When Zayn had told him that he had asked Liam, Niall and Harry to join them on their planned weekend trip to the ice skating palace Louis had expected to hear that they had declined the offer because as far as he could remember Harry was the clumsiest person on the planet and Niall hated everything that was physical action while Liam just hated activities where he could fall down and hurt himself. But to Louis' big surprise, they had agreed to join them. So, now he was getting ready in front of his mirror to go ice skating with three people, who he still wouldn't call his friends because Liam kept acting distant towards him while Harry was just weird. Niall was the only one who really tried.

Arriving at their meeting point, Zayn and Louis were met with Sean and Liron, who would join them as well. Louis loved his two friends to pieces and was happy they could finally spend some more time together outside of work because lately, that's all they've been doing. Working.

"You're here first? I'm impressed. Normally, you're always late" Louis raised an eyebrow at Liron funnily.

"Normally, I don't have to impress celebrities" Liron winked at him.

"They're your everyday weirdos. No need to impress anyone" Zayn told him jokingly.

"Wow, such a beautiful compliment. Thanks for the ass-kissing" Niall walked over to them with Liam and Harry in tow.

"I really don't wanna kiss your ass" Zayn grimaced weirdly.

"Liar" Niall winked at him.

"How did this turn sexual in less than a second?" Sean wondered.

"Well, it's Niall. That's all you need to know" Louis smirked, earning a slap from Niall. "What?".

"You're not any better, Tommo" Niall claimed childishly.

"Never said I was" Louis grinned cheekily.

"Lovely you two" Sean shook his head amused before facing Zayn. "Chloe and Sarah are closing the store around 6 pm".

"That's good. It's Saturday. No one needs to get a tattoo later than that" Zayn answered relieved. Sean could only agree.

"Is that everyone or are you still expecting someone?" Liam asked in a weird voice.

"We're still waiting for the girls but they texted a few minutes ago that they're running a bit late. Kayla was held back at work" Louis let them know, glancing at this phone.

"What is she working as?" Harry wanted to know interested.

"She is working in a hospital" Louis replied simply.

"Ah, okay".

A few minutes later the girls finally arrived, seemingly out of breath but with big smiles on their faces. Louis, Zayn, Sean and Liron all hugged them one after the other before the girls greeted the other three guys politely.

"Guys, you hopefully still remember Àmber, Aria and Maribel from my band" Louis pointed at his three friends. "And these are Kayla and Bailey".

"It's nice to meet you".

Now that everyone was there the group of friends entered the ice skating palace. They rented some skates and put them on before stepping out and onto the icy rink. Low music was playing in the background over some speakers and many other people were already skating over the rink. The whole hall was lit in many different colours and Louis could smell the food all the way over to them, which he knew would distract Niall big time.

Being here today reminded Louis of the first time he has ever been ice skating. It was almost twenty years ago with his mother and Zayn's mother and of course, Zayn himself. They've been out on a frozen lake and had the time of their lives. The last time he has been skating was shortly after Zayn came back home. Louis has always loved it but without Zayn, it was weird and empty.

Today, it wasn't empty. With Zayn by his side, Louis drove over the ice round after round. Àmber was always close behind because she was an amazing skater but she kept helping her girlfriend Aria, who was almost as clumsy as Harry. Almost. Harry kept stumbling and tumbling around, falling every few seconds but Niall and Liam were unable to help him because they weren't steady on their feet either. Liam was clutching the railing while Niall just stood on the ice helplessly, Harry lying on his ass a feet behind him. Maribel and Kayla were helping each other and Liron and Bailey were having the time of their lives with Sean watching.

"Should we help them, Joey?" Louis stopped close to Harry, Liam and Niall, looking unsurely at his best friend.

"Maybe. I um ... go and help Liam" Zayn bit his bottom lip nervously, skating over to Liam.

Louis watched Niall and Harry for a second before letting out a heavy sigh. "Sean?".

"Yeah?" Sean skated over to him.

"Would you mind helping Niall out? He is only standing there without moving and I saw you watching him" Louis asked of him.

"It's my pleasure" Sean bowed down funnily.

Bracing himself and taking all of his remaining courage, Louis decided to try and help Harry, if he would let him. On shaky legs, Louis drove over to him and tried to bite back his smile at seeing Harry struggling to stand up from the icy ground.

"If you wanted to repeatedly hurt your precious bum you could have done this differently, Harold" Louis approached him slowly, only realising too late how sexual his words sounded.

Harry looked up at him in surprise, actually blushing quite a bit but maybe he was only cold from the icy air in here. "It's not like I'm doing this on purpose".

"I figured" Louis swallowed down his laughter and teasing comment for Harry's sake. "C'mon, I help you".

"I don't need help, Lewis. I'm perfectly cable of getting up myself and enjoying this day without your teasing" Harry refused huffily.

"Okay, fine. Whatever you want, Harold" Louis shrugged, turning around with a smirk on his face. He gave him five seconds.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Fi ...

"Wait" Harry called after him, clearing his throat embarrassed when Louis turned back around to him. "Maybe I need help".

"Was it so hard to admit that? I'm not here to tease you and your lanky legs, Harold. I'm here to help you enjoy this day instead of kissing the ice every two seconds" Louis came closer again, offering Harry a smile. "Although the ice might like being touchy with your ass and is gonna miss it".

"Are you gonna help me up or make another comment about my ass?" Harry pouted like a baby.

"I quite like talking about your ass, Darling" Louis reached his hand out to him.

"I noticed as much" Harry took his offered hand and let himself get dragged off the ice. "Thanks".

"No problem" Louis smiled openly at him. "Now, would you like to move away from your spot of shame just a tiny little bit?".

"You're a horrible person, Louis Tomlinson" Harry tried to hide his smile but he couldn't help it.

"I know. It keeps me up at night. Anyway, moving?" Louis full-on grinned at him happily.

"If you show me how" Harry returned that happy grin.

From that moment on, they took tiny little baby steps over the ice with Harry gripping Louis' hands tightly. He leaned his full body weight on Louis in hopes he wouldn't fall down anymore and Louis was drowning in the trust and attention even though he tried to fight it. But having Harry here right now just felt so right. It almost felt like no time has passed and nothing has ever changed between them. It was an illusion and he knew that but Louis enjoyed it as long as it was gifted to him. He knew they would never get this close again. Not emotionally or physically.

But life had its own way of twisting Louis' thoughts around. When Harry tried to skate on his own for a moment and Louis was slightly distracted by admiring him in his natural way of being, the worst-case scenario happened. Out of nowhere, Harry lost his balance and crashed right into Louis, making them fall to the ground with a loud thud. Louis' back hit the ice and Harry fell onto his chest but their heads luckily didn't collide.

"I'm so sorry. God, this was a bad idea" Harry turned crimson.

"It's okay, Haz. No harm done. You didn't hurt me" Louis reassured him, getting lost in the moment and briefly caressing Harry's cheek before retreating his hand in shock.

Harry's eyes grew comically huge and his whole face was bright red while looking absolutely pale. He pushed himself off of Louis and brought some distance between them, clearing his throat. "Good. Um ... thanks for your help but I need a break. I can't do this. I mean, ... my legs are tired ... Um, yeah".

Good Job, Louis.

Shutting his eyes for a second, Louis let out a shaky sigh. He knew this was a bad idea but he still did it. Getting close to Harry again was the worst idea he ever had and his mind knew that. His heart didn't care though. His heart only wanted him back in his life, completely ignoring the fairly high chance of getting his heart broken and this time worse than before. Back then, he had no idea what he was getting himself into. Now, he knew but chose to ignore his common sense, which was always bad news.

"I know that face. Don't overthink this, Tommy" Zayn's voice tore him out of his depressing thoughts. "We're only trying to be on good terms again and maybe somehow friends but we both know there are things that can't be undone. They will leave again in a few weeks and we won't have to deal with them anymore, only the aftermaths of their absence ...".

"Was that supposed to make me feel better, Joey? Because news flash, it didn't. That just made it worse" Louis pulled a funny face.

"I had something completely different in mind but then the words just came out of nowhere. Sorry, Tommy. I know this is harder for you than for me and I will never be able to really help you with this but please, keep in mind, he doesn't know" Zayn stroked his back gently, talking quietly to him.

"It's not about that, Joey. Even if he knew it wouldn't change a thing. I just have to try not to get lost in this illusion. You need to help me to always remember that there was never anything more than friendship between us and never will be. It was all just in my head and right now, I'm only chasing after a stupid dream, that I should let go of. I'm dating Dylan and he is amazing" Louis kept his gaze on the ice.

"You can't force yourself to feel or not feel things, Tommy" Zayn pointed out softly. Louis only looked up at him with pleading eyes, causing Zayn to let out a long and heavy sigh. "Okay, fine. I'm gonna do whatever you need me to do".

"Never let Harry and me be alone again. This only leads to me remembering things I wanna forget and getting lost in old feelings I never should have had in the first place" Louis pleaded desperately. He knew he must look crazy but he didn't care.

"You have my word. I do everything in my power to keep you apart but I can't control what happens when I'm not around" Zayn assured him besides being torn inside. Louis knew that.

"I know, Joey. Thanks, love you" Louis pecked his cheek.

"Now let's get something to eat. I'm starving and I can practically feel Niall starving and nagging".

Said and done. All of them took off their skates, put on their own shoes and made their way over to the food court. Dozens of different food options were presented to them and Louis had no idea what to choose. After an internal battle with himself, Louis chose some fish and chips. Simple and classic.

"And are you any good?" Niall hooked after Sean had told them he loves to dance in his free time.

"No idea but does it matter? I love it and it relaxes me after work" Sean retorted, munching on his food.

"He has a point. If you love something and only do it for fun or to calm down after a long day of work it can't be wrong. Why do you always have to be good at the things you love doing?" Bailey backed him up supportively.

"Right? When people say they love to sing, dance, write or whatever the first question almost always is if they're good at it or do it professionally, which is so weird to me. Why can't people just enjoy something without further questions?" Maribel continued the debate lively.

"Expectations and social norms. That's all" Liron threw in.

"I hate those. No one needs them. They make life so much harder and sometimes unbearable" Kayla frowned affected.

"With us, you don't need to feel this way, Kay" Louis grabbed her hand soothingly.

"He is right. We love you the way you are and you never have to feel the need to justify yourself for anything you feel. We get it. We can't possibly know how you feel but we have your back" Àmber supported Louis' statement, side-hugging her friend.

"I know. You're all amazing. I just got carried away when social norms were brought up. Sorry" Kayla sniffled lightly before facing three totally confused-looking boys. "I'm transgender and life is sometimes not fair. People do not always react in a good way or accept me the way I wish they would. Society can be cruel".

"Oh, yeah. That's true. Thank you for trusting us with that" Niall smiled at her touched.

"To take the attention away from you I'm just gonna throw in that I'm a lesbian and in love with Aria" Àmber threw in randomly because Kayla hated too much attention on herself.

"Well, I'm bisexual and with Kayla, who only loves me. So back off" Maribel commented laughingly, making everyone laugh.

"Straight as the wall. Sorry" Liron grinned cheekily.

"Unlabelled at the moment. Kinda trying to find out what exactly I am" Sean was next in line.

Zayn and Louis shared a look before answering at the same time. "I'm gay but everyone knew that".

"But not in love with each other. We get it now" Niall cackled.

"They thought that?" Aria's jaw dropped to the floor.

"Harry, especially" Louis wiggled his eyebrows.

"That's hilarious" Sean, Aria and Àmber couldn't hold back their laughter, causing the rest of them to join in. Apart from Harry.

"They were acting like a freaking married couple. How could I know they're just friends?" Harry sulked adorably.

"Ask?" Bailey said simply. "Anyway, I'm bisexual. Just in case anyone wants to know".

"Don't tell the press, but me too" Liam mumbled quietly, making everyone gasp apart from Niall and Zayn. "No one knows".

"We get it. Your secret is safe with us" Maribel smiled reassuringly at him, making Liam relax again.

"I'm pansexual but no one seems to get that" Niall shrugged tried unbothered but Louis could see how tense he was.

"People always assume you're straight until you tell them otherwise. That's sadly how our world works" Liron noted sympathetically. "What about you, Harry?".

Harry looked scared for a second but then he answered monotonously. "I'm straight but not the womanizer the press makes me out to be. You should know that. I trust you guys with that".

Louis hoped his face didn't betray him when Harry said he was straight but he wasn't sure the disappointment and hurt were easy to cover up, even after seven years of doing so. He knew for a fact Zayn saw right through him.

"Damn it. Now I have to call some important people and break the news to them" Liron joked badly.

"And who? You don't know anyone" Kayla slapped him against the back of his head.

"But Louis does. And so does Zayn. I could steal their phones" Liron countered silly.

"And with saying that out loud they won't hide them now, or what? You fucking moron" Maribel snorted amused.

"I hate you two so much" Liron grumbled.

"Any more random facts to break the ice? How about jobs or hobbies? I go first. I work in a supermarket. Not very interesting but it pays the bills. Oh, and my passion is music, obviously" Maribel clapped into her hands.

"I work as a bus driver and love music too," Liron told them shortly.

"I'm an English teacher and love poetry and photography" Aria let them know excitedly.

"And you're amazing, love. I work as a ...".

Before Àmber could finish her sentence Louis' phone started ringing and cut her off. He swore under his breath and grabbed for his phone. That ringtone could only mean work. "I'm sorry. Work's calling. Give me a second".

"Work? Which school calls you on a Saturday evening?" Louis heard Liam wondering.

"Hello?" Louis answered the phone, blocking out his friends. "I put that on your desk. Yeah, it's almost done".

He could hear how Zayn stood up and walked over to him followed by Àmber. For a second he glanced at the rest of the group and was met with three questioning faces and a few confused ones. The voice on the other end of the line made him look away and focus on the conversation.

"Tomorrow? Okay, we can do that. No problem. Shall we come over now? It's really no big deal. Mh, yeah. Fine. See you there. Bye," Louis ended the call, directly facing Zayn and Àmber. "He needs it for tomorrow. We can head over now or tomorrow morning. Whatever you prefer".

"We're done here anyway, right? We can go now" Zayn decided without a problem.

"Go where?" Harry stood up now, reminding Louis that they weren't alone. "Who was that? No school calls on a Saturday and needs you right away".

"School? Why would you think the school is calling him?" Sean looked utterly confused.

"Because he works as a teacher, if I remember correctly?!" Harry shot back rudely.

"I am. You're right" Louis tried to save the moment.

"Yeah, part-time for drama and music but he is mainly a songwriter. Didn't you know that?" Maribel completely ignored Louis and talked faster than she could think. "Oops".

"You're a songwriter?" Niall blinked up at him.

"Yeah" Louis confirmed awkwardly.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Niall frowned, obviously hurt.

"Because it never came up? We only talked about my work at school and I didn't feel the need to mention it" Louis reasoned his behaviour and it wasn't a lie but also not the whole truth.

"Why do I feel like there is more? Who are you working for or with? Who was on the phone? All three of you look pale" Harry questioned irritated.

The three friends looked at each other. Àmber only shrugged. This wasn't her secret to share. Zayn and Louis shared one meaningful look before silently deciding to be honest. "Aurelio".

"You work with Aurelio?!" Liam, Niall and Harry exclaimed.

"We do, yeah. You know he always wanted to work with us and when I came back home he contacted me pretty soon and ever since I work with him and his artists" Louis confessed to them.

"So, he was serious about his offer then," Liam said more to himself but they all heard him.

"Of course, he was. At first, he asked me to sign with him as an artist but I didn't want to. I'm better behind the scenes with my words. We're a good team" Louis avoided looking at them.

"Team ... you work with him as well?" Liam looked at Àmber and Zayn, mostly Zayn.

"Yeah. That's what I was about to say before we got so rudely interrupted. I work as a songwriter, just like Louis" Àmber nodded.

"And you, Zayn?" Niall checked baffled.

"Sometimes I write, but mostly, I work as a music producer" Zayn revealed uncomfortably.

"And you didn't tell us either" Niall stated the obvious.

"I wasn't sure how you would react. I mean, it's Aurelio. I wanted to wait until ... I'm not sure, to be honest," Zayn tried to explain his actions but gave up.

"I see and understand. Really. I'm just happy we know now and I'm glad you've gotten the chance to still follow your dream" Niall smiled understandingly at him.

"Thank you, Niall".

"C'mon, guys. It's not that big of a deal. You know how you would have reacted if they had told us earlier. It was a touchy subject" Niall addressed his bandmates.

"You're right. Now we don't wanna stop you any longer. Aurelio is waiting for you, right?" Harry faced them again. Louis couldn't say what it was but something was off. His eyes betrayed him.

"Not directly. Delfi and Jade are waiting, which is way worse" Àmber joked to lighten the mood.

"Wow, you're working with Dolphin's Curve. That's amazing. Have fun, guys" Niall whistled impressed.

"Sorry that we have to leave like this. Their new song has to be finished tomorrow. We text you later" Zayn apologised guiltily.

"Don't sweat it. We see you in a few days" Niall waved the matter off, looking carefree and proud.

When they left Louis could still feel Harry's eyes on him and he wasn't sure what his deal was. Working for Aurelio wasn't something bad or worthy of him acting all weird. What was up with him and why was Louis unable to shake away the feeling that this was about their past? Hopefully, he was wrong.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, Louis is working as a songwriter with Aurelio and Larry had a moment but Harry didn't seem happy about it. Why?