Gotta Be You.

Tanner shoved another piece of chocolate into her mouth, even though it was hard to chew because of the swelling that was happening in her cheek and continued clicking through the channels on TV. When nothing she fancied was on, she turned it off and looked around the apartment for something to do. Hearing her phone vibrate from the couch, she quickly picked it up and began reading the text message.

Hey, can we talk about what happened yesterday? Please? I’ll meet you in Central Park in about 15 minutes. I hope you show. –Lou

Tanner bit her lip before typing out a quick reply and leaving the apartment. She didn’t know why she was going other than the fact that she would be able to see Louis again. After
Eleanor, Louis was her best friend. They trusted each other to the ends of the world and back.

Finally appearing outside of the park, Tanner saw Louis before he saw her. She watched as he paced back and forth, nervously chewing on his fingernails.

“You know, eating your fingernails can give you worms.” Tanner said causing the boy to drop his hand and look over to her. He smiled at her before running over and tackling her in a huge hug. “Hey sassy.” She laughed as he picked her up and spun her around.

“I don’t know what came over me yesterday.” Louis said, putting his friend back down. Tanner shrugged, linking her arm with his and walking into the park. “It’s just, you were there. You were sitting right there. I couldn’t believe it.” Tanner laughed but stopped when Louis was staring at her swollen cheek. “What happened to you?” He asked.

“I just, I tripped and hit the corner of a table. It’s no big deal.” Tanner said, turning her face away from Louis’s sight and continuing to walk.

“No big deal?” Louis grabbed her chin and turned her face back towards him. “Tanner, this shit is swollen. You need to see a doctor.”

“Can we please talk about something else?” Louis was hesitant at first but he knew Tanner had no reason to lie to him, so he nodded. “Thank you.” The rest of the night consisted of them just joking around town, ending with Tanner dropping Louis off at his hotel.

“I’m really glad today happened.” He smiled, going in for a hug. Nodding, Tanner held the boy in her arms for a second before pulling away. “We have a concert tomorrow. You should come by and watch us.”

“Harry.” Was all Tanner said before shrugging. “I’m sorry.” Louis nodded and began to walk into hotel.

“You know, he really misses you.” Louis said. Tanner stopped walking and turned around. Her heart began beating faster as she watched the boy struggle to get his words out.

“Do you know what he did when he realized you left?” Gulping, Tanner watched as Louis stepped closer to her. She could feel a knot forming in her throat and she could already barely breathe. “He came over to my flat and for a week, he just sat on the couch, staring at the wall, mumbling things I couldn’t even understand. He didn’t eat. He didn’t shower. He just sat there.”

Tanner could only imagine Harry seated on Louis’s leather couch, dressed in dirty clothes and having not eaten for a week. Her heart was breaking just at the thought of it.

“After a while, he just became someone I didn’t even recognize anymore. He was drunk all the time, cursing and crying and screaming at anyone or anything. It was like the old Harry ran away with you and the new one; he was just an empty shell.” Tanner put her hand to her mouth, holding back the sobs, while she stared at Louis, who was also crying. “I tried to fix him. I tried everything but he was gone and he wasn’t coming back.” Louis wiped his face before sniffling and chuckling slightly. “I’m going to leave your name on the list if you decide to show up tomorrow.” Louis smiled at the girl before disappearing into the hotel.