“Bye dad!” Eleanor called behind her as she closed the door and stepped out into the street. I instantly took her into a hug, making her giggle as I planted soft kisses on her jaw and nuzzled into her neck gently.

“Hello girlfriend.” I beamed as she pulled away. She rolled her eyes playfully but couldn’t hide the flush of colour that flooded her cheeks every time I said it. I still got butterflies in my stomach every time I remembered that she was mine and I knew she felt the same. I smirked cheekily, knowing exactly what I was doing as I laced my fingers through hers and we began the short walk to Harry’s house.

“So, what was so urgent that I had to get up before eleven?” she asked as we strolled down my street and my smile faltered slightly.

“Harry didn’t say… I think it’s probably to do with Selena though…” I said gently, not wanting to ruin the happy moment that we had shared, but it was too late. The going’s on between Selena and Jared from Christmas Eve had been hanging over the three of us like a bad smell. I hated knowing that the girl who had become like a sister to me in such a short period of time was so broken that she didn’t even have it in her to return a text. All we wanted was to help her but we just didn’t know how.

“I take it she hasn’t spoken to either of you yet?” she asked after a few seconds of thoughtful silence. I shook my head sadly, staring ahead as we walked. She squeezed my hand knowing how hard I was taking Selena’s silence.

“She tells me everything El, like when she can’t talk to Harry, I’m the first one she comes to and she can’t even talk to me… It just makes me feel so down… you know?” I finally said quietly as we rounded a corner and stopped at the zebra crossing.

“I know Lou, she’s just hurting…”

I thought about Selena as we continued to walk in silence, she had been hurting as long as I had known her and I hated it. I remembered that first time that we had gone to the beach, when Harry was an idiot and couldn’t see that Selena was head over heels for him, but I could. Something about the look in her eyes when she was sad, like you could see her broken heart in every forced smile, reminded me of my sisters and I had instantly just wanted to protect her and since then we had formed such a strong friendship. I looked over at El who seemed as though she was thinking along the same lines… we just wanted her to be okay.

“How’s Harry been?” She asked when she caught me looking. The last time she had seen him was when he had come back from the party after taking Selena back to hers. Eleanor had never seen Harry like that.

---

I was kissing Eleanor in the kitchen, the music blaring, my brain a little foggy from the alcohol when I heard a bang from the corridor. We looked round to see Harry storming through the doorway his eyes ablaze with a fury.

“Where the fuck is she?” He growled as his eyes scanned over the room. The music was cut off as everyone stared at him in silence, not knowing who he was referring to. I motioned for Eleanor to stay there as I approached him slowly.

“Haz mate, what’s wrong?” I asked, making sure to keep my voice level. He turned on me, his breathing heavy.

“Where is that fucking lying bitch?” He snarled through gritted teeth. Gemma had stepped forward beside me and was looking at her brother cautiously.

“Harry, you need to calm down, who are you even-“ Harry didn’t let her finish. He was looking past her where Jared, Jensen and Alex were standing, a part of the previous group that she had just moved away from. He took a step closer and I instinctively put my hand on his chest to keep him from moving forward any further.

“Leave, now.” He spoke in a voice barely louder than a whisper directly to Jared. I had no idea what was even happening as his nostrils flared. I looked around at Jared and then back to Harry wondering why Selena hadn’t already piped up to calm down whatever was happening right now.

“Where’s Selena?” I asked to no one in particular. Harry tensed beneath my hand and I realised quickly that this was not the right question to ask at this moment.

“That lying bitch has been making up fucking stories and the fucking idiot believed her!” He jabbed his finger through the air at Alex and then at Jared as his fury rose again, “Now get the fuck out of my damn house before I remove you myself!”

“Yeah, and what do you know about anything Harry?” Jared suddenly pushed himself from the counter and stepped forward. This was not going to end well, “You don’t know the full fucking story, you’re just trying to play Mr. Fucking White Knight again because you’ve always wanted her!”

“I sat back because I thought you’d be fucking good to her, not fucking treat her like shit, you prick! That bitch-“ He was interrupted by Jensen suddenly piping up.

“Alright Harry, that’s enough!” He said firmly, pushing Alex behind him protectively. Harry’s eyes darted to his sister who stood there watching her brother with a confused expression, he was begging her to say something.

“Harry, I think you should go and calm down.” She said finally in a quiet voice. Harry’s voice contorted in disgust as he realised his sister was taking Jensen’s side which was by default Alex’s side.

“You’ve thrown away the best thing that’s ever happened to you.” He hissed at Jared as he took a step back from my hand, but I didn’t move, he could be unpredictable when his temper flared. He looked at Jensen and Gemma and his face went stone cold.

“I don’t want him in the house anymore. Next time I see his face, it’s going to be under my fist!” He spat and then looked Gemma directly in the eyes, “I’m your brother, Nice to see where your loyalties lie, Gem.”

And then he marched out the room and up the stairs leaving everyone standing around awkwardly looking around. The party was over with the slam of his bedroom door.

---

“He’s a mess.” Was all I could think to say. This was an understatement. I thought about a few days before when I had gone over to see him.

---

“Jesus Christ Harry!” I spluttered as Harry opened the front door in his dressing gown. He looked like shit. His hair was scraped back in a greasy bun and below his bloodshot eyes was a deep shade of purple and I instantly realised he’d barely been sleeping in the last week. He stepped aside without a word, a gesture for me to come inside. I got closer and I scrunched my nose up as the faint smell of body odour tickled my nose. I followed him up to his bedroom. It was a tip, there were empty bowls and pizza boxes in a pile on the floor in the corner. He sat down on the bed but I just stood by the door, not wanting to touch anything. He didn’t even seem to notice my disgust at his living conditions.

“Mate, what the hell’s happened to you?” I asked as kicked a pair of presumably dirty underwear away from my nice shoes.

“She’s not okay.” He mumbled staring at the wall opposite him, not moving.

“No, she’s not, but honestly right now I’m more concerned about you…” I looked at him concerned unsure whether he needs tough love or a gentle hand. His apathetic shrug made my mind up for me.

“Mate, I don’t want to kick you when you’re down but I say this for your own good. You need to pull yourself together.” He glanced over at me, looking as irritated as he could by my tone in his exhausted state but I just continued, "You are no use to Selena in this state. You smell as bad as you look, and I’m worried that I’m going to need a tetanus jab after being in here.” I could see his tired eyes filling with tears and had a sneaking suspicion that this was not the first time this had happened over the last few days. Treading carefully across to the bed, I covered my hand with my sleeve and moved the bottom of his quilt out of the way so I could perch myself on the edge of his bed.

“Harry.” I said gently, as a tear dropped over his bottom lash line, “She just needs a little time alone… but you are going to be in no state to help her when she calls if you’re not sleeping.” He looked at me and I saw recognition in his eyes for the first time since I had got to his house. He nodded and slowly got up from the bed. He opened his wardrobe and pulled a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from some hangers before fishing around in a draw for some underwear. Without another word he shuffled into the hallway and into the bathroom. I let out a sigh of relief once I heard the shower running. I picked up a few of the pizza boxes from the corner and took them downstairs in an attempt to help.

Anne was sitting in the kitchen with Robin, Harry’s stepdad, when I walked in. On seeing me with the boxes, they smiled.

“You actually got him to take a shower?” Robin asked listening to the sound of the pipes in the bathroom above them. I nodded as he got up and took the pizza boxes from me to put them in their recycling box. Anne rose from her chair and pulled me in for a hug. She had been like a second mother to me since I had met Harry all those years ago in primary school.

“Thank you Lou.” She whispered into my shoulder before pulling away, her own eyes looking a little pink as they welled up slightly, “He hasn’t left the room in days, he wouldn’t let anyone in… I’ve been so worried… He and Gem still aren’t speaking, I don’t know what I’m meant to do.” I put my hand on her shoulder comfortingly, knowing how she felt. I had only come round because he hadn’t answered a text in over two days.

I had done a few more trips up and down the stairs carrying rubbish and dirty crockery down from Harry’s room before his mum made me sit and talk to them with a cup of tea while we waited for Harry to get out of the shower. After about half an hour, we realised that the pipes had stopped but there was no sign of Harry. Curious, I decided to go and check on him. His door was ajar when I got to the top of the stairs but breathed a sigh of relief seeing him curled in a ball asleep on his bed. Finally resting for the first time in days.

---

I shook the memory from my mind realising that we were now at Harry’s. I stopped suddenly, wondering if there were any chance he would be in the same state as a few days before.

“You okay?” Eleanor said softly from my side. I looked at her with a weak smile.

“I just thought, I don’t know what kind of state he’s going to be in after the other day…I trailed off and Eleanor nodded, squeezing my hand gently.

“I’m sure he’s had a shower… he was the one who asked us to come over this time, remember?” She said encouragingly before walking up to the door while I hesitated at the end of the path. She knocked and turned to me, motioning for me to come to her with a smile. As I walked up to her slowly, the door opened and I was relieved to see that Harry was washed, dressed and judging by his eyes, well rested. He hugged Eleanor and then lead us into the living room. We watched him suspiciously as he offered us drinks that we declined and turned something mindless on the TV… obviously we were happy that he was okay, but this just seemed too perky.

“So what’s up Harry?” Eleanor said with a smile at him, cutting straight to the chase. He looked at us both, his smile fading slightly.

“We need to do something about Selena…” He said with a sad look in his eyes. I looked at Eleanor, both of us clearly thinking the same thing as she reached out and rested her hand on his in an attempt to be gentle in what she said next.

“Harry… we can’t force her to speak to us… she will when she’s ready.”

“Yeah, well I was thinking about that and I think that New Year’s is the perfect time to get her to come and let go of It for a few hours. New Year. New Start.” He said quietly, looking between us both, desperately pleading with one of us to agree. I thought about it… he had a point. Eleanor looked at me curiously as though she wasn’t going to agree unless we were both on the same page.

“How are we going to ask her if she won’t answer our texts?” I said with a sigh. Harry’s face brightened now that we were on board.

“You’re going to do what you did to me.” He said simply. I let out a small chuckle thinking that he was joking, it wasn’t until he didn’t join in my laughter that I realised he was serious. I leant forward, my eyes wide.

“Harry, she’s just had her heart crushed… she does not need to be ambushed and pushed too far too fast…” I said, looking at Eleanor for support but she sat quietly looking at Harry who just gave me a small calm smile.

“I know her. She needs this Lou.” He said. Eleanor looked at me and shrugged, willing to try whatever would get her friend out of this slump. I hesitated and then groaned, about to concede when thunder suddenly crossed Harry’s face and he stood up and marched toward the living room door. I looked behind me and then sprang to my feet realising what Harry had just seen and chased after him to hold him back. I got into the corridor just as the doorbell rang and Gemma pelted down the stairs. It was too late though Harry had already opened the door.

“Fuck off!” He spat at Jensen standing on the doorstep, blocking the doorway into his house. Gemma pushed past me and grabbed Harry’s arm and tried to pull him back but he stood strong. I could only imagine the look on his face. I could tell by the tone of his voice that if Jensen took it too far, Harry would hit him and from Gemma’s desperation, she seemed to know it too.

“Harry, stop!” Gemma yelled as he jerked his arm out of her grip and took a step toward Jensen, not listening. I stepped closer trying to judge whether I needed to intervene or not.

“I’m here to see my girlfriend.” Jensen said coldly to Harry, puffing out his chest. Jensen may have had two inches of height on Harry, but Harry was the rugby player, he was built bigger than Jensen and Harry knew it. A cold laugh left Harry’s throat as he took another step closer, showing Jensen he wasn’t afraid at all.

“Yeah, well I told you both that you’re no longer welcome here a week ago!” Harry said matching the coldness in Jensen’s voice, “Not until that prick you call a brother-“ Jensen suddenly took a step forward, poking Harry’s chest aggressively.

“Fucking come for my brother again Harry and the fact that you’re Gemma’s brother won’t matter anymore!” He snarled and I took a step forward ready to jump in. Jensen took a step back and a mocking smile crossed his face.

“Jensen! Harry! Fucking stop it!” Gemma shouted again from the step, her head in her hands, clearly not wanting it to break out in a fight but also not wanting to get caught in the crossfire If someone threw a punch. Both of them ignored her. Fire in their eyes as they glared at one another.

“You’re displaying a lot of anger here, hey Hazza?” Jensen emphasised Harry’s name aggressively as he spoke, the smile still there. I stepped into the garden, standing about two foot away from Harry. I knew where this was likely to go.

“Ever thought that it’s not because she’s upset but rather it’s because she’s turned out to be a little on the crazy side?” He held his hands up and Harry’s fists clenched by his side as Jensen continued taunting him, “Angry that Jared’s taken away your little fantasy? You should be thanking him, revealed her for the lying, crazy bitch she-“

Jensen didn’t get to finish his sentence as Harry suddenly stepped forward, pulling his fist back, he went to swing but I was too quick. I had seen it so many times, I had learnt a long time ago how to deal with Harry’s temper. I caught his fist in my hand and gave him a sharp push back in the chest, in which time Gemma jumped in front of her brother preventing him from diving forward again.

“Alex is the lying crazy bitch and he’s going to look like a fucking wanker when he realises!” Harry hissed over Gemma’s head before marching back into the house. Gemma watched after her brother looking as though she wanted to run after him but seemed to think better of it and instead turned and walked down the path to Jensen’s car without another word. Eleanor had been watching from the doorway with her mouth open. I followed her inside back to the living room where Harry was sitting with his head in his hands.

“I need to see her.” He said quietly without looking up and I knew he was right. I nodded and without another word, El and I left for Selena’s.

---

“What are we going to say to her Lou?” Eleanor said as we pulled up in front of the house. I had only been to Selena’s once, but I remembered her mum being lovely so I didn’t think that we’d have too much trouble convincing her to let us see her daughter.

“I think we should just tell her that we think she needs some time with her friends… the truth…” I said with a sigh. Eleanor nodded and turned the ignition off. I undid my seatbelt but noticed that she was hesitating beside me, “What’s wrong?” I asked, reaching across the console and taking her soft hand in my own.

“I think you should go on your own.” She said with a small smile, “She’s closer with you and I don’t want her to feel overwhelmed if she’s in a bad way…” I felt a warm feeling rising in my stomach. I love how sensitive Eleanor is to other people’s emotions, it was one of my favourite things about her. I leant forward and pressed my lips to hers, pulling her into my gently with my hand around the back of her neck. I was so lucky.

I pulled away and walked up the path to the door, paused for a second and then knocked. A few seconds later, a short woman with dark hair who I recognised to be Selena’s mother opened the door. She looked at me with a small but questioning smile, clearly not remembering me.

“Hi, I’m Louis, one of Selena’s friends? We met a few weeks ago?” I smiled as she nodded, understanding crossing her face.

“Yes, sorry Louis, I do remember you! You came with Harry…” Her smile faded as she recalled the last time that she had seen him, when he had carried Selena in while she was heartbroken. She looked up the stairs sadly.

“Can I see her?” I asked quietly. Her mother hesitated and then nodded gently, stepping aside. I nodded politely back at her, taking off my shoes before sprinting up the stairs and going straight to Selena’s bedroom. I knocked on the door lightly and then waited.

“Mum, I’ve told you, I don’t need anything, I just want to be alone, please…” Her voice came croaky and weak from inside. I hadn’t heard her voice in over a week and I hated that she sounded so broken. I slowly turned the nob and cracked the door open a few centimetres. Despite the midday light outside, the room was dark, the curtains drawn and I could just about see her in the bed curled in a ball, surrounded by tissues.

“Mum, for god’s sake-“ She snapped a little louder but stopped when she saw me.

“Not mum.” I said quietly, waiting in the doorway for her to react before I barged into her space, but she just sat silently staring at me.

“Need a Louis cuddle?” I asked her with a small smile. After a moment of sitting quietly, she nodded and I took that as my okay to enter. I closed the door and walked over to her bed, sitting down next to her and opening my arms. She rested her head gently on my shoulder and I rocked her back and forth gently for a few minutes. I was so happy to see her, but I hated how much of a mess she was.

“Why did you come?” She croaked breaking the silence. I stopped swaying and pulled back to look her in the eyes.

“We’ve been worried…” I said gently with a small smile, “We think you need help getting you back on your feet…” She looked down at her hands sadly as I spoke and I could tell this was going nowhere. I paused for a second and decided to do as Harry had suggested and do to her what I did to him… not the part that he had expected though.

“Harry’s been a mess…” I said gently, and she instantly looked up at me wide eyed.

“He has? Why?” She asked, rubbing a tissue under her nose which I suspected would look a little pink in the light.

“You… he misses you, he’s worried about you… he’s fighting in your corner as always.” As I spoke I noticed the small smile that touched her lips when I said that and considered that it might have been the first time she had smiled since the party. I stood up and found the chain for her blinds, pulled it gently and light flooded into the room.

“We can’t let you start out a New Year like this S… please, just come with us to the house party tonight, and if you want to mope at least we can all mope together…” She rolled her eyes but I saw the smile get a little wider before she looked up at me. I pouted at her and thrust my hands out in a pleading motion, to which she sighed and nodded. I sat down and threw my arms around her, pulling her in for another hug, grateful that she had agreed, silently hoping that tonight everything would run smoothly.

Notes

So this is the LOOONGEST chapter ever.
But Louis is an absolute sweetheart in my mind so... <3

Hope you like it.

Need those comments and those ratings if you want to see more from Harry and Selena. I love hearing your thoughts so please be sure to post them!!!!

Thank you so much for your continued readership, I truly appreciate it <3

All the Love,

Lola xo