Chapter 1 - Camping?

A/N

DISCLAIMER : This story is my own and is complete fiction. There is no offense intended. The characters do not reflect the people in real life and are for entertainment purposes only. Please do not translate my story unless you have been granted by myself to do so. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The plot is solely the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

Here is how I envision the following characters.

Louis Tomlinson age - 24

Harry Styles 22

---

Louis’s eyes are blurry, and the build-up of tears is making it hard to focus in on the water drops that are slowly running down the passenger side car window. He zones out completely, he doesn’t notice how cold he is, his hands trembling, the white steam unknowingly leaving his mouth every time he exhales. He watches the sun now completely disappear, a soft orange tinge still left illuminating the sky.

There’s a deep sorrow succumbing throughout his body. Never in his life has he felt this numb, so empty, and ever so, alone. Lately, all the days had seemed to roll into one. Some days he felt fine, he could handle all the sadness, the heartache, and the betrayal. Then there were days where it all hit him at once and yes he would cry, usually hidden away where no one would see how pathetic he had become. Then… sometimes there were days like today… where he felt ……. absolutely nothing at all.

These days were worse and the scariest because that’s when the little voice came back, his inner demons persuading him to end it all. He felt at war with not only his head and heart but that nagging subconscious convincing him to just do it, end his life, and be done with it all, and today……. Louis felt like letting them win.

That’s how he ended up here this cold evening on the cliff’s edge. As he looked over the city of London as the sun descended, he realized he didn’t care anymore if there was a light at the end of the tunnel. He had pulled his jumper sleeves over his knuckles and tilted his head back to take one last look at the sky while he took a deep breath. He was just sick and tired and feared being trapped in a circle of never-ending loneliness and despair.

He took a small step, then another, he was almost there. Only one more step and finally all his problems would be gone. He felt a tear roll down his cheek and before he knew it he let out a small sob. With his heart falling into a black abyss, he started to move forward. He could hear the rocks crunch beneath him as he took a step, his heart racing at the anticipation of hopefully feeling free. With trembling feet, he plunged forward. He was shocked as he unexpectantly felt a hand grasp his bicep tightly, pulling him back quickly resulting in him falling to the ground, the thud causing pain through his thighs and bottom, tears uncontrollably taking over knowing it hadn’t worked. He didn’t succeed. He doesn’t know how long he had sat there before he was placed inside a car.

Louis can hear a voice talking beside him and it’s not one he recognizes. He can’t seem to move his head and look in the direction or open his mouth to answer. The boy doesn’t seem to be a threat of any sort or no -one to be worried about by the sound of his soft accent and genuine concern. His thoughts are confirmed when Louis feels a jacket being placed over his chest in an attempt to keep him warm.

Louis heard him mumble something about the heater not working and he is pretty sure he heard the word ‘food’ in there somewhere but he still couldn’t bring himself to speak. He leaned his head against the window as the car started. What felt like hours to Louis but was merely 10 minutes he noticed the car had come to a halt. Louis for the first time lifted his head, taking in the area surrounding him, recognizing he was situated in a KFC parking lot. He turned to the person beside him, feeling rude he hadn’t even introduced himself yet.

“ I’m so sorry, I feel totally embarrassed.“

Louis lowered his head towards his lap in shame. This is what his world had come to. Having a meltdown, attempting to end his life, and ending up in stranger’s cars. This was humiliating.

“ Hey, no! I won’t have any of that. There’s nothing to be sorry for. We all have our moments. I’m just glad I was passing by and saw you when I did. Look let’s get something to eat and warm up a bit yeah, my shout.“

Louis gave the boy a slight smile. He didn’t know this person but somehow he felt comfortable with him. Closing the car door the two walked side by side in silence entering the takeaway establishment.

“ My name is Niall by the way.“

Louis shook his hand.

“ Louis“.

Niall was conflicted. He wanted to keep quiet not wanting to be pushy or make Louis uneasy about the night’s activities but at the same time, he felt he wanted to address the incident and console him.

“ If you wanna talk I’m all ears. No pressure thou.“ Niall mumbled as he chewed on his piece of chicken.

Louis tried hard not to laugh as he watched on amused at the way Niall devoured the chicken in seconds leaving a trail of grease around his mouth. Louis picked at the chips only consuming a few, not really in the head space to want to eat.

“ A moment of weakness is what it was. Just had enough of it all ya know. Wanted the easy way out.“

Niall used his sleeve to wipe his mouth before answering. He looked around making sure there was no one listening before quietly proceeding.

“ I don’t know you Louis but I know this…..people who try to commit suicide don’t really want to end their lives, they just want to end their pain. If you feel alone, don’t. You have me now.“ He smiled and casually picked up another piece of chicken.

“ Oh Louis, you gotta try the chicken, it’s so tender and juicy. Mm, mmm.“

Louis laughed which surprised him. Not even an hour ago he felt miserable, ready to throw everything away, and now here he was, laughing as he sat with someone he never expected to meet but miraculously felt an instant connection with. A stranger who had saved his life.

As they both sat there slurping on soda, Louis doesn’t know why but he suddenly felt the urge to explain his situation.

“ My ex… um..we broke up after a 3-year relationship. You ever felt so badly betrayed and heartbroken that you feel unworthy, un-lovable?“

“ Oh shit Louis, I’m sorry“

That opened up the conversation, along with the start of a new and very welcomed blossoming new friendship.

~

5 MONTHS LATER ~

Louis watched the toilet paper as he scanned it and placed it back in the cart. The same continuous routine minute after minute, hour after hour had him eager to get home. He disliked working as a cashier at the supermarket but a job is a job and it pays his bills. Looking at the clock he sighed knowing he still had 40 minutes until his shift finished. He smiled at the older lady as he dropped the coins into her hands.

“ Have a nice night.“

Louis moved on to the next customer immediately scanning the frozen pizza boxes.

“ No hello welcome to Tesco. I wanna talk to your manager.“

Louis lifted his head to the familiar annoying but pleasant voice.

“ Niall, what are you doing here?“ Louis chuckled.

“ Just grabbing these for our dinner. You finish soon, yeah?“

Louis and Niall had moved in together after only knowing each other for a week. Niall was looking for a place, and quite frankly he didn’t feel comfortable knowing Louis was living alone after what he had been through. Louis loved the idea of Niall moving in, it made it easier to split the rent and bills and it sure as well wasn’t quiet around the flat anymore. With Niall came company, laughter, and amusement and Louis couldn’t be more happier for their friendship, even if it did form unexpectedly the way it had.

“ Yeah not too much longer.“

“ Good because I have news Tommo, next weekend I’ve been invited out to a camping trip, and guess who’s tagging along?“

Niall raised his eyes suggestively.

“ No…no I’m not. I hate camping you know that. “

“ Louis, you need to get out and have some fun. My mate Liam invited me. He is bringing a couple of his friends as well. It’s going to be awesome. Close your eyes Lou and Just imagine. beer, marshmallows, fire, beer, the wilderness, beer .“

Niall laughs at his own sentiment as Louis smirks.

“ Nialllll. I can’t. I need my shifts and plus you know how fucking snappy Simon gets when anyone asks for time off.“

Niall use to work at the supermarket too until about a month ago when he was successful at gaining employment in a gaming store. That man lived and breathed playing Fifa, so Louis was thrilled for him, he was, even if he silently missed him at work. How could he not he was always happy, told jokes, and somehow made the shifts go faster. Without Niall, Louis doesn’t know to this day if he could survive without him.

“ Oh wow, look.. speak of the devil, there he is…OI SIMON WAIT UP“

Niall screamed as he left the counter and all his groceries behind as he shot off running down the aisle chasing Simon. Louis wanted to kill him, Simon that is, although Niall was well on his way to that list at this moment.

There’s no way Niall would persuade Simon to say yes, that man was a selfish arrogant prick and that was putting it lightly. Louis continued on serving two more people before Niall reappeared. What scared Louis now was the big smile Niall was producing.

“ what ? no, you didn’t? Tell me you are lying. You didn’t. “ Louis shook his head in disbelief.

“ Yes, yes I did. You got the time off. You and I Tommo are going camping.“

How the fuck does he do it? Like seriously, Niall has this way of somehow achieving whatever it is he wants. Not sure if it’s his looks, his smile, or his Irish charm that does it but he somehow manages to know everyone. As much as Louis would appreciate a break, camping was not his thing. Sleeping out in the cold, creepy animals in the woods, camp food, nothing appealed to him. Meeting new people on top of that had him feeling a little nervous.

“ I heard Liam say one of the friends he is bringing is single and rather cute. “ Niall winks.

“ Nope! No, sorry, not gonna happen.“

Niall stepped aside as another customer approached the counter. He waited patiently for a few minutes until he had left.

“ Louis, you need to put yourself back out there mate. I know it’s been hard and all but you deserve this. I don’t want to see you lonely. I understand if you feel uncomfortable or say no I will back off I promise. I won’t mention it again but at least just give it a thought. “

Louis knows Niall is right. It is time. He just doesn’t think he can love again. He is worried about opening up his heart and soul and once more having it ripped to threads. There’s no way he wants to go through it all a second time around.

Louis looks at Niall’s plead full face.

“ Ok I will keep it in mind but I can’t promise anything ok. “

Niall hugged him tightly.

“ You have 5 minutes left. Let’s go, Simon won’t even know you have gone. “ Niall laughs as he yanks Louis’s arm pulling him towards the exit.

---

They say time flys when you are having fun and it’s probably true but Louis wouldn’t know because unless you have had to stand in the same spot scanning item after item, voicing the same greeting over and over and working shift after shift, only then would you understand how boring and repetitive his life had become.

It rolls on over to his personal life. Wake, eat, work, sleep. With Niall as a housemate, he does sometimes make life interesting when he is indeed home. He is quite the social butterfly and spends a lot of nights out with mates. He has tried to encourage Louis to get out, make new friends, develop a social network, anything actually to get him out of the house but Louis still has walls up. High walls and he doesn’t plan on changing that.

Niall had saved Louis in more ways than one that dreaded night long ago, so Louis does try his best to please him every so often. Once again this evening is no different and Niall isn’t home as Louis lays on the couch watching shit tv while stuffing his face with potato crisps.

Funny enough, Louis hasn’t stopped thinking about the camping trip. He despises camping really, although he hasn’t been since he was about 8 years old. He recalls how nice it was back then surrounded by people he loved sitting around a campfire. He remembers the laughs and hikes and suddenly he recalls Niall’s excited eyes that lit up when he had suggested this little holiday. It’s then he makes the decision. Yes, yes he will go camping but only for Niall. He hasn’t forgotten about his other mates that are coming and that still makes him anxious.

He knows Liam a little, they had met briefly here and there in passing. It’s Niall’s intention of setting him up with the ’ friend’ that still has a hold on him for still wanting to decline the offer.

Ex-boyfriends. They are called that for a reason. They are an example of false hope, false promises, and false love.

For Louis, his ex-boyfriend went all out and brought forward heartache, lies, and deceit. The icing on the cake? He cheated. He cheated with his best friend, the very same best friend who was in fact a girl. His best friend who he had known since kindergarten. His best friend who he had looked out for and protected like a sister for his entire life.

Maybe that’s why it hurt so much. If it had just been some random guy or girl then he could have possibly just gotten over it. A few nights of crying, and a couple of beers later, maybe the memories would fade over time.

But his best friend?

That’s when it cuts you, when it bleeds, it’s when you feel it the most. Penelope or penny as she likes to be called was a cheerleader at uni who grew up in the house two doors down from Louis. They became friends instantly and were always joined at the hip. Where Louis went, penny went and wherever Penny was, Louis was. That was until Louis obtained a boyfriend.

Rewinding to several months prior, Louis found himself in a rather fucked up situation. It had been a wet and windy night in London, the flu season was in full bloom. It hadn’t taken Louis long to catch a cold, bedridden as he coughed and blew his nose consistently. He hated being sick and it was really dragging on, his body taking longer to fight off the germs this time around as he entered day 6 of not feeling well.

What he found weird was that his best friend had stopped texting or ringing or snapping. Everything had stopped. The ex-boyfriend in question also had stopped checking in. The chicken soup being brought to him, some cold and flu pills to suppress his symptoms no longer showed up at his door. No arms were being wrapped around him as he laid there curled up in bed.

They say whenever you have a suspicion, you should always trust your gut instinct. When you get that feeling that something may be wrong, it more than likely is. You don’t know what it entails, all you know is that the air around you suddenly changes.

Louis had decided to start with Penny, she was close by of course only living just down the road. Placing his warmest jacket around him, he searched through a drawer until he found his grey beanie.

What he had expected to hear from Penny were excuses for her lack of friendship over the last few days. Words such as ’ I had to finish my exam papers for school or ’ I’ve been busy’. He knew Penny better than Penny herself.

He braved the light rain as he started to walk down the road. The sun had not long set, the sky still light enough to see. It was only 6 pm and when he knocked on the front door Penny’s mum Brenda had welcomed him inside like usual. This house had become somewhat of a second home for him with Penny and himself having sleepovers since they were teenagers. Brenda knew Louis was gay and therefore was never concerned about their nights alone out back.

Penny didn’t live in the main house. She had a little self-contained unit in the backyard that she had convinced her wealthy parents to buy her for ‘Privacy’. He was about to knock when he heard it. A sound that to this day still sends chills down his spine.

A sound so distinctive, so personal, and in that moment life as he knew it completely changed. Hearing his boyfriend moan while the familiar sound of his best friend was heard giggling he froze in shock. The rain became heavy and he hadn’t yet managed to leave, still too much in disbelief to move.

For whatever reasons the universe had planned, the door to her unit opened and Louis came face to face with the only two people on this earth that he had trusted….who he had loved. The stare off lasted seconds but felt like a lifetime. He wanted to yell and scream, but the only words to escape his mouth were “ You fucking arseholes.“

He had turned and ran not allowing no further interaction. As his socks became soaked through his shoes as he bolted across the lawn, the last he ever heard from his ’ boyfriend’ was that of frantic screams of “ Come back, Louis please, come back.“

As expected, phone numbers were blocked, people were avoided, and a big heart inside a small body was physically bruised, shattered, and broken all at once.

Life goes on, the world doesn’t stop just because of heartache. He had fallen into a deep blow of depression and fell into a right slumber. When you part with a lover, you generally have your BFF there beside you, to wipe your tears, shower you in hugs, and spoon feed you ice cream. Unfortunately for Lou, the world as it seemed was out to punish him as he not only had to grieve the loss of his lover but also his best friend.

The loneliness didn’t take long to catch up to Louis. Life seemed a lot darker without friends, without company. Days alone with hurt and despair, nothing but emptiness fulfilling his mind is what lead him to the cliff that night, where fate had come into play leading him to Niall. Louis has semi recovered and Niall is to thank wholeheartedly for that.

It seems time, really can mend a broken heart…….. Or does it?

Louis picks up the phone and lets Niall know of his decision.

To Niall: “ Ok Nialler, you win. I will go “

As expected he receives an instant reply.

From Niall: “ You won’t regret this Tommo!! “

The thing this, Louis fucking hates camping with a passion but there’s something pulling him towards the idea, a type of force if you will, that Louis can not entirely explain. He smiles as he genuinely concludes that maybe it is time to move forward, engage and enjoy the benefits of what nature may bring. His past experiences of camping is where it needs to stay….the past.

He is older now, camping can be good, fun even. Maybe Niall is right, it is exactly what he needs.

For a moment he feels excited and a little positive at the prospect of having an adventurous weekend away. Louis thinks to himself ’ fuck it’ I’m going to embrace the uncertainty that lies ahead because if he doesn’t look forward with anything but hope, he will surely be stuck in the past with nothing but pain and regret.

Unknown to Louis, he has no idea what kind of shit show awaits him in the forest.

---

A/N

So there it is the first chapter.

Thoughts on the storyline?

Should I continue?

Chapter 2 - Oh F*cking No!!

---

As soon as he hears the dreaded sound of Niall knocking on his bedroom door, he groans. He had prayed all last night as he laid awake in bed for anything to pop up as an excuse to not go. Anything from waking up sick, to shamefully wishing there was a funeral he needed to attend to, anything at all, that would prevent him from attending this trip.

Niall is about the only person Louis knows who could be so smiley and happy at this time of morning. Sporting a teeth-grinning smile at 8 am in Louis’ eyes should be considered a crime.

“ You excited Tommo, ready to go?“

One thing Louis is not good at is lying.

“ Absolutely thrilled Nialler, can you not see the excitement glowing all around me?“

OK so maybe, his sassiness gives it away. Niall laughs and clutches at his groin begging for the toilet.

“please let me pee first before we go, I drank too much coffee this morning”.

Louis chuckles as he yawns, still not properly vertical yet.

“ Sure, but only if you care to explain why the fuck it is we have to leave so goddam early.“

---

Niall had forgotten to mention that the camping site they were headed to was a 3-hour drive away. They are only just over an hour into the long drive when Niall mentions he is hungry.

“ When we reach the next town, I gotta stop and get something to eat, also maybe another coffee. Louis, what are you so fascinated by? You haven’t taken your eyes away from the window this whole time.“

It’s true. You see, Niall can talk. With all the coffee he has consumed already today, it’s heightening an already bubbly talkative Niall. He has had to sit and listen to Niall talk about everything from who he flirted with this week to hearing about the new moisturizer he swears by. It’s safe to say Louis had zoned out a very long time ago.

“ Sshhh Ni, I’ve been counting the trees going by and you are interrupting me“

Niall laughs but stops when he notices the way Louis glares at him.

“ Oh, OH, you were serious“ Niall awkwardly scratches his head. “ What number were you up to?“

Louis doesn’t face Niall as he resumes his gaze through the glass.

“ 28,369“ He answers softly as Niall gasps.

“Holy shit, are you for real?”

“ No Niall of course not! As if id count fucking trees“ Louis slaps his leg as he bursts into a pit of laughter.

“ You’re a dickhead “ Niall says slapping his arm as he giggles.

“ And you… are gullible“

---

There are too many snacks to choose from as Niall still hasn’t made a decision in the whole 15 minutes they have been inside the gas station. So far he has salt and vinegar potato crisps, M&M’s, and pretzels clung to his chest as he eyes off some peanuts. Louis however isn’t too concerned with food having packed what he wanted first thing this morning, instead, he has wandered over to the other side of the store picking up the first insect repellent he could find.

It’s rather hot for this time of year and already Louis is 99% sure he has been bitten by a mosquito, with Niall claiming it’s impossible when they haven’t even arrived yet. Yet they do arrive only a short two hours later, right at 12 noon like planned.

The welcome sign looks new, but as he looks around he can automatically tell this site is not monitored too frequently, it’s apparent with the way that the bins are overflowing with garbage and the grassed areas that are over run with out of control weeds.

“ You sure this place is safe? It looks creepy and it’s only lunch time. I can only imagine how it’s going to be later tonight“

It takes Niall a few seconds to stop laughing as Louis unbuckles his seat belt and steps outside, stretching out his limbs which are tight and sore from being couped up too long.

“ This is just the parking area where you leave your car. Trust me, it’s nice once we get through it, the hike doesn’t take too long and the river is amazing, my mate Steve told me about it, he loves this place.“

Louis raises his eyebrows.

“ Excuse me what?“

Niall is a little confused as he is more than confident that Louis had just clearly heard all that. So he frowns as he starts to repeat himself.

“ My mate Steve he-“

“ Oh I heard that part Ni, but I swore you just said something about a hike and I know I must have misheard because you of all people know exactly how much I dislike walking“

Niall slams the boot shut, their backpacks and sleeping tents now positioned next to him on the ground.

“ It’s not far, only a short distance I promise. If I had told you we needed to hike a bit you wouldn’t have come.“

Louis groans as Niall pats him on his shoulder as he walks around him swinging his backpack onto his back and clutching the tent in his other hand.

“ Let’s go, we are the first ones here. That means we pick the best spot to sleep.“

Niall needs to open a dictionary and re-read it to understand the definition of “short” because to Louis, a 45-minute walk was not short at all.

By the time, they reach the actual designated camping ground, his tiny legs are aching. Not only that but the weight from his backpack is killing his shoulders too as he drops down onto the chair and table combo that is cemented into the ground.

“ I gotta give it to ya mate, this spot is rather nice, proper nice.“

While sipping his water bottle as he tries to lower his heart rate, the result of being 100% unfit, he scans the area around him.

Green. Walls and walls of green.

There are trees for what seem like miles as he looks off into the distance, he realizes he is just surrounded by tree trunks. Big ones, small ones, fat ones, skinny ones, none of them look the same. The smell of pine is dominant but it’s so refreshing. He closes his eyes for a brief moment, the urge to really take in his new ‘home’ for the next few days. The sound of the birds chirping somehow makes a small smile creep upon his face.

They spend the next half an hour setting up their tents, the comfortable silence nothing less than music to Louis’ ears.

Until Niall farts that is.

“ You dirty prick“ Louis shouts, the horrid smell taking no time to fill his nostrils. Standing up quickly he pats the dust off his pants and starts to back away.

“ Far out Nialler, did something crawl up you and die? Why does that smell so bad?“

Nialler bends over clutching his knees as he belts out an echoing chuckle. Needing to empty his bladder Louis finds this opportunity to be the perfect time to escape the disgusting smell.

“ I’m going to go take a piss, by all means lad, keep letting the gas out, it might kill off half the predatory animals within a 500-meter radius“

The loose sticks beneath his feet continue cracking as he walks towards the old little tin shed ‘toilet’. It’s semi-clean, a lot cleaner than he thought it would be if the outside was anything to go by. Unzipping his fly he looks around and subconsciously shivers at the amount of spider webs everywhere.

The moment he starts to wee, he hears voices. A loud ’ You made it’ predominately coming from Niall.

Yay, the others have arrived .

If it wasn’t for the overpowering stench and the fear of being bitten, he would try and drag out his toilet escape longer than he needed. Washing his hands, he flicks some water over his face as he takes a deep breath in.

’ How bad can it be ?’ He says to himself quietly. ’ A couple of days and then life can resume back to normal’

If only Louis knew just exactly how wrong that thought was going to pan out.

Approaching the others slowly, Louis spots Liam first. He wants to laugh, he really does. He internally fights with himself to not throw an insult because what the fuck was he wearing? Liam was all decked out in what appeared to be a scout’s uniform.

Niall is already looking at Louis knowing all too well the pain he was in from not exploding with laughter. He is silently pleading with him to ‘Shut his mouth’ but sometimes Louis he, he just can’t contain it.

“ When I was 12, my scout leader taught me a very valuable lesson. He once said to me and I quote

If you lick your fingers and wet it a little, it will slip right in’

Niall’s jaw falls to the floor not believing what he is hearing while Liam smiles.

’ Ahhh the good ol’ threading needle joke. Nice one Louis, nice one.“

Louis frowns.

“ Not fair you ruined my punch line! How are you going Liam? Haven’t seen you in a while.“

Louis extends his hand out accepting the friendly handshake. Louis can already tell that he and Liam are going to get on really well, especially if Liam can handle the 101 scout jokes that are about to be thrown his way.

“ Don’t mock me, Louis, it’s always good to be prepared.“

“ I am prepared Liam“

“ Oh, so you have water bottles?“

“ Yes“

“ Suitable clothes and footwear?“

“ Yes“

“ Repellent?“

“ Yes“ He says very proudly, internally praising Niall for being hungry earlier.

Louis is grinning feeling cocky, a smug smirk spread across his face as Niall watches on amused. Liam knows, he has him now.

“ Rope? Compass? First aid kit? Matches? Torch? Sunscreen?“

“ I… well…erm…I….“

Louis surrenders in defeat.

“ You got me, you happy now?“

Liam smiles and only then does Louis forget that there are two other people he is yet to meet. One of those are about 15 meters away bent over rummaging through a swag, their head lowered and just out of sight. While the other is standing between Niall and Liam, his hair is perfect, his eyes are dreamy, and what the fuck? This boy looked like someone Louis would marry without a second thought but nope, no. He promised himself, he isn’t ready for any of that.

Liam introduced them and with only a few short words already being spoken, Louis is starting to think this weekend might not be so bad after all.

Until he hears another voice.

A voice from behind him, the boy’s breath gently touching his ear making him shiver with nerves. A voice he wished to forget, a voice that still haunts him to this day, the same very voice that drove him to the cliff’s edge many months ago.

“ Long time no see, how you been Louis?“

It’s no surprise when the other lads all look at each other confused not understanding how the boys knew one another.

Louis wants to turn around and look at him. He wants to scream and hit him and tell him how much of an asshole he is and demand an apology that was so rightly over due. He wants to do it all.

But he can’t.

His heart races as he starts to panic. The memories of his best friend and ex boyfriend rushing back to his thoughts instantaneously. With his breathing increasing, his fingers a shaken mess, he clears his throat.

“ I will be back in a minute.“

He says it out loud but it’s mainly directed at Niall who is looking incredibly concerned. He doesn’t wait for a response as he takes off, walking forward towards the woods.

“ Louis wait.“ Niall calls.

“ Just gonna collect some kindling for the fire for tonight Nialler, be back soon.“

He knows his best friend is worried and he is hoping Niall bought the lie. He needs to get away, somewhere where he can calm down and pull himself together. Somewhere to cry privately because how the fuck was his ex here? Of all God dam people, why him? Why?

Louis walks fast entering the forest. He has no idea where he is going as his tears start to clog up his vision. He can hear footsteps behind him and he prays to God they are those of Niall or even Liam, hell even the God-like model he just met would suffice anyone but him.

He eventually comes to a halt needing to catch his breath. The steps behind him subsiding as well.

It’s silent. Deathly silent.

Louis can feel his stomach churning, tears now streaming down his cheeks. He knows by the silence that it isn’t his best friend because Niall would have already wrapped his arms around him from behind and told him everything was going to be ok.

He wipes his eyes and exhales knowing he can’t escape this, there’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. He squints his eyes closed tightly working up the courage to turn around.

“ WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE, HARRY ?“

---

A/N Looks like Louis has a little crush on Zayn 😉

Chapter 3- Lost?

A/N

Surprise!!!!

My god its been awhile since this story had an update.

Dont get too excited, this fic is still on hold until i finish

‘Don’t change me.’

Anyway, enjoy this 5.4k word chapter .

Please leave lots of comments and votes if you are enjoying the plot .

⛺️

’The struggle you are in today, is

developing

the strength you will need for tomorrow.’

Funny enough, Louis realises they hadn’t been out in the woods for as long as he intially thought they were. It had just seemed to appear that way due to the annoying presence of Harry.

When they finally emerge from the trees, Louis can see that the other lads are talking among themselves as they casually slouch in the fold out Chairs. Niall doesn’t hesitate in standing immediately, and walking over to Louis, when he sees how pissed off he is, as Harry follows him slowly behind as they re-join the group.

“I’m not even going to ask if you are ok, because I can see that you aren’t. What happened? Please Louis, tell me this isn’t THAT Harry?”

Even though Niall’s voice was lowered it was still somehow heard by everyone. Louis is being gawked at like a fucking zoo animal, all curious and entrigued as to what the fuck was going on. It’s only day one and Louis just wants to leave already. Right now, the only place he wants to be is tucked up in bed, where all he gets to look at is his roof instead of these judging concerned faces, and the asshole he never wishes to engage with again. For a reason unknown and to which he can’t explain, Louis decides to just be upfront and open about it.

“ For fuck sakes, curiosity killed the cat you know, but since I can see you are all nosey. Guys meet Harry, my asshole ex boyfriend who cheated on me and almost drove me to jump off a cliff. Happy now?“

Louis is embarassed. He doesn’t understand why he has just lashed out at Niall and his mates, especially when they have been nothing but kind. He looks like a righteous prick now, and the long walk back to his home is looking better by the second. He doesn’t wait for a response before he darts off quickly, unzipping and entering his tent. He has no idea how stunned Harry was at hearing those words, as it’s only now that he becomes aware of that dark night long ago.

The idea of ‘hiding’ away doesn’t last, as he first hears commotion outside. It sounds like Niall is yelling necessaties but it’s soon muffled by others trying to intervene. Louis doesn’t see how Harry sits on the ground as he stares off into space while Niall screams at him. It isn’t until Niall says something along the line of ’ You never loved him.’ until Harry bit back. A few more minutes of loud yelling is heard until it all just stops.

“ Louis?“

There’s so much worry in Niall’s tone, but Louis finds that he cannot move. He was angry before, but now he’s had a few moments to collect his thoughts , it dawns on him that HARRY is here. The very same Harry who he loved unconditionally. The same Harry who made him smile and laugh. The very same Harry who also broke his heart. He wipes his tears as Niall sits down beside him, where they sit in silence for a good couple of minutes. What Niall says next utterly surprises him.

“ Give me an hour to pack up our stuff, and we can head home.“

That’s what he has been wanting, so why does Louis refuse?

“It’s ok Ni. You have looked forward to this trip, I will just ignore him. I mean, what could go wrong?”

“Everything can go wrong!! Nope. I will say my goodbyes and -”

Louis places his hand on Niall’s thigh.

“Listen to me. I’m grateful that you are thinking of me, but it will be ok, I’m not ruining this for you. I’m just so embarassed at the way I snapped at everyone. Fucking hell, how am I suppose to go back out there now? They are going to think I’m an idiot.”

By the time the two emerge from the tent, the sun has almost set. It’s evident as they sit down, that someone is missing. He doesn’t ask where he is, and no-one mentions anything.

He knows it’s a bad idea, but he cracks a beer. He wants to apologise to the guys, but they all smile at him and he gets the feeling they don’t want to hear it. So he relaxes a little and swigs his way through several more beers. As the nights air becomes chilly, he leans closer to the bonfire and rubs his hands together as he laughs at Liam’s stupid story about an oversized bear that once attacked him. Even with today’s events, he finds that the amount of laughter he has accumulated tonight, has actually been refreshing. He won’t lie though, his mind keeps drifting off to where Harry may be. His tent is still there, packed up tightly still laying on the ground.

When he looks to his watch, he yawns as it dawns close to 9 pm. After the early morning rush, the long drive and the stress of being reunited with his ex, Louis is struggling to stay awake, until a figure emerges off in the distance and begins to approach them.

“ You’re back.“

Liam is the first to speak but he spends the next couple of seconds watching Louis, as if he is scared to step on any toes.

“I am.” Harry confirms as he tries to evaluate the atmosphere by sitting down.

Harry has stared at Louis the entire time, but Louis hasn’t even offered a glance. Absolutely nothing, zilch, zero, none, not an ounce of attention his way.

Stretching his arms above his head as he stands, Louis pats Niall on his shoulder.

“Well, that’s it for me lads. I’m off to Lala land.”

Funny enough, all the boys decide to retire at this time, all now yawning from the days long drive. They all stand, all except for Harry, who sits and stares into the glistening flames. A round of ’ goodnights’ are being thrown around as every one retreats to their tents.

Who knows exactly how long Harry had sat there pondering his woes, before the rain began to slowly drizzle. He doesn’t move though, he hardly even blinks, but when the rain begins to fall heavier he becomes soaked. He looks over to where his tent is still laying fully packed up. He unrolls his swag and pulls it up and over his head. He isn’t the warmest, but the fire is just enough to keep him content.

Fifteen minutes later, and a loud ass scream is heard, from a voice Harry missed dearly.

“ Fucking hellllllll“

Harry knows immediately it’s because of the loud clap of thunder, and Liam and Zayn laugh at the way Louis sounds so scared.

You see, currently as it stands. Louis is in a tent on his own. Zayn is on his own. Harry is out on his own. And Niall, is bunking with Liam.

“ You ok there, Louis?“ Niall shouts out while laughing.

“ Yeah, i’m fucking fine guys, thanks. This thunder is terrible. I wanna go home.“ Louis laughs pretending to be sooky.

“ You can come sleep in here with me if you like? I don’t bite, I promise.“

Holy shit, Louis freezes, because did sexy fucking Zayn just invite him to bed? Well to sleep beside him anyway, he can’t help but only dream the rest. No way in this life time would he turn that chance down.

“ Thanks Zaynie.“ Louis yells out as he begins collecting up his pillow and blanket, almost ready to transfer over in a heart beat.

’ Zaynie ’ Harry thinks to himself. What kind of fucking nick name is that? Why did Louis call him that anyway, he only just fucking met him.

Harry is faced towards the fire but hears the moment Louis unzips his tent. He misses the way Louis stops to notice him sleeping out in this weather. He wants to scream out ‘Ha Ha’ but at the same time, he just wants to tell Harry to use his now free tent. He evidentally decides to remain quiet while jogging over to Zayns tent.

The last thing Harry hears is “ Hey roomie.“

For a few minutes, Zayn and Louis are heard by everybody as they giggle non stop.

“What the hell are you too laughing at over there, shut up already!” Niall shouts.

Liam recieves a text message, surprisingly enough, it’s from Louis.

To Liam: “Please keep this between me and you, but can you please go outside and tell Harry to use my tent. He is sleeping in his swag in the rain. I can’t let him do that. It feels horrible.”

Liam really didn’t want to move, it was the very last thing he wanted to do, as he had only just gotten warm, but Harry sleeping in this mini storm was a very bad idea, and it wasn’t sitting well on his concious knowing he could do something to fix it.

Louis heard the zip of a tent presumably Liams, followed by very faint voices. He couldn’t tell what was being said, but they did however speak for way to long. Knowing Harry, he was probably being stubborn about it all.

Finally he hears Liam’s tent again, followed by silence. Louis reaches for his phone, but stops when he hears a zip from the other direction.

’ Thank god’

Harry is surrounded by Louis’ belongings, and he can smell the offset of his own cologne everywhere, the very same one that Louis knew was Harry’s favourite. Odd, he thinks, as Louis nor Harry knew the other would be there.

“ Zayn, stop it!!“ Louis laughs, and Harry has never been so irritated and jealous in his entire life.

⛺️

Louis has no idea why he is awake so dam early. He does not have an answer for that, but what he does know, is that Zayn fucking snores, wayyyy to loud for his liking . He unzipped the tent and stepped out to admire the scenery. The sun was just starting to rise, casting a warm glow over the trees. The leaves on the trees were a vibrant green, and the light shone through them, creating a dappled effect on the ground. The smell of the bonfire from last night was still present, and Louis breathed it in deeply. He felt the cool, fresh air fill his lungs, as he smiled. Beneath his feet was soft and spongy, covered in a layer of pine needles and leaves. He stretched his arms out wide and felt the muscles in his back loosen up. The sky was a light shade of blue, and he could see the first signs of pink and orange on the horizon. The birds were singing a beautiful melody as they chirped off in the distance, and Louis closed his eyes and listened. He felt the warmth of the new sun beginning to beam upon his face, and he knew it was going to be a beautiful day. As he opened his eyes, he noticed the trees swaying in the gentle breeze, and he felt a sense of peace and calm wash over him. It was a perfect morning, well it was, until he looked over to see Harry returning from out of the trees fiddling with his zip.

Harry wants to speak to him, he wants to say ‘good morning’ but he simply just can’t. He does however, manage a small smile as he walks past, with Louis reciprocating.

Within a matter of fifteen minutes, the rest of the lads have all woken up and decided to cook some food. Liam had brought these small old style pots and pans to cook food in the fire with, and to be fair, Louis was excited to try everything.

Louis sat at the little breakfast style table that Liam had smartly made. He sat quietly with the rest of the lads, still trying to wake up properly. He tried to ignore all the chatter around him, but he felt like he was suffocating, like he couldn’t breathe properly knowing that Harry was consistently staring at him. He needed to get away, to clear his head.

As he took a sip of his coffee, he made up his mind. “I’m going for a hike,” he said, looking around at everyone’s shocked expressions.

Niall looked up from his plate of eggs and laughed. “ You, hike? What?“

Harry also scoffs a little, knowing more than anyone else just how unfit Louis is, and how much he depises anything relating to doing things that require an actual “effort.”

“I’ll come with you,” Niall proclaimed.

Louis shook his head. “No, I need to do this alone.”

Everyone at the table could tell that Louis needed space. He was fidgeting with his fork, tapping his foot on the ground, and avoiding eye contact.

Louis stood and walked over towards his tent. Just an hour was all he needed, he thought. He threw his phone down onto the sleeping bag and sprayed himself with some deoderant. Stepping out again, he ties his laces as he took a deep breath of the fresh air, feeling his spirits lifting already at the thought of clearing his head. He was in a good mood, even with the lack of sleep, but secretly he still felt anxious knowing Harry was there. He knew he needed to go on this hike, he knew he needed to think, but what he didn’t know, was what this “hike” was destined to bring forth.

“Just going for a small walk up the hill Niall, i’m a grown ass man, don’t look at me like that.”

Niall is worried though. He knows Louis well enough to realise that there was no convincing him otherwise. Opting to stay quiet, Niall just hugs him tightly.

“ Go enjoy your food, I will be back in probably an hour or so.“

Niall nods slightly and begins to walk away.

“ Oh Ni!“

Niall turns back around to see Louis smirking.

“ Film the reaction for me can you?“

Niall looks confused and is about to question him when they all hear Liam scream loudly.

“ Who the fuck filled my boots with rocks?!?!?“

Shit

“ Oops, too late, im outta here.“ Louis laughs as he jogs away.

As he walked deeper into the woods, he felt the trees begin to tower over him, the leaves rustling in the soft wind. He heard the sound of a stream off in the distance and followed it. He wouldnt lie, the views around him are amazing and he takes the opportunity of being alone by memorising all the little beautiful details.

Back at the campsite, it didn’t take Harry long to realize that Louis had left without any hiking gear. He knew that Louis was in a fragile state of mind, and he was worried that he might hurt himself. He decided to go after Louis, to make sure he was okay.

“ Look, I have everything packed up still, I can take it with me just to be on the safe side. I’m not going to hurt him guys, I swear. I love him. I know things were akward yesterday and this morning, but if I can just have a chance to talk to him alone, i’m pretty confident that I can make the rest of this trip less tense for everyone.“

It took a lot of convincing, especially to Niall, for them to allow Harry to go searching for him. After pleading his case, Harry is finally given the go ahead.

As he walked into the woods, Harry felt the weight on his back from his bag. It’s heavy and weighty, but it contains a lot of the essentials needed to survive out in the wild. You would be very surprised to know, just how much you can fit into one of those bags.

But all is great in the larger scheme of things, because Harry’s plan to win Louis back, was well and truly underway.

⛺️

Louis walked deeper and deeper into the woods, lost in thoughts about Harry. He didn’t notice how far he had gone, or how the trees had grown thicker and taller. He was so focused on those curls and green eyes that he had once adored or still does, that he didn’t realize how much time had passed, he was lost.

As he turned around, he felt a wave of panic wash over him. He didn’t recognize the path he had taken, and he couldn’t see any sign of the campsite in the distance. He felt a knot form in his stomach, and his palms began to sweat.

Louis tried to retrace his steps, but every path looked the same. He couldn’t remember which way he had come from, and he felt like he was running in circles. He began to feel slightly nervous, wondering how the hell he was going to find his way back.

He tried to stay calm, but his heart was pounding in his chest. He realized that he had left his phone back in the tent, and he had no way of calling for help. He felt like he was in a nightmare, and he couldn’t wake up.

Without realising, he strolled off into the wrong direction as he walked deeper into the woods, experiencing a sense of unease. He realized that he was completely alone, with no one to turn to. He felt vulnerable and exposed, like he was at the mercy of the wilderness.

Louis tried to push these thoughts aside and focus on finding his way back. He knew that he had to stay calm and keep his wits about him if he wanted to survive. He took another deep breath and continued on his journey, hoping that he would find his way back home.

Louis heard a branch crack making him spin around, and thats when he noticed he had stumbled upon a small rabbit. It was grey, cute and fluffy, with big brown eyes that looked up at him curiously. Louis couldn’t resist sitting down beside it on the nearby log.

“Hello there, little guy,” Louis said with a grin. “I suppose you don’t happen to know the way back to the campsite by any chance? I seem to have gotten myself lost.”

The rabbit just stared at him, twitching its nose. Louis laughed and shook his head.

“I guess not, huh?” he said, reaching out to pet the rabbit’s soft fur. “Well, it was worth a shot. You’re a cute little thing, you know that?”

The rabbit hopped away from Louis, but he followed it with his eyes, watching as it disappeared into the underbrush. He felt a pang of loneliness in that moment, and he found himself wondering if Harry would have found the rabbit as cute as he did.

Louis sat on the log for a few more minutes, lost in thought. He felt a sense of peace in the woods, surrounded by nature. He felt like he could stay there forever, just him, the rabbit, and the trees.

He stood up, and brushed the dirt off his pants, taking one last look at the spot where the rabbit had disappeared.

“Thanks for the company, little guy,” he said with a smile. “Maybe we’ll meet again someday.”

Louis stops speaking when he is interupted by an unexpected voice.

“You shouldn’t pat wild rabbits you know, it could have been infected with diseases like Tularemia. In case you didn’t know, the infectious disease is caused by bacterium Francisella tularensis. It affects both humans and animals, and is typically found in wild animals such as the likes of your new found friend.”

Fucking Harry and his obession with animals.

“ Wow, ok, Sorry Mr Wildlife expert, but for your information and based on my own observations, the rabbit showed no signs of lethargy, ulcers, abscesses, incoordination, or stupor, all signs which identify “ Tularemia“ ’ Louis emphasises using qoutation marks.

“ Yeah, did you forget I also took that class, Harry. I’m not stupid, oblivious to things going on behind my back obvisously, but never stupid.“

Ooh and there it was. The dig that Harry was kind of expecting at some point. He just imagined it was going to take a little longer.

“ Lou, wait.“

Louis is already weaving in and out of the branches, sticks and dried leaves were cracking under his steps as he hurries further and further away.

“ Louis stop! You are going the wrong way.“

Louis walked deeper and deeper into the woods, seeming to zone out with every step. He was trying to escape Harry, to put some distance between them, but he didn’t realize that he was venturing in the wrong direction.

The scenery around him was breathtaking. The endless amount of trees were breathtaking and somewhat majestic, with leaves of every color. The ground was covered in a soft carpet of moss, and the air was filled with the scent of pine. Louis felt like he was walking through a fairy tale, but he couldn’t enjoy it fully because of his own worries.

The path he was on was tapering and winding, and as Louis felt his heart rate increase as he looked around, he realized once again how nothing looked familiar. He stumbled on a rock and almost fell, but he caught himself just in time.

Harry followed him, keeping a safe distance. He watched as Louis walked further and further into the woods, oblivious to the danger he was in. He knew that he had to catch up to him before it was too late.

The sun was setting fast, casting long shadows. The trees grew thicker, and the paths seemed to grow narrower. Louis felt like he was walking through a maze, with no end in sight.

Harry shook his head, looking at him with concern. Finally, he caught up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“For the millionith time, you are going the wrong way.” he snapped while stopping for a moment to catch his breath.

“We have to turn back now before it gets dark. You need to trust me on this, Lou.”

“ Ha! You and the word trust should never be in the same sentence, Harry!“

Harry is getting frustrated, because its very late in the afternoon now. They have been “ Hiking“ all day. The cold air is starting to form, and Harry just wants to keep Louis safe.

“Look, hate me all you want, i’m not worried about that right now, but if you don’t listen to me, we are going to end up stranded out here. Do you understand that? I have this compass here.”

Harry pulls out an old ancient brass rimmed compass. “ And if we follow-“

Harry doesn’t get to finish that sentence, because the compass has just been ripped out of his hand by a very determined Louis.

“ Fine, but let me use it because NOOOOOOOO“ he screams.

Louis had snatched the compass so harshly that when he pulled his hand back, he lost all grip sending the compass flying into the air. A lound thud is heard as it hits the ground, and Louis chases it because its landed on its side, rolling and rolling to where there is a large drop off near the stream of water.

“ No no no no no, Fuck! “ Louis screams the moment it rolls over, plunging to its unexpected ‘death’.

Louis runs his hands down his face, not believing his luck. He looks back at Harry who hasn’t said a word as he stands there frozen, his eyes peeled to the drop off. Turning around abruptly, Harry says nothing as he begins to leave. Louis can tell that Harry is mad.

“ Harry.“

Not getting an answer, Louis follows him as he tries to jog to catch up.

“ Harry. I will buy you another one, you don’t have to have a sook about-“

Harry turns around, anger distinguished in every possible way. His frown, his eyes, his stance, his voice.

“ That was my fucking Grandpa’s compass you asshole!“

Louis knows he has made a bad mistake. Immediately, he wants to cry as he watches Harry collapse down to the ground.

“ Shit, fuck, Harry I am so sorry.“

Harry had lost his parents at a very young age in a fatal car crash caused by a drunk driver. His grandparents took him in, but unfortunately his grandmother died shortly after via a heart attack. Most people expected the older man to surrender the young boy over to the authorities, not being certain he could raise the boy alone, but he didn’t. Instead he took on the role of gaurdianship and raised the boy the best he could. Harry soley grew up with his grandpa who showed him nothing but unconditional love. He was a fun old man, who taught Harry new things in the most bizarre ways. Instead of kiddy bedtime stories, Harry’s grandpa would re-enact scenes from old history battles, always finding new and exciting ways for more learning opportunities. Harry loved his grandfather and was extremley close to him. Throughout his final years of school, not only did Harry excel in his studies, but he also spent every spare minute he could grab at the nursing home. Louis had been fortunate enough to meet him a couple of times before he eventually passed away at the age of 82, only two years ago.

Louis sat down beside him as Harry brushed away tears.

“ Im so sorry Harry. I feel freaking terrible. I-“

Harry stands up readjusting his back pack.

“ Let’s just go, it’s getting cold.“

Louis nodded, secretly feeling grateful to have Harry by his side. They turned around and started walking back towards the campsite, the trees and the shadows growing darker around them.

But were they really heading in the right direction?

⛺️

As darkness fell over the forest, Louis admitted defeat as he stood in place staring at nothing in particular. He knew in that moment that they were utterly lost, and there was no way of returning back tonight. He felt a sense of panic rising in his chest, worrying that Niall would be looking for him. He kept arguing with Harry about persevering on, but Harry knew it was too dangerous to keep walking in the dark.

“We need to stop and set up camp,” Harry said, his voice calm. “I have a small 2-man tent that we can use, here.”

Louis shook his head, looking around at the dark and foreboding forest.

“I don’t want to stop, we have to keep going.”

Harry sighed, knowing that Louis was scared and stubborn. He started setting up the tent, trying to reassure him that everything would be alright.

“It’s too dangerous to keep walking in the dark, we need to stay here and wait until morning.”

Louis shivered in the cold, feeling the chill seeping into his bones. Harry offered him his jacket, but as expected he refused, insisting that he would build a fire instead.

Harry started gathering wood, but Louis demanded he could do it himself. Harry watched on as Louis successfully started a fire. He scoffed in his head because he knew the flames were not going to last long, Louis can indeed make a fire , its just not one that will be too productive. Again, he begged him to take the tent, but he refused, saying that he would rather sleep under the stars with ammonia then share a tent.

The forest was quiet, with only the sound of Harry’s movements and the occasional rustling of leaves. Harry sat down next to fire, trying to warm his hands. Louis sat on the other side staring into the flames.

Louis had just realized how far away they were from actual civilization. He started to worry about Niall again, wondering if he would ever find them.

Harry on the other hand, had different things on his mind, like finally getting the chance to have a proper talk.

“ Lou, that night at Penny’s.“

“ Nope, not doing that, Harry.“

“Just let me explain ok. You had it all wrong, we were just-”

“ La la la la.“

Wow, Louis covered his ears like a child trying to drown out Harry’s words.

“Fine.”

Harry watched the way Louis’ face fell and truth be told, he hasn’t stopped thinking about the words he had heard yesterday. Did Louis really nearly jump off a cliff because of him? He wanted to discuss it, but he can see that now is not the right time.

Louis started to look more and more tired. Harry offered him the tent again, but he refused once more.

“ At least take my blanket Lou, you can’t sleep on the bare ground with no blanket. The fire alone is not going to be enough to keep you warm, by the looks of that it wont last an hour. You know I am right on this.“

Louis rolled away from Harry to face the fire.

“ Goodnight to you too then.“ Harry sarcastically remarked.

Harry zipped up the tent and pulled the blanket up around him. He was hoping Louis would change his mind but after thirty minutes of hearing nothing but Louis’ teeth chatter, he finds it hard to sleep.

⛺️

Louis woke up to the sound of a wolf howling off in the far distance. He sat up, his heart racing with fear. He looked around, realizing that the flames were still burning beside him, which momentarily made him smirk because fuck you Harry, it did last longer than 60 minutes.

If only Louis had known, that Harry has not once, but twice, had to get up and add kindling, sticks and leaves to keep it going.

He tried to calm himself down, telling himself that it was just a wolf, that it wouldn’t hurt him. But the sound of the howling was so eerie, so otherworldly, that he couldn’t help but feel terrified.

He looked over at the tent where Harry was probably still sleeping soundly. Louis felt a pang of jealousy, wishing that he could be as calm and collected as Harry was. But he knew that he wasn’t, that he was the one who always panicked in these situations.

Harry stirred in his sleep, and then unzipped the tent.

“Louis, are you okay?” he asked, his voice soft.

Louis shook his head, feeling tears prick at the corners of his eyes.

“Can you hear that?” he whispered.

Harry begged him to get in the tent, promising that he would keep him safe. Louis finally agreed, but only under one condition: that Harry stayed far away from him in the corner.

Harry nodded, understanding Louis’ fear. He zipped up the tent, and Louis crawled inside. The tent was small and cramped, but it felt warm.

Louis still refused the blanket, he laid down on the ground, listening to the sound of the wolf. It was so close, so real, that he felt like it was right outside the tent.

He closed his eyes, trying to block it out, but it was too loud, too menacing. He felt like he was drowning in fear. The wolf kept howling, its voice echoing through the trees. Louis felt like it was calling to him, like it was trying to lure him out.

He clutched his knees to his chest, trying to make himself as small as possible. Harry sat in the corner, watching over him wanting nothing more than to take him into his arms. He decides that maybe talking to him might calm him down.

“ Hey Lou“

“ Hmm“

“Do you remember that time when we first met, and you wanted to go camping. You had that crazy idea of trying to capture big foot.” Harry laughs.

Louis smiles as he thinks back on that time, and he can’t contain the smile that makes it’s way to his face. It quickly fades when he now realises that only does he have to worry about bears, and wolfs, now he has big foot to fucking worry about.

“ Good night, Harry.“

“ Night, Lou.“

Without any further failings, Louis fell fast asleep, exhausted and no longer afraid.

⛺️

Waking up, the first thing Louis is made aware of is how warm he is. He flutters his eyes open quickly because, how exactly is he so warm? He looks down and sees the blanket tightly curled around himself. Looking over towards Harry, his face softens when sees him huddled up into a ball, shivering as he slept.

Louis finds himself at a crossroads, torn between the turmoil in his head and the longing in his heart. His desire to not forgive Harry battles with the overwhelming sense of missing him. The internal struggle leaves him uncertain about whose advice to follow—his rational thoughts or the emotions tugging at his heartstrings.

⛺️

A/N

Thoughts on how its going?

This is only a SHORT story and will only have maybe 3 chapters or so left. I did say at the beginning that it wasn’t going to be a novel. 😊