They languished in bed for a while before getting up for coffee-tea for Louis.
"I'm proud of you, Harry."
"For what?"
"You're standing up for us, for our relationship. The way you spoke up."
"It's difficult, but I'm tryin' me best. I'm not naturally confrontational."
"I know that. And that's part of why I'm so proud of you."
There they were now on the balcony, Louis on the chaise lounge in his fuzzy red slippers and nothing else, drinking tea, and Harry leaning casually against the halfway open sliding glass door, fooling around with his phone, but wearing underwear.
Louis couldn't stop staring at him. Being sexy came so naturally to Harry. Just standing there, not the least bit aware of how alluring he was to Louis. Totally in the dark about it. Oblivious to how difficult it was for Louis to keep his hands off him, and save the space between them, Louis would be touching him.
Those long, long legs, the expression on his face that looked slightly pouty, but really wasn't. It was just one of Harry's everyday expressions now. Louis wasn't sure if it was just a habit, or a result of all that had happened in the last two years. A very rough two years. When he was young, Harry'd almost always had a smile on his face.
"You're gettin' quite used to bein' naked," Harry scrunched up his nose in that cute way he had to let Louis know he wasn't upset about it. "Just make sure you don't spill your hot tea where it would hurt the most."
Harry had a point there.
"It's a thing," Louis answered with one of Harry's favorite expressions.
"Bein' naked? Yeah, it is. A nice thing. I'm glad you're discoverin' that." Harry smiled, and Louis ached to sprint the five feet between them and poke his finger into one of his dimples.
"You and I are a thing," Harry added, and before Louis knew it, Harry was kneeling beside him, kissing him, barely giving Louis time to set his mug down before he really did spill it on a sensitive area.
One of the things that endeared Harry most to Louis was how secretly passionate Harry was. It was their secret. Harry slid his lips over Louis,' deepening the kiss by degrees, keeping Louis craving more. Louis whimpered slightly, grabbing at those amazing curls. Harry's tongue parted Louis' lips and delved inside, sliding their tongues together. Louis responded ardently. Sucking at Harry's tongue got that deep, baritone growl coming from Harry's throat.
"Suck me tongue, suck me nipples, suck me cock," Harry whispered into Louis' ear. "You do it all beautifully. You're sensational."
Louis gasped. Those carnal words. Would Harry never stop shocking him? He spun Harry around with one hand, giving him a sucking kiss to the middle of his back. "You forgot about that," he reminded Harry.
"Oh no, I didn't. I don't forget anythin' you do. Know how many times I relived that back bite in me dreams the whole time we were apart? I could feel it Lou, really feel it, in me mind."
Harry's phone rang. He'd set it down on the balcony railing when he had approached Louis. He rolled his eyes, grabbed it and glanced at the screen. Meanwhile, Louis was trying to discourage his cock by giving it dirty looks. It was inflating, and it didn't escape Harry's notice.
"Liam," announced Harry just before he answered it. Liam's slightly overwrought voice blared on the speaker.
"Do you guys know that word has leaked, and the press, tabloids, paps, fans, and everyone else on God's green earth knows? You guys better be careful. I wouldn't leave your room if I were you."
"We really don't have any plans to," Harry answered, smirking at Louis.
This innuendo embarrassed Liam, even though he'd unwittingly brought it on himself. He cleared his throat and paused, giving Harry a chance to enlighten him on what the deal was.
"We're staying a couple more days, Liam. Did you know Simon called us?"
"No, Simon wouldn't be likely to tell us about that. What'd he say?" Harry could tell Liam was holding his breath for the answer.
"Threatened us, more or less, sayin' we can't leave because of the contract. We told him we would come back, but only on our terms."
"Yeah?"
Well, they couldn't very well leave Liam out of what was actually happening. It would be cruel and unfair. It was the future of the band, for God's sake!
"Actually we threatened him first," Louis spoke up, correcting Harry. "Told him we're in love, and wanna come out, and no more restrictions on us."
Liam gasped. "Are you shittin' me?"
"Nope," said Harry. "Lou didn't mince words. We even said we'd buy our way out of the contract if he doesn't agree to it."
"Harry gets credit for that one," inserted Louis. "But you know, Li, it won't come to that." Louis hoped that would reassure Daddy Directioner.
They could tell Liam was uneasy, so they attempted a casual air while explaining to him about talking to Louis' attorney, and nothing being in the contract pertaining to the way they conducted themselves around each other. So . . . they essentially had Simon by the balls.
"Wow," Liam sounded out of breath. And well he should. This was staggering news. He hadn't seen it coming. "This is a shocker. I knew you guys had a 'thing,' but I didn't know it was this serious."
"Oh, we have a 'thing' alright," Harry was being cheeky, his long, sensual fingers caressing Louis' bare belly as he said the words.
"Yeah, the past two years have been hell for us, and we're damn well not goin' through any of that again," said Louis a bit shakily, because Harry was in danger of causing him another imminent erection.
"Seriously? You won't come back if Simon won't let you come out?"
"It'll never come to that, Li. We couldn't leave you and Niall in the lurch anyway. We wouldn't. Lou's attorney more or less said that there's nothing Simon can do because it's not in the contract. We just don't wanna have to hide it anymore, and we refuse to sneak around." Harry's voice echoed Louis' confident air. They had to do it for Liam. Sound confident, that is. They both felt empathy for him. It was a lot for him to swallow.
Liam struggled to absorb it all. "I'm gobsmacked," he said quietly. "But chuffed for you two. Niall will be too."
"We're a long way, still, from being home free though," Louis reminded him, knowing he had to.
"What about Friday's concert?"
"We'll be there," responded Louis. "We're having a meeting with Simon first. Fuck knows how that'll go. Might be ugly. On second thought, no doubt it'll be uglier than sin. But Simon has this comin' to him."
"No kiddin.' When will you two be back in L.A.?"
"We haven't even discussed it yet. Probably Thursday night. Friday will be a very long day for us," Louis looked at Harry. Harry would have liked to stay until Friday, but he realized it wouldn't be possible. Not with the eleven hour long flight, the pre-concert meeting, and the concert itself. There were too few hours and not enough time to accomplish it all, even for two young, resilient guys.
"Have you talked to the human echo?" asked Louis.
"Nah, but you know Zayn. Even with this news hitting, he probably won't call. I think he thinks he's too good for us anymore."
"Just curious. Well, we'll see you sometime day after tomorrow, yeah?" It pained Louis to say that, as it sounded way too close.
"Right. Sure thing. Love you guys," and Liam hung up. Louis thought he'd heard a hint of a crack in Liam's voice when he had said the final three words. When he looked at Harry, he realized it wasn't his imagination. Harry was misting up as well.
"He actually thought we might leave him and Niall?" Harry's voice was small.
"I don't think so—not really. Deep down, he knows the truth. He know us, Harry. All we can do now is pray Simon will go along with this without doin' something childish, like trying to sabotage us, or fight us in court."
Now it was Louis' phone's turn to ring. His mum. She'd heard, and he hadn't had time to call her to give her a warning. He should have called twenty minutes ago, when they'd first gotten up. His heart sank with the realization that he'd failed her. He did his best to reassure her that everything was fine, and he and Harry would be back on Thursday. That they'd just decided to stay a couple more days. He didn't tell her anything about Simon or the contract. There would be time for that later, when he could talk to her in person. She sounded relieved when the conversation was over, and Louis could swear her voice was shrouded in a quiet wisdom. He had a feeling she'd known about himself and Harry for longer than he'd ever imagined. Mothers were like that . . .
Next was Stan's turn. It was funny because as soon as one conversation ended, within ten minutes, one of the phones would be ringing again. Stan knew all about Harry and Louis, and this news was no surprise to him. He said he'd expected everything to come to a head with Simon soon anyway. He'd seen all Louis' miserable moods and had been hoping for some time that things would be resolved.
Louis called his attorney next, hoping this would be the last call, at least for a while. He told Mr. Meyers everything Simon had said, and their responses, then put the conversation into the lawyer's hands.
Mr. Meyers was slow and calculating with his reply. Louis heard the rustling of papers being put down on the man's desk, and he wondered if Mr. Meyers might have been going over their contract one more time.
"Let me say Louis, that things are in your favor. Yours and Harry's," he quickly amended. "Mr. Cowell doesn't have much he can do at this point. Although, as I've stated before, he's cunning, and we'll have to be vigilant, keep a close watch on him.
One thing that I must stress is that I don't believe you and Harry should have the initial meeting with him. If I have your consent, I think it's in your best interests that I meet with him first."
Louis let loose a sigh of relief. He had been hoping Mr. Meyers would suggest that. The attorney would be far more influential than himself and Harry. And a whole hell of a lot more intimidating in his own subdued, professional way. He wasn't likely to blow his stack. Louis had never seen him ruffled in the past. He just took care of business. It was what attorneys did best.
"We're all for that," said Louis, Harry grinning in agreement.
"I'll call him and set up an appointment at his office, in the morning hours in the next couple of days if he's free. I'm sure he'll make time to see me," Mr. Meyers said wryly.
"We have a concert Friday night. He wanted to see us a few hours before the concert. Just so you know."
"Good, good. Thanks for the heads-up on that. That'll give me sufficient time."
"Thanks, Mr. Meyers. What do we do in the meantime?"
"Wait until I call you, which will be after I've met with Mr. Cowell. I'll advise you then."
"Okay. You think this will go alright?"
"Not entirely sure . . ." Mr. Meyers sounded contemplative. "Depends on Mr. Cowell's reaction to this. You said he was on the hostile side on the phone. He may cool off a bit, but on the other hand, he may not. He may want to involve his attorney. I hope not, but we won't know until I meet with him. Expect the worst, but hope for the best. Mr. Cowell has a lot to lose if he doesn't abide by your demands. I don't think you are being unreasonable, since Mr. Cowell has known about the situation for some time. I hope he won't be a dolt about this. His reputation is on the line, plus, as I said before, a lot of capital as well."
Once the conversation had ended, Louis and Harry silently gazed at each other. Mr. Meyers had given them hope and doubt almost in the same breath.
"Harry, we need to talk about this now. What, exactly, are we going to ask for from Simon?"
Harry hesitated. Louis was a natural leader, good with words, and confident. Harry was not as sure of himself, and sometimes tripped over his own tongue. Why was Louis asking him? He had expected Louis to more or less take over.
"Okay, I think I know what you want," responded Harry. "You want to be sure I want the same things you want, right?"
Louis nodded. "You're a sharp guy, Haz. I do want to hear it in your own words," admitted Louis.
"Okay," Harry was determined to do this—take more responsibility for their decisions, as he'd told himself he would from now on. "We want to be ourselves, naturally. We won't be puppets or robots. We want to proclaim our love for each other. Come out. Tell the audience as much. As for our personal interaction on the stage, I'm happy with anything from acting professional yet relaxed, to openly showing affection."
"Bingo!" Louis clapped his hands together, causing Harry to jump. Louis managed to catch his empty coffee mug that was balancing on the railing just as it tipped, in preparation to land on someone's head walking on the sidewalk below. He shrugged sheepishly.
"You got it though, Harry! That's exactly what I want too. Anything between the two extremes is fine with me. But I'd love to be able to actually look at each other again, fondly, the way we used to, touch each other here and there, maybe be as touchy-feely as we were before, and maybe even share a quick kiss during, or when the concert is over, while still in front of the audience."
"And hold hands as we exit the stage, perhaps?" asked Harry.
"Baby, we're perfect!" cried Louis, causing Harry to smile at his use of the song lyrics.
Harry's shimmering emerald eyes watched him—eyes that reflected the morning sun. A shiver ran through Louis. It would be helpful, he thought sarcastically, if he didn't love Harry so much.
Harry had followed Louis when he ran, at a moment's notice, and without question. That was loyalty, and it was proof of Harry's love. It was more than a lot of lovers would have done, and they hadn't even been lovers at the time.
Louis couldn't stop the disturbing thoughts from coming. What if something went wrong? Was he that selfish that if it came down to it, he'd be willing to break up the band? Because, in the worst scenario, by God, that could happen.
"We'll need to charter a jet for Thursday," he said to Harry, attempting to take his mind off Harry's beautiful eyes, facing Simon, and repercussions. "We'll be flying that entire day, and we'll need to be bright and fresh for Friday."
Harry nodded in the affirmative.
Louis grabbed his boxer briefs, which were next to the chaise lounge and slipped them on. He was comfortable enough naked on the chaise lounge, but not standing. At least, not yet. He walked over to Harry, studying how perfect the lad was. Harry's eyes met his steadily with a look of wonder, of longing. Louis' heart thumped erratically. It was one of those moments when time seemed to take a deep breath, and pause.
"You're mine. I love you, man, more than you'll ever know," Harry spouted, and it made Louis smile. Harry could come up with some wonderful things right off the top of his head, yet at other times he seemed at a loss for words. But it was all part of his charm, his appeal.
"Yes, I'm yours. We'll get through this, even though we're both scared shitless," said Louis. He was letting Harry know he wasn't he only one who feared this giant step they would be undertaking. The fear seemed to quake under their very feet.
"I'm glad you admitted bein' scared too," Harry looked genuinely relieved. Louis wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and laid his head on Harry's chest.
"Your green eyes . . . they gleam. They do somethin' to me."
"You have no idea what your blue eyes do to me. I wanna swim in 'em. Dive right in, yeah?"
Harry watched as the Swedish morning sun glinted off the dark golden highlights in Louis' hair. He could hardly believe his good fortune. Those fascinating blue eyes searched his, and he wondered what Louis was looking for. The truth? Well, he had it. Harry had no secrets, and nothing but love for the Donny lad.
"Let's go cuddle," Louis led Harry into the hotel room. They cuddled on the couch with only one more full day in front of them-tomorrow-before going back to their lives of music, which was their second greatest passion next to each other. They agreed to stay in for the remainder of their stay. They had room service, and several changes of clothes. Not much else was needed.
Liam had been correct—paps would probably be scattered throughout the area, and although they wouldn't know exactly where Harry and Louis were staying, they would tend to hang out near where the concert had been, and that was only a short distance from the hotel. They would be daft to even venture from the building. In fact, the balcony would have to be off limits now too-now that the news had leaked. Louis shuddered when he thought about the possibility of nude pics of himself and Harry being circulated. He got up briefly and quickly pulled the blinds.
Louis chartered a jet for Thursday morning, which was no trouble at all when you had the kind of money he and Harry had, requiring only a single phone call. Then he turned his phone off, and Harry's too. Harry surrendered his phone with a sly smile. They'd check their messages now and then, but they refused to be disturbed for their last day and a half alone together.
"I'd love to kiss you onstage," said Harry shyly. "Not a long one, but a short tender one with feeling. Make all the Larry fans happy."
"Happy, my ass! They'll be delirious!" was Louis' eager reply. "It'll be sick!"
They made plans. They could go back to lots of touching, doing their fast cat walk together as they had done in earlier days, something that had made them feel on top of the world, make seemingly harmless innuendos into the microphone that Larry fans would pick right up on. Smile at each other again, making their love for each other obviously mutual, and being able to include the fans too would be the icing on the cake. Concerts would actually be fun again. Everything out in the open, and with no shame.
They found music channels on the telly and settled on listening to their favorite old bands while Louis snuggled into Harry on the couch.
"I want breakfast. Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns and pancakes," announced Louis.
Harry giggled. "I don't know if they'd know how to prepare that here. Remember, Swedes have breakfasts that are very different from the ones in the U.S. and the U.K."
"I don't care. That's what I want. This last chunk of time we have together, I want us both to be happy. What will make you happy?" Louis peered up at Harry.
"You."
Very Harry-like. Completely loving and unselfish. Now Louis felt guilty for demanding something specific when Harry was content just to be here with him.
"And that breakfast sounds amazing. I'll order," and Harry picked up the room phone, putting Louis' guilt to complete rest.
The breakfast wasn't exactly like the Americans would make it, but it was close, and delicious nonetheless. They were stuffed by the time they'd finished it off.
"Those last few bites kinda broke the camel's back," Louis said as he held a hand to his bloated tummy.
"Just cuddle up again. We can take a nap if you like, then stay up all night, and sleep on the plane all the way on Thursday. We'll still have plenty of sleep by Friday."
Harry, not being able to resist, bent over and sucked Louis' neck, his tongue licking it delicately yet lasciviously as well.
A chill crawled up Louis' spine, goose bumps assaulting him and popping up all over his body.
"When I'm less full, Styles, I'm gonna let you continue that," Louis' eyes twinkled.
"Is that an invitation for later?" Harry ventured.
"Of course. And I don't need to invite you either. You can take what you want, whenever you want . . . except when I'm full."
Harry laughed. "I've had these feelings bottled up for so long, Boo Bear. Hearing you say things like that makes me feel loved again," Harry's voice was suddenly husky and raw. "I don't feel vulnerable and rejected anymore."
"I fought hard to get you back, Harold. I've been workin' at it for two years. You don't get hints easily. I had to come right out and ask you to run away with me! I didn't become a warrior for your love to give up after a few tries. Just remember that I'm here, and I'll be here for as long as you'll have me."
Harry slithered behind Louis on the couch so Louis' wouldn't see his tears. He was really touched by Louis' announcement, and feeling emotionally fragile. Those words had struck him deeply.
Harry kissed Louis cheek, and intense feelings stole through him as fondness feathered in his chest.
"Remember how we'd be big spoon and little spoon?"
Louis nodded.
"Well, I wanna be the big spoon this time," Harry whispered against his neck, wrapping his arms around his lover.
"Feels good. Feels right," Louis' voice was growing faint, and Harry knew the big meal had made Louis sleepy, and it was having the same effect on him, come to think of it. They drifted off to see the sandman together, their breathing in sync, their legs entwined.