On the day of the concert everyone was jumpy and excited and nervous and tense. People were running around backstage and cameras were everywhere and the whole place was filled to the brim with people. According to Kayla, there were double the amount of people watching from home. Right now, Knights of Love were on stage and they were raising the roof. And the weather was on their side, which was perfect.

The only thing that wasn't perfect was the song they were currently singing. It was called Second Chances and Louis felt weird. The lyrics were hurting him and he could feel Harry watching him from afar while Louis kept avoiding him.

1.

Broken hearts are never easy

And you wanna give up on love completely

He broke your trust and all that's left of your love

Is dust

But don't let yourself get crushed

(And just let it be stardust)

2.

Your friends are perfectly in love

And you wonder why you weren't good enough

Times like these can be tough but please, never give up

3.

I was feeling all alone

And was longing to even hear your ringtone

I was missing the sound of your voice

But thought you've made your final choice

4.

But I was wrong

Your feelings for me were still very strong

You wanted to hold on

Cause in my arms is the place where you belong

5.

You thought I'd never forgive you for what you did to me

But without you, I simply can't be

I need you in my life with me, by my side

I really don't care how it looks to other people from the outside

It's just you and me

Outro:

We all want those perfect romances

And sometimes all we need are some second chances

"No, thanks" Louis muttered to himself and stepped away from the side of the stage to go and find Jonah.

He found him bouncing nervously on a chair, biting his fingernails off. As calm as possible, Louis walked over and lay his hand gently down on Jonah's shoulder, who immediately looked up. "Are you sure it's a good idea for you to go out there?".

"No, but I wanna do it. For you, for them, for me. For everyone who will ever need help because people are unaccepting. I have to do this. For myself, mostly. I can't hide forever. The shadows can be quite dark" Jonah breathed out anxiously but surely.

"True words, Joey. I'm right here with you" Louis offered him a supporting smile.

"What about Harry? Did he try talking to you?" Jonah checked, probably to distract himself from what was coming his way.

"No, he didn't. He keeps watching me all sad though. It's annoying but I can handle it. I'm used to his staring by now" Louis told him honestly, still feeling Harry nearby.

"What are you gonna do if he talks to you?" Jonah hooked in a strange voice.

"Ignore him? Tell him off? Something like that. I don't wanna see him or hear any half-hearted excuses and apologies. He knows full well what he did wrong and that he went too far and that he can't undo it, ever" Louis replied sure of his words.

"Ever? But you still like him, don't you?" Jonah just knew him way too good.

"And? This will go away. It's not like I love him and he broke my heart and is dramatically trying to win me back, which wouldn't happen and ... you know what I was trying to say. This is getting weird. A crush goes away, especially when the person turns out to be someone they're not, someone different from who you thought they were and who you started liking" Louis word-vomited his thoughts and lost track of his original reply.

"I get that. I really do. And yes, crushes go away but this could take some time. Your situation was intense. Still is. Do you really think you could like someone else in the near future and let them in after everything?" Jonah was way too concerned and where was he going with this? Was he still rooting for Harry?

"Someday definitely. For now, I wanna focus on myself and my life. I should have done this sooner. Before letting another boy into my life and my heart. It's about me now. I'm gonna stay single for now and enjoy my time alone. With no one telling me what to do".

"Boys, it's time. You're up next. Are you ready?" a backstage guy called out for them, saving Louis from this conversation.

"We're here and ready to rock, I guess" Liam tried to sound confident but was obviously nervous.

"Are you ready for this, Z?" Niall asked Jonah quietly.

"I don't know but there is only one way to find out. Um ... can you stay on my other side at the beginning? For support, I mean" Jonah blushed so deep Louis didn't know if he should coo or laugh.

"Always, Z. Louis and I will be right there with you. Right, Tommo?" Niall faced him now and for a second, he caught Niall glancing over at Harry but then he focused back on Louis.

"Of course. We're not leaving you, Joey" Louis took his hand.

"Thanks, guys. Now I'm ready" Jonah exhaled heavily.

"Great. Let's rock this stage and save the house" Niall cheered to hype them up and shake away their fears and doubts.

Walking past Harry without as much as a glance, Louis entered the stage with Jonah's hand still in his and Niall right behind them. Harry and Liam followed them and then they started their set. They had five songs prepared. Here we are, Rock me, Simple Moments, Just words and Finding myself. It all went down smoothly and no one messed up. All in all, it was a great experience.

Avoiding Harry on stage turned out to be easier than expected, especially with sticking to Jonah's side. Harry wasn't even trying to be close to him. He kept his distance on his own and Louis was reminded of the normally all respectful way Harry was treating people, if he got his way. That really stung.

Leaving the stage, Louis was pumped full of adrenaline. The cheers of the crowd were still ringing in his ears and he couldn't stand or sit still. He was bouncing on his spot, trying to come down from this high-energy feeling. How did musicians do that every night and be calm about it?

He was torn out of his very important thought process when he heard Liam telling them that Maria and Paul were coming over to them. In the distance, he heard Cuatro Hearts being announced but he could only focus on the couple stopping in front of them.

"Guys, what is all of this about? Someone said you're doing this for the house. Why?" Maria asked them discombobulated.

"We overheard your conversation about closing the house because there isn't enough money to keep it open. We couldn't let that happen and came up with the idea of this concert. It was really Sean's idea but anyway. We all love the house and the school and people need these places. They can't be closed. We would do anything to help you out because you helped us without hesitation" Harry explained to them the reason behind all this.

"You did all of this ... for us?" Maria was speechless.

"You mean to tell me you guys put on this whole concert on your own? With all the technical stuff and even managed to get celebrity support? All to help us?" Paul was baffled.

They all just nodded and Liam spoke up for all of them. "We did, yeah. As we said, we love you and the house. The school as well. But no one knows they exist. We wanted to change that. You need sponsors to keep up your amazing work. Benny just told me that we got so many companies and people who wanna help out and support you. They love what you're doing".

"Maybe doing this during pride month was a genius move without doing it on purpose" Niall added cheekily.

"What we're trying to say is, the house is saved. You don't have to close it" Louis summed everything up proudly.

"Guys, I'm out of words. This is huge" Maria couldn't believe this. "But we weren't talking about the house".

"What?" all of them asked at the same time in pure confusion.

"I mean, it is difficult to do what we're doing completely alone and it wouldn't work in the long run if we kept it up like we're doing at the moment but we never intended on closing the house" Paul expounded awkwardly.

"But we heard you talking about closing something and you said they have nowhere else to go" Harry frowned.

"We were talking about the animals at our friend's animal rescue shelter. It will be closed because people don't care enough about saving animals. No support for them" Maria enlightened them.

"Oh".

"But we still appreciate what you did here today. For us. We can definitely use the attention and we do need the support. Thank you for everything" Paul let them know how much they valued everything they did.

"How about we watch Cuatro Hearts' set? The rest of it" Maria suggested to change the topic.

"Good idea" Niall was quick to get distracted.

"But is there nothing we could do for the shelter?" Louis questioned sorrowfully.

"No, not really, Louis" Maria had to disappoint him.

Louis only nodded in acknowledgement to show her he had heard her answer but he wasn't liking it. Maybe the house and the school have never been in danger and were now better off than ever but there was still a shelter being closed and dozens of animals probably killed because they had no way else to go. It simply wasn't right. The world was unfair.

Still feeling mournful, Louis joined his friends and watched Cuatro Hearts'performance. Right now, they were singing their LGBTQA+ anthem called why. Louis loved this song and it was perfect for the cause, even if it wasn't needed anymore.

1.

Hiding in the shadows I kiss your nose

And call you a beautiful rose

In the daylight, we can't be very close

Cause of the fear of being exposed

For you, I pretend to be fine but all I wanna do

Is tell the world that you're mine

If I let my feelings show I'd have to let you go

Because it's too dangerous

Why does everybody care? This is so unfair

2.

Why can't you understand that I long to simply hold their hand?

Your spying eyes force me to come up with even more lies

Although I just wanna walk together into the sunrise

Cause they feel likewise

But what is the prize?

Chorus:

Why can't you leave me alone?

Why can't I love on my own?

Why is there a difference between you and me?

Can't you just let me be?

Let me enjoy my time in a cute little restaurant

And let me love who I want

Why can't you see that love is genderless?

Why can't you see that love is love?

3.

Do you know how much you hurt us with your ignorance

Because you judge us for our preference

Although all we need is your acceptance?

All we need to hear is that it makes no difference

4.

But all you do is tear us down

And say you wanna see us drown

You wanna see us burn (in hell)

And deny the chance to learn

That nothing is wrong with me and I was born this way

All I really wanna be is free

Chorus:

Why can't you leave me alone?

Why can't I love on my own?

Why is there a difference between you and me?

Can't you just let me be?

Let me enjoy my time in a cute little restaurant

And let me love who I want

Why can't you see that love is genderless?

Why can't you see that love is love?

Bridge:

It seems hopeless to try because of all the consequences

It seems useless to cry because they judge our kind of romances

I still don't wanna give you up cause you leave me breathless

I hope it's enough cause you leave me defenceless

And I won't survive a break-up cause without you

I'm reckless, Baby

Chorus:

Why can't you leave me alone?

Why can't I love on my own?

Why is there a difference between you and me?

Can't you just let me be?

Let me enjoy my time in a cute little restaurant

And let me love who I want

Why can't you see that love is genderless?

Why can't you see that love is love?

When the concert was officially over, Maria and Paul met up with Aurelio and some other people while Benny, the two famous bands and Sean, Niall and Liam were chatting and doing some weird nonsense. Louis watched all of this happening from a distance. He had to leave to meet up with Luke. On his way to the changing areas, he crossed ways with Àmbar and Aria. They talked for a few minutes but then he really had to go and get changed.

Quickly, he changed his clothes and freshened up a bit. He took his stuff and was about to leave undetected when he spotted Harry and Jonah talking. Or more like arguing, really. It looked pretty heated and Jonah seemed to be pretty upset while Harry was getting frustrated. Louis could tell this much from the distance. Because he was a nosy person, Louis sneaked up to them and hid behind some huge boxes to eavesdrop on them and find out what they were arguing about in particular. Probably him.

"I don't fucking care about your reasons, Harry. I trusted you with this. With him and you let me down. You let him down and did exactly what you shouldn't have done. I know you're not like that. So, I don't understand what's going on with you but to be honest, I don't care anymore. You fucked up big time" Jonah only got angrier with every new word.

"But that's why I'm here. I wanna explain to you why I did it. He shouldn't go there today. Luke isn't ...".

"Why can't you drop that shit? He will go and meet Luke. He is probably already on the way there. It's his fucking decision and not your place to interfere. He is finally in a place where he understood that it's his life and his choice and no one should tell him what to do. He told you everything and you still thought forbidding him to go was a good idea?!" Jonah grew louder in pure frustration.

"Luke only wants to fuck him. I can't allow that to happen, Jonah. He can't see it but I can. Should I just ignore that and look away? He wouldn't have listened if I ..." Harry tried another time to justify his actions, only making it worse for Louis.

"Wouldn't he? Have you tried talking normally to him about Luke? Not just yesterday, any day? No, you didn't. They made up. Luke is nice and did one wrong thing. Luke knows that and knows his place but this really isn't about Luke. It's about you, Harry" Jonah had enough of Harry's pathetic excuses.

"Jonah, I ...".

"Remember how we talked about Louis before you even knew about Kyle's existence? You came to me while we were waiting for him and asked me about his well-being because you have noticed the wincing and flinching and rightfully assumed he has been through some bad shit and that he hates talking about it. So, you asked me because I know him better than anyone else. And what did I do? I trusted you because you seemed to care about him. I saw that you liked him. I thought you could be good for him. That's why I asked you to be gentle with him. Gentle and understanding and patient and you, ... what did you do? You promised me you would because he deserves the best" Jonah caged him against a wall. "I was wrong. You're not what's best for him. Not when you mistreat him at your first argument over nothing. Not when you jump right into the scar you knew was there. The scar that was about to heal. You tore it right back open. You broke your promise. We're done".

And with that, Jonah left him there and Harry didn't try to stop him. He looked miserable but Jonah had only told him the truth. Now Harry had to face the consequences of his actions. Not knowing how to feel right now, Louis sneaked away and tried to wrap his head around the fact that Harry and Jonah ... that Harry had made such a promise to Jonah so early on. Louis remembered that day, how Jonah and Harry had exchanged glances every now and then. It all made sense now.

"Are you alright, Louis?" Luke asked worriedly when he arrived and Louis didn't greet him because he was still shocked.

"I've overheard Jonah and Harry arguing. Or Jonah telling him the fuck off because he had tried to forbid me to come here today. Like this, I got to know that Harry had promised Jonah to be gentle with me before he even knew about ... I don't know what to think right now. This is so Jonah to look out for me but Harry ...".

"Are you two okay?" Luke hooked when Louis stopped talking.

"I broke up with him. He has no right to tell me what I'm allowed to do and what not. He doesn't even know you and blindly judges you for one drunken mistake. We're friends and he would have needed to accept that. Or at least, tolerate it. But he couldn't. So I couldn't be with him anymore. No bossing me around for me. Never again and he should have known that" Louis let him know still angry.

"I never meant to ruin your relationship, Louis. I can back off if it makes him feel better. I mean, it would be difficult but ...".

"Luke, no" Louis stopped him right there. "You're my friend and he is in the wrong here. It doesn't matter what he thinks your intentions are. It's my decision what I do about you and me. And I know you. We left the incident in the past and I value you as a friend".

"Me too, Louis. Being your friend means everything to me. That's why I don't wanna see you sad or down" Luke replied softly.

"I'm not. I'm just disappointed, to be honest. I thought he was different. Better than Kyle. Well, he is. That's for sure but better than Kyle isn't that hard to achieve. Someone who thinks claiming you only want to get in my pants is reason enough to order me around isn't as perfect as I thought he was" Louis clarified surely.

"I do not want in your pants! I might have kissed you but I'm over this crush because I'm happier as friends" Luke cleared the air even though he didn't need to. "And I might have met someone".

"No way! Who?" Louis got excited.

From then on, they were talking about Luke's crush the whole way to the cinema. During the movie, they were mostly silent and just enjoyed the movie. Afterwards, Luke brought him home because they couldn't stop talking. All in all, it has been a splendid day. This whole day had proven that Louis has been right.

"See you tomorrow?" Luke yawned tiredly.

"Yeah. I'm not looking forward to class but we'll get through this" Louis was equally as tired, almost falling asleep right here.

"Hopefully" Luke chuckled lightly, hugging Louis goodbye.

"Bye, Luke" Louis hugged him back, feeling so sleepy.

"Bye, Louis".

When Louis turned around to go inside, he caught a glimpse of Harry behind a big library window. Of course, this would happen. Well, Louis didn't care what Harry might be thinking. He could have been the one Louis would have come home to tonight but he had ruined that. Now he needed to back off.

"Mr. Tomlinson, for a word, please" his Literature professor held him back on Monday when he was about to exit the class with his friends.

"We wait outside" Àmbar patted his shoulder and left with Luke.

"What is wrong, Sir?" Louis questioned anxiously.

"Mr. Tomlinson, since the second semester started you seem distracted and unfocused and it's showing in your work for my course. You can do better than this and I've seen it. Is something wrong? Anything bothering you?" his professor asked alerted.

"Nothing in particular. Life has been a bit messed up lately and it was hard for me to focus, especially today. I'm sorry. I will try harder. I p ..." Louis sighed out but choked on the word promise.

"I don't wanna stress you or put more pressure on you. I just know how smart you are and how much you love this course. Whatever is bothering or whoever is distracting you, you need to remember that your life is about you, first and foremost. You can put yourself first without feeling bad about it or worrying about coming off as selfish or big-headed. You're not, Louis. You're brilliant and have a bright future in front of you but you need to sort out your life and focus on what's important. I know you can do it" his professor motivated him supportively.

"Thank you, Sir. This means a lot to me. And I will give my best from now on. I promise" Louis thanked him flattered.

Walking outside, he felt a lot lighter and like he had a new mission now. His studies had to come first from now on. His future was the most important thing and no one should keep him from fulfilling his dreams and reaching his goals.

"Fancy seeing you here" a familiar voice sounded behind him.

Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Louis turned around and was met with a smug-looking Kyle." What do you want?".

"Feisty. Bad mood? I get that. Where's your new tall boyfriend? Already annoyed the shit out of him with your sassy mouth?" Kyle asked him mockingly.

"That's really none of your fucking business. I'm my own person and can do things alone. I know this must be news to you but I don't care what you think about me" Louis didn't let him get to him.

"You've gotten an even worse attitude now, I see. Talking back now, mh?! No surprise your lover isn't around. You probably pissed him off. Did you not listen when I tried to teach you to accept your worth and not try to mingle with people above your level? Not everyone is as gracious as me and puts up with you. You're literally nothing and he will see that and leave you, just as I did. Maybe he already did. I saw him earlier with some g ...".

"Are you quite done?" Louis cut his taunting off. "What did you not get? I don't fucking care about what you have to say or what you think anymore. We're long over. You don't have to 'put up with me' anymore. Now leave me alone and get lost".

"How dare you talk to me like this! You should know better than that" Kyle grabbed his wrist harshly, gripping way too tight.

"Don't fucking touch me" Louis broke free from the death grip. "You have power over me anymore. I know my worth and you're the last person I want around. Leave me alone or you will regret it".

"Are you threatening me now?"Kyle glowered darkly.

"Yes. Better watch your back if you don't do as I say. Now leave me alone and tyrannize someone else. Maybe your poor girlfriend but I wouldn't recommend it" Louis stood his ground.

"You little ...".

"He told you to leave him alone. You better listen" Luke appeared right behind Louis, his hands already resting on Louis' shoulders.

"Or do you want me to call campus security and tell them you're bothering my friend?" Àmbar showed up on the right side.

"You're so not worth this" Kyle spat and disappeared.

"I hope he never shows his face again" Luke growled upset.

"I don't think he will. He lost and realised that just now" Louis was sure this was the end of this story.

"I fucking hope so" Àmbar looked about ready to kill until her phone started ringing. "Sorry, this is Aria".

While she walked a few feet away, Luke said goodbye for the day. Louis felt his pulse regulating itself and exhaled long and deep. But then he saw Harry coming over to him. Why was everyone bothering him today? He needed some peace.

"I don't wanna talk to you" Louis stated before Harry was even able to say anything. "I told you to ...".

"I know but I saw what happened with Kyle. I needed to make sure you're okay after he ...".

"You don't even know what happened. I handled the situation. On my own" Louis interrupted him, not wanting to hear it. "Kyle backed off and Luke and Àmbar backed me up. No reason for you to get involved. You've got it all wrong again".

"Louis, I only wanted to ...".

"I don't care, okay?" Louis cut him off again because he needed peace and no more drama. "It doesn't matter what you wanted to do or what you thought was going on. It doesn't fucking matter. I told you to stay away. You caring now won't make up for what you said. You broke whatever bond we had and there is nothing left. I can't trust you anymore, Harry. It doesn't matter how I feel about you. It will go away. I want it to go away because I can't let you distract me anymore. I need to focus on my life now, my future. On me and no one else. Please, just let me focus on my studies and live my life drama free from now on. I deserve it. I really fucking do".

Harry hung his head down in defeat, making something tug at Louis' heartstrings. Of course, he wasn't fully over Harry yet. It has been two days. But he would be in the future. Hopefully. And even if not, he needed to get his life together. Alone and on his own. He needed to get confident in his skills and traits without a boy in the picture. He needed to learn how to love himself again. He had realised that just now and needed time alone.

Without another word, Harry left him and only a second later, Àmbar was right next to him. Louis just knew she had heard everything and wanted to know what was going on. No one knew they had broken up, apart from Jonah and maybe Niall.

"I didn't know you broke up" Àmbar tried to start this conversation.

"We did. I did. I don't wanna talk about it. You heard all of this?" Louis looked at her, seeing her nod in confirmation. "It's the truth. I need to focus on uni and my future. In the past months so much emotional drama was going on and I was distracted all the time. This needs to stop. Harry crossed a line and made a big mistake. Our trust is broken and yes, I still like him but I can't be with him".

"Maybe it's best to focus on yourself. You deserve time on your own without drama" Àmbar understood his point of view. "And if Harry and you are meant to be together, time will tell. Destiny and fate might have a plan for you two. Maybe not".

Louis wasn't sure he was a strong believer in fate but something was definitely there. And maybe time would help fix this. Maybe not. He would find out. "Maybe".

-----------------------------------------------------

The house was never in danger. Surprise ;D

They're over and Harry was wrong. Louis wants to focus on himself. What now?