One week later, Harry was lounging around on his couch with ice cream in his hand and a Reality TV show on the screen. It was Easter Sunday and Harry felt the 'holiday' mood ruining his day. This day was for people who had someone to celebrate it with but Harry had no one, no family to be happy and carefree with. That's why he was stuffing his face with ice-cold food and booming his brain with stupid brainless shows on TV.

His doorbell startled the shit out of him, causing him to drop his ice cream to the floor and throw his spoon behind the couch. Slowing his rapid heartbeat down, he picked the ice cream cup back up and placed it on the table before he went over to the front door. When he reached for the doorknob he realised he was only wearing sweatpants and a dirty white t-shirt but whoever was outside of his door shouldn't care about that, right?

"What?" tore Harry his door wide open, his words getting stuck in his throat when he spotted Louis standing outside his door with Andrew by his side.

"Um ... Hi, are we interrupting something?" eyed Louis him up and down, making Harry feel uncomfortable.

"Yes ... No ... What are you doing here?" was Harry still frozen in place.

"Well, um ...".

"We thought we could spend some time together. Today. Only if you let us in, of course" spoke Andrew up when Louis was only staring at the floor.

"Err ... sure. Come in" blinked Harry a few times before stepping aside, letting them in.

Still in a daze, Harry watched them silently entering his flat and walking into his living room, where he could still hear the television. Waking himself out of this trance state, he joined them and stood awkwardly by the wall.

"Why is there a spoon on the floor behind the couch?" cocked Louis an eyebrow at him cheekily.

"You scared the living shit out of me when you rang that bell, Lou" relaxed Harry a little bit.

"I simply pressed the bell. Have you been so far gone in that show that you zoned out completely?" questioned Louis cockily.

"If you wanna know, yes" crossed Harry his arms over his chest, grinning brightly.

"That explains the ice cream spot on the floor" grinned Louis even wider.

"That's your fault alone" laughed Harry, leaning against the wall by the living room entrance.

"Technically it's not. Andrew was there too" corrected Louis him perky.

"But he is unimportant" countered Harry sassily.

"Ey!" huffed Andrew, making them both laugh even harder.

"No hate, just love" flashed Louis him a peace sign.

"Whatever" rolled Andrew his eyes at them.

"Looking at you two, I should probably put something else on" realised Harry suddenly, looking them up and down.

Andrew was all proper dressed up but that wasn't an unfamiliar sigh. Nice pants, dress shoes and a shirt with a fitting blazer. Nothing new. But Louis really caught his eye. Instead of his normally very chill clothes, he was wearing tight skinny jeans, sneakers and a white and blue button-up shirt, really complimenting his eyes. And was that a chest tattoo that Harry could see a little bit through the shirt?

"Only if you want to. You don't need to, Haz" noted Louis softly, being the supportive guy Harry got to know all those weeks ago.

"Just a minute, Lou".

Back in his bedroom, Harry opened his closet in a rush. Clothing item after clothing item was thrown over his shoulder onto the floor until he had finally found a nice-looking green blouse and a pair of black skinnies. Quickly, he put the clothes on and then brushed his long hair for the first time today. For a second he thought about putting his hair into a bun but then he decided to just leave it open. After all, this was his flat and he was supposed to feel comfortable.

"Can't he see that she is only playing? It's obvious she is into that other guy but he likes the redhead" heard Harry Louis comment on the show still playing on the TV screen.

"I mean, can you blame him? She is pretty hot" pointed Andrew out observingly.

"I wouldn't know" joked Louis laughingly.

"You're gay and not blind, Tommo" pushed Andrew him aside.

"And I'm way more interested in that tall dude. What was his name again?" pushed Louis him back.

"Why would I know that?" poked Andrew Louis' hip. "And does that mean you're into tall guys?".

"It wouldn't matter but maybe" cleared Louis his throat, turning a little bit red.

"Aww, you're blushing" cooed Andrew exaggeratedly.

"I'm not, dickhead" grumbled Louis cutely.

"He's really annoying, mh?" decided Harry it was time to make himself noticed.

"Yeah. Now I know what you meant. He's really bothersome" faced Louis him immediately, eyes sparkling.

"Pretty? Yes. Bothersome? No" objected Andrew playfully.

"Debatable" grinned Harry as he sat down next to Louis. "And you're watching my show, huh? I thought they're stupid and superficial?".

"They are! But like I said before, they're also pretty funny and it was already on" reasoned Louis his behaviour.

"You could have turned it off" countered Harry amused.

"It's your flat and your TV. I'm not turning off something you might still want to watch" shot Louis back almost offended.

"You're cute" poked Harry Louis' nose, his brain shutting off out of nowhere.

"I'm not" crinkled Louis his nose adorably.

"Whatever you want" smiled Harry fondly.

"I leave this uncommented" threw Andrew in but was ignored by both of them.

All three of them simply kept watching the show until it was over and the next one started. Those were reruns from the night before and Harry hasn't seen it yet. It was actually a lot of fun to watch them with Louis and Andrew. They seemed to be way more invested in the show than they wanted to admit and threw in comments and remarks every few seconds, arguing over who was more attractive.

Like this, Harry got to know that Louis wasn't into the all abs and looks guys. He was more into the nice and supportive ones, with whom you could hold a serious conversation but they were rare on those shows, if Harry was being honest. But Louis would never be on a dating show anyway and in real life he could be lucky to actually get a good guy for him. Or the guy would be lucky to get Louis.

In the middle of a ceremony, a phone started ringing. Apologetic, Louis threw them a forced smile and took his phone out. "That's Àmber. I'm back in a second".

With that, he was up and out of the room with Harry staring after him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw how Andrew muted the TV but Harry couldn't care less. He could still see glimpses of Louis in his corridor.

"You know, I never thought the two of you would get along so well" spoke Andrew up, tearing Harry's attention away from Louis on the phone in the corridor.

"Why not?" frowned Harry offended.

"After that one day at the bakery I thought Louis would hate you because he refused to talk to you. That's why I was so surprised when he asked me to join him today" explained Andrew himself.

"This was his idea?" blinked Harry bewildered.

"Yes. I would've never dared to show up today. I know you would've told me to get lost" offered Andrew him a smile, meaning no harm with his words.

"Yeah, probably" had Harry to admit meekly.

"But Louis was so insistent and determinant to make this day better for you ... I couldn't tell him no. So, I came by and was prepared to comfort him after you'd reject us but you didn't and I'm happy about it" told Andrew him honestly.

"I could never tell Louis to leave when he comes to me. I don't even wanna picture the look on his face" glanced Harry back at Louis' shadow in the corridor.

"Harry, I'm your cousin and I care about you, if you want this or not. And I know you pretty good but you would've pushed me away. Louis ... you let him in without question in more ways than one and I'm wondering why. What ... Harry, be honest with me. Do you have a crush on Louis?" stumbled Andrew over his words nervously.

"What?" coughed Harry shocked. "No way! No! I don't have a crush on him. You know I don't ... I don't want a relationship or someone to love and you know that".

"I know and that's why I'm getting suspicions here. The way you care for him is something I've never seen in you before. It's almost like he is the most important person in your life. Like you lo ...".

"Don't you dare say that word" cut Harry him off furiously. "I don't love anyone. That only leads to losing them too".

"You can't know that for sure" sighed Andrew heavily. "Harry, you can't keep pushing everyone away only because you're scared of losing someone again. I know how it feels like to lose someone you love but don't close yourself off completely. You could miss the love of your life by pushing him away and staying just fr ...".

"He is not the love of my life, Andrew" cut Harry him off again, trying to stay calm. "He is a good friend and I care about him. That's all it is. That's the maximum I'm capable of. In addition, he wouldn't love me either. He has some issues on his own and we're better at handling those as friends. No pressure for both of us".

"This is so sad. I don't even know what to say. Have you listened to what you just said?" looked Andrew incredulously at him.

"That we both have issues? He is broken. I can see it. I wanna help him and we're getting there, step by step every day. It's testing my patience but I wanna give him all the time he needs to feel safe enough to tell me everything. You know about the dancing by now, I guess" got Harry off-topic now, not even on purpose.

"Yeah, I know now" confirmed Andrew with a nod.

"And this is driving me insane. I know something happened apart from his accident that traumatised him probably. There is so much to unpack and I can't even imagine what it could be. I'm scared of what it is but I will be there for him when he decides on telling me" let Harry his thoughts run free.

"Being a professional dancer is hard, Harry. Growing up with dancing presumably wasn't easy. I guess he had no childhood and was dancing 24/7. Dance teacher can be tough and the industry is brutal. This leaves damage behind. Mentally and physically, especially when your ending wasn't planned. Have you ever watched a movie about a life of a dancer or one of those reality shows on dancing?" said Andrew suddenly way too serious and all Harry could do was shake his head. He has never seen any of those. "Maybe you should. It could give you an idea of what could have happened. But beware. You're definitely not prepared for what he is going to tell you".

"How would you know? You don't know what it is, right?" got Harry suspicions now. Andrew couldn't possibly know about what Louis was too afraid to tell him.

"No, but I watched a dancing reality show for a while and was shocked to the core. The rivalry and competition and pressure and sacrifices they had to make in order to stay on the team ... brutal. That's all I have to say about this" let Andrew him know and the seriousness and sadness in his voice made Harry shudder. Was it really that bad?

"Anyway. Something completely different. Could I um ..." wanted Harry to change the topic but he suddenly was scared to ask his cousin what he wanted.

"What is it, H?".

"I was thinking about the bakery and what to do next but I really don't know. I'm torn. I never wanted it and feel pressured to keep it. I also don't wanna fail her but I know I already did. And ... if I would sell it I have no idea what to do then. I know I hate my job but what else could I do? I barely passed school. Would I even be able to study something? Isn't it too late now? And if not, what would I study anyway? I need time and space to figure out the answers to those questions but I ..." word-vomited Harry everything out that was going through his mind.

"First of all, you didn't fail her. She always just wanted you to be happy, no matter what you do" stated Andrew emotionally. "And second, I'm happy you're telling me all of this. Finally, you're actually honest and open about what you really feel and I understand you. I never meant to make you feel pressured into keeping the bakery, you know?".

"I know, Andy. You meant good" smiled Harry crookedly.

"But I got it wrong. You need support and no pressure and ultimatums" saw Andrew his mistake. "If you need my help I'm here for you".

"Thanks. I could really need your help though. Could I maybe ... I don't know ... look into what you're doing? Find out if that could be something for me" asked Harry finally his question a bit awkward.

"You wanna ...? Yeah, sure. But you can do so much more than just look into what I'm doing. You can also work with some of my clients and see if what they're doing is something for you" suggested Andrew enthusiastically.

"Really? Wow, yeah. I'd like that" was Harry overwhelmed.

"How about you live with me for a week and we get that all settled?" offered Andrew to him.

"That sounds amazing but not right now. I need to take a week off and get everything ready" pointed Harry out.

"Sure. Whenever it's best for you. I'm really proud of you, H" pulled Andrew him surprisingly into a hug.

At first, Harry just stood there awkwardly but then he carefully hugged his cousin back. He couldn't remember if they had actually ever hugged each other in their whole lives but right at this moment, he was sure this hug wouldn't be their last one.

"Am I interrupting something?" sounded Louis' voice from behind him.

"No, not all, Lou. Everything okay with Àmber?" broke Harry out of the embrace and faced Louis.

"All good. She just wanted to talk for a bit" waved Louis the matter off but Harry didn't believe him.

"I know we wanted to celebrate for a bit but I have to go now, guys. My Dad wanted to see me" scratched Andrew his neck uncomfortably.

"It's okay, Andy. Go and spend time with him. We're okay here" assured Harry him unbothered.

"Thanks" hugged Andrew him again, this time just for a short second. "Don't party too hard, boys. See you around".

When Andrew was gone, Harry and Louis sat back down on the couch in silence. Something was bothering Louis. Harry could see that clearly in his posture.

"I told Andy how I feel about the bakery and my job," said Harry quietly, making Louis' head snap towards him.

"Really? That's amazing, Haz. I knew you two could work things out" beamed Louis at him.

"It was relieving. Like a stone was lifted off my shoulders and I could finally breathe again. It felt good to talk about my fears and doubts for once" let Harry him in.

"It's always good to talk about what's going on inside of you" smiled Louis but then his smile suddenly fell.

"Is everything alright, Lou?" checked Harry worriedly.

"Yeah, it's just ... Àmber mentioned her father when we were talking. She said he asked for me and if I would come by but he knew I wouldn't. Knowing that he was still asking made me feel really bad and guilty" unfolded Louis to him.

"Why don't you go and be with them instead of me?" wondered Harry perplexed.

"That's not meant to sound mean but this has nothing to do with you, Haz. I wouldn't go there even if I wasn't here right now. My stepdad and I don't have the best relationship with each other. We don't really talk and never see each other. Àmber is the only thing connecting us by now" expounded Louis shakily.

"Oh, can I ask why?" asked Harry hesitantly.

"I guess, we're used to this by now and can't get out of this habit" shrugged Louis obviously bothered.

"But how did this habit start?" checked Harry curiously.

"We always had different views on things. He never agreed with the dancing but never explained to me why. He has not once supported me during a competition or audition and after my Mum died it got ten times worse. We argued a lot about what was right and wrong. He wanted me to stop but I insisted on staying on my team, wanting to make my mother proud because she was always convinced I could be a big dancer one day. Álvaro, my stepdad, kept saying this isn't what she really wanted and tried for years to push me out of dance. We were drifting apart and now there is no way to find back to each other. His opinion hasn't changed and I'm still bitter about it. How could he refuse to support me and even say my Mum never wanted me to dance? I just don't understand" revealed Louis their story to him, hitting Harry straight in the heart when the first tears started to fall down.

"Come here" opened Harry his arms for him and Louis immaturely cuddled into him. "It wasn't fair of him to say something like this. He should've been there for you but he wasn't. Maybe one day you can put all this to rest but don't ask too much of yourself. It's okay, Lou".

"Thank you, Haz" sniffled Louis quietly into his chest.

"No problem. I'm always here for you" caressed Harry Louis' head gently. "Oh, by the way. Do you remember the guy that helped me get my flat and my job?".

"Yeah. Why?" looked Louis up at him now crinkly.

"I decided to look for him and thank him. Or at least, try to find him. He did so much for me and I treated him horribly. I feel the need to make up for that. Is that wrong?" explicated Harry thoughtfully.

"No, that's good" smiled Louis tightly at him.

"You sure?" knitted Harry his eyebrows together.

"Positive" nodded Louis curtly.

"Okay. Fine. I just have to find out where I could start looking. Maybe at the bar we met" mused Harry.

"Sounds like a good plan. Um ... I should probably leave now. Zayn wanted to come by for a few hours to get away from his sisters. I um ... yeah" cleared Louis his throat and broke free from Harry's embrace.

"Oh, okay. Say Hi to Zayn from me, yeah?" stood Harry now up as well, following Louis to the door.

"I will. Thank you for everything, Haz" turned Louis back around to him with a genuine smile.

"Always, Lou" smiled Harry back at him.

With one last look, Louis was out the door and Harry was left alone with a weird feeling in his stomach and some questions swimming through his mind. Did Louis really only leave because of Zayn? Why was the mood suddenly so weird and why did he look so sad?