wrong way but you're my last option" Louis scratched his neck awkwardly, letting him step inside.

"I'm just happy I am an option" Harry blushed beautifully.

"Of course, you are" Louis' tongue was faster than his brain. "I um ... You know, they called me because I live closest to the restaurant and Sam couldn't inform them earlier and ...".

"It's okay, Louis. You don't have to explain" Harry assured him calmly, probably sensing that he was about to panic. "So, it's Sam? He has the emergency? Is he alright?".

"Now he is, yeah. Why?" Louis eyed him suspiciously.

"No reason. You're just ... I know you two are close and I thought that you might be worried about him but if you say he is fine, then I guess that's good, mh?" Harry stumbled over his words.

"Mh" Louis hummed in confirmation. "Haz, what's going on?".

"Nothing, it's just ... I was wondering if you two might be ... you know ... I wouldn't know, which is my own fault but ...".

"Are you asking me if I'm dating Sam?" Louis bit down on his own tongue to contain his upcoming laughter. This was ridiculous.

"Guess I am. I mean, I know he was your plus one at your sister's wedding and I just thought you two might have given it a try. You look comfortable around him and ... I just ... I wanna know stuff like this because ... we're kinda friends, right? And due to this crap with Josh, I wouldn't know if you've gotten a boyfriend while we weren't talking to each other. Which is only on me but ... yeah ..." Harry rambled nervously, only fuelling Louis' urge to laugh.

"Sam and I are not dating, Haz" Louis clarified clearly.

"Oh, okay. I just thought ... You'd be good together and he w ...".

"Zayn and Liam took Niall and Sean as their plus ones to the wedding. Are they dating now?" Louis cocked an eyebrow at him.

"No".

"See? I didn't ask him because we're dating or anything. I asked him because we're good friends and the person I wanted to ask wasn't available because we weren't on speaking terms, so ...".

"Fuck, I'm such an idiot" Harry realised what he was hinting at.

"Yes, you are but it's alright" Louis grinned cheekily at him.

"So, you wanted to ask me?" Harry checked in disbelief.

"Yes, but I don't think Josh would've liked that, so I asked Sam instead and it was a good idea. He's great" Louis confirmed easily.

"That's good" Harry rolled his lip in. "I'm sorry for assuming that ... When Niall told me about the wedding and Sam, it made me realise how much I missed due to my naivety and Josh's games. I ruined so much and I'm trying to make up for all of it, so when you called me I ... I couldn't believe it because I thought you didn't t ...".

"To be honest with you, I hesitated quite a while until I called you," Louis told him honestly. "I wasn't sure if I could trust you with them already but then I decided to risk it and take a step towards you".

"Really?" Harry asked breathily.

Louis wasn't sure what he was asking right now but he nodded anyway. "Really. I ... I had to think about how devastated the girls were when you let them down but then I also had to think about you apologising to them and owning up to your mistakes. And you weren't the only one who made mistakes. I made some, our friends made some and obviously, Josh made the most but ... No one is completely innocent in this, apart from maybe Liam. What I'm trying to say is that I decided to give you the benefit of a doubt".

"But I hurt you and the girls although I knew how hard it was for you to let me in ...".

"And I'm still struggling to let you back in but I wanna let you in, Haz" Louis took a step closer to him, shutting him up. "This here today is me giving you a second chance. It's me letting you in. It's me trusting you with my life again. My girls. Don't ruin it, please".

Harry looked so painfully overwhelmed. "I won't. I promise".

For a few seconds, Louis was only looking into his eyes, trying to find something to help him determine what this was. "Okay but um ... I should really go right now or I'm gonna be awfully late".

"Yeah, sure. Of course. Um ... I'll just tell the girls we're going upstairs then? We ...".

"You can stay here if you want" Louis offered him hesitantly.

"What? Really? Are you sure?" Harry looked utterly shocked.

"I'm sure, Haz. Stay" Louis' insides were all goo by now.

"Okay, I stay" Harry smiled breathtakingly at him.

Wordlessly, Louis turned around and put on his shoes and his denim jacket. The dreamer part of him wanted to kiss Harry goodbye as if they were a happy family with Louis going to work and Harry staying back with the girls, which was a dangerous thought that he shouldn't have. But when he faced Harry again, the images became too real to handle.

"Right, so. I gotta go. Call me if anything happens, yeah?" Louis walked past him over to the girls' bedroom to say goodbye.

"I will".

"Girls, I'm off now but Harry is here if you need anything, okay? Don't hesitate to ask for help" Louis kinda really wanted to slap himself because he couldn't stop saying things with a double meaning since Harry has shown up at his home.

"Okay. Bye, Dad".

"See you later, Dad".

"Bye, Louis".

"Bye, my loves".

As quickly as he could, he left the flat and made his way over to the restaurant. A few minutes past noon, he walked in and was greeted by Maria and Paul, who were endlessly grateful for his help. For the first three hours, the time passed by pretty slowly. A slow Saturday was always nice but not today. It gave Louis too much time to think about all of his worries and struggles. Mostly the issue with the shared bedroom. It reminded Louis of his future struggles.

"Hey, are you alright? You look a bit absent-minded" Maria rested her hand on his shoulder, interrupting his messy thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a lot on my mind" Louis smiled tight-lipped at her, not wanting to burden her with his problems.

"What's going on in that beautiful mind of yours? Maybe I can help or at least offer you advice. I have my wise moments" Maria offered her help and support to him generously.

"The girls have been fighting a lot lately and it brought up the topic of moving in the next two years. They can't share a room forever. They're getting older and they're polar opposites. They need their own rooms but our flat isn't big enough for that. Now Zayn and Liam offered to share a room for the time being but it isn't really a solution. We'll need to move eventually".

"I see. Moving is stressful and expensive and finding a good flat is hard, especially with kids" Maria understood his struggles. "And with me and Paul continuously talking about going back to Italy, it probably doesn't ease your mind. It only adds more fears".

"Some, yeah".

"I can take them away. Yes, Paul and I wanna go back and that probably next year but we'd never close the restaurant. We wanted to find someone to take our place. Someone who would keep all of you. We'd never risk your jobs. Don't worry" Maria let him know soothingly. "This place needs you and we know you love it".

"I really do. I love being and working here. Of course, some days are bad but the good days make up for those. I'm quite fond of your little empire" Louis took a long look around the restaurant.

"I know" Maria placed her hand gently on his back. "To be quite honest with you, we think we found the right person to take over".

"Really? Who? Do I know them?" Louis asked curiously.

"You do actually" Maria smiled mischievously. "You".

"What about me?" Louis didn't understand what she meant.

"We want you to take our place, if you want to" Maria shook his entire world with her words. "And Sam. You two as a team".

"Me?" Louis pointed at himself as if he was petrified.

"Yes, you. We think you're perfect for this job. You're a natural-born leader and people look up to you. Alec adores you and Solea admires you. You're already doing so much more than just your job and you did great when we were gone. We think you're ready for this" Maria expounded their reasoning a bit to him.

When Paul came out of the kitchen, Louis stopped him in his steps. "Is she for real?".

"Most of the time, she is. What did she say?" Paul asked funnily.

"I just told him that we want him and Sam to take our place when we're gone and he has been pretty frozen since then," Maria told her husband what he missed.

"Give him a moment to digest the news, Love. This is a huge deal and you can't just ...".

"So, it's true?" Louis stared up at him. "You really want me to ...".

"Yes, of course. There is no one better for this than you and Sam. You're literally the dream team" Paul confirmed his wife's words.

"Fuck me" Louis brought out as he slumped against the counter.

"I'd rather not, thank you. But I'm sure you'll find someone else for that" Paul cackled idiotically and Maria laughed along with him.

"Funny" Louis dead-panned dryly.

"It snapped you out of your trance, so I succeeded" Paul shrugged unbothered. "You're welcome".

"I still can't believe it. Why me? I'm just ... I'm not ... I didn't learn this. I have no clue ...".

"I never learned it either" Paul cut him off calmly. "And Maria neither. She only had some experience in waiting tables, just like you a while ago. We learned the rest over time and it worked out".

"And we won't leave you alone with this until you feel ready" Maria reassured him lovingly. "We'll show you everything and introduce you to everyone and explain every step of every process until you can tell us all of it in your sleep. Until you're confident enough to see that you were born for this. Until you trust yourself".

"This is ... Wow. I don't know what to say" Louis had a hard time wrapping his head around this. "Thank you so much".

"You don't have to thank us. We know this is the right decision for our baby. Giving it to you just makes sense like nothing else" Maria flicked his chin lightly, making him smile at her emotionally.

"I won't disappoint you".

"You can't, no matter what".

"If Sam and I take over that means we need at least two more waiters in our place and ... Do we need to find other chefs as well or are they gonna stay? Do we need to ...".

"They're all gonna stay, Louis" Maria cupped his face. "The chefs are gonna stay, the delivery is gonna stay the same. And everyone else too. As I said, we're gonna introduce you to every single person you need to know and make sure everything is alright. They're all gonna love you. It will be fine".

"I hope so".

"It will. You'll see. And until then we actually wanted to give you a raise, while we're at it" Maria dropped another bomb on him.

"What?!" Louis exclaimed absolutely unstable right now.

"Was that not the right time to tell you?" Maria grinned sheepishly.

"I ... I just can't with you right now. What ...?".

"Louis!" Alec bolted through the door, panting heavily.

"What's wrong?" Louis frowned at his wrecked state.

"You live at Park Avenue, right? In that big building? Something with park" Alec tried to catch his breath, leaning on a nearby chair.

"Yes, why?" something inside of Louis started to panic.

"I heard people talking on the way here. Apparently, there's a fire in the building and everyone is being evacuated right now. I looked it up and it's true. So, I ran here to tell you in case you didn't ...".

"Oh, God" Louis felt like he was about to faint. "I have to go".

"Of course. Go and make sure everyone's alright" Paul gave him obvious permission to leave before the end of his shift.

"Here. Take my bike. It's faster than by foot" Maria threw her keys for the lock on her bicycle at him. "Go. Find your girls".

"Thank you" Louis grabbed the keys and ran outside but not without pressing a grateful kiss to Alec's cheek.

In a flash, Louis jumped onto the bike and rushed home. From the distance, he could already see clouds of smoke coming his way. When he reached the building it was cordoned off and a huge crowd was gathering in the street. The fire was burning brightly in the middle of the building but the firefighters were already dimming it. Right now, he was glad and relieved that none of his friends had been home and could be injured. One worry less. Only one left.

Frantically, Louis was looking around and pushing through the people to find his daughters and Harry but he couldn't see them anywhere. A part of him feared that they might still be inside or already on their way to the hospital or worse. Dead. Burned alive.

"Dad!".

At the sound of his daughter's voice, Louis whirled around in sheer panic and pure madness. Through the mob of people, Maeva and Evelina were running towards him. With stinging eyes, Louis crouched down and opened his arms right in time for them to collide with him and pull them in. With his girls safe in his arms, he was able to finally breathe a bit more freely. They were fine.

"You're alright. You're not hurt" Louis petted both of their heads.

"No, Harry brought us outside when he smelled smoke and heard people panicking in the hallways and ...".

"Where is he?" Louis' stomach twisted in pure worry.

"I'm right here" Harry's voice sounded from behind him.

Looking up at the sound of his voice, Louis saw Harry standing right next to them, watching them emotionally. Overcome by too many emotions, Louis let go of his daughters and fell into Harry's arms, wrapping his arms tightly around his neck. Obviously taken by surprise, it took Harry a moment to react but then he wrapped his arms securely around Louis' waist, pulling him in closer.

"Sh, Louis. We're alright" Harry mumbled close to his ear.

"God, I was so scared when I didn't find you right away. I thought maybe ... But you're fine. Where have you been?" Louis didn't feel like letting go of Harry any time soon. Not when he felt the girls wrapping themselves around them.

"I brought them upstairs when I heard our neighbours panicking and realised there was a fire. There is a fire escape on the side of our roof terrace and I thought that might be the safest way for us to get out. So, I brought them there and then we stayed at the back of the building for a while to calm down but then I thought about you finding out about this and probably looking for us, so ..." Harry explained to him what had gone down during the initial panic.

"Thank you, Haz. You saved them" Louis locked eyes with him.

"Everyone would have done that" Harry didn't look away.

"But it was you" Louis smiled gratefully at him.

"Dad, where are we supposed to go now?" Evelina tucked on his sleeve. "Someone just said we can't go back in".

"Wait a second. Let me check that" Louis picked out a firefighter to ask what was going to happen now that the fire was extinguished.

"No, Sir. I'm sorry" he heard a firefighter explain to his next-door neighbour. "You can go back in to gather some of your belongings but it's not habitable right now. With all the fixing and cleaning and the insurance questions, it can take up to a month".

Looking up at the burned-out building, Louis understood what the man meant. No one could safely live in there until it was fixed. That might be an issue but one Louis could handle. He knew where they could go. They always had a place to run to in this town.

"It looks like we can go inside to get some of your things but we have to go and live with your grandma for a month. Would you like that?" Louis walked back over to his daughters and Harry.

"Of course but what about Harry?" Maeva frowned worriedly.

"Don't worry, Mae. I'll find a place to stay" Harry reassured her but Louis could see right through him. He knew his family lived in another city and he had nowhere to go. All of his friends were homeless now and his boyfriend had been a scam. He was lost.

Ignoring the fact that Harry could rent a place for a month easily with his money, Louis made a quick decision. "He can stay with us. I'm sure your nan is fine with it".

"Yay!" Evelina exclaimed excitedly.

"Really?" Maeva beamed up at him despite all the drama.

"Louis, you really don't have to ...".

"Haz, you saved my daughters and you promised to never leave us again, remember?" Louis gave him no chance to argue, feeling so vulnerable right now. This moment felt like this was it.

Something changed in Harry's face and it made Louis blush, which was such an odd thing to do in this situation but he couldn't help it. Smiling at the girls adorably, Harry settled his gaze back on Louis with such softness in his eyes. "I remember".

"Good. So, let me help you, okay? Stay with us" Louis swallowed heavily, feeling his heart beating out of his throat in fear and panic and way too much hope. So disgustingly much hope.

"Whatever you want, Lou".

He had called his mother as soon as they were allowed back inside to gather their belongings and she had immediately offered to let Harry stay with them without Louis having to ask, so there was that. He had also texted his friends to let them know what had happened and now they were all on their way to get their stuff. Inside, Louis threw mostly clothes, some food and hygiene articles into their suitcases and left the flat with three full suitcases but they had to live out of them for a month and it was hardly enough.

Back outside, he switched places with Harry and when he was ready they got into Louis' car and drove over to his mother's place. The closer they got the more restless Harry became. He looked nervous, maybe even anxious or scared and Louis didn't know why but he had a suspicion, which was probably wrong.

Arriving at the house fifteen minutes later, Jasmine and Zoey came immediately out of the house to greet them and help them with their stuff. Politely, Harry introduced himself and Louis could see that both women were instantly charmed by his everything. He really couldn't blame them. He hasn't been any better.

"We thought Harry could take the guest bedroom downstairs and Maeva and Evelina could each take one of your sisters' old bedrooms or share if they want to because I know they're used to it" Jasmine placed their suitcases in the hallway in front of the stairs leading to the second floor, pointing around the area.

"I think separate rooms would be a good idea. If they can have it that would be wonderful" Louis tried to come off as nonchalant but he knew no one was buying his act. "Should I take the couch o ...".

"No way" Jasmine rejected that idea directly. "No, Buttercup. You can take your old room. It's still there, didn't touch it. But it could be a bit cold for now, so I don't know".

"That's alright. I'll take it" Louis was weirdly touched that his old room in the attic was still there after all these years. "Come on, Haz. I show you around. Mum, could you ...?".

"On it. They dragged Zoey into the kitchen faster than I could react. Maybe I should save her" Jasmine gave him a thumbs up.

Nodding at her in thanks, he faced Harry again, who was oddly quiet. "So, your room is right down here on the left side of the stairs with a bathroom right next to it, you lucky bastard. When you go right and follow the hall you end up in the kitchen, which um ...".

"Can I see my room? You can explain every corner of the house in all of your details after that" Harry grinned cheekily at him.

"Bastard" Louis grumbled lowly but ended up smiling with his chin tucked down anyway. "Here it is. Just a guest room, so ... yeah".

Putting his suitcase down by the simple double bed, Harry let his eyes wander around the room. "It's really nice, Louis".

"Glad you like it" Louis shuffled with his foot over the ground. "You wanna see the rest? Your bathroom is right next door".

"Sure. Show me everything".

So, that's what Louis did. He led him along the right side of the staircase into the kitchen, passing his mother with Zoey and the girls. He showed him the big living room and the garden with a tree house from when Louis was young. Then, he took him upstairs and presented every single empty bedroom to him until they reached the attic, that has been converted into a bedroom years ago.

"Wow, that's so cool" Harry marvelled at the sight. "And this was your room as a child? Mine wasn't this cool".

"Mine neither, Haz. As a child, I had my bedroom downstairs until I moved out and one of my sisters took it. But I moved back home years ago for a while and we converted the attic into my room because all of my sisters were occupying the other rooms, so ... this was the best idea for everyone" Louis let him know tensely.

"A great idea" Harry wasn't very good at hiding his curiosity. Louis could tell that he wanted to ask very badly but didn't do it.

"I could tell you more about it later ... if you'd like" Louis avoided eye contact because otherwise, he would back out immediately.

"I'd love to hear everything you are willing to tell me, Lou" Harry smiled down at him, his eyes too soft for Louis to handle.

"There is probably a lot I should or could tell you but I rarely talk about it ... Not because it's bad or traumatising or anything. It's just ... I don't even know why but I'm embarrassed even though I'm not and ... Fuck, that doesn't make any sense, does it? Forget I said that. I know I'm quite stupid some ...".

"No, Louis. I understand what you mean. It does make sense. In a way" Harry stopped his anxious rambling. "And you're not stupid, okay? Don't think about yourself like that, please".

"I'll try my best" Louis swallowed overwhelmed when he looked up at Harry. "We should probably go back downstairs".

"Think so".

In silence, the two of them made their way back downstairs and into the kitchen, where Zoey was handing the girls bowls of ice cream. "What about us? Do you not love us? I'm deeply offended".

"Hush, Sweetheart. Don't be so overdramatic. You were busy with Harry. I couldn't know when you'd come back to us" Jasmine silenced him with an almost taunting undertone in her voice.

"As lovely as your banter is, I gotta go and help my son and his boyfriend. Apparently, they're gonna stay with Zara and Emily for the time being. I'll update you as soon as I can" Zoey excused herself from the kitchen to get ready to leave.

"I didn't even think about that. Where are all of your other friends staying, Buttercup? Are they alright? Do they need anything?" Jasmine furrowed her eyebrows in sudden worry.

"They're fine, Mum. On the way here, they texted me and told me where they're staying. As you already know, Zayn and Liam are staying with Emily and Zara. Àmbar and Aria are gonna stay with Maribel and Kayla while Luke and Cody are staying with Cody's parents" Louis informed her, going down his mental list.

"And Niall and Sean are staying with Niall's parents for now. He just texted me to let me know" Harry added hesitantly.

"That's good. Everyone's taken care of. Perfect" Louis felt relief spread through him but then he remembered something.

"What's wrong, Darling?" his mother immediately noticed the change, alarming Harry and his daughters.

"I just realised there is a problem that I didn't think of before. We are all separated now, which means none of them can pick up the girls from school and look after them like before but I can't take off work for a month and you're not always home obviously" Louis started panicking. How could he have forgotten about this?

"I'm sure we'll find a solution for ...".

"But how?" Louis looked definitely frantic by now. "No one's even close by and my way to work is also longer now. We're kinda on the other side of town and school ...".

"Louis".

"Dad, we got this" Evelina interrupted his nervous breakdown. "I know we can do this. Mae and I are old enough to go back home alone, don't you think? You don't have to worry about this".

"But ...".

"She's right, Dad" Maeva agreed with her sister. "Here, look. If we take the bus, it's ten minutes to school. It's not that far from here. From home, it actually takes almost twenty minutes by bus. We can take the bus on our own and we don't need someone to watch over us all the time. We're ten and not six, Dad".

"They have a point, Sweetheart. And we can make sure that there is always someone home when they come back from school" his mother sided with his incredible daughters. "We got this".

"Are you sure that you feel ready for this? You're not just offering me this because I was freaking out?" Louis walked over to his little angels sitting at the counter with their empty bowls.

"Of course, we're offering because you're freaking out, Dad. That doesn't mean we're not ready for this" Evelina rolled her eyes at him with a smile.

"We actually thought about this before all of this happened and wanted to talk to you about this. Even at home, we don't need all this help anymore. We can come home alone and busy ourselves every now and then. We're old enough. You don't need to worry so much, Dad. We know you worry a lot and we understand that but you don't need to because we're a team, right?" Maeva tilted her head aside. Her words had made him tear up in pride.

"Gosh, I really have the best daughters in the world. You two are truly a gift, you know that?" Louis smiled tearfully at them, opening his arms for them. "My little grown-up babies".

"Does this mean we can go alone?" Evelina checked unsurely.

"This means we can try, yes. But we're gonna do a practice run to calm my nerves, okay?" Louis accepted their deal anxiously.

"Whatever helps you stop worrying, Dad" Maeva hugged him again, burying her nose in his neck. "I love you".

"I love you too, Mae".

"Ey, what about me?" Evelina niggled exaggeratedly.

"You're not hugging me right now. Uff" Louis chuckled when she literally threw herself at him. "Of course, I love you too, Eve".

"And I love you, Dad".

"Problem solved" Jasmine shook her head fondly at them. "Isn't it beautiful?! So much love".

"It's truly beautiful" Harry sighed out airily.

After this issue was unexpectedly fixed, they all chatted while his mother and Harry prepared some quick dinner. When Zoey was back the dinner was ready and they all ate together. Seeing his two daughters and his mother and Zoey and Harry all together at one table like one big family made Louis feel all kinds of things. Nice things but mostly things he couldn't let himself feel because ... He couldn't really say why anymore. Most of his reasons were off the table by now and he was trying to convince his head that it was alright to let himself be loved, get loved by someone beautiful.

When dinner was done he was sent upstairs with the girls when he wanted to wash the dishes. Accepting his fate, Louis brought them to bed and spend some more moments with them before turning the lights off. For tonight, they wanted to share a room. Hearing Zoey and his mother downstairs, Louis decided to get his bed ready for later. The attic was rather cold when he entered it. No one has been up here since he had left, so it made sense. Getting out every fuzzy blanket he could find in the house, Louis made himself comfortable on his little couch at the end of the attic.

Before he could make a decision on what to do before going to bed, Harry's head popped up at the entrance of the attic. "Lou? Are you busy or can I join you? Just for a little bit".

"I think I owe you a bedtime story, don't I?" Louis beckoned him to come over. "That'll be easier when you join me".

"I didn't come up here to force you to talk though. I only wanted to spend some time with y ...".

"I don't feel forced to tell you, Haz" Louis reassured him calmly. "I think I really wanna tell you. I feel like I should have done that a while ago. Maybe it'll help you understand why I am the way I am".

"I'm all ears for whatever you wanna tell me, Lou" Harry settled down on the couch next to him but with a bit of distance between them, probably thinking Louis wanted it that way but he didn't.

"I don't know if I ever mentioned it but my mother is a nurse and Zoey is too. They both work at the hospital and yeah ... My father left when I was around six and he's been out of the picture ever since. So, my mother was alone with five kids, which meant we were really struggling. From a very young age, I was used to not having any money and it didn't really bother me" Louis started his story.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I mean, that your father left. That's ... I can't imagine what that's like" Harry voiced his sympathy.

"It was for the better, in a way. But it meant no deep pockets for us but we were happy, so I didn't care. I did struggle with finding my way though. I had no idea what to do after my graduation, so I started Uni but at seventeen unlike you ...".

"Like every normal person. That's not a bad age to ...".

"You're a genius. Stop talking and accept it".

"And you're not stupid. How about you accept that?".

"Are you sure about that? Even when I tell you I dropped out with nineteen?" Louis dropped the bomb to shut him up, succeeding.

"Even then, Louis" Harry insisted on his opinion. "But why did you drop out? Did something happen?".

"It did, yeah. But to be totally honest, I wasn't really happy in Uni. I studied English Literature and it was alright but I couldn't really see myself working in that field for the rest of my life. I didn't know what I wanted to do. I still couldn't tell you that" Louis admitted out loud for the first time in over ten years. "Then my mother got sick when I was nineteen. Breast cancer. I dropped out immediately to come home and be there for her and the girls. I wanted them to be able to live a normal life and focus on school instead of ... I took care of my mum for the first six months. That's when I converted this attic into my room and I needed it for a bit longer. After these first six months, she started chemotherapy for another six months and she did it. She beat it but as we all know, for the next five years there was always the chance of it coming back, so I stayed home".

"That was a wonderful thing to do, Louis. It shows how selfless and kind and caring you are" Harry saw only the good sides.

"But it also meant I didn't go back to Uni. I never finished it and just started working to support her. She had cut her hours and I did everything I could to help her out. I worked so many jobs in those five years, sometimes even two at once. I think I've done almost everything by now. That's how I met Luke. I told you I met him while I was working at the bus station ... as a cleaner" Louis showed him the ugly sides of it. "I don't really remember how we even started talking but I instantly liked him. He's very likeable and we clicked. He was adamant about convincing me to get a better job and focus on my own life again when the five years were over and I did".

Taking a sip from his water to catch a short break, Louis studied Harry closely. He didn't look appalled or disgusted or like he was about to run away or as if he was pitying him. Those were reactions Louis was used to. This silent understanding was new and a bit terrifying, if he was being honest. He hoped it would stay.

"At twenty-five, I quit that job and got a better one thanks to Luke. I got my shitty one-room flat, where I met Àmbar and got back on my feet. At least partly. I still struggle a lot and I'm used to people looking down on me for ... When I worked at the hospital, I met so many mean people and they all made me feel like I was less, like I was not worth being acknowledged or respected and that kind of stuck with me. It's still in my head sometimes when I meet people, who are clearly out of my league. I have a hard time letting them in and accepting that they might be okay with my life".

"Like me? Is that why you were so hesitant to let me in? Because you think I'm too good for you?Because of my job? Did you meet a lot of horrible doctors?" Harry asked terrified and Louis only nodded. "I'm sorry you were treated that way but I'm not like that. I swear. I don't think less of you because you're not a doctor".

"I know that by now but it's still hard to believe sometimes" Louis confessed as honestly as never before. "I feel like I'm not good enough to be around you because I'm still struggling with money and I'm just not on your level. I can't ... I'm not ... You know?".

"I think I do" Harry watched him closely. "But you don't have to worry about this. You are good enough, Louis. You are amazing".

"Yeah, Josh didn't share that opinion" Louis muttered under his breath, knowing Harry probably heard him.

"He made it worse, right? He strengthened all of your fears and worries with his behaviour towards you and our friends" Harry realised and Louis could only nod again. "I should have kicked him out of my life way sooner. None of his words were true, Lou".

"But he was kinda right. I didn't really achieve anything in my life and you achieved so much and we could never ...".

"Is your family nothing?" Harry looked pointedly at him. "You have wonderful daughters, Lou. That's something I don't have. You have so much in your life. A beautiful family, amazing friends and a job you really like. It doesn't matter what your profession is, Lou. You and your life are not worth less than anyone else".

"You make it sound so easy that I wanna believe you" Louis bit down on his bottom lip to stop himself from kissing that idiot.

"Then believe me, Lou. It can be this easy. There is nothing wrong with being a waiter instead of a doctor or a lawyer or ...".

"But it causes issues you don't have" Louis pointed out matter-of-factly. "Like, the girls need separate rooms, right? I can't afford another move or staying in that flat alone or even a new flat that is good and close enough to school and big enough for us".

"Is it really that bad?" Harry hooked softly.

"I mean, not that bad but ... We'd never have anything left to do something fun or travel and I ... It makes me feel like I failed as a father because I can't offer them ...".

"None of that, Louis" Harry cut him off strongly. "You did not fail as a father. That scene in your kitchen? You are a wonderful father and your girls love you, no matter what. Of course, it won't always be easy and I can't say I can relate but I can promise you that I'll always be there to help you, if you let me".

"I will not take your money though" Louis clarified determinedly.

"I know" Harry smiled attentively at him. "I don't use much of it myself now that Josh is out of the picture, to be honest. I don't really know what to do with all of it. I don't need much and I don't want much. I'm not doing it for the money but to help people".

"To be able to help your sister when she needs you again" Louis understood what he really meant.

"You're right. I can tell you about her another time if you'd like. But for now, trust me when I say you don't have to feel like you have to prove yourself or your worth to me, okay? You are enough the way you are, Louis" Harry locked eyes with him and Louis stopped breathing for a second. "And a little faith in the future never hurt anyone. Don't always expect the worst, okay? Have faith".

"Faith in the future, huh?" Louis thought about it for a moment, replaying all of Harry's words in his mind. He thought about Paul and Maria wanting him to take over, about his great girls being old enough to come home from school alone, about opening up to Harry like this tonight and he could see it. "I think I can do that".

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Did you see that coming?

A fire, a raise and a job offer, honest conversations and a little faith. What's next?