I claim it, bye.

Mag 🦋

sᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴇᴇɴᴛʜ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ.

"Mom! I need to talk to you!"

"Honey not now, I need to get to work, we can talk tonight, yeah?" - She said rapidly as she gathered all her things, putting them inside her bag.

As she took her car keys in hand I slightly nodded.

"Sure."

"I almost forgot, Louis, I need you to drop Doris and Ernie at school today and go pick them up after, it's their first day they can't be late." - She said already reaching the front door.

"Sure Mom, I'll do it." - I sighed and turned in my heels.

I ran upstairs and dressed myself up to go to the city, then I softly opened the twins bedroom door and smiled to myself at their peaceful sleep.

"Hey munchkins, we need to get up." - I said sweetly, getting close to Ernie and shaking his shoulder.

I felt Ernie moved and let out a little yawn, then I shook Doris as well.

"C'mon, it's your first day of school!" - I said, trying to cheer them on.

Ernie suddenly opened his eyes, sitting up with a wide smile.

"First day of school!"

🌊🌊🌊

After I dressed the twins, prepared their bags and made sure they had eaten breakfast, I called a cab to drive us to the city in time for them to get to class.

It was almost nine thirty in the morning when I left them. I figured that since I didn't have much money to pay a cab back to the farm and then another one to pick the kids up, I should probably kill time around the city.

My first thought was to visit Harry at his hotel, but I knew that he would probably still be running on the beach.
So instead I went window shopping.

Of course, after a while I got tired, window shopping wasn't exactly my thing, so I decided to go to the Styles' hotel and wait for Harry.
Knowing he would come back any minute.

I made my way through the big doors of the luxurious hotel and sat on one of the arm chairs near the reception.
I knew nobody was going to give me any information about him anyways so, why bother.

I spent some time just looking out of the window and analyzing how the employees worked around the hotel, they were as precise as a swiss watch.

And then I saw Harry walking through the front entrance and heading quickly to the elevators, still in his running suit but with an annoyed expression on his face. He waved at the employees in the reception as he passed by and I hurried to catch him before he got into the lift.

"Harry!"

He rapidly turned around and spotted me.

"Louis? What are you doing here?"

"Sorry I didn't show up today, my little siblings started school this morning and I had to drop them there. I still have some time before picking them up and taking them home again so I decided to come here. Is it okay?"

I saw his features softened and a half smile formed on his face.

"Sure. I mean, no. I don't know, I have a meeting to attend in like twenty minutes, and I kinda need to shower first."

"Oh, it's okay, sorry, I shouldn't have come." - I said, starting to back off and head to the door.

"No, wait. At what time do you need to pick them up?"

"In like two hours."

"Would you wait until my meeting ends? We can hang out after it and then I can take you in the car and drive you all back to your farm."

"Really?" - I asked, not very convinced.

"Yeah."

"Okay, sure."

He smiled and made a sign for me to follow him to the lift. Once we got inside he pressed the penthouse button, pressing the code as well.

Harry and I entered his penthouse minutes later and he gestured and pointed around the, I must say, obnoxiously modern and expensive penthouse.

"Kitchen there, bathroom there, my room, living room and terrace. Suit yourself. I'll go take a shower."

"Thanks." - I smiled and he turned to get inside his room.

"I'd be out in ten minutes."

I watched him disappear into his bedroom, figuring he had a bathroom in there too because seconds later I heard water running.

I wandered around the penthouse and after a few minutes I turned on the big screen of the tv, quickly finding the YouTube button and searching for some Oasis' song.
Settling for one of my favorites, Champagne supernova.

I let myself drop in the sofa, listening to some music until Harry came out of his room with his damped hair and dressed with suit trousers and a white buttoned up shirt.
He sent me a quick smile and nodded at the tv.

"Good song."

"I know."

He giggled and walked towards his other bathroom, leaving the door open and getting his hairdryer. I stared at his soft movements while he dried his hair, he was humming at the beat of the song while a smile plastered on his face.

Everything, absolutely everything about this guy was hypnotizing.

And I thanked God that he couldn't hear my thoughts right now, because he would surely make fun of me.

"Lou, I have this meeting now, would you keep silent please? It won't be longer than an hour or so."

"The meeting is here?"

Harry stared at me and laughed.

"It's a virtual meeting. I'll do it on my computer."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." - He laughed. - "You can be around and all, if you want something to eat you can call room service too, just keep it as quiet as you can, please." - He smiled.

"Sure."

So, as Harry setted everything up for his meeting in the living room where he had a big desk too, I continued my tour around the place.

I found that his bedroom was impeccable and neat, his wardrobe was amazingly big and filled with colorful clothes, he indeed had another bathroom in there, full of skin products and perfumes, and everything was just immaculate.

I wasn't surprised, though.

But what did surprise me was to find a guitar on the side of the bed.

He just keeps getting more perfect every second, isn't he?

I returned to the living room and walked towards him, noticing his meeting hadn't started yet.

"I didn't know you played the guitar."

"Sometimes."

"That's cool. Would you show me sometime?"

"If you want." - He shrugged.

Then he turned to the screen of his computer when suddenly a lot of little faces started to show up and say hello.

I didn't know why I stood there, clearly in the frame of Harry's camera where everyone else could also see me. But I just stayed in that place without finding the impulse to move.

Harry looked up at me with an amused face.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, oh my God, sorry I'll leave you to work."

"Who is that, Harry?" - I heard a femenine voice coming through the speakers.

"A friend."

I looked at the screen and noticed it was Gemma. I waved softly at her and turned around, knowing I should leave him to do his meeting in peace.
Harry took my wrist before I could actually leave and made me turn on my feet.

"Stay around here, yeah?" - He said almost in a whisper.

"Here?" - I asked and he nodded. - "Why?"

"I'm calmer around you."

"Oh, okay yeah. I can sit there." - I said, pointing at an armchair really close to his desk, but away enough to not be in the frame of the camera.

"Yes, do that." - He smiled.

"Harry, we're waiting for you." - I heard another voice coming from the speakers.

"Sorry." - He said, now paying his full attention to the screen and leaving me free to sit on the armchair.

I spent the following forty-five minutes watching him work, discuss hotel things, arguing in favor of the rise of the salaries for his employees because it was clear that other people didn't want it, taking decisions of other hotel of the Styles' chain with his sister and finally saying a polite goodbye to the people and turning his chair around to look at me again.

"Sorry."

"For what?" - I asked.

"For making you listen to that and keep you waiting."

"It was nice to see you work, now I understand a bit better. You are good at what you do."

"I still hate it though." - He said, bitterly.

"Aren't you mad about having to be here and do this against your will?" - I asked softly.

He shook his head, staring now at his lap.

"I'm not mad. At the end of the day I know I have to do this for my sister, and my mother too. She wouldn't want Gemma to deal with everything on her own."

"But isn't your father helping? Wasn't he in the meeting too?"

"No…" - He trailed and tilted his head, looking at me. - "Do you want to know what really happened?"

"Yeah, if you want to tell me of course."

"I'll tell you if you promise you won't share it with the world. We have enough problems as it is."

"I won't say a word." - I reassured him.

He nodded and sat properly, now completely facing me.

"Okay, so after my mother died I just couldn't handle it, I was really depressed, she was my everything. But my dad was in a  worse state than me, he was shattered and eventually he started drinking, turning that sadness into rage.
There were months where none of us talked to each other, not my dad or Gemma. I found out later that Gemms had to take over the business on her own even if she was dealing with her own grief as well, because my father just couldn't even stand up from his bed, you know? I know she tried to pull him out, but after trying a couple of times she decided to come to me for help. And Louis, I was devastated, I was not only depressed but also heartbroken because Mae left me after the first two months of being sad. She dumped me because I was depressed. How sad is that?" - He said with a bitter laugh slipping through his lips. - "So Gemma found me and dragged me here, wanting me to run this as she found ways to help our dad. I just can't leave her to do everything on her own, I owe her."

I nodded and dropped my head down to my chest.
This was harder than it looked like at the beginning.

I didn't say a word, I just stood up from the armchair and extended my hand to him, motioning him to stand up as well.
He frowned in confusion but he agreed nevertheless.

When Harry was finally standing on his feet in front of me, I knew what I had to do.
I surrounded him with my arms at the height of his shoulders and engulfed him in a tight hug, resting my head in his collarbone.

I wanted to shelter him, to protect him from the world, to comfort him. He looked so fragile to my eyes, but yet so strong.

Harry tensed for a second, but relaxed immediately after, wrapping his arms around my waist too, completing the hug and sighing into my hair.

In Harry's embrace the world stopped on his axis. There was no time, no sound, no purpose.
I felt his body pressed against mine, his body warmth, his breathing on my shoulder, his comforting touch, and I knew it.

I just knew it.

This was where I belonged.

It was just a hug, but it made my brain freeze and my heartbeat raise.

I don't know how long it lasted, but none of us were emitting a sound.
And it was nice that way. It felt right.

I knew I had to be the first one to break it though. So, after giving him one last stroke to his shoulders, I pulled away, looking into his eyes.

"I know I probably don't know much about this stuff, because you said it yourself, I'm a farm boy, but I'm also your friend and I want to help you, Harry. Whenever you need it. You can rely on me."

"Thank you." - He whispered and I saw a single tear escaping through his cheek. - "How much time do we have until we have to pick your siblings?"

"We still have about an hour."

"Okay, do you want to eat something before going?"

I nodded happily and he laughed.

Harry ordered food to the hotel's restaurant and fifteen minutes later we were eating in front of his TV, an stupid program playing in the background as we chatted about banalities and shared some jokes.

The mood changed completely, we just relaxed and let the minutes pass in between laughs.

Harry ended up being so much different than I expected.

When we finally ended our meals, Harry changed his clothes into something more sporty, and guided me to the parking lot where we both got inside his, of course, luxurious car.

Because he couldn't have it any other way.

I told him to wait in the car as I got Ernie and Doris, he agreed and I stepped out.

I stood at the front of the entrance at my sibling's school, waiting for them to get out. I saw their teacher waving at me when she spotted me, palming the twins on their backs so they could run to me.

"Hey munchkins, how was your day?" - I asked, squatting to their height.

"Ernie broke a pen and all the tint went to his face, it was so funny." - Doris laughed.

"It wasn't funny." - Ernie answered, folding his arms on his chest.

"Oh, yes I still can see a bit or tint here." - I said and poked his little nose sweetly.

Ernie scrunched his face and I laughed, lifting them both up in my arms and returning to Harry's car, where he was lying against the side of it, smiling at me from a distance.

I opened the backseat door and placed the twins inside, buckling their seat belts.

"Kids, this is Harry. He is going to drive us home." - I pointed out when Harry sat in the driver's seat.

"Is this the Harry from the story?" - Doris asked me.

"What story?" - Harry asked.

"The one Louis told us to sleep." - Doris said.

I mentally slapped myself in the face.

"Yes babies, he is. But keep your mouth shut." - I whispered to the twins and they laughed.

I closed the backseat door and moved to sit in the passenger seat.

Harry raised an eyebrow at me with a smirk on his face.

"Just drive." - I said as I rolled my eyes.

Harry laughed and turned the car on, driving towards the outskirts, right to where my house was.

When we arrived, thirty minutes later, Ernie and Doris were asleep on the backseat, so I asked Harry to help me carry one of them inside and let them rest on the living room couch.

We silently walked away from the room and returned to the entrance of my house.

"My other sisters must be upstairs. They go to school on their own, you know." - I explained as I noticed him looking around the place.

"Yeah. This is actually a really nice house. Enormous."

"You haven't seen the backyard yet." - I smiled.

"I'd love a tour someday." - He said and let out an awkward giggle.

"Anytime."

He nodded and stood there, looking at his feet, both of us now noticing that uncomfortable tension.

"You can stay." - I said in a lower volume than I wanted to.

"I don't want to bother you." - He said, as shyly as me.

"You're not. I can give you a tour."

"Okay, sure." - He shrugged.