Another one for Louis Day today. Are you watching All of those voices today? I will with a co-worker and I'm very excited

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Harry's POV

After sending Josh off to see his family, he was standing in his big living room area and had no idea what to do with the rest of his day. Niall and Sean had plans with their girlfriends, together, and he did not have any other friends in this town. Or anywhere really. The party yesterday had made him realise that all over again. Those have all been ex-colleagues or work friends from Josh and their associates but no one Harry would call a friend of his own.

For a quick second, his mind drifted to the three new guys in his life. He wasn't sure if he could call them friends yet but they had come and that had meant a lot to him. But then again, Louis had left pretty quickly without saying goodbye to anyone. Or well, only without saying goodbye to him. Abby had been pretty sad that she wasn't able to meet him because, apparently, he had talked him up quite a lot to make her curious, which was an exaggeration on her side but anyway. She did meet Josh and that went alright.

Not wanting to stand around like an idiot anymore, he decided to be a moron instead and visit Louis. On a Sunday, uninvited and unannounced. This was definitely one of his better plans, which said a lot about his usual plans. Taking the elevator down one floor, he stepped into the hallway and stopped in front of Louis' door. It was way too quiet on the other side of the door, which was odd.

Before he could knock or ring the the bell, he heard Louis' voice in the distance and it sounded as if he was stomping up the stairs in anger or frustration. "Fuck, damn it. Shit, shit, shit. Bollocks".

"Um ..." Harry didn't know how to make his presence known without startling Louis and ended up just staring at him with big eyes at that unexpected outburst. "Hi".

"Shit. Um ... I mean, hey, Harry. Err ... what ... what are you doing here?" Louis froze in his tracks right at the top of the last step and looked almost embarrassed but he couldn't say why.

"I ..." Harry's mind was empty and he desperately tried to come up with words. "You left so early yesterday and I wanted to check ... I wanted to see if you're alright".

"Oh". Some of the obvious tension left Louis' body but he still looked very hesitant and almost skittish. "Yesterday was ... your party was nice but um ... it wasn't really a place for the girls and ... you know ... I told Niall and Sean why we left".

"They only told me that you were gone when I asked about you ... because my sister wanted to meet you real bad. So ..." Harry trailed off, wondering why it was so awkward between them.

"I'm sorry. I didn't wanna let her down but ... We really couldn't stay" Louis averted his gaze to the hallway floor. "Anyway, if that was all, I really need to get going. I have bigger problems at hand".

Ignoring the weird pain in his heart, Harry was overcome with worry for his kinda friend. He looked as if he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, ready to freak out. "What's wrong, Lou?".

Like a deer caught in headlights, Louis stared at him. "What ... I ... Why are you ... Fuck, I ...One of our waiters had to call in sick for today. They had to send him home earlier yesterday and now they're one man short and called me, which would be fine but ... out of all days it had to be today. Everyone is busy and I have no one who can look after the girls. I guess, I have to take them ...".

"I can look after them" Harry heard himself offer him before he could even think this through, making Louis fall silent.

"What?".

"I mean, I have literally nothing to do today and I'm here right now and if no one else is available ... I am" Harry ran his fingers through his longish hair nervously, scared he crossed a line.

"Would you really ..." Louis gaped at him as if he had three heads. "You really don't have to do that, Haz. I'll find a solution somehow".

"If you don't want me to ...".

"That's not it" Louis cut him off hastily, biting down on his bottom lip. "I just ... Are you sure you have the time for this? What about Josh?".

"He's with his family and even if he weren't, my friends come first and that includes you, right?" Harry felt so vulnerable right now.

"Right" Louis breathed out airily.

"So" Harry squirmed under Louis' intense stare. "Is there ... I mean, is there anything I need to consider or know?".

"Not really. They're mostly angels with people they like. You only have to keep an eye on them until I'm back. I mean, you don't ...".

"I get it, Louis" Harry assured him softly.

"Sure, of course. Sorry. I always get a bit carried away when I have to leave them with ... This was supposed to be our weekend and I feel bad for ..." Louis seemed to wrestle with himself inwardly. "Anyway, thank you for doing this, Harry. It really means a lot".

"It's really no big deal. I love children, as you know. We should be fine" Harry smiled reassuringly at him.

"Huge deal".

Before Harry could comment on that, Louis unlocked his front door and called out for the girls. Immediately, they came running over to him and Harry melted at the sight. Feeling a bit out of place, he hovered by the open door and waited for instructions.

"Girls, listen. You know work called and I have to go but I promise I'll make up for this, okay?" Louis' entire face reflected the guilt he was feeling and it tore at Harry's heartstrings. "But for now, Haz will look after you. He has all the time in the world for you".

"Does this mean we will go to his place again?" Evelina asked with a curious tilt of her head.

"If that's what you want, of course" Harry felt like it was now the appropriate time to join the conversation but not moving an inch.

Hearing his voice, all three Tomlinson heads snapped towards him. For a brief moment, no one moved and he felt the tension in the room so clearly that it was hard to breathe. But then Evelina's face split into a huge grin and she ran over to him, throwing herself into his arms without a second thought. Shocked but definitely touched, Harry caught her and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Can we go? I couldn't see everything yesterday with all these people around and then dad dragged us home after J ...".

"Give him a moment to breathe, Sweetheart" Louis interrupted her with an underlying panic swinging in his voice. "I'm sure you'll get what you want but have you asked your sister what she wants?".

"Oh, no. Sorry, Mae. Is it alright with you if we go to Harry's place or do you wanna stay home?" Evelina let go of Harry to face her sister with apologetic eyes.

"It's okay. We can go. I can read my book upstairs" Maeva replied calmly, clutching her book to her side.

"Yay! You heard that? Can we go now, please?" Evelina squealed excitedly, almost destroying Harry's eardrums.

"Whatever you want" Harry smiled fondly down at her, earning another deafening squeal from her but it was worth the pain.

"You're gonna regret saying that" Louis shook his head amusedly.

"It doesn't matter, Lou. I can handle this. Now go and be the best employee of the year" Harry assured him gently, seeing how Louis hesitated for just a second. "We're gonna be alright".

"Okay, I'm gonna go now but I'll be back before you know it" Louis kissed both of his girls' heads before he left the flat with them.

"See you later, Lou".

While Louis ran down six flights of stairs, Harry and the girls took the elevator up to his place. The girls' eyes grew huge at the size of the empty penthouse. It must look like a totally different place to them compared to yesterday and Harry could relate to that. It had felt weird to have so many people over but seeing his place this empty also wasn't his favourite sight.

"So, what do you wanna do? Have you eaten lunch already?" he clapped into his hands when it finally sunk in that he was actually alone with them for the next seven hours. This could go two ways.

"We were about to start on lunch but then the restaurant called, so dad didn't have time to make us anything" Maeva let him know, surprising him by speaking up so soon.

"I have tons of food left from yesterday. Do you like potato salad?" Harry racked his brain for a fast but filling lunch.

"Yes! My nan makes the best potato salad on the planet" Evelina told him enthusiastically. She was bursting with energy.

"Well, I hope you'll like mine as well" Harry chuckled at her antics, making his way into his kitchen to fetch the salad.

"I'm sure it's fine" she was jumping on her heels behind him.

"You want some too?" he asked Maeva mindfully.

"Yes, please" she nodded cutely.

Taking the potato salad out of the kitchen, Harry filled up three plates for them and carried them over to the dining table. Together, they sat down and started to eat in silence. Somehow, the silence gave him too much time to overthink this. He was scared to screw this up and disappoint Louis. It was a huge deal that he trusted him with his daughters. He couldn't afford to let him down. But what do you do with two ten-year-old girls that you barely know?

"What book are you reading?" Harry pointed with his head at the book next to Maeva's plate for something to say.

"It's a fairytale about a beautiful princess and a clever but poor kitchen boy. It has magical animals and all" she told him a bit about the premise of the book and Harry found himself intrigued.

"It's cheesy" Evelina rolled her eyes exaggeratedly.

"It's romantic" Maeva contradicted her poutily.

"I might be ten years old but I can tell you that this plot is boring. Happens in every second book or movie. Look at all our Disney movies. Royal and normal person fall in love. Shocker" Evelina sounded a bit too much like Niall when he was a child.

"It's not boring. It happens in real life too" Maeva didn't back down.

"Maybe but does it work out in real life? Or is your book just a fantasy for normal people to make them feel b ...".

"It works out in real life" Harry blurted out before he could stop himself, gaining both of their attention. "I mean, it can. Work out".

"A princess and a kitchen boy?" Evelina raised an eyebrow at him.

"Maybe not with that example but yes, of course. Look at our royal family. They married normal people" Harry tried to back up his statement but winced when he thought about what those couples have to deal with every day. "Admittedly, they don't have it easy but they love each other anyway".

"I'm not convinced" Evelina crossed her arms over her chest.

"How about ... um ..." Harry drew blank.

"Look at dad, Eve. He's that kitchen guy from my book. Smart and funny and kind but not rich. Would you not want him to find his princess charming? Or well, a prince in this case" Maeva presented an example to her that knocked the air out of Harry's lungs.

"Of course, I'd want that for him but he doesn't have one, right? And maybe it's because us normal people don't get princes in real life. It just doesn't work like your book" Evelina's words made his throat close up and he felt about ready to cry. She was too young to feel or think that way but with their past, it made sadly sense.

"But it can, right Harry?" Maeva looked up at him with big and hopeful eyes. "My book says love con ... conq ... urgh".

"Love conquers all" Harry knew what she was trying to say.

"Does it?" she sounded so desperate and full of hope.

"It can but only if both people want the same thing and are ready to work ... If the love is pure and real and limitless, it can work" Harry tried to be honest but also not ruin a child's life.

"See?" Maeva looked triumphantly at her sister.

"Then why does no one love our dad like this? Why is he alone when love like this is real?" Evelina's voice wobbled devastatingly.

Admonishing himself not to cry over her words, Harry braced himself and smiled at her. "Your dad isn't alone. He has the two of you and your love is more than enough. I don't think he needs anyone else to love him as long as he has you".

"But why can't he have a prince charming?" Evelina wrinkled her forehead, trying to figure out this mystery.

"Because he has two princess charmings already" Harry fought against his tears but deep inside he wondered the same thing. "But one day his prince charming will come and he will be wonderful".

"Like you?".

"No, not like me. Like the most wonderful person. The kind of man your father deserves and he will love him endlessly ...".

"But you are wonderful, Harry" Evelina frowned adorably.

"He has a boyfriend, remember?" Maeva reminded her in a way too loud whisper.

"Oh, yeah. Josh" Evelina looked suddenly very pained. "So, you have found your kitchen boy and it's working".

"What? Why is Josh the kitchen boy?" Harry blinked confused.

"Because you live in a huge palace?" Evelina retorted as if it was obvious. "You are obviously a princess charming, Harry".

"Prince Charming, Eve" Maeva corrected her sister.

"No, with that hair he is a princess" Evelina insisted on being right, making Harry blush. "And he's as beautiful as a princess".

At that, Maeva eyed him a bit more closely and Harry squirmed under her critical gaze. "You're right. He's a princess".

"Thanks" Harry had no idea how to respond. "So, what do you wanna do now? I don't think I have any toys here".

"We don't need toys to have fun with you" Evelina patted his hand.

"What's upstairs?" Maeva wanted to know out of nowhere.

"Niall and Sean's bedrooms, bathrooms and guest rooms" he tried to focus on her but his mind was stuck on being a princess.

"And where is your room?" Maeva checked interested.

"Right there" Harry pointed to his bedroom door right across the room but then remembered that Josh had left last night's surprise in there and he didn't hide it yet. "You wanna watch a movie?".

That sparked their interest. For a solid twenty minutes, they tried to agree on one movie but this was easier said than done. Maeva was apparently a big fan of musicals while Evelina preferred action-packed movies, as far as that's age appropriate. In the end, they settled on a newer Disney movie, which was technically a musical but has a good pace and no romantic love story. Add a bit of cool shapeshifting and a lava monster and both girls were satisfied.

Harry found himself enjoying the movie and being invested from the very first second. He had a secret thing for Disney movies but no one apart from Sean and Niall knew that. It wasn't what was expected from a doctor of his calibre. But here with Louis' girls, he could secretly enjoy it without anyone noticing it and making fun of him for his odd movie taste. It was freeing.

When the movie was done, they talked a bit more about it and other movies they liked, which led to talking about hobbies in general. Harry learned that Maeva was into music and art while her sister had a thing for material arts and football. These two girls really couldn't be more different. Evelina was surprisingly keen on healthy food but her sister has a sweet tooth, like her father.

"Oh, crap. I wanted to paint my nails for school tomorrow but I forgot to take my nail polish with me" Maeva realised when they were talking about their plans for tomorrow after school.

"Maybe you can do it before bedtime" Evelina mused pensively.

"I won't have the time" Maeva sighed out downtrodden.

"What colour did you wanna paint your nails? I might have it here and you could use mine" Harry offered her hesitantly but he couldn't stand to see her so sad over something he could fix.

"You have nail polish here?"Maeva's entire face lit up.

"Ye,s" Harry felt his face heating up.

"Why?" Evelina crinkled her nose in confusion.

"I like to paint my nails," Harry told her blushingly. He really needed to get his shit together. These girls were only ten years old.

"That's so cool. What colours do you have?" Maeva bounced on her spot on the couch. "Are they in your room?".

"Yes but um ... I'm gonna get them for you" Harry's heart was racing abnormally fast in his chest when he stood up.

"I can help" Maeva followed him eagerly.

"No, I ...".

Stumbling over his feet, Harry rushed into his room and kicked the machine under his bed right in time before innocent eyes could see them and ask questions he couldn't answer. Louis would never forgive him. Trying to calm down his heart, Harry opened the top drawer next to his closet and rummaged through his bottles.

"Oh, you have so much nail polish" Maeva's eyes were sparkling at the sight. Harry swore he could see actual stars in her eyes.

"What colour did you want?" Harry cleared his throat to regain his composure. "Pink or red or purple or blue or g ...?".

"Red but a dark red like my dress for tomorrow" Maeva scanned all of his nail varnish bottles until she found the right shade of red.

"Can we paint your nails as well?" Evelina asked unsurely while standing at his open door. "I mean, if you want to".

"Of course" Harry could never say no to them. "Come here and pick a colour for me and one for you, okay?".

"I don't want something that is too obvious. I like it a bit simpler than my sister" Evelina came over to him. "How do you like it?".

"Depends on my mood but today it doesn't matter. Choose a colour for me. I'm fine with everything, Eve" Harry rested his hand on her back tenderly.

"Mh" she looked at different bottles thoughtfully until she stopped on a green one, that he hasn't used in a long time. "This one looks just like your eyes. It's pretty. Do you like it?".

"I love it".

With three different bottles of nail varnish, they settled down on the couch and started on the nails. First, Harry painted Maeva's nails in a maroon colour and got told that her father's favourite colour was red. Harry stored that information deep in his brain for later purposes. After her nails were done, he opened the bottle of simple glittery nail varnish and started on Evelina's nails. When their nails were dry they started on Harry's nails. Each girl took over one hand and in the end, it didn't look too bad and he had to admit he really liked that colour. He should use it more often but he had a tendency for different shades of blue lately.

When it got late, Harry cooked them some pasta for dinner and they ate while animatedly chatting about everything they could think of. He found himself really enjoying spending so much time with them and bonding on a different level. He didn't see it coming but he was loving it. They were absolutely amazing.

In the blink of an eye, the seven hours were over and Louis was standing at his doorstep, a tad bit hesitant to come inside at first but then the girls dragged him inside and Harry simply watched them. All of their eyes sparkled in such a beautiful shade of blue.

"Thank you for everything, Haz. I don't know how to repay you for today but ..." Louis fiddled with his fingers nervously.

"You don't need to repay me or thank me, Louis. It was my honest pleasure and we had a lot of fun together. I'd do it again any day, if you need me to" Harry reassured him softly because he had the feeling Louis really thought he needed to repay him somehow.

"Really?" Louis looked up at him for the first time and his eyes were so freaking blue. Definitely his favourite colour for a reason.

"Really. If you need someone to look after them just call me, Lou. I'm happy to help. They're such angels" Harry couldn't look away and it was becoming a problem. "And they think I'm a princess".

That made Louis laugh, visibly caught off guard. "Oh, really?".

"Yes," Maeva confirmed obliviously. "He has the hair for a Disney princess and is just as beautiful, don't you think, Dad?".

With a soft smile on his lips, Louis looked at him again and his eyes seemed endless. "I see it. You're right, Mae. A princess".

"A beautiful princess charming, who found his kitchen boy like in Mae's book. Looks like it can work. Harry said so" Evelina let her father know innocently.

"Did he?" Louis' voice sounded off out of the sudden. "Guess he has to know as a princess but you little princesses have to go home now. It's almost bedtime".

"Okay. Bye, Harry. Till next time" Evelina waved at him before sprinting towards the elevator, abusing the button funnily.

"Bye, Harry" Maeva hugged him shortly, taking her father's hand and following him to the elevator. "Good night".

"Good night, Love" Harry smiled and glanced up at Louis, who was already looking at him with an unreadable expression on his face. Right now, Harry would kill to be able to read his mind.

"Good night, Princess" Louis stepped closer to him and pecked his cheek out of nowhere. "Thanks again".

"Night, Lou".

Watching the elevator doors open and close, Harry stood rooted to the spot and touched his cheek in disbelief. Unable to do anything than blink stupidly, he tried to wrap his head around what just happened. And just like that, he blushed crimson yet again.

Louis' POV

"Em, it's so good to see you. How are you?" Louis embraced his sister in a tight embrace before cupping her face affectionately.

"I'm good. A bit tired. What about you?" his sister Emily beamed at him, still standing at the open front door.

"Good, good. Come in" Louis let go of her for a moment to close the door and lead her into the living room. "How was work?".

"Let me tell you, teenagers are a completely different breed. God, they can be such a pain in my ..." Emily exhaled on a groan but then glanced around the room, obviously looking for the girls.

"They're in their room. Don't worry" Louis grinned at her. He could relate to that so much. "So, they're a pain in the ass, you say".

"Yes," Emily made a big show of throwing her hands in the air, making him, Zayn and his sister Zara laugh at her antics. "Why do teenagers think they own the world when they're around fourteen?".

"I have no idea. I didn't think that. I only thought everything was the end of the world. No matter how small the issue was" Louis chuckled at his own memories of his younger very dramatic self.

"This decade's teenagers are the worst. Why did I become a teacher again? I can't remember" Emily buried her face in her hands theatrically and Zara immediately rubbed her back.

"Not all of them are bad, Love. Remember how you told me about that girl Mirella? You like her" Zara tried to cheer her up.

"That's an interesting name" Zayn commented cautiously.

"She's an interesting girl. Very quiet but also very talented and smart. She reminds me a lot of Maeva actually" Emily started smiling while talking about her. "And maybe even myself a bit".

"Sounds a lot like you, Em" Louis saw picture flashes of a young Emily in his mind. She has always been on the quieter side like Zayn or Maeva but she has always been immensely smart.

"Fancy some cake?" Zayn stood up from the armchair to go into the kitchen and fetch the cake for them.

"Love to. Let me help" his sister Zara offered him polite as always.

"So, what's new with you? How's the restaurant?" Emily wanted to know eagerly when the siblings were gone.

"Nothing new really. It's all good. Maria and Paul are amazing ...".

"I know but that's not what I asked, brother" Emily cut him off. "I wanna know how you are and don't tell me you're always fine".

"But I am. Fine, that is" Louis frowned at her, not knowing what she was on about. He was fine most of the time. "Work's going great and I still like working there. My colleagues are fantastic and the guests are as always. What do you wanna hear?".

"I wanna know if you're happy, Louis. You're either working or looking after the girls. But does that still make you happy?" Emily explained what she meant and he wanted to cry. She was the best.

"God, I love you, Emily" Louis pulled her into another hug. "But you don't need to worry about me. I am happy. Really. I love my girls and spending time with them is the best thing ever".

"That's good to hear" she smiled into his neck. "Are they gonna join us for cake?".

"Probably not. They were heavily focused on getting something done but I have no idea what that means and I didn't ask. But you can bring them cake if you like. They'd marry you on the spot" Louis nudged her chin lightly. He loved his sister so much.

"I think I'm actually gonna do that" Emily stood up and joined the others in the kitchen. Only a few moments later, she reappeared and headed for the girls' room with three plates. Unbelievable.

"So, you told her they're gonna marry her if she brings them cake? She's supposed to marry me one day and not them" Zara came back over to him with Zayn in tow.

"Tell her that. She was pretty eager to get them cake after I told her that. It's not my fault" Louis held his hands up in defence.

"Excuses".

"Here, Tommy" Zayn handed him a plate with a slice of cake.

"Thanks, Joey. How attentive of you" Louis threw Zara a pointed look but cracked up laughing together with them.

"Who's Harry?" Emily asked as soon as she has left the girls' room, a mischievous grin on her face.

"A neighbour and friend of ours ...".

"That you let babysit the girls? He has to be special if you trusted him with your entire life" Emily joined them on the couch.

"Oh, you don't know the half of it" Zayn sniggered under his breath like the evil and traitorous friend he really was.

"Uh, there's tea. Tell me" Emily pressed impatiently.

"There's nothing to ...".

"Harry lives above us in the penthouse with his two friends and your brother is quite smitten with him," Zayn told her evilly.

"I'm not ...".

"But he won't act on it, that idiot" Zayn continued unbothered.

"But why not?" Emily asked discombobulated.

"Because Harry's a doctor," Zayn said as if that was the whole reason and explained everything. Apparently, it did.

"Oh, Louis" Emily sighed out without any teasing in her voice.

"What? What did I do? I didn't even say anything. Joey's j ...".

"When will you see that you're enough to be loved for who you are and stop pushing good people away" Emily looked so sad.

"I'm not doing that" Louis claimed huffy, avoiding eye contact.

"It's actually a bit more complicated than that, Em" Zayn spoke up again. "You should have seen the immediate attraction between these two. It was blinding but they didn't act on it and now Harry has a boyfriend, who is pretty jealous of Louis and acts m ...".

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Louis's head snapped up. "Josh is not jealous of me. He has no reason to be jealous. There is nothing between Harry and me and never was or will be".

"He's still jealous. It's pretty obvious in the way he tries to make you feel bad about yourself. Or how he tries to rile you up when Harry is around. He wants you to snap and ruin the bond you two have by attacking him in any way. Can't you see that?" Zayn was solely talking to him now but their sisters were listening.

"But he's mean to you and Sean as well. What's your explanation for that, mh?" Louis couldn't even deny that he was right.

"Well, Sean is an obvious one, don't you think?" Zayn tilted his head aside with a sure smile on his face. "He's Harry's ex".

"But that isn't a reason to be mean to him and discredit ...".

"Maybe not for you but obviously for him" Zayn went on with no problem or hesitation. "And with me ... Josh is obviously conceited and arrogant. It shows that he likes to put other people down for fun in a way that he can always get away with. By putting me down he has some fun and gets to you, at the same time. He noticed how angry you were because of how he talked to me".

"And you're obviously stunning. All the reason to get jealous" Louis smiled crookedly at him, silently admitting that he was right.

"Well, that was a given" Zayn grinned smugly.

"He doesn't sound nice but the girls talked very highly of Harry. How does that go together? Is Harry like his boyfriend but nice to the girls or ...".

"No, Harry is always nice" Louis talked over her, thinking about him. "He's always nice to everyone and overall kind and adorable".

"Adorable, huh?" Emily smirked at him. Such a menace.

"I told you he's smitten" Zayn leaned back against the headrest.

"I'm not smitten with Harry. We're barely even friends. He's just a nice person and I see that. Am I supposed to pretend he's ...".

"No reason to get worked up, brother" Emily rested her hand on Louis' arm to calm him down. "We were just teasing. If you say there is nothing, then I believe you. Even if you're attracted to him".

"Which I am and I admitted as much but if you knew what he looks like you'd know I never stood a chance. No one does, for that matter. He's beautiful but that doesn't mean I wanna be with him. End of story, okay?" Louis stated strongly, everyone nodding.

"Well, if my brother doesn't have a love life, do you have one? Is there someone by now?" Emily averted her attention on Zayn now and Louis could definitely have fun with that one.

"Always asking the right questions, sister" Louis had to give her that. "You wanna answer her or should I, Joey?".

"Um ... there isn't anything. Like, ... no boyfriend or dates or ...".

"But something, right? You like someone" Zara saw right through him. For all that it was worth, Zayn could be so obvious.

"Spot on" Louis grinned wickedly. Revenge was a sweet thing.

"Tell us" Emily urged him to just come right out and say it.

Glaring at Louis for all of three seconds, Zayn exhaled heavily. "Fine. Okay, I might have a crush on Liam but it's not ...".

"Liam?!" Emily shrieked shocked. Truly a Tomlinson.

"As in your other best friend and flatmate? Childhood friend? Has that always been a thing?" Zara tried to wrap her around this.

"No, I've not been secretly in love with him for decades. Thank you very much. It's a recent thing and pretty overwhelming" Zayn looked about ready to panic.

"But what changed?" Zara scratched her head in question.

"I'm not sure, to be honest. I only know he makes my heart beat faster and I'd really like to kiss him but that won't happen" Zayn blushed crimson at his revelation. He could be so adorable.

"Are you sure about this? He has been single for a very long time. Maybe he feels the same" Zara considered all of his options.

"No, he's been crushing on Bailey for a pretty long time and ...".

"But that's yesterday's news, remember?" Louis interrupted his pessimistic way of thinking. "Liam told us his crush is gone".

"And said nothing about a new one" Zayn pointed out childishly.

"Neither did you" Louis countered matter-of-factly.

"What are you saying? That I should tell him and risk making it awkward between us? We're living together, if you remember. I know it wouldn't ruin our friendship in the long run but it would definitely complicate stuff and I don't want that for us" Zayn let them know why he wasn't doing anything about this situation.

"God, we can be happy that we have each other and don't have to deal with shit like that" Zara shook her head but ended up gazing at Emily fondly, losing herself in her.

"We're very lucky" Emily looked just as lovestruck.

"That could be you if you gave this a chance. You have to know he has no feelings for Josh and is only with him to get over you, right?" Zayn whispered into his ear while watching their sisters.

"Does it matter? We would never work. We would never be like them" Louis watched them wistfully.

"Why not? How can you be so sure?" Zayn seriously wanted to know, all teasing being gone out of his voice.

"Look at them and then look at Haz and me. Our sisters are both teachers. They get each other and their worlds are similar. That's why it can work. Haz and I are so different. He could never really understand my struggles and I can relate to his, which would only lead to arguments that I don't want" Louis tried to find the right words to express what was going on in his brain. "What do the Germans say again? Equals like to join? I can't remember the words Liam used but they're right. It needs to be equal".

"And it wouldn't be equal because he has his own doctor's office and you're a waiter with daughters?" Zayn hooked oddly.

"Exactly".

As if the universe knew this conversation was over, one of their phones started ringing and tore all of them out of their moments. Emily blinked herself out of her lovestruck trance and grabbed her phone, answering the face-time call from her younger sister.

"Stella, hey".

"Hey, everyone. What's up? How's your cake?" the voice of his sister Stella sounded through the phone, tearing at his heart.

"Delicious and tea is exceptionally hot today" Emily informed her.

"Yeah? You have to fill me in later without our big brothers around" Stella chuckled maliciously. "But there's a reason why I called".

"Any exciting news?".

"Louis, are you there?" Stella ignored her sister, earning a pout from her.

"I'm right here" Louis squeezed into the frame of the screen.

"I managed to get you and the girls tickets and backstage passes for the concert in November" Stella revealed to him grinningly.

"Wait, seriously?" Louis tore the phone out of Emily's hand and brought it closer to his face, totally in disbelief. "You're joking".

"I'm not. I talked to the girls and they'd love to meet you when they're in London. This is actually happening".

Absolutely shocked, Louis almost dropped the phone but Emily caught it and directly attacked her sister with millions of questions. But Louis didn't hear any of it. He couldn't believe it. His sister managed to get him and the girls tickets to the Cuatro Hearts concert in London. That was the girls' favourite band at the moment and they've been begging him to let them go but he could never afford the tickets. At least, not at the moment. Last year has not been kind to them financially. But now his sister had made a miracle happen. They will be over the moon.

"Is Louis okay? Is he still breathing?" is all he heard before he got slapped by his lovely sister. Exclaiming in exaggerated pain, Louis slapped her back but broke out into a full-on grin, grabbing the phone again. He had no idea how to thank his baby sister.

"Stella, you made my entire year. Thank you so much".

"Don't sweat it. You're welcome" Stella waved the matter off.

"How come we don't get tickets?" Emily whined dramatically.

"See? You're able to accept this. Why not when it's Harry or some other overly stunning man, who has money" Zayn leaned in to whisper into his ear while Emily kept complaining.

"This is different. This is family and not some sugar daddy deal" Louis pushed him to the side. "Besides, it's hard for me to just accept this without feeling like I need to pay her back. You know that better than anyone. It only works because she doesn't have to pay for the tickets and because the girls will be over the moon".

His sister Stella was working as a make-up artist for the girls of Cuatro Hearts. That's how she had gotten the tickets for them and how she had met her girlfriend, who was the stylist of the band. Another example of equals liking to join and working out. Stella gifting this to him and the girls was a huge deal and he could never accept this if it came from a man, who he was dating. Not if he couldn't afford it on his own. He didn't wanna be in someone's depth. Not ever. In the long run, it would be an issue. End of story.

"Louis, accepting someone's money isn't always sugar-daddying or something similar to ...".

"I know but I'm fine on my own, okay?" Louis closed his eyes to take a deep breath. "I don't want that kind of an imbalance".

"Then you should marry Sam. He's a waiter as well. Problem solved" Zayn gave up on him over-dramatically.

"Maybe I should" Louis rolled his eyes at his best friend.

Finally letting this topic rest, Louis joined his sisters' conversation again. Curiously, he asked how his other sister Luna was doing and where she was even at. According to Stella, Luna was in China at the moment but would fly to Australia pretty soon. Hearing that, Louis still couldn't believe his youngest sister was a flight attendant and flew all around the world. He was constantly worried about her after losing someone in a plane crash but he tried to let the pride take over most of the time. She was going places.

"Luna has a boyfriend in Germany, who works as a janitor. Two big factors here. Distance and imbalance. Your verdict?" Zayn just couldn't help himself, making Louis groan in despair.

"God, shut up, Joey".

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Well, looks like Harry is bonding with the girls and Louis is worried about an imbalance and too many differences. What is your verdict?