"The sweetness of reunion is the joy of heaven.” ― Richard Paul Evans


I missed him more than I ever thought I would. It had been years since I last saw him, just the two of us. He was, correction: had been, my best friend. The person I could go to in whatever situation. A shoulder to cry on, a cuddle that made me feel warm and a sass that could always bring a smile to my face. But we had lost contact ever since he auditioned for The X Factor. The moment he was off on his first world tour, I never saw him again.

It broke my heart that he was no longer with me. I couldn't text him, call him, email him. Nothing. I had no way of ever seeing him again. I tried to focus all of my energy in doing well with my education but every time I saw an article about One Direction or they were on the news, the hole in my heart grew. When Louis had left, he had unknowingly taken a piece of my heart with him. I wasn't in love with him but I did love him, like any best friend would.

It was December of 2015 when I finally saw those sparkling blue eyes of his.

My friend and I had gotten tickets to see the boys in L.A. for one of their Jingle Ball concerts. I had never been to one of their shows in the past because I couldn't bring myself to. To see Louis up there and not know that I was in the audience...it killed me. But my best friend was adamant this time. She was more desperate than me, to be honest. It was like she wanted Louis to see me more than I wanted him to see me. But what I didn't expect was how desperate she really was.

"You got VIP tickets?!" I screeched when she put the pass over my head and around my neck.

"Come on, Alice. You need to see him." Sarah smiled at me but I didn't return said smile.

"Who are you to decide that?" I frowned at her as she grabbed my hand and guided me over to the VIP line. The meet-and-greet would take place before the show started but I didn't want to do this. I couldn't see him, no matter how much I wanted to. I wasn't ready.

"Because I see how heartbroken you are, still after five long years. I'm sure he misses you." Sarah said.

"I doubt he'll remember me." I muttered.

"You two were inseparable from age 4! Of course he'll remember you." Sarah linked her arm through mine and gave it a squeeze of courage. As much as I wanted to believe her, the doubt seeped into my mind. I had changed since I was 18. I was already 24 and I knew Louis's birthday was coming up later this month, his 24th. It never bothered him that I was a few months his senior. He had always told me that age was just a number.

We waited in line for a while before it was our turn to go in. Sarah and I strolled in side-by-side, my hand clasped in hers. I was terrified. Not only was I going to reunite with my best friend, I was going to meet One Direction. I wasn't a huge fangirl but I was a fan of them. I had to be, Louis was part of the group.

Liam was the first person to notice the two of us, a broad smile reaching his kind brown eyes.

"Hello, loves."

"Hi." Sarah grinned from beside me but I didn't say anything. My eyes were on another member of the group. He had his back to me and he was engaged in conversation with Niall. I couldn't believe it. Louis was there, right before my own eyes. Tears began to form and I couldn't stop them from blurring my vision. He quickly turned around with a smile and I saw his eyes widen at the sight of me. I felt numb, so still that I didn't realise that Sarah had stepped away from me. Louis and I stared at each other, not saying anything. His face was fraught with shock and I knew mine was too.

"Alice?"

He...remembers me? He remembers me! My thoughts were all over the place. Here was my long lost best friend, someone I thought that I would ever see again. He had changed a lot. He had grown into an even more handsome young man and I would be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to him. But he was my best friend and he was here and that's all that mattered right now.

"Is it really you?" He gasped, walking towards me.

"Yeah." I choked out. What happened next only made the tears flow.

Louis quickened his pace, almost jogging up to me, and as soon as he reached me, he crushed me to his chest, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. I buried my face in his T-shirt and sobbed, allowing my arms to lock around his back. He still smelt the same as he did since I last saw him. He wore the same cologne. He was still the Louis that I knew and loved.

"It's been so long. Too long." He breathed softly, not letting go of me. I didn't want to let go of him either. Over five years of separation had lead up to this reunion, this one hug. Our bodies melted together and I couldn't care less if everyone was staring at us. Being in Louis's arms again felt so good. Like I had my best friend back.

"Let me look at you." He whispered, taking the sides of my head in his hands and pulling back. His deep friendly eyes stared into mine. He was breathtaking. Stubble littered his jaw, chin and around his mouth and his hair was swept across his forehead in a messy style but it suited him. His arms were inked in tattoos but underneath all that, he was still my Louis.

"How is it that you've become even more beautiful, darlin'?" He smiled, his accent warming my heart. I had missed the sound of his voice. I had missed everything about him. I chuckled at his compliment and blushed, looking down at the floor.

"Can someone please explain what's going on here?" An Irish-accented voice proposed as Niall came into view behind Louis. My best friend wrapped his arm around my shoulder and rubbed my upper arm, smiling goofily.

"Lads, you remember the best friend I told you about? The one that I lost contact with?"

"This is the Alice that you kept on going on about?" Harry laughed, tossing his long curls over his shoulder.

"Yep. This is her." Louis said proudly.

"You told them about me?" I looked up at Louis in shock.

"Just "told us" doesn't even begin to qualify, love. More like he was obsessed with talking about you." Liam said.

"Shut it, Payno."

It was at this point that I wanted to know where Sarah was. Fortunately, she came up beside me and Louis gave her a hug too, saying how good it was to see her. All three of us had been friends but it was Louis and I that had been super close.

While Sarah went over to the other boys to talk to them, Louis kept close to me.

"So, how have you been since I saw you?" I asked. It came out more angry than I had intended but Louis was a true gentleman and grasped my hands in his. A bolt of electricity shot through my fingers from his touch.

"Look, I'm so sorry, Alice. I never wanted us to lose contact. Just...my whole life blew up."

"You told me you'd never forget me." I mumbled.

"And I never did. How could I forget the girl who always walked with me to the bus stop after school?" Louis smiled and I laughed softly. That was what happened every day after school. I would walk in the opposite direction of my house to his bus stop just because I wanted to. Louis never complained. He just said it gave him even more time to hang out with me.

"I couldn't find the time to talk to you and for that, I am so sorry. Please forgive me. I have missed you, Alice. So much." Louis whispered, bringing me into another hug. This embrace was much softer but held just as much emotion as the previous one. I believed him. I knew he had never meant to lose contact with me. Louis had always been a good guy and that hadn't changed.

"I forgive you." I murmured into his shoulder.

"Really?" He asked, resting his cheek aganist mine.

"You're my best friend, Louis. Of course I forgive you." I assured him with a smile. He pressed his lips to my forehead and a fire burned within my stomach. A flash of desire hit my heart and I knew that I shouldn't be feeling that way. He was my best friend, my partner in crime, my closest confidant. I pushed those burning desires away and nodded at Louis, hoping that everything would be OK.

I familiarised myself with the other boys who were just as kind and friendly as Louis. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they were going to tease Louis now about our reunion. The chuckles shared between Liam and Niall didn't go unnoticed and Harry informed me of how many times Louis talked about you during all their times on the road.

The time came for Sarah and I to leave and let other fans get their time with the boys. Louis pulled me aside before I left and gave me his phone number and email. He didn't want to risk us losing contact again and I agreed to that.

"Enjoy the show, darlin'!" He waved and I waved back.

"I will!" I called back and left with Sarah.

"Told you he'd remember you." She gave me an "I-told-you-so" face when we got to our seats in the arena. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, not wanting to give her the satisfaction. I felt so happier now. It was the happiest I had been in the last five years. I had got my best friend back. I was about to see him do what he did best. This night had gone before than I ever thought it would. The cherry on top was when the boys came out onto the stage, Louis blew me a kiss and winked at me.

Oh, Louis, how great it is to have you back. I smiled to myself.

Notes

Hope you liked this, Alice! I really couldn't think of a weird situation so this was the only thing I could come up with.

blankspace1 xx