Behind Closed Doors {Larry Stylinson}
Chapter 22
LIAM’S P.O.V.
I nervously approach Louis’ door, wondering what has been going on. I haven’t seen Louis since he got back, and frankly, I’ve hardly seen Harry since Louis left for France. The two occasions I did see him, something wasn’t right. The first time was at a radio interview that all of the lads were at, besides Louis.
Flashback (Three weeks earlier):
“Where is Harry?”
“I-I don’t know. He said he’d be here at eleven.”
“Well, it’s eleven and I don’t see him.”
Jason’s assistant, Michael, prances around, yelling at everyone just because Harry hasn’t made an appearance yet. I feel bad for Harry and Louis. I see every day how happy and in love they are, and for people to try to keep them apart- it’s just plain wrong. I hear commotion and turn quickly, observing a rugged-looking Harry walking through the door, beanie and sunglasses on. He slouches as he walks, plopping down on the nearby couch. He doesn’t even seem to care that everyone has been looking for him and doesn’t remove his glasses.
“Where the hell have you been?”
“Michael, can you leave me the fuck alone? Thanks.”
I’m shocked by Harry’s behavior, because it’s simply not like him to use that language in everyday conversation and he’s typically in a great mood. I stand up and walk over, kindly pushing Michael out of the way so that I can sit next to Harry.
“You alright, mate?”
“Sure.”
“Sure? That’s not convincing.”
“Liam, please-“
He stands up and raises his hand, as if he were going to continue but he shrugs it off and walks away.
“Nobody freak out, I’m just going to the loo.”
He sulks away and I try to think of why he’s so upset. I know he’s sad that Louis is gone, but it hasn’t even been a week, and it’s
happened before. Harry is very good at seeming okay when he’s not. Zayn walks over and sits where Harry had been previously.
“What’s up with grumpy gills?”
“No idea. I’m guessing he misses Louis.”
“Seems hungover to me,” he rolls his eyes and nods, “Which is also probably because he misses Lou.”
He looks at me and takes a sip of his steaming coffee.
“You know, it’s worse for them, because they aren’t used to being apart. Us with our girlfriends- it’s just typical. They are always
together and just have to pretend they aren’t so in love. I can’t imagine doing that for three years.”
“Yeah, it sucks.”
Harry’s deep voice surprises me and I turn and look up at him. He’s smiling ear to ear, his demeanor completely different than before. I start to wonder about it when Michael snaps me out of my thoughts, calling us over to take our seats and begin the interview. The entire time, Harry acts like a happier, more hyper version of himself and I can’t help but to wonder why he’s acting this way.
Back to present day:
I knock on the door and within seconds, Louis flings it open, waving me in. I pull him into a quick hug and walk over to his couch, sitting down as he does the same in a chair next to me. Louis looks upset. He looks worried and just plain sad.
“What’s going on, Lou?”
He rests his elbows on his knees and buries his face in his hands, finally running his fingers through his hair and beginning to speak.
“It’s Harry. He’s just- not been himself lately.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“Really? Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?”
I raise my hands up in defense, not expecting such high drama when he called me.
“I just figured you were upset being away from him, too. I thought he was sad, nothing else…” I pause and decide to voice my doubts.
“Well, maybe something else, but I don’t know what.”
“I do. He’s been snorting coke.”
My mouth drops and loose strings are tied; everything starts to make sense.
“Wow. I- I noticed something was off, but I didn’t know it was something like that. What- how did you find out?”
He drops his hands to his thighs and looks around the room sadly.
“Well, I got back from France the other day and Harry ended up surprising me late at night. We went to, well, you know, you probably
don’t want to hear about this part-“
I can tell it’s upsetting him, but I want him to open up, so I can really try to help him.
“Louis, you can tell me. I’m here for you.”
“Long story short, he was just too rough. He hurt me, really badly.”
I can tell this is uncomfortable for him to talk about with me, but I really do want to listen. He should feel comfortable telling me anything and not holding back just because his relationship is different than mine. I can’t believe Harry would do something like that, but thinking back to how strange and mean he acted at the radio station, it’s a little more believable.
“I’m so sorry, Louis. I can’t believe he would do that to you.”
“Oh, that’s not even half of it. After that, I made him leave, and who does he run to? His fake girlfriend. Yeah, he slept with Cara, right after practically fucking raping me. I found them in bed together this morning. He didn’t remember anything, but she did. Plus, it was pretty fucking obvious since they were naked.”
He rubs his temples and tries to breathe. I lean over and rest my hand on his shoulder.
“Hey, I’m here to help. Anything you need me to do. I mean it.”
“He started going through withdrawal and he’s been really sick. I was just over there and… he seems to be okay now. I- I don’t know. It’s late, but maybe you could go over and just sleep on the couch? No matter how much he fucking hurts me, I just want to make sure he’s okay. Am I an idiot or what?”
“No, you’re just in love.”
I wish I could take back those words. Surely, it’s the last thing he wants to hear right now as he’s on the verge of tears, but it sounded comforting in my head.
“You’re right, Liam, and I really shouldn’t-“
Suddenly, his phone interrupts our conversation and he pulls it out of his pocket.
“It’s Jason.”
“Put it on speaker. Pretend I’m not here.”
He nods and answers, holding the phone in his hand to where we can both hear.
“Hello?”
“Louis, welcome back to London. Haven’t been stupid yet, have you?”
I hate the way Jason addresses us.
“I don’t exactly know what you mean by that, but whatever.”
“I got a surprise visit from the lovely Ms. Cara today.”
Shit.
“She mysteriously wants out of her fresh contract. Any idea why?”
“No, I don’t know. Maybe she found someone she really likes.”
I give Louis a thumbs up, the idea sounding legitimate.
“I don’t think so. Where’s Harry?”
“Why don’t you call him yourself?”
“Because his phone is turned off. Where is he? Is he with you?”
“No! I haven’t seen him!”
I get an idea and wave my hands excitedly, fighting to stay silent. I pull out my phone and quickly type out a note. ‘Say he’s got the flu!’
He nods fervently and waits for Jason to make his next rude remark.
“I have a hard time believing that.”
“Really, I haven’t. He’s got the flu and he’s been sleeping.”
The line is silent and Jason finally speaks.
“You better not be lying. I want to hear from him tomorrow. Make sure it happens.”
Louis rolls his eyes and the line goes dead before anyone says goodbye. I watch his phone return to the home screen before I speak.
“What an asshole.”
“Seriously.”
I stand up and put my phone back in my pocket, heading toward the door.
“I’m going to head over to Harry’s. He doesn’t know I’m coming, does he?”
“No. Just knock loudly if he doesn’t answer at first. Let him know it’s you.”
I nod my head, but he speaks again.
“Liam, thank you so much.”
“No problem, Lou. You guys are like family.”
*************
I knock for the second time, hearing some noise coming from the other side of the door, but it sounds like it’s far away. I continually
knock, louder each time, until finally I hear Harry yell out.
“Who is it!?”
“It’s Liam. Open up, Harry!”
“I want to be alone.”
I content to knock, knowing it will eventually annoy him into opening the door.
“Harry, please let me in.”
After a few more knocks, the door swings open, revealing a very sweaty Harry, wearing nothing but boxers. He’s breathing heavily and looks as though he has been crying for hours. I push him aside and look into his flat. Torn pillows cover the floor, feathers scattered all over his living room.
“Harry, what the hell happened in here?”
He sits down on the floor and covers his face with his hands, shaking his head.
“He’s gone, Liam. Louis left and I don’t think he’s ever coming back!”
He sobs into his hands and I rush over to him, joining him on the floor. I rest my arm around his shoulders and pull him into a warm hug.
“Shhh. It’s going to be okay. You need to get some sleep. I’ll help you to bed.”
He’s acting strange; frantic, really. I don’t know what else to do, but get him to sleep. He leans against my shoulder and I smell alcohol every time he breathes.
“I can’t get back in that bed. I’m going to burn the fucking sheets. I’ll just sleep here tonight.”
He curls into a ball on the floor, pulling a torn pillow to his head, and before I can dispute his idea, he begins to snore. I stand up and lean over, pulling his lifeless body up, only needing to drag him a few feet to the couch. He stirs a little, looking confused, but returning to peaceful sleep as soon as he’s laid on the cushions. I walk into his room to find the sheets torn and scattered everywhere. I pull a blanket off of his chair and bring it back to the living room, covering him. I turn around and take in all of the damage he did to his flat. I decided to start cleaning up in the bedroom.
I nervously approach Louis’ door, wondering what has been going on. I haven’t seen Louis since he got back, and frankly, I’ve hardly seen Harry since Louis left for France. The two occasions I did see him, something wasn’t right. The first time was at a radio interview that all of the lads were at, besides Louis.
Flashback (Three weeks earlier):
“Where is Harry?”
“I-I don’t know. He said he’d be here at eleven.”
“Well, it’s eleven and I don’t see him.”
Jason’s assistant, Michael, prances around, yelling at everyone just because Harry hasn’t made an appearance yet. I feel bad for Harry and Louis. I see every day how happy and in love they are, and for people to try to keep them apart- it’s just plain wrong. I hear commotion and turn quickly, observing a rugged-looking Harry walking through the door, beanie and sunglasses on. He slouches as he walks, plopping down on the nearby couch. He doesn’t even seem to care that everyone has been looking for him and doesn’t remove his glasses.
“Where the hell have you been?”
“Michael, can you leave me the fuck alone? Thanks.”
I’m shocked by Harry’s behavior, because it’s simply not like him to use that language in everyday conversation and he’s typically in a great mood. I stand up and walk over, kindly pushing Michael out of the way so that I can sit next to Harry.
“You alright, mate?”
“Sure.”
“Sure? That’s not convincing.”
“Liam, please-“
He stands up and raises his hand, as if he were going to continue but he shrugs it off and walks away.
“Nobody freak out, I’m just going to the loo.”
He sulks away and I try to think of why he’s so upset. I know he’s sad that Louis is gone, but it hasn’t even been a week, and it’s
happened before. Harry is very good at seeming okay when he’s not. Zayn walks over and sits where Harry had been previously.
“What’s up with grumpy gills?”
“No idea. I’m guessing he misses Louis.”
“Seems hungover to me,” he rolls his eyes and nods, “Which is also probably because he misses Lou.”
He looks at me and takes a sip of his steaming coffee.
“You know, it’s worse for them, because they aren’t used to being apart. Us with our girlfriends- it’s just typical. They are always
together and just have to pretend they aren’t so in love. I can’t imagine doing that for three years.”
“Yeah, it sucks.”
Harry’s deep voice surprises me and I turn and look up at him. He’s smiling ear to ear, his demeanor completely different than before. I start to wonder about it when Michael snaps me out of my thoughts, calling us over to take our seats and begin the interview. The entire time, Harry acts like a happier, more hyper version of himself and I can’t help but to wonder why he’s acting this way.
Back to present day:
I knock on the door and within seconds, Louis flings it open, waving me in. I pull him into a quick hug and walk over to his couch, sitting down as he does the same in a chair next to me. Louis looks upset. He looks worried and just plain sad.
“What’s going on, Lou?”
He rests his elbows on his knees and buries his face in his hands, finally running his fingers through his hair and beginning to speak.
“It’s Harry. He’s just- not been himself lately.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“Really? Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?”
I raise my hands up in defense, not expecting such high drama when he called me.
“I just figured you were upset being away from him, too. I thought he was sad, nothing else…” I pause and decide to voice my doubts.
“Well, maybe something else, but I don’t know what.”
“I do. He’s been snorting coke.”
My mouth drops and loose strings are tied; everything starts to make sense.
“Wow. I- I noticed something was off, but I didn’t know it was something like that. What- how did you find out?”
He drops his hands to his thighs and looks around the room sadly.
“Well, I got back from France the other day and Harry ended up surprising me late at night. We went to, well, you know, you probably
don’t want to hear about this part-“
I can tell it’s upsetting him, but I want him to open up, so I can really try to help him.
“Louis, you can tell me. I’m here for you.”
“Long story short, he was just too rough. He hurt me, really badly.”
I can tell this is uncomfortable for him to talk about with me, but I really do want to listen. He should feel comfortable telling me anything and not holding back just because his relationship is different than mine. I can’t believe Harry would do something like that, but thinking back to how strange and mean he acted at the radio station, it’s a little more believable.
“I’m so sorry, Louis. I can’t believe he would do that to you.”
“Oh, that’s not even half of it. After that, I made him leave, and who does he run to? His fake girlfriend. Yeah, he slept with Cara, right after practically fucking raping me. I found them in bed together this morning. He didn’t remember anything, but she did. Plus, it was pretty fucking obvious since they were naked.”
He rubs his temples and tries to breathe. I lean over and rest my hand on his shoulder.
“Hey, I’m here to help. Anything you need me to do. I mean it.”
“He started going through withdrawal and he’s been really sick. I was just over there and… he seems to be okay now. I- I don’t know. It’s late, but maybe you could go over and just sleep on the couch? No matter how much he fucking hurts me, I just want to make sure he’s okay. Am I an idiot or what?”
“No, you’re just in love.”
I wish I could take back those words. Surely, it’s the last thing he wants to hear right now as he’s on the verge of tears, but it sounded comforting in my head.
“You’re right, Liam, and I really shouldn’t-“
Suddenly, his phone interrupts our conversation and he pulls it out of his pocket.
“It’s Jason.”
“Put it on speaker. Pretend I’m not here.”
He nods and answers, holding the phone in his hand to where we can both hear.
“Hello?”
“Louis, welcome back to London. Haven’t been stupid yet, have you?”
I hate the way Jason addresses us.
“I don’t exactly know what you mean by that, but whatever.”
“I got a surprise visit from the lovely Ms. Cara today.”
Shit.
“She mysteriously wants out of her fresh contract. Any idea why?”
“No, I don’t know. Maybe she found someone she really likes.”
I give Louis a thumbs up, the idea sounding legitimate.
“I don’t think so. Where’s Harry?”
“Why don’t you call him yourself?”
“Because his phone is turned off. Where is he? Is he with you?”
“No! I haven’t seen him!”
I get an idea and wave my hands excitedly, fighting to stay silent. I pull out my phone and quickly type out a note. ‘Say he’s got the flu!’
He nods fervently and waits for Jason to make his next rude remark.
“I have a hard time believing that.”
“Really, I haven’t. He’s got the flu and he’s been sleeping.”
The line is silent and Jason finally speaks.
“You better not be lying. I want to hear from him tomorrow. Make sure it happens.”
Louis rolls his eyes and the line goes dead before anyone says goodbye. I watch his phone return to the home screen before I speak.
“What an asshole.”
“Seriously.”
I stand up and put my phone back in my pocket, heading toward the door.
“I’m going to head over to Harry’s. He doesn’t know I’m coming, does he?”
“No. Just knock loudly if he doesn’t answer at first. Let him know it’s you.”
I nod my head, but he speaks again.
“Liam, thank you so much.”
“No problem, Lou. You guys are like family.”
*************
I knock for the second time, hearing some noise coming from the other side of the door, but it sounds like it’s far away. I continually
knock, louder each time, until finally I hear Harry yell out.
“Who is it!?”
“It’s Liam. Open up, Harry!”
“I want to be alone.”
I content to knock, knowing it will eventually annoy him into opening the door.
“Harry, please let me in.”
After a few more knocks, the door swings open, revealing a very sweaty Harry, wearing nothing but boxers. He’s breathing heavily and looks as though he has been crying for hours. I push him aside and look into his flat. Torn pillows cover the floor, feathers scattered all over his living room.
“Harry, what the hell happened in here?”
He sits down on the floor and covers his face with his hands, shaking his head.
“He’s gone, Liam. Louis left and I don’t think he’s ever coming back!”
He sobs into his hands and I rush over to him, joining him on the floor. I rest my arm around his shoulders and pull him into a warm hug.
“Shhh. It’s going to be okay. You need to get some sleep. I’ll help you to bed.”
He’s acting strange; frantic, really. I don’t know what else to do, but get him to sleep. He leans against my shoulder and I smell alcohol every time he breathes.
“I can’t get back in that bed. I’m going to burn the fucking sheets. I’ll just sleep here tonight.”
He curls into a ball on the floor, pulling a torn pillow to his head, and before I can dispute his idea, he begins to snore. I stand up and lean over, pulling his lifeless body up, only needing to drag him a few feet to the couch. He stirs a little, looking confused, but returning to peaceful sleep as soon as he’s laid on the cushions. I walk into his room to find the sheets torn and scattered everywhere. I pull a blanket off of his chair and bring it back to the living room, covering him. I turn around and take in all of the damage he did to his flat. I decided to start cleaning up in the bedroom.
Notes
Thank you guys so much for all of the wonderful comments!!!!! It's been so amazing for me <3What do you think will happen when Harry wakes up? Is he on the right path to fixing things? Can Liam talk some sense into Harry in the morning?
What's been your favorite part of this story so far?! Please comment!! I love talking to you guys! xx
Love this
6/20/20