So the last chapter is finally here...make sure you leave a comment with your feedback and let me know if you liked the ending x

Happy reading :D

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Harry hasn't been himself for a month now. He hasn't spoken to Louis since the last time he's seen him, which was that night after the club when they were both drunk and couldn't understand each other at all, so maybe that's why he's also been ignoring Xander. The atmosphere in the dorm is really weird and awkward, because they never talk unless it's a 'hello' or a 'goodbye'. Harry's also missed Louis' last four games, and he isn't planning on going to the one this week either.

Driving the car is also hard, because it reminds him of Louis; therefore, he rarely uses it.

When Niall and Barbara found out about what happened the day after the club, they told him that he should try to call Louis and explain everything. Of course Harry's tried to do so, but Louis either ignores his calls, literally hangs up on him, or just shuts off his phone completely. Harry hasn't tried texting him though, because he knows he isn't going to get to him that way.

The best thing to do right now is to give Louis space, because 'time will heal everything', as Barbara had put it. Harry didn't think that 'time' would mean more than a couple of weeks, but here he is, in a secluded, quiet coffee shop right off campus, working on one of his assignments and still not talking to Louis.

He knows he's to blame, but so is Louis, sort of. If he'd just let Harry properly explain to him what and how it happened, they would've been okay by now. But neither of them was in their right minds that night, so they're both at fault in their own ways.

Harry's sitting at the window in the corner of the coffee shop he's been frequenting lately, working on his Contract Law assignment due in two days, when his phone rings.

His heart stops, because he always thinks it's Louis, and even though it never is, his heart still jumps at the ringtone. One thing he hates about iPhones, it's that you can't set a certain ringtone for a certain person.

It's Niall calling him.

"Hello?"

"Hi mate, how're you doing?" Niall asks, and his cheery voice always puts Harry in a better mood.

"Good...well, not really."

"Still haven't talked to Louis, huh?"

Harry shakes his head, and then remembers that Niall can't see him. "That, and I have a three thousand word essay to write for Contract Law and why it's important and blah blah blah."

"Shit, that sucks mate. Listen, I just talked to David and he was telling me that he's thinking of throwing Louis a surprise birthday party."

Harry's stomach turns upside down.

"And?"

Niall hesitates. "He asked me if I think you'd be up for it and would show up."

"Uh...I don't know if Louis would want to see me there."

"Well, it's almost two months away..."

Harry bites his lip and drags his fingers along the edges of his MacBook. "Yeah, but I don't think we'll talk until then."

"It's his birthday though."

"Do you need an answer right now?"

"No. David said he'll start the preparations with the other guys on the team and Louis' friends next month, but he wanted me to tell you beforehand so you'll have time to think about it."

"Alright. I will. Lets see how things evolve until then." Harry says, gulping.

There's a small pause, before Harry speaks again. "I miss you."

"I miss you too mate, but I don't think I'll get the time until Christmas to come to Manchester. Barbara and I are going to Louis' birthday party...I mean, if you want us to. If you feel uncomfortable, we'll totally understand."

"No no, I couldn't say no for the two of you. But I'll think about it...whether I'll come to the party or not. I'll give David a ring in a couple of weeks."

"Alright. Take care of yourself mate."

"You too Niall. Bye."

"Bye."

When Harry hangs up, he immediately feels lonely again, so the only thing he can do to keep his mind off things is to continue typing.

-

It's November 30th when he calls David around seven in the evening as he lays in bed with his laptop in his lap. Xander's out somewhere with some people he's met during Welcome Week (the week Harry didn't even bother leaving his house in Manchester), so Harry's got the dorm all to himself.

David answers on the third ring. "Hi Harry." "Hey." He makes a short pause, thinking about what he should start off with. "So I'm calling about uh, Louis' birthday."

"Yeah. You've decided to come?" David says, and there's something that sounds a lot like happiness in his voice.

"I did, yeah. But if he sees me and doesn't want me there, then I'll leave."

David sighs on the other end. "Look, I shouldn't be telling you this, but Harry, Louis is miserable without you. He hasn't been himself for weeks."

"What do you mean?"

There's a pause on the other end, as if David is thinking about what he should tell him. "He used to be in such a good mood and make jokes and just...play well, but now it's like everything's changed. And it's weird not seeing you in your usual seat during a game, and then in our locker room after."

"He said that?" Harry asks with a trace of hope in his voice.

"No, I'm saying it. And I'm sure everyone, especially Louis, is thinking it too."

Harry doesn't know what he should do with that information. "Alright well...thank you. So about the party, tell me more about it."

"It's on the 24th, and I'm taking him out for dinner or something with Liam and Zayn, so by the time we come back to his house everyone invited will already be inside."

Harry wants to ask him whether he thinks Louis would be okay with so many people in his house without his knowledge, but then he remembers that he's Louis, so of course he would.

"And are you a hundred percent sure that Louis would want me there?"

"I'm sure he'll be incredibly happy to see you. Trust me."

"Alright. What about gifts?"

David chuckles. "Well, since he has pretty much everything he wants, we won't be collecting money for a bigger gift. Everyone's on their own."

"Okay." Harry says, and even though the party is almost a month away, he already gets butterflies by thinking about it. "I'll see you on the 24ththen. Around what time?"

"Eight, so we can bring Louis around at nine, half past nine."

"Great."

"Well, I have to start calling everyone else now and give them a heads up. Bye Harry."

"Bye."

Harry hangs up and exhales. There are twenty-four days to go until Louis' surprise birthday party, so he's sure he'll calm himself down until then. Twenty-four days is a lot of time.

-

As it turns out, twenty-four days go by faster than anyone could imagine. Harry's been busy with exams, last minute projects and assignments, so he didn't even realize he was getting closer to Christmas Eve, and also Louis' birthday.

It's Thursday morning and he's sound asleep when there's a loud bang on the door, as if someone might've died on the hallway, or maybe it's the weed guy again giving out free kushes.

Harry gets up with a groan and goes over to the door, completely ignoring Xander's groans. As soon as he opens the door, Niall and Barbara tackle him into a hug so violently, they almost fall over.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Harry laughs, for the first time in God knows how long. He hasn't seen Niall and Barbara in so long (besides Skype).

"We came to take you out for Christmas Eve lunch!" Niall says, patting his back.

"And then we're heading to Louis' surprise birthday party together." Barbara adds with a smile on her face. Harry tries not to show any kind of emotion at her words, and instead chooses to look at the clock on the wall.

"It's already noon? Shit." He groans as he opens his closet to look for something to wear. "Are we coming back to my dorm before the party?"

Niall nods so Harry ends up picking some basic clothes for going out to lunch and then shopping for Louis' birthday. He has no idea what to get him, especially since he doesn't know how Louis will react when he'll see him later tonight. He's literally dreading it.

"Also, you're buying me lunch because I paid the twenty pound fee for the alcohol." Niall announces through the door as Harry takes a shower.

Since Niall and Barbara came by train, Harry ends up driving to Arndale Mall in his car. They park behind the large shopping centre and argue about where to eat all the way to the food court. They eventually settled on KFC and Harry bought them all a family bucket and large fries with large sodas to make them happy.

"So what's been going on with you guys?" Harry asks once they settle down at a table in the middle and start digging into the food.

"Well, you pretty much know everything because we tell you on Skype, so we should be the ones asking you about how you've been doing, because you've been really secretive lately."

Harry rolls his eyes and stares down at the chicken wings. "You know how I've been doing. Not talking to Louis and being miserable, that's what my life's been like for the past three months. I'm literally afraid to open Tumblr or Instagram and see his face."

"Why?" Niall asks, confused.

"Because if I see him, then I'll start feeling even worse than I already do and...I don't know. I'm just afraid to see his face because it'll remind me of how much I love him and what a stupid prick I was."

"I think you should just explain yourself to him tonight. After midnight, when everyone sings happy birthday, just get him to a secluded place and talk it over. I'm sure he'll hear you out." Barbara suggests with hope in her voice.

Harry bites. "Not if he's drunk though. You know how he gets after he's had a few. Irascible and irritated. I honestly don't know how it's going to go down, but if he tells me to leave and doesn't want me there, then I'll leave without a second thought and will consider it closure."

"Do you want to bet that you two will make up tonight?" Barbara asks, leaning forward on her elbows and smirking.

"Yeah."

"I bet that you two will make up and sort things out tonight. And you're betting that you won't?"

Harry nods. He knows it's not in his favor to bet against it, but he's just trying to be realistic for a change.

"Fifty pounds." Niall says, butting into their conversation. Harry and Barbara agree, before they shake on it.

"Now." Harry starts, pushing the empty bucket aside and patting his stomach. "Let's see if we can find anything for Louis."

-

Harry ends up buying Louis a really fluffy blanket (for the downstairs couch because Louis usually falls asleep on it and always wakes up being cold unless Harry is...was there to cover him up or carry him upstairs), a special bundle of all Breaking Bad seasons with extras and behind the scene footage (so Louis can cuddle under the blanket Harry got him as he's watching his favorite show), and a doormat that says 'fuck off' (because Louis had mentioned it to him a few months ago when they were out shopping but forgot about it-Harry hasn't).

He just hopes Louis will like the gift, rather than throwing it out and sending Harry home-like Harry assumes things will go down tonight.

They get back to his dorm, and just to Harry's luck, Xander isn't there, which means that the three of them can change and shower in peace.

Harry picks out a white button up, a black blazer, black jeans, and his white converse to go along with the shirt. He gets into the shower after Barbara is done, and half an hour later they're done and ready to go.

To say that Harry is hyperventilating and freaking out during their taxi ride would be an understatement. He's never been this nervous in his life, not even during that time period when he was waiting for the acceptance letter. Louis' gift is resting in his lap, and Harry can't help but move his legs up and down throughout the entire ride. He feels like he might throw up, or just pass out completely, but before he can even do any of this, the cab stops in front of Louis' house.

There are no cars outside (everyone was instructed to travel by taxi or anything else except of a car), but there is a light coming from the living room window, which means that people are inside already.

Harry pays the driver before they walk up the stairs to Louis' door, and ring the bell. Stan opens it, and for a second he seems shocked to see Harry, but then he smiles and welcomes them in.

They leave the presents on the island counter in the kitchen, where all the other presents are, before they join everyone else in the kitchen. Harry spends some time greeting the guys who were on the team, some of Louis' friends he recognizes, and Sophia who smiles and hugs him.

"Louis is going to be here in fifteen minutes." She tells him when they're outside on the back porch, smoking. "Liam just texted me."

"Is anyone here?"

"Yeah, you were the last ones who needed to arrive."

Harry bites his lip and looks down at his feet.

As soon as they finish their cigarettes, Niall comes in and tells them that Louis is on his way with the guys and he should be arriving in less than five minutes, so Harry and Sophia follow him back inside.

Harry's heart and stomach are going crazy on him, and he feels like he's about to pass out.

Someone turns off the light in the living room and they all wait for Louis' car to pull up in the garage. They eventually hear an engine running outside, before it stops and a door is shut.

Now it's just a matter of seconds before Louis will come in and be surprised.

The door opens and it's dead silent, and Louis doesn't even get to say something when he turns the light on in the living room, because everyone jumps and yells 'Surprise!' at the same time.

Louis is startled at first, his eyes falling on the banner hanging from the ceiling wishing him a happy 24th birthday, and places his hand on his chest.

"Jesus Christ." He breathes. "I can't believe this."

He looks genuinely happy and surprised, but it all goes away when Harry makes eye contact with him. It feels like they're both frozen for a split of a second, before Louis averts his eyes and starts greeting and thanking everyone.

Half of the people present go into the living room with their drinks, and the other half waits in the kitchen for Louis to open his presents. Louis unpacks things for his car, Christmas decorations, things for his house, etc. When he gets to Harry's present and pulls out the Breaking Bad package, his eyes light up. Then he pulls out the fluffy blanket and the doormat.

"That's fucking siiiick! Who got this for me?"

No one says anything, so Harry holds his hand up shyly. When Louis sees him, his expression turns serious as he puts the presents back into the bag. He mutters a 'thank you' under his breath before he opens two other presents and then yells for everyone to go and get drinks.

They eventually move to the living room after pouring themselves drinks, and David pushes an USB drive into Louis' speakers, before he starts a party playlist.

"So that was awkward." Harry says into Niall's ear when everyone starts dancing or doing their own thing. They're in the corner of the living room, standing quite close to each other so they can hear themselves over the loud music.

"Why?" Niall yells, bringing his ear closer to Harry's mouth.

"Because his expression totally changed when he saw that the present was from me!"

Niall doesn't seem to be paying close attention to him, so Harry follows his line of vision and it eventually falls on Barbara and a girl, who are talking to each other. Harry immediately recognizes the girl as being Marnie, Niall's old friend.

"What's up with that?" Harry asks.

"Nothing. 's just weird, that's all."

"Did you and Marnie used to have a thing?"

Niall nods, taking a sip of his beer. "When we were younger, but now she's engaged. Got engaged last month, I think. Anyway, about you and Louis. You should go talk to him."

"Talk to him when? I can't talk to him when someone else is present."

"I'll watch out for an occasion, okay?"

Harry shrugs, because he has no idea what he'd say to Louis if they ever got to talk.

He doesn't get the time to worry about that though, because Ander shows up out of nowhere and asks him if he wants to dance. Harry accepts of course, since he's a nice guy, and soon enough Barbara also comes over to pull Niall towards the swarm of people that are currently moving to Avicii.

They're quite close to each other, Harry and Ander, but Harry couldn't give a fuck honestly. Louis hasn't said anything to him yet (even though they're making eye contact from across the room quite frequently), so he just wants to get drunk until he can't walk straight, and maybe forget about everything he's feeling.

Tomorrow's Christmas Day, and his father is in Paris with Kathy, so he's got nothing else to do but to get fucking mortal.

Ander disappears into the kitchen for another round of drinks, so that's when Niall comes over and tells him to come with him upstairs because some of the lads are going to share a joint and Stan invited him.

"Are you sure I'm not extra?" Harry asks as they walk up the stairs. He knows that the drinks he's had so far, combined with the weed will get him incredibly shit-faced.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Niall says, rolling his eyes as the opens the door to the guest room.

Harry's eyes automatically fall on Louis, who is sitting at the edge of the bed next to Stan. Oli, Luke, and Zayn are also there, but it's a habit of Harry's to only have eyes for Louis.

Louis doesn't say anything when they make eye contact, so Harry sits down between to Niall and Luke, as far away from Louis as possible.

Stan does the honors and lights up the joint, before he passes it to Luke, because Louis doesn't want to smoke since he's in the middle of Premier League and doesn't want Van Gaal to find out, otherwise he'll be kicked off the team.

Harry takes two long drags after Luke, but doesn't feel anything so he passes it on to Niall. They pass it around four times until it's gone and no one feels up for it anymore. In spite of the drinking and the smoking he's done, Harry doesn't feel dizzy at all; maybe because Louis is right across from him, looking anywhere but in Harry's direction.

"Well then, who wants to do some shots?" Niall suggests and doesn't wait for anyone to answer before he's out the door. Everyone except of Louis and Harry follows, because Louis has to put away the small silver box away, and the remains of the joint have to be thrown in the trash.

Harry's not sure why he stayed behind, but for some reason he's determined to make Louis talk to him. The footballer apparently seems to have other ideas, because he doesn't say anything else as he walks outside on the balcony.

Harry follows him, and even though they're the only people in the dead of night, with muffled music coming from downstairs, Louis still won't look at him.

"Lou." Harry says, and really wishes his voice didn't break at the three-letter word.

This time though, Louis looks up to meet his eyes properly, for the first time in three whole months. Harry feels like he's about to break down.

Louis averts his eyes when lights a cigarette and leans forward against the railing. Harry does the same, searching for something to say.

"Don't make me live without you." Is the only thing says.

Louis doesn't say anything, but Harry sees him inhaling, like he's about to. And he does, eventually.

"I don't want to either."

Harry's heart feels like it's going a million miles an hour. "Can you just...let me explain myself? Please. One minute, that's all I ask for."

"Go on then." Louis says, voice bitter but with a slight crack in it.

"Xander followed me after the game to the locker rooms, and when I told him to stop following me because he's only causing problems, he told me that he'll show me a real problem and kissed me. It lasted like, three seconds, and I pushed him away immediately." Harry starts, looking down at his hands before he continues. "And I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to hurt you and make a big deal out of something so insignificant that meant less than nothing. I didn't want us to fight over something...irrelevant. It meant nothing. I haven't even spoken to him since."

Once Harry's finished, he looks straight ahead, not bearing to look at Louis. He said everything he had to say, and now it's Louis' turn to say something.

"You should've told me the moment it happened. I didn't...I've had some time to think and...it was my fault too. I was pissed and sad and didn't give you a chance to properly explain. I was so afraid that you didn't tell me because you didn't trust me and that it was actually something worth hiding. I've seen people in me mom's life cheat and leave her, and that's...that's how it all starts. With lies and things that mean nothing. That's why I was so afraid and absolutely devastated when I found out from fucking Herrera, and not you."

Harry rolls his eyes. "He exaggerated a bit too...it wasn't that long. Louis, you have to believe me when I tell you that it was nothing. I couldn't live with myself if you didn't. I absolutely hate it when we're fighting."

Louis puts his cigarette out in the ashtray placed on the table behind him, and then turns back around to face Harry. "Me too. I'm sorry."

Harry's heart is instantly filled with warmth. "I'm sorry." He says, and he is.

Louis steps forward and pulls Harry into one of their typical hugs; where his face is buried in Harry's chest and Harry's chin is resting on the top of his head.

"I missed you so much." Louis mumbles into Harry's shirt, squishing him even harder.

"Me too, you have no idea. Couldn't sleep, couldn't eat."

Louis snorts. "Now you're being over dramatic."

"Am not! I swear. All those rejected calls and messages made me die a bit inside."

"I just couldn't talk to you...I was so scared. I don't even know why, I'm an idiot." Louis admits.

Before Harry can say anything else, Barbara comes in and stops when she sees them on the balcony.

"Uh...I hate to interrupt this, but Niall is literally passed out. I think it's time to go."

Harry nods, even though he doesn't want to let go of Louis. Not now, not ever.

"I'll wait for you outside. He's in the taxi already."

"Alright, I'll be there in a minute."

Barbara wishes Louis a happy birthday once again, before she's out the door.

"Can we like...see each other tomorrow for lunch or something? So we can talk about...us. Things." Harry suggests, letting go of Louis.

"I have to be at me mom's in Doncaster for lunch, but I'll make it to dinner. I'll make reservations somewhere."

"Alright." Harry smiles. "We'll talk tomorrow."

Louis nods and leads him downstairs. Before he sees Harry out the door, he pulls him in for a kiss.

It feels so good, kissing Louis again after what seems like an eternity.

"I love you." Louis whispers against his lips.

Harry's shocked by the words, because he definitely wasn't expecting them. Before he can say them back though, someone is pulling Louis inside and the door is slammed shut.

On the way back to his house, Harry finds himself smiling as he presses his face to the window. He hasn't been this happy in a while.

-

He wakes up way past noon the next day, with his face squished into Niall's shoulder. Somehow, the three of them ended up in his bed, but Barbara is nowhere to be seen.

There's a note from her on the headboard, saying she's left already because she has to be home at 12pm to celebrate Christmas with her family.

Harry thinks it would be a good idea if he woke Niall up so he can get to his house in time too; after all, that's also a reason they came back to Manchester.

"What the...what do you want Harry?" Niall mumbles, almost hitting him with his elbow.

"I don't know how to tell you this, but it's 2pm on Christmas Day and you're in my bed."

Niall immediately sits up. "Shit. Fuck. Fuck."

Harry helps him out by making some orange juice and quick toast to cure Niall's hangover while he's is in the bathroom taking a shower.

"I love you, you know that right?" Niall tells him as he grabs his toast and downs the juice in one go. "Can you call me a taxi while I try to find my other shoe?"

"Sure."

Niall is out the door ten minutes later, but not before making sure he gives Harry a big, sloppy kiss on the cheek.

All Harry has to do now is wait until Louis calls him with further information about their 'make it or break it' date (as Barbara calls it).

It turns out that he doesn't have to wait too long for that to happen, because Louis calls him two hours later, when Harry's one the couch cuddling Ernie and watching The X Factor.

"Hi b-Harry. I'll be at your house to pick you up in like...three hours. Or dorm, whatever. Is that okay?"

"Yeah. I'm at my house."

"Alright. I'm just leaving me mom's house."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye Harry."

As soon as he hangs up, Harry hurries upstairs to shower and pick out what to wear. He's fairly nervous about tonight, but he's got a feeling in his stomach that things will turn out fine. One thing he doesn't know though, is what to do or say about the 'I love you' bomb Louis dropped on him last night.

He knows he loves Louis; he's loved him for more than four months now, but he's never said it out loud. Mainly because he's afraid that Louis won't feel the same. Now that Harry knows he does, what's stopping him really? His own chicken self.

The doorbell rings outside sooner than expected, when Harry is just about done with his hair. He hurries to grab his wallet, keys, and phone before he walks downstairs.

Louis is waiting for him outside the gate with a fucking rose in his hand. It's snowing and it's already dark, but he looks beautiful in the dim streetlights.

"Hi." He smiles when his eyes set on Harry, who locks his gate.

"Hey." Harry breathes and leans down to kiss him.

Louis stands up on his tiptoes, wrapping his arms around Harry' neck as he deepens the kiss. Harry's heart is going crazy, and every single fiber of his being is on fire.

The kiss seems endless; it makes up for lost time, shed tears, and all the times Harry wished Louis were there.

When they eventually break apart, Louis takes a step back and hands him the rose.

"I know it's snowing and the rose will probably die, but I really wanted to get you one. Sort of...a Christmas/make up gift, I guess?"

Harry smiles. "You're the best Christmas gift I could ever ask for."

Louis rolls his eyes, but the fond on his face betrays him.

"About what you said yesterday...I didn't get a chance to say it back." Harry starts.

"Oh, you don't-I don't know why I said that. I guess I just...I felt it right in that moment. And right now. And many times before, but I way too scared to say it. I don't want you to say it because you feel obligated to. I want you to say it when you feel it. That would make me happy." Louis says, and takes a long breath once he's done speaking so fast.

"Lou." Harry smiles, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know. So where are we going?"

"There's a cozy restaurant a few blocks away, I saw it on the way here. We can walk there if you want."

Harry nods and doesn't waste any time to take his hand. Their fingers intertwine out of habit, and they fit so perfectly together that it can't be a coincidence.

"You know...I came to a conclusion, as to why we argued so badly that night." Louis says two minutes later.

"Enlighten me." Harry smirks, squeezing his hand.

"You know you shouldn't worry when we argue, because it means there's something left to fight for."

"You're right."

Louis stops, and turns to look at Harry. "I don't know what's going to happen for here on out, but I know that I want to be with you as long as you'll have me."

Harry's face breaks into a smile. "I love you."

The way Louis' eyes light up at the words makes everything worth it. All the pain Harry's been through; all the sleepless nights, everything.

Louis presses their lips together, and even though it's cold outside, Harry feels warm all over.

"You know it's you right?" Harry whispers into his mouth, bringing him closer by the back of his neck.

Louis chuckles. "I hope so."

"It's always been you."

THE END

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Let me know what you thought of the last chapter in the comments :D

It feels really weird finishing this story because I really enjoyed writing it. Even though sometimes I didn't get the time so I ended up postponing some chapters, I never had writers block.

I'll make it into a book called 'I Can Bring You Fame', or 'Summer Love', because Bring Your Body Baby sounded a bit vulgar and sexual, for anyone interested :D Let me know in the comments below which title is best, and don't forget to check on the chapter or my Tumblr tomorrow for the link so you can buy it (if you want!)

I also want to announce something else! I'll be posting the first chapter of my spy!AU on the 24th of December, 5pm UK time, so make sure you give it a read!