Heartbreak Warfare

Everyone thought Eleanor and Louis were in it for the long haul. There was a rumor that Louis was about to pop the question when One Direction blew up in everyone’s faces. No one saw anyone of it coming. Not even Louis.

Even after Louis declared that he was done with One Direction (though his reasons were never really specified to the public), no one thought it was for good. Syco Records gave them all a month long vacation to deal with their little spat. The second the month was up, Louis was back with an attorney, getting out of his contract. It wasn’t a huge shock to Harry. He knew he had lost his best friend forever the moment Louis’ fist broke Harry’s nose.

What came as a huge shock were the other three boys following in Louis’ footsteps.

And within a month, One Direction was disbanded and Harry was sent packing to Chapel Holmes with his life in shambles.

Whenever his old mates were questioned about the reasons behind the break up, they recited the same lie: they had simply grown apart. No one publicly blamed Harry but the public did. His sex tape scandal was hot in everyone’s mind for months after the break up. Everyone knew that the tape had something to do with it, but no one knew why. No one who hadn’t been in Harry’s flat that night knew.

But, Harry knew. Harry knew everything.

Three years after auditioning for X Factor and Harry found himself back where he started: working at the bakery and back at school. Except this time, the public held a deep disdain for him, particularly with his relationship with Caroline and the ending of One Direction. None of the lads called to check up on him. Even his mother—who had always promised to back him up in everything he did—couldn’t hide her sheer disappointment.

Caroline had had the audacity to try to reach out to Harry and ‘apologize’. He screamed every obscenity he knew into the phone when she called. Her reply only stoked the fire in his belly, “You had just as much fault in this as I did—if not more. So, don’t try to blame this on me, Harry. She needed to know what kind of guy you really were. I did this for her. I did this for us.”

And it was Harry’s fault. He knew it, Caroline knew it, the lads knew it, the public knew it, and—wherever Olivia was in the world—she knew it.

So, everyone knew it was Harry’s fault. Where did that leave him?

Virtually alone for one thing. His old friends from Chapel Holmes welcomed him back with open arms easily enough, but Harry had to live with the shame of what he had done and it tainted all his relationships. For months he couldn’t look at a girl without seeing Olivia’s face. It was like an illness.

The break up of One Direction affected a lot more than just Harry Styles, though. Niall never really got over it. He tried a solo gig for awhile. As much as people loved the adorable Niall Horan, they loved One Direction more. He resorted to playing guitar in a local bar in Mullingar during the night. After feeling like a big time loser has-been at the age of twenty, he started drinking a little too excessively (even with his Irish genes). He ended up landing himself in rehab. But, when he came out, Niall opened up a music shop, met a girl, and kept clean.

Zayn went back to school. He graduated with honors and a nice job at a local secondary school teaching English. He kept money and food on his parents’ table. Perrie and Zayn broke up shortly after One Direction’s split. With her touring schedule and his outing of the music game, they grew apart and ended things mutually. They kept in touch occasionally, but with Zayn swearing off the business for his new job; it was hard to do much else.

Liam decided to do what he was planning on before X Factor. He became a fireman. He settled down in his hometown of Wolverhampton with Danielle. A year after the split, Liam and Danielle got married. Harry wasn’t invited. A year after that, Danielle got pregnant with their first child, a daughter, Florence Payne. Being out of the limelight wasn’t so bad to Liam. But, he missed the lads and the thrill of performing.

When Liam and Dani announced their engagement, things with Louis and Eleanor got uncomfortable. Louis told Liam that Eleanor was expecting a ring and he hadn’t given her one yet.

After the split, Louis reevaluated his life. He was twenty-one years old and in a boy band, never wanting to grow up. Eleanor had stood by his side through everything with One Direction, all his idiotic antics. She was the love of his life, the perfect girl for him. So why was Louis stalling on the inevitable? Eleanor began to beg the same question. And Louis didn’t have an answer.

As Liam and Dani’s wedding came and went and Louis had no plans on asking Eleanor to be his forever, things spiraled out of control. They fought constantly, sometimes it even got violent. Finally, Louis had had enough.

He confessed he didn’t feel the same way about her anymore and that it was over. He moved out that night and they didn’t keep in touch. Once Eleanor was out of his life, Louis went back to University. He graduated early and started teaching drama part time at his old secondary school.

Two years after the break up, Simon called the five men together. He reminded them that he had given them everything. He reminded them of how much they loved performing and each other with a clip of their impending documentary that was about to air. Apparently someone had taken it upon themselves to dig up the real reason behind One Directions split and retell their journey. He asked them if they wanted to do a small reunion tour to test the waters, to see if the chemistry was still there. The fact that the other four (even Louis) had started to reach out to Harry, helped ease that decision along.

Niall had reached out first; trying to mend what had been the best years of his life. It was part of his twelve-step program. Liam was next, always trying to see the good in people. After a few years, Harry had suffered enough to Liam.

They had experienced the best years of their lives together, Zayn couldn’t forget that. Even Louis couldn’t deny how plain his life compared to the way things used to be, no matter how much he liked his new job. They had all met for drinks (Niall kept to his water) after Simon’s proposal. Louis sat as far away from Harry as possible but it was an upgrade from not being in the same space at all. They agreed that a reunion tour wouldn’t be such a bad thing but that was going to be the end once it was over. Their closure, Liam had worded it. Danielle was pregnant again and Liam didn’t want to be gone for long. He had promised her those days of constant touring were over.

But, the tour and documentary never happened that year. Louis got a call that night at the bar and left without another word. He disappeared for a week and when he came back, his hatred of Harry did too, two-fold. They couldn’t get Louis in the same room with Harry, let alone ask him what was wrong. Louis wouldn’t talk about it. He wouldn’t tell them where he had been or what had happened. He went back to Doncaster and the tour was off without all fifths of the band.

Liam went around Louis, desperate to know what had happened when he left the bar. Despite his better judgment (and probably some laws), he had Simon get a guy to look into it. Louis got a call from someone in New York. His credit card records showed that he bought a ticket to New York City that night.

There were only three people they knew personally in New York: Julia Morgan, Charles Mann, and Olivia Mann.

Liam kept his knowledge quiet, partly because he had been spying on Louis, and partly because he was ashamed. He hadn’t spoken to Olivia since the day the sex tape came out. Not that Liam hadn’t tried. He had tried many times to get a hold of Olivia. He had called Julia, but at the time she hadn’t heard from Olivia in weeks. No one knew where Olivia was and at the time, none of the boys had been speaking to each other so Liam was at a loss. Olivia had been his friend, he had even seen her as one of his sisters in the way he saw the boys as his brothers. But eventually Julia stopped picking up the phone and Liam had to deal with the guilt of giving up. He dealt with it for two years until he found out Louis had visited New York again.

Later that year, Liam invited the lads for dinner to meet the newest Payne: Rupert. Harry had to babysit his sister’s kids so Louis came. Once Liam got him alone in the kitchen, he brought up Olivia for the first time in years.

Louis had stared at Liam, anger flaring in his blue eyes, like Liam had done something wrong.

“I was thinking about her the other day. She popped in my head randomly,” Liam tried to play it off as he cleaned out a few baby bottles, totting a dish towel on his shoulder. “I tried to find out how she was doing after…” Liam swallowed, veering away from Harry, “Have you heard from her?”

Liam was met with a cold and calculating Louis Tomlinson. “No, and after all Harry put her through, she’s better off without us trying to force our way back into her life.” He said shortly and Liam never tried to bring it up again. Louis knew something but he wasn’t going to let it slip.

Every once in a while Louis would disappear for weeks at a time. Liam knew he was going to New York but couldn’t confront him about it. Liam wanted to see Olivia but unless she contacted him, that wasn’t going to happen. He had a family, he couldn’t simply leave Wolverhampton. So, until Louis opened up, Liam wouldn’t know.

Things went on like that for the next three years. Louis would disappear and come back, angry at Harry, like he had done something new to ruin their old friendship. The boys slowly became closer after Simon’s first proposal. Eventually, Louis would talk to Harry like a human person, not a criminal suspect, but everyone knew that things would never be the same between them again. Harry’s crooked nose attested to that.

After five years, Zayn had reunited with Perrie. Liam and Danielle were expected their third child (another girl). Niall’s music store was opening a branch in London and he occasionally played guitar for backup tracks at Syco Records whilst simultaneously planning for his upcoming wedding. Harry was still working at the bakery, performing at a local bar every Friday and Saturday. He went back to fucking every girl who walked with a vengeance, but Louis was too tired of Harry to care. It was Harry’s life, if he wanted to spend it with every STD in the book, who was Louis to stop him?

Louis kept his life a mystery. He kept teaching part-time. He went clubbing a lot but ultimately, Louis had matured significantly. He was no longer the childish twenty-two year old that constantly acted out and destroyed rooms to find Kevin. Louis was twenty-seven and hadn’t had a serious relationship since Eleanor as far as the lads were concerned. They were worried about him but he never opened up about his personal life. He joked around with them, sang with them, but he kept everything else quiet.

So, after five years, Simon had another proposition for the lads: record a new album and do the reunion tour because this time, the documentary was coming out whether they did it or not. Things were going so good for Liam, Zayn, and Niall that they weren’t sure they were interested in the tour anymore. Harry was desperate to leave Chapel Holmes and be back in the band. Louis was indifferent. He missed performing but felt that that chapter of his life was over. He didn’t want his life forced back into limelight. Louis wanted his private life, private.

Simon gave them a week to think it over, to decide what they wanted to do. They reconvened the next Thursday in the familiar office of Simon Cowell.

“Do you remember the first time you were in this room?” Was the first thing Simon asked when the lads took their seats on the couches.

Harry half-glanced over at Louis. The last time they were in that room, Larry Stylinson was up and coming. Now Louis could barely look at him. Something didn’t feel right about that. It was part of the reason Harry was so adamant about doing this tour. He wanted to make amends. He needed to make amends.

He also knew this tour would lead him back to New York. And New York was where Olivia and her father lived.

“Do you know what today is?” Simon questioned, eying them like they were those trouble-making teens instead adults in their twenties.

“Thursday.” Niall said.

Liam chuckled. Zayn rolled his eyes playfully, readjusting his large, square glasses. Louis grinned, nudging Niall in the shoulder. Harry wanted to join in but he felt like he was still that awkward kid on the outskirts of the in-crowd.

“Yes, Niall. It’s Thursday.” Simon said tiredly, “And, five years ago today, you five decided to quit. Quit your fans, quit your brotherhood, quit me.”

Harry shifted awkwardly in his seat, the way he always did when this subject was brought up. Hearing this speech, Harry knew that they were all going on this tour, whether they wanted to or not.

“Harry fucked up, we know that. But, was one girl really worth throwing everything you worked so hard for away?” Simon demanded sternly. There was no more laughter in the room. Louis had that angry look in his eye whenever anyone brought up Olivia. Liam eyed him quizzically. Harry felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“That’s what I thought.” Simon murmured when no one responded, “So, we’re going to do this reunion tour. The album is up to you five but the tour in nonnegotiable. Let’s rekindle that spark that created One Direction out of luck, yeah, boys?”

“Okay,” Liam nodded.

“I’m in,” Zayn shrugged, smiling lightly.

“I can get Kinsey to hold up the storefront while I’m off touring.” Niall grinned; happy the group was back together no matter how short it would be.

Harry and Louis stayed silent for a few moments. Simon raised his peppered brows expectantly.

“I guess we don’t have much a choice, yeah?” Louis said, staring at Harry.

Harry relaxed a bit, “Guess not.”

“Let’s go on tour.”