author: loubearsboo

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"Took a deep breath in the mirror, he didn't like it when I wore high heels but I do"

"Just breathe. In...and out, in and out." Harry told himself, while standing in front of the full length mirror in his room, staring at his reflection in front of him and trying to calm himself down. He was clad in his favorite black skinny jeans, the ones with the rips in the knees that he hadn't worn in ages because of him, and a plain white shirt with a flannel over it. The jeans had always been a signature piece in his wardrobe, and even though Harry loved them, he didn't, and had always made Harry change when he put them on in exchange for khakis and a polo, that just were just weren't Harry. Wearing them now felt like a safety blanket, like he was finally himself, not this person that someone else had conjured up and wanted him to be, trying to mold him into something he wasn't. Just months ago, if you would've told Harry that this is where he would be he would've thought you were mental, because he was Harry Styles. Harry Styles with the picture perfect life, the perfect boyfriend, where nothing in his world ever went wrong. Well that is, until things did.

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His name had been Eli. They had met in the fall of their third year of uni, when they had quite literally crashed into each other. Harry had been carrying a large stack of boxes filled to the brim with his belongings, readying himself to move into his room for the year, when someone ran into him, knocking off his feet, the boxes tumbling down to the ground around him. Looking up, he was met with deep chocolate brown colored eyes, and a warm smile that belonged to the tall dark haired boy in front of him. His dark chocolate eyes widened immediately and he fumbled around, extending his hand out to Harry.

"Oh my god I-I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, pulling Harry to his feet, face turning the color of a tomato. Harry began picking up the boxes and his belongings that had fallen out of them, as the boy continued to talk to himself, mumbling out "God way to make a fool of yourself in front of the cute guy Eli." A hint of a smile began to creep it's way across Harry's face, and he straightened up, looking at the boy standing across from him, who was now staring down at the ground.

"You think I'm cute?" Harry asked, now ignoring the boxes that lay strewn across the grass surrounding them.

The boy, Eli, stiffened immediately, whispering an almost inaudible, "Shoot." before moving his gaze towards where Harry stood in front of him. "Um.."

"Just wondering, because I've got this friend..curly brown hair, green eyes..and he just so happens to think that you're cute too." Harry replies cheekily, Eli now wearing a huge grin that matched Harry's.

"Would this friend...just maybe, by chance, happen to be standing right in front of me?" Eli asks, biting his lip in anticipation, and god, Harry's never seen lips look any more kissable in his life.

"Y-yeah..he is." Harry stutters out, his voice reduced to almost a whisper.

"Well then, would this friend..."

"Harry. Harry Styles."

"Alright then. Would you..I mean, this friend, Harry Styles like to go on a date with me?" Eli asked, and it took all the restraint in Harry's body not to scream out that yes, yes he would like, no, love to go on a date with him.

He took a deep breathe, trying to play it as cool as he could, answering back, "Yeah. He would."

They had exchanged numbers, and Eli helped Harry gather up his things, walking away with the promise of a date in tow.

Fast forward three days later, to the night of their first date. Harry had spent the entire week texting Eli, and as the day fast approached Harry's nerves grew by a mile with every second that passed. All he wanted was for Eli to like him, and for the date to go well. He had never had a boyfriend, or a girlfriend for that matter. He had always been the boy who had huge crushes on all the wrong people, and was always left alone in the end. Had always convinced himself that maybe, just maybe, the football captain would spare him a glance, but he always ended up alone crying to his mum.

Now, he was more determined than ever to make this work, no matter what. He had messed with his hair for a good five minutes, trying to make his brown curls look messy, but a good messy. Once he was satisfied with the way his hair looked, he had searched through his closet, looking for something that was good enough to wear on his date with Eli. He picked up a pair of his favorite black jeans, the ones with the holes in the knees that were his go to pants, but putting them back in favor of a pair of khakis. He had figured that maybe if he dressed more like Eli did, in a nice button up shirt and khakis, that maybe it would somehow make him like him. Little did he know, that in the process of trying to be good enough for Eli, he was losing himself along the way. But nonetheless he continued getting ready until there came a knock at the door signaling that Eli had arrived to take Harry out to dinner.

The date went great, at least that's what Harry would say. They had gone out to a nice restaurant, which wasn't really Harry's style, since he'd been dreaming about his perfect first date since he was that little 14 year old boy chasing after the impossible captain of the football team, but he went along with it nonetheless. 14 year old Harry's perfect idea of a date had always featured a small local cafe with him and the perfect guy, who used to be the captain of the football team, sitting down with a couple cups of tea, just simply talking for hours. It wasn't much of an extravagant date that he had dreamed of, but to him, he didn't need anything fancy. Just a great guy and a couple cups of tea.

The car ride to the restaurant had been okay. It was clearly somewhat of an awkward ride, both boys nerves were running wild, so Eli had put on the radio. Halfway there, Little Things, Harry's favorite song, had come on the radio. He had begun humming along to the tune of it turning to tell Eli that it was his favorite song, but one look at his face and the look of annoyance that was on his face was enough for him to shrink down in his seat asking, "Not a fan?".

"Dunno, just don't get it, why everyone likes this garbage. It sucks."

"Oh." Harry replied, and he stayed quiet the rest of the car ride.

A year and a couple months passed, and things changed. They had graduated from their uni, and they had gotten a small flat together in Doncaster. Eli had told Harry to toss away his jeans and he did, willing to do anything to make Eli happy because he had convinced himself that he was completely irrevocably in love with Eli, and that it was meant to be, even if he had to change to make it work. Harry had picked up a job at the local bakery, and even if it wasn't ideal, he still enjoyed it. His mum had always been keen on making sure he could cook, and baking had always been his specialty.

Outside of work, Harry had become a homebody. He did all of the cooking and cleaning with a fake smile plastered onto his face, and to anyone outside of their tiny little flat it would seem as though Harry was hired help instead of him actually living there. But he did it anyways, because to him, if he left Eli, who else could possibly want him? To him, all he was just a baker making next to nothing. He wasn't anything special. He was still that same naive 14 year old boy who was afraid of being alone in this world.

They had been together for about a year and a half, when it happened. Harry had gone to the bakery for work, and it had been Eli's day off. Harry had been planning to surprise Eli by bringing home his famous chocolate chip cookies, since he had seemed anxious while talking to someone on the phone that morning, so he had wanted to bring him something special. When closing time came, Harry hung up his apron, smoothing out his polo shirt with the bakery logo on it, grabbing his keys and locking up on the way to his car. Starting the car, a beat up old red pick up truck that he had bought from one of his coworkers, turning on the radio. Coincidently, Little Things had been on the radio, and by reflex Harry had moved his hand to turn it off, since Eli had always turned it off because it was "a cheesy piece of garbage" but he chose to leave it on, singing along softly while he drove the short distance to his flat.

When he arrived he attempted to park in his normal spot, the one next to Eli's new black range rover, but oddly the spot was taken, so he parked a short walk away. He grabbed his keys, and walked to the his flat door, moving to put his key in, only to have the door swing open by itself. "Weird" Harry spoke to himself, since Eli had almost always locked the flat door whenever he was home alone for the day. Harry entered, calling out Eli's name as he looked around the flat. Eli wasn't on the couch, where he was normally to be found on his off day, waiting for Harry to arrive home. Harry continued to he and Eli's room, confused when he saw the door was shut. He pushed the door open, his hand immediately flying to his mouth as it dropped open, the bag in which the cookies were in falling to the floor with a loud thump.

There in front of him, on the bed in which he and Eli slept in every night, Eli was on top of a girl, his lips attacking hers, meeting in a furious kiss. They jumped apart upon noticing that Harry was in the room, and Harry finally got a look at the girl. She was blonde, short and skinny, with bright blue eyes that looked at Harry curiously. To Harry, she was everything he would never be. They were complete opposites, he a brunette with green eyes and she blonde with blue eyes. Tears fell from his eyes as he choked out "How c-could you?" between sobs. The pair sat silent on the bed, the girl staring down at her hands while Eli looked Harry dead in the eyes, and Harry couldn't see a drop of love in them anymore. "How could someone who told me he loved me go and do this to me? Was I not enough? Did I do something wrong?" were just a few of the endless thoughts running through Harry's mind.

"I thought you loved me...was I wrong?" Harry said, crumpling to the floor as the girl got up muttering something about needing to leave, brushing past Harry on her way out the door. His heart had exploded into a million little pieces, shattering and falling to the floor like snowflakes in the middle of a winter storm, and it felt as if someone had burned a hole through his chest.

"I know I should be....but I'm not sorry about what I did." spoke a voice across the room, as Harry picked his head up looking at Eli, who sat still as a rock on the edge of the bed.

"What?" Harry felt as though all the life had been sucked out of him.

Eli stood up, walking to where Harry lay on the floor. "I'm not sorry for what I did. Sure it was wrong...and stupid..but I don't regret it. I'm sorry that I had to hurt you in the process, but I'm not sorry that I did it." It was silent. "I..uh...better get going." He walked to the door where a duffle bag lay. "Take care of yourself."

"No Eli please..we can make it work. Please." Harry begged, a mess on the floor in front of him.

Eli leans down in Harry's direction, patting him on the shoulder. "You'll be okay. You're stronger than you think."

Harry begins to shake his head, absolutely refusing to believe that this was actually happening to him. "No, I can't. Please don't leave me."

Eli stands up again, adjusting his duffle bag on his shoulder. "I have to..I'm sorry..for everything, really I am. I just can't do this anymore." With that he leaves the bedroom, exiting the flat, leaving Harry a sobbing mess on the floor.

Once he heard the door slam shut, he hauled himself back onto his feet, only managing to get to the other side of the room before collapsing, sliding down the wall, breaking down completely. Looking around, he spotted a framed picture of the two of them, one that was taken on their sixth month anniversary. In it they look like the picture perfect couple, Harry with his arms around Eli, wide eyes looking up at him as if he's the sun, while Eli was looking down at him with a cheeky grin. He grabbed the picture and threw it forcefully at the wall, cringing as he watched the glass shatter across the room.

Harry had been absolutely destroyed after Eli left him. He hadn't left the house in over a week, instead choosing to sit on the floor next to the phone in a pair of Eli's sweatpants and one of his shirts, which hung loose on him due to the fact Eli was taller than him. He had left countless messages, praying that Eli would call, absolutely refusing to believe that he was actually gone. The phone had rang multiple times, and Harry had clung to it like a lifeline, only to find that it was the bakery calling to ask him if he was alright, and to tell him that he was to be at work the following day or else he would be fired.

He made his way to work the following day, throwing his bakery shirt on and a pair of sweatpants, along with a beanie to tame his hair that was greasy from not being washed in a few days. His eyes had deep purple bags underneath them, from the lack of sleep he had been getting. In the past week, he had lay awake in bed, the last year in a half coming back in flashes, a kaleidoscope of moments and conversations.

Their first kiss, which had been a week after their first date, much to Harry's dismay, and as cheesy as it sounded he'd always pictured their first kiss happening on his perfect first date. He had been sitting on the couch with Eli after watching a movie together when Eli had made the first move. He hadn't felt any sparks, no fireworks like he had always imagined, but he stayed quiet and kissed back nonetheless, because he of course could never let Eli know that he felt no sparks, because he couldn't let himself be alone.

The day that they had moved in together, and were picking out the furniture. Harry had wanted to get a colorful vibrant green couch, but Eli had rejected the idea quickly, telling him that it was ugly and that he wouldn't stand living in a flat with a green couch. Harry had once again stayed quiet, convincing himself that he could compromise if it meant that Eli would stay with him, and he wouldn't be alone.

Come to think of it, all the moments and words that Eli had spoken to him, all the things that were coming back to him in a rush all ended with him being quiet, always somewhat unhappy or disappointed in the end, or changing something he wanted or his opinion to fit what Eli wanted. Since when did he start changing himself to be enough for someone who was always criticizing him? These were the thoughts that ran circles through his mind while he drove to the bakery, the radio softly playing in the background.

_____________

He had walked into work, checking in and grabbing his apron, only to immediately be consumed in a hug by his coworker, Ruth. She had always been like a big sister to him the entire time he had worked there, and as per usual she could tell when something was wrong without Harry having to say anything. He buried his face into her neck, as she rubbed a soothing hand up and down his back. When they pulled apart, she could immediately recognize the remnants of the past nights he had spent alone crying, and she hesitantly asked, "What happened Harry?"

Harry fixed his gaze upon a suddenly very interesting floor as he muttered "H-he left me.", his voice barely above a whisper.

"What? Babe, you're going to have to speak up."

Something in him seemed to snap, and the sadness and frustration that was building up inside of him being let out all at once. "He left me okay! He cheated on me w-with some random girl, and then he got up and left me!" he yelled back, getting worked up as tears pooled in his green eyes.

"What?"

"E-Eli. He...he um, he cheated on me." Harry mumbled, now looking at the ground as if it was the most interesting thing in the world, avoiding Ruth's concerned eyes at all costs.

"Aw babe, I'm so sorry." she replied, love woven into her voice as she pulled him in for another hug, arms wrapping gingerly around him.

"S'fine. I probably deserved it."

She pulled back abruptly, giving him a stern look, grip tight on his shoulders. "No, Harry. You didn't. Nobody deserves to be treated the way he treated you. Especially you, Harry. You have a heart of gold, babe. Don't waste it on someone who can't see just how much it's worth."

"But what if nobody ever wants me again? What if he was it..and I let it go?"

"Harry, there's someone else better for you out there."

"No.....what if he was my one shot. Sure, it wasn't perfect...and maybe there wasn't sparks..b-but.." He quickly moved a hand to his mouth, realizing that he had just said that there were no sparks between Eli and himself. "W-wait."

"Harry... did you love Eli?"

"Of course I did, Ruthie..h-he.."

"Babe...I need you to tell me the truth here. Did you love Eli? Did you see yourself happy with him for the rest of your life?" she cut in, looking at the broken boy barely able to stand in front of her.

Harry sighed, taking a deep breath, collecting himself as much as he could before facing her. "No, I guess. I mean, I thought I did. But..there was never any spark, I guess."

"Then why did you stay with him? Why be with someone when you never felt any sparks?"

"I guess I just didn't think I would ever get a second chance. I mean, why would anyone ever want to date me Ruthie? I'm nothing special, I'm still just that stupid lovesick boy I was in highschool."

"Harry.."

The tears began to well up in his eyes as he continued, sniffling. "No, Ruthie! You don't..you just don't get it! What if no one ever wants me? What if this was my one shot, and I blew it? What if I never get a second chance?"

"Harry, he cheated on you. That's not okay."

"B-but.."

"No buts. I promise you, there is someone out there who's perfect for you...who'll make you wonder why you ever wasted your time on a piece of trash like Eli." She moved closer to him, resting her head on his, hugging him close, as he held onto her like a lifeline. They must've looked strange, Harry thought, standing in the middle of the bakery crying.

"Promise?" he spoke, barely audible.

"I promise. Now, let's get you cleaned up, shall we? We have got work to do, now don't we?" she releases him with a sigh, patting him on the back.

They suddenly both straighten up quickly, standing up, Ruth turning to face where the door was creaking open while Harry turned and walked to the back of the store to splash his face with water, as the small bell hanging at the top of it ringing. Harry all but ran to the bathroom, leaning over the sink, turning the faucet on and rinsing his face, not quite being able to make the red fade away from his eyes. Giving up and taking a deep breath, he straightened up his apron and walked back to the front of the bakery, where someone had been talking to Ruth. When she saw Harry approaching, she walked past him to the kitchen, giving his arm a slight nudge as she passed.

Looking around, he saw that in had walked a short boy, who smiled shyly as he entered the bakery. His blue eyes had locked with Harry's green ones, and in that moment he could've sworn that he'd never seen eyes with that much sparkle in them, or that had ever looked clearer than the boy with the fluffy brown hair's blue ones. Come to think of it, Harry had never seen anybody as beautiful as the boy standing in front of him, as he found himself staring at his soft looking hair and kissable lips.

"Um..hello?" the boy spoke, snapping Harry out of his trance, and suddenly Harry's weren't red rimmed anymore, and all that seems to matter is the boy in front of him.

He moved to stand behind the register, looking back up at the boy with the bright blue eyes. "Yes, can I...um..can I help you?"

"Yeah, thanks mate. I'll take three bagels and a couple of those chocolate chip cookies. Everyone at work always tell me I've gotta try em', say they're like a little slice of heaven."

"Oh..have they now?" Harry says, smiling to himself because his mum taught him how to make those when he was 16 and here he is now, and they're the bestseller at the bakery.

"Oh yeah. They say that...now what was his name again?" the boy frowns in confusion, and Harry's never seen someone look cuter in his life.

"Harry Styles?" he says, a smile now playing on his lips, all thoughts about Eli out the window.

The boy nods in reply, as Harry begins ringing him up. "Yeah, ya know him? He's kinda famous around my work."

Harry gestures to himself, a small laugh escaping his mouth. "The one and only." Louis giggles, his eyes crinkling a little at the sides. "And you are?"

"Louis William Tomlinson at your service." he answers, giving a small bow in response. His eyes dart to Harry's name tag and he points with a grin. "Ah, I see. I must be blind then, aye Harry?" he laughs again, and Harry's never heard a sound more beautiful in his life.

Louis hands Harry the money for the food, and Harry hands him the bag with the food inside in return. Immediately Louis goes through the bag, pulling out a cookie and taking a bite out of it, a small moan of delight escaping his lips as he gives Harry a thumbs up. "Every bit as delicious as they said it would be, Harry. You have a gift."

Harry gives a small curtsy, smirking up at Louis. "Is there any chance that I be seeing you again then, Mr. Tomlinson?" he asks, praying the answer to the question would be a yes.

"I think you just might, Mr. Styles." They exchange goodbyes, Louis leaving with a small wave, Harry casting his gaze on Louis' arse on the way out.

"Oh the one and only Mr. Styles, eh?" Ruth teased as she walked up behind Harry, patting him on the shoulder.

"Ah shut up, Ruthie." Harry replied with a large grin painted on his face. Harry had spent the rest of the day at work smiling, Eli never crossing his mind once.

________________

The next day, as promised, Louis walked into the bakery five minutes after opening. That morning Harry had woken up happier than he had been in a long time, hopeful that he would see Louis again. He had brushed his teeth, and for the first time in weeks he had fixed his hair with a smile on his face, wanting to look his best incase Louis decided to show up at the bakery. It was almost as if he was 14 again, and Louis was his schoolboy crush, the one person he just couldn't seem to get out of his mind since he had last seen him yesterday. He walked to his closet, digging around for his bakery shirt and a pair of tan chinos, his fingers accidentally touching the black skinny jeans that sat at the bottom of his closet. Harry debated whether he should wear them, since Eli wasn't around anymore to critic the way he dressed, deciding against it because he wasn't ready to let it go just yet.

It had been only Harry working that day, and his eyes lit up the moment they laid eyes on Louis, in his black ripped jeans and oversized teal sweater, that if possible made his blue eyes look even bluer than the day before. "Ah if it isn't the one and only Louis William Tomlinson, back for more of my delicious cookies are you now?"

"Actually I was thinking maybe I could get your number instead.."

A blush made its way to Harry's cheeks and he gave a small nod, looking at Louis. "I think I could make that happen. Well, as long as ya buy something too. Can't have the boss man thinking I just let cute boys come in just to talk and not buy anything." Harry can visibly see Louis cheeks turn red like his, and he smiles to himself.

"Then in that case I'll take a dozen of those cookies, and your number." he said, winking at Harry.

"Coming right up." Harry handed him the bag of cookies, while Louis handed him the money and his phone. Harry typed in his number, telling Louis to text him before he left, leaving Harry alone, his head in the clouds the rest of the day.

It went the same for the next two weeks. Louis would come to the bakery everyday five minutes after opening, to get a dozen of Harry's chocolate chip cookies and to talk with him, then they would text each other the rest of the time until Harry's shift ended at the bakery. Then at night, when they were both in bed in their flats, they would talk for hours until one of them would fall asleep on the line, the other hanging up. Slowly but surely, the old Harry, the person he had been before Eli.

That was the way it went for two weeks, until one day things changed. Louis didn't show up five minutes after opening, and when Harry texted him asking if he was alright, he was met with no response. He kept his head up, trying to mask his disappointment, but Ruth seemed to pick up on it, and told him to take an early lunch break, in which he sat in his car in the parking lot staring blankly at the sky in front of him. He stayed there until Ruth came outside, banging on the window and telling him that his lunch break had finished, exiting the car and numbly walking back inside.

Later that day Ruth had left the bakery, leaving him alone until closing. Business was slow for the rest of the day, and Harry was left alone with his thoughts, his mind a pool and the water inside was Louis. He was all he could think about. Louis had all but consumed his mind, and not a second went by where Harry didn't wonder where he was, what he was doing, and if maybe he was thinking of Harry.

He had spaced out, and hadn't realized it until he was snapped out of it by the short boy standing in front of him, who held a bouquet of flowers and was clad in a nice button up shirt and a pair of tan chinos. "What do you want?" Harry said, his tone filled with as much annoyance and anger as he could muster.

Louis face immediately contorted into a hurt look and Harry nearly gave in and apologized, but stopped himself, remembering how hurt he had been when Louis had ignored his concerned texts. Louis seemed to straighten up, taking a deep breath before looking up at Harry. "I came here to talk to you." Harry was unresponsive, staring at him expectantly, so Louis continued to talk. "I know I didn't show up this morning...and I know that it might have hurt you, and I'm sorry..really I am."

"And..."

"And the reason for that is because I was honestly just too nervous to do what I'm about to do. Harry I like you, really I do...and I know this is a long shot, because you might not feel the same way, but I was just...ah screw it. Harry can I take you on a date?" he blurted out, and taking Harry's silence as him not wanting to go, he continued, "Never mind, it was stupid."

"I'd love to."

"You'd what?"

"Yeah I would love to go out with you." Harry grinned from ear to ear. Louis liked him, like properly, and he had never been this happy in his life. Louis wrapped his arms around Harry, picking him up and spinning him around in the dim light of the small bakery. In that moment, it was if they were the only two people in the world, and Harry wished he could stay in that little bakery with Louis forever.

Louis handed him the flowers, whispering a small, "For you, Haz." and he bit his lip, because he had never felt that way before. He was scared that it wouldn't last, that all the love and happiness he was feeling would do nothing but break and burn away into ashes, but he pushed it away, because maybe it would do the opposite. Maybe Louis was the one, and maybe all he had to do was to take a chance on him for him to find what he had been searching for since he was that 14 year old boy sitting alone dreaming of his wedding in his twin bed.

He murmured a small, "Thank you, Lou." before Louis closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to Harry's cheek, wrapping his arms around him, pulling him close to him.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow about the date, yeah?" Harry nodded, and Louis pressed a small kiss to his forehead, telling him goodnight before leaving the bakery, leaving Harry breathless where he stood.

_____________

Now Harry stood staring at his reflection in the mirror, mind racing with doubt. What if Louis hated him? What if he stood him up? He willed away his thoughts and doubts, taking another deep breath, because this was the real him. Not the polo shirt wearing, quiet boy that Eli had forced him to become, and if Louis didn't like him then that was his loss, because as he stood looking in the mirror, for the first time in a long time Harry liked the person he saw staring back at him.

"Turn the lock and put my headphones on, he always said he didn't get this song but I do"

Harry exited his flat, closing the door behind him and locking the door, plugging his headphones into his phone. He was walking to the address Louis had texted him, because it was only a short distance from his flat. Pressing shuffle on his phone, Little Things came on, and he stiffened immediately, as flashbacks of all the times that Eli had told him what trash the song was, but Harry had always told him that he just didn't get it. Harry had always loved it, and he'd be lying if he said he hadn't always dreamed of having his first dance at his wedding to it, or sitting on the couch with his future boyfriend combing his fingers through his hair, singing it softly to him. But Eli had crushed all those dreams and fantasies, hadn't he?

"Walked in expecting you'd be late
But you got here early and you stand and wave, I walk to you"

When Harry arrived at the address Louis had sent to him his jaw dropped, and his hand flew to his mouth as he stared wide eyed in awe at the gorgeous little cafe in front of him, that had twinkling fairy lights hanging around every brick. He figured he would go in and grab a table to wait for Louis, since with Eli he had always had to wait, because Eli had almost never been on time. But much to his surprise outside stood Louis, waving with a huge grin on his face, snapping Harry out of his trance, and a huge grin settled on his face as he walked towards Louis.

As he moved closer to Louis he began to see that Louis cheeks looked rosier than normal and he wondered whether it was him that had caused it. "Wow...Haz you look fantastic....really, you do." he exclaimed, and Harry ducked his down out of embarrassment.

"It's nothing special."

"No, love, you do. Can...can I take a picture of you? I want to remember this moment forever." Harry was awestruck as he nodded blushing as Louis pulled out his phone, snapping a quick picture of Harry then motioning him to walk towards him. He wrapped his arm around him, whispering, "Now Haz, take a look at this picture."

"Yeah."

"Now what do you see?"

"I see me, looking a bit like an idiot."

"Well now, would you like to know what I see?"

"Sure."

"I see a beautiful boy, one that I am lucky enough to have the privilege to call my date for the evening, now how about that?" he looked up, green eyes staring into blue, as he bit his lip. "Now why don't we head inside, then."

"Y-yeah. Let's go."

"You pull my chair out and help me in and you don't know how nice that is but I do"

They entered the cafe, and the entire time Harry couldn't help thinking that this was a scene taken out from 14 year old Harrys dream date. Walking to a small table in the back corner of the cafe, Harry moved to pull out his chair and sit but Louis stopped him, whispering an "Allow me." before pulling it out for him like a complete gentlemen, helping him in. Louis would never know how nice that small little gesture was. He was about to mention that to him, to tell him that Eli had never done such a thing for him, but he stopped himself the moment he felt Louis hands come to rest on top of his, the moment he looked up to see Louis blue eyes staring into his, the way they almost sparkled as they gazed into his.

"And you throw your head back laughing like a little kid
I think it's strange that you think I'm funny 'cause he never did"

"So, tell me about yourself."

"What about me?"

"Everything. I wanna know your favorite song, your favorite food, about your family, your childhood..." he starts, giving Harry's hand a squeeze, resting his head on his hand looking at him.

"Well for starters...my name is Harry Edward Styles, I'm 22 years old, and I'm originally from Cheshire. I have one sister, Gemma, but I haven't seen her in quite a while because she's off in America at the moment. But enough about me, who is Louis Tomlinson?" Harry smirks, raising his eyebrow at Louis.

"Well..." Louis starts, before being interrupted by a cafe worker coming up to take their order.

"What can I get for you all today?" she asks, glancing down at their hands entwined on the table, smiling at them.

"I'll just take a cup of tea, thank you."

"And for you?"

"Just a coffee, please."

"Coming right up. And by the way, you both make a great couple." she says with a smirk, walking away with their orders, leaving Harry with cheeks flushed red.

"Well, wasn't that something?" Harry exclaims, a sudden burst of confidence entering him. "A couple before we've even been on one date!"

Louis immediately bursted into laughter, throwing his head back as if Harry was the funniest person in the world. It was as if he was a little kid again, and Harry was sure that it was the greatest sound he'd ever heard. It was weird, he had to admit, because Eli had never thought of Harry as funny, always had said that his jokes were lame. But with Louis it was different. He felt completely comfortable, as if no matter what he did to embarrass himself it would be okay, which was refreshing to say the least.

"I've been spending the last eight months thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end "

With Eli Harry had always felt that he had to be aware of his every move, that if he managed to slip up and be his embarrassing self for one second Eli would be out the door in an instant, but not Louis. Louis made him feel okay, for once in his life, that maybe love didn't just end and end and end, but that maybe it really was possible to find someone that would make him a better version of himself, instead of trying to change him.

They spent the next hour and a half talking, learning new things about each other by the second. Louis learned that Harry's favorite food was bananas and Harry learned that Louis was twenty four year old that had an odd obsession with finding the perfect cup of tea, that ran as deep as him having a tattoo of a tea cup on his arm.

______________

"You have six siblings?" Harry said, awestruck, as he'd never had much family that was around him since Gemma had moved to America.

"Yep. I'm the oldest, then there's Lottie, Fizzy, Daisy and Phoebe, and Ernest and Doris. Family's always growing and changing, I guess, but I don't know what I'd do without them, if I'm being honest."

"Must be nice, having family around."

Sensing that Harry was uncomfortable talking about his family, he quickly changed the subject. "Enough about them, alright? I wanna know more about you. So, what is Harry Styles' favorite song?"

"You said you never met one girl who Had as many James Taylor records as you But I do"

"Well, I've always loved Little Things, don't know why, people have always tended to tease me about it." Harry replies, staring down at where Louis hand rests on top of his.

"Tease you, love?"

"Y-yeah." and with that he almost mentions Eli, and how he had always told him it was trash, but he's stopped by Louis speaking.

"Well you wanna know something, Harry?" Harry glanced up, giving a slight nod for Louis to continue talking. "I happen to love that song as well, and anyone who wants to tell me otherwise has it coming for them. Don't be embarrassed, alright?" he says, and Harry can't help the heat that spreads through his body, flushing his cheeks a slight red.

________________

"We tell stories and you don't know why I'm coming off a little shy, but I do"

"Tell me about your family." Harry asks shyly, his voice a little bit quieter than normal.

"You sure?" Louis questions, not wanting to overstep any boundaries or to make Harry uncomfortable again.

"Yeah I'm sure. Tell me what high school Louis was like."

"Well for starters, I've always lived in Doncaster, right? I wasn't always the best at school, especially maths, but I've always had a love for football. I was captain of the footie team at school, actually." he starts, and Harry's jaw just about drops to the floor. It was almost as if someone had gone and punked him, recreating his 14 year old dream date with the captain of the footie team just to mess with him. "W-what? Did I..did I do something wrong?"

A cheshire cat worthy grin plasters itself to Harry's face, and he throws his back in laughter, looking back to a confused Louis. "You're kidding me right? Is this some kind of joke?" Louis stares back at him, his brow furrowed in confusion. Once Harry manages to control his laughter he explains, "It's..it's just...when I was 14 I'd always dreamed of going on a date with the captain of the football team. Sorry for laughing, I really am, it's just ironic...if you would've told 14 year old me that this is where I'd be he would've thought you were crazy."

Louis smiles at him, a true genuine smile, and Harry swears he's never been happier in his life as they continue chatting about their childhoods fondly for hours.

"And we walked down the block, to my car and I almost brought him up but you start to talk about the movies that your family watches every single Christmas and I want to talk about that, And for the first time what's past is past"

Hours later, the cafe was approaching its closing, and the pair of them walked together to Louis' car, since Harry had walked to the cafe. They were chatting about their family traditions, and somewhere along the line they had ended up at the black car that belonged to Louis. Harry opened his mouth, about to thank Louis for the date, to say that it had been a million times better than he could've imagined it to be, that Eli had never once taken him on a date that even compared to this one, but he shut it once Louis started talking about how every Christmas his entire family gathered together in their pajamas to have a marathon of old movies.

Listening to Louis talk suddenly nothing else mattered, not Eli nor his family, and all that mattered was that Harry was here now, with Louis. Eli wasn't important anymore, he was in the past, but this, him standing outside of Louis' car, this was his now, and Harry could finally say that he was really excited to see where his relationship with Louis went.

It didn't matter that maybe it wouldn't work out in the end, that maybe they would break up. All that mattered was the moment, his present, so in that moment he took a chance, moving closer to Louis, pinning him up to the car, pressing his lips to Louis'.

It was as if in that moment someone had set a fire in Harry's head, as millions of fireworks went off as Harry moved his lips against Louis', savoring the way he could taste the slightest bit of tea on them, even when he pulled away. Louis bit his lip, biting back a grin that threatened to spread across his face. "I know normally people don't kiss on the first date but I just thought maybe.." Harry started, about to apologize for kissing Louis, but he was silenced by warm lips against his.

"Don't be sorry." Louis whispered against Harry's lips, pulling away and getting into his car, muttering a small "See you around, Curly." as he drove away, leaving Harry speechless.

_____________

Flash forward a year later, and they're moving in together, a small flat in Doncaster. Despite complaints from Harry, Louis carried him inside, before kissing his forehead, laying him down on the green couch that Harry had finally gotten, after all those years since Eli had told him it was repulsive.

Harry had mentioned it once, and even after telling Louis that they didn't need to have it, that he could live without it, Louis had insisted that if Harry wanted it then he would have it. "Only the best for my love." he had whispered, pressing a kiss to Harry's mop of curls.

Harry laid on the couch, observing Louis who was pacing back and forth in their flat. "Is something wrong, Lou?" he had asked, his voice full of concern.

Louis turned to him, as if he was debating something inside his mind. He muttered a small, "Screw it." before dropping to one knee and pulling out a ring. "Will you marry me, Harry?"

Harry shot up, one hand over his mouth, tears springing to his eyes as he nodded furiously. "Yes." he whispered, and he felt Louis slide the ring onto his finger, picking him up and spinning him around, pressing kisses all over his face.

Harry had never been happier in his life.

____________

"But on a Wednesday in a cafe I watched it begin again"

Three years ago, if you would've told Harry that this was where his life would take him, he would say you were crazy, that love was just a thing that wasn't meant for him. But yet here he sat cuddled up on the couch with his fiance, arms wrapped safely around him.

"You know I never thanked you, you know.."

"For what, love?"

"Everything. When I met you I didn't believe I would ever find love, and then there you were, my knight in shining armor. You made me believe in love again, Lou, and I can't thank you enough for that." He looked up at Louis, tears threatening to fall from his green eyes, as Louis pressed a kiss to his forehead, brushing his stray curls away from his eyes.

"Aw Haz.."

"I mean it, Louis. On that Wednesday in that little cafe you made me believe in love again."

"I love you Harry."

"I love you too, Louis." he whispered, and in that moment he knew that this was the way it was always supposed to be. Him and Louis, together forever.