How Long?

Louise was sitting on the edge of the bed at Mandy’s apartment while Mandy got ready for Max’s farewell party. Next week Max was starting his training with Gensler. A few weeks before Max’s graduation Gensler had offered him a full time job as a trainee. Max had been ecstatic but there was a catch. The job required him to move to Chicago for a year.

Louise hated that they would be apart for her last year at the University. She hated that she won’t be able to see him every day. Louise and Max had talked about what that meant. Ending their relationship was never an option for either one of them. It was not even discussed but they did talk about how they would make time for each other. Louise’s last year contained her working on her final thesis. Her choice of topic was child abuse. She planned to do her research back home in London where she had already talked to a few charities she had volunteered for. She had planned to spend at least 3 – 4 months in London doing the research and the rest of the time she would be in California, she would be busy with exams and classes.

She was well aware that it would be next to impossible for Max to travel. He barely got any free time as an intern and now that he was a trainee things would only get worse but that didn’t stop them from chalking out a plan. They were determined to make it work. It would be difficult but neither one of them was willing to let go.

“Where you lost?” Mandy asked snapping her fingers in front of Louise’s face.

“Was just thinking about Max” Louise said shaking her head.

“You would miss him?” Mandy asked.

“Of course I would, what kind question is that?”

Mandy shrugged not looking at her.

Louise had sensed some anger from Mandy towards her for the past few weeks. She was not sure why Mandy was angry at her though. They had always been able to talk about anything since the time they had been friends. Mandy was the one of her closest friend. They have been through a lot together.

“Why are you being so bitchy to me lately?” Louise asked.

“Am I?”

“Yes, and don’t pretend. Just say what’s on your mind”

“You don’t want to hear it” Mandy said bitterly.

“I do, come out with it already”

“What is going on with you and Harry?” Mandy asked putting down her curling rod and giving her full attention to Louise.

“Nothing…”

“Bullshit, you are forgetting I am the only one who knows why you ran away from London in the first place. You don’t fool me Louise. What are you doing? Throwing away a perfect bloke like Max for someone like Harry”

Now it was Louise’s turn to get angry. “First of all things between me and Max are going great not that it’s any of your business. Secondly, don’t even say a word about Harry. You don’t know him and don’t act like you do…”

“Oh, but I do know him. He is the same person who broke your heart. He is the same guy that didn’t even bother to ring you or apologize to you for over two years. So you see I do know him. He is a jerk and you are a fool for still carrying a torch for him”

“Things have changed Mandy. I don’t have to justify my friendship with Harry to you or to anybody for that matter. We were friends long before you and I even knew each other and we will continue to be friends even if you don’t approve of it”

“Now that we are on the topic of friendship, I would just like to remind you that Max is my friend and I hate to see him in pain. He is crazy about you and by the looks of how things are going I am sure you are going to break his heart”

“I will never do that to Max. I love him. Why would you even say something like that?” Louise asked.

“Because even with Max moving to Chicago, all I hear you talk about is how excited you are about visiting Harry for his birthday. You were so busy talking to Harry all night that you almost missed Max’s graduation”

“But I didn’t” Louise protested.

“Let’s scratch that, tell me why you haven’t told Max about Harry yet? Why doesn’t he know that Harry is the person because of whom you left London? Why is Max still unaware about your feelings for Harry?”

That shut Louise up. She always planned to tell Max one day but before she knew it they had been going out for two years and it didn’t matter anymore. Once Harry entered her life again she tried telling Max but then the thought of it being an issue stopped her. Max reaction to Harry convinced her that her initial decision not telling Max was right.

“I am not trying to make you feel bad here, Louise. I am just giving you as I see it. I know you have a long history with Harry and I understand I have no right to judge your relationship with Max but I’ve seen how miserable Harry had made you in the past and then I see you with Max. He is so good to you Louise. He worships the land you walk on. He knows how excited you are about going to London for your break and he would never ask you to come with him to Chicago even though he hopes you would. But don’t you want to spend time with him before he starts at Gensler, before everything changes??”

----

Later that night Louise snuck out of her bedroom where Max was sleeping peacefully. Getting comfortable on her living room sofa with Junior on her lap Louise dialed Harry’s number. He picked it up on the third ring.

“Hey you. Couldn’t sleep again?” She could hear him smiling on the other side.

“Hey” She said weakly.

“What’s wrong?” Harry asked. He was sitting at the back of his car on the way to one of the charity
event this morning.

She sighed “I’ve just called to inform you that I won’t be able to make it for your birthday. I have decided to go Chicago with Max to help him setup before he starts at Gensler. I won’t be arriving
before the 18th”

It was a very hard decision for Louise. Obviously she wanted to go home but Mandy was right. If she wanted things to work out with Max she had to make an effort. She could divide her break, she would stay with Max for the first couple of weeks before his works starts and then she would go home for the last couple of weeks. This way she would not be upsetting her family, at the same time she would be spending quality time with Max before things get extremely crazy for the both of them. The only issue was that she would be missing out of Harry’s birthday.

When the silence continued from the other side she continued.

“I am sorry Harry. It’s just…”

“Don’t apologize, Lou. I understand” He said. He was bummed, no he was fucking pissed but he could also hear how torn she sounded over the phone and he didn’t want to upset her any further.

“You do?” She asked.

“I don’t like it but I understand. At least you are coming. So, we will be spending some time together then”

“Yes” She said.

The silence stretched. Both were lost in their own thoughts.

“I really thought we were done missing each other’s birthday” Harry said finally.

“I do want to be there but Max needs me…”

“I need you too” Harry said a little more curtly than he wanted to and regretted the moment he said it.

“Harry, I really am sorry”

“I know. Me too” He said.

“Harry, you have nothing to be sorry about” Louise said feeling like an awful friend. “It’s my entire
fault. I should…”

“Lulu” Louise heard Max calling her in the other room.

“I have to go. We will talk about this later” She said. She didn’t want to hang up like this.

“Sure” He said.

“You sure you’re okay?” She asked again.

“I am fine”

“Bye then” She said quietly. “I will ring ya later”

“Sure, Bye”

----

“I am so happy for you Luke” Louise said hugging her brother. She had been home for less than five hours when her brother announced that he planned to propose to his girlfriend, Emma.

“Are you going to be okay with him giving Emma mum’s ring?” Louise asked Mark who was sitting on the couch with his legs resting on the coffee table.

“Sure, he is the eldest. He’s got dibs” Mark said casually.

“Me and Mark had an unspoken agreement that whoever got engaged first has the right to mum’s ring” Luke said beaming.

“And seeing that I don’t even have a girlfriend at the moment the ring is all yours” Mark said.

“What about dad?” Louise asked flopping next to Mark on the couch.

“Who do you think gave me the ring?” Luke said sitting opposite his siblings.

“Where is he at by the way?” Louise said. It’s been hours since she had been home and her father was nowhere to be found.

She did think much of the look her brothers shared.

“He must be running late. What about you? Are you okay with me giving Emma mum’s ring?” Luke asked.

“Absolutely, I love Emma. I knew it from the moment I met her that she was a keeper” Louise said.

“So typical of Lou for taking all the credit” Mark said.

She kicked his shin.

“Oi! That hurt” Mark exclaimed.

“When are you going to do it?” Louise asked.

“In Argentina, next month” Luke said.

“He has everything planned. Including what he will be wearing. Even down to his underwear” Mark said with a chuckle.
Ignoring Mark comment. “It’s going to be so romantic, Emma is so lucky. I wish when someone proposes to me he plans everything with such fine detail” Louise said with a dreamy look in her eyes.

“That’s not going to happen for another few years” Luke said.

“Make it another decade” Mark said putting his arms around Louise shoulder protectively.

Louise rolled her eyes. Her brothers still had a tendency of treating her like a baby.

“Just so you both know I am going to graduate in less than a year and Max and I plan to live together after that” Louise said.

Spending the last few weeks with Max in his new apartment had been great for the couple. They talked about their future together. Both planned to move back to London once Louise graduates and Max completes his yearlong training. Max would try if Gensler would give him a job at their London office while Louise figured out her next move. She was torn between continuing with her studies like she had always planned or look for a job instead. There was still plenty to time for all that but it was nice to know where things were heading.

“No way of that ever happening” Mark said.

“You’re 21. You can’t be making such decisions at this age” Luke said.

“I will be 22 by then”

“That’s beside the point. Dad will never be okay with you living with someone” Luke said.

“Forget dad, I will never let you live with that bugger or anyone. No one is good enough for my baby
sister” Mark said.

“Awwww Mark” Louise said hugging her brother. It was so nice being around them. She missed them
terribly.

“I am serious” Mark said.

“I know you are” She said smiling. Stretching her arms she looked at the clock. “I am tiered. I should get some sleep”

Louise entered her room. As soon as the door shut behind her, her phone vibrated with a text alert.

Harry:: Get ready. We are going out.

Louise:: Tonight?

Harry:: Yes. I’ll be outside your place in 10?

Louise:: Minutes?

Harry:: No, months. Obviously minutes.

She could almost see him rolling his eyes.

Louise:: Fine, but I need 15 minutes.

Harry:: I will wait, no rush.

Louise tore opened her bag like an insane person. Stripping her PJ’s and snatching the first pair of jeans that came out of her bag. Realizing it must be cold outside she grabbed a sweater from her closet and threw it over her ratty tank top. She didn’t know where they were going, so she was really not sure what to wear.

Under normal circumstances she would have cancelled as every part of her body ached after such a long and tiring journey. But she had let Harry down already by missing his birthday earlier in the month and she wasn’t planning on doing that again. She had every intention to making up for it.

Grabbing her purse Louise got out of her door. She took the stairs with urgency. She hadn’t seen Harry for over a month and just thinking about seeing him today made her happy.

Harry was standing outside Louise’s house, leaning against his car, arms crossed over his chest. He had been itching to see Louise since the moment he knew she had stepped out of the plane but somehow he found strength to refrain himself from coming to her right away. After sitting at home for good six hours looking at the clock as the time passed so fucking slowly, he finally gave up. He had to see her and it had to be now.

Louise made her way to him and she could see how looking at her made his face light up. He had a huge smile on his face. She couldn’t help but smile back at him.

“Welcome home” He said as she approached him.

They got into the car just the two of them. Harry for once was without his security aid which suited them both as they could do without any interruptions or hesitations.

“So where are we going?” Louise asked when they had been on the road for a good twenty minutes.

“It going to take awhile so you better get comfortable” Harry said.

Louise nodded, her hand going straight for the radio.

“You don’t mind” She asked as she hit the preset stations.

“Depends on what you pick” Harry said. He knew she had excellent taste in music. She was the one that
introduced him to amazing bands in the past.

Rolling her eyes she landed on a station that was playing Kings of Leon.

“Is that okay with you, sir?” She asked mocking him.

“It’s okay” Harry said.

“Good” She said turning up the volume and started belting out along with it.

Harry had to laugh but silently sang along.

The song ended, and she starts flicking through the stations again.

“We’re okay, right?” She asked not looking at him.

That came out of nowhere. “Yeah, why wouldn’t we be?” Harry asked.

“For missing your birthday when I promised I wouldn’t” She said now looking at him. She looked as if she was feeling immensely guilty.

“It’s okay. I’ve told you that same thing like a million other times you’ve asked me” Harry said with a
chuckle.

“Just checking” She said.

Harry neck popped as he looked at her. Her feet were on the dashboard now. She had slipped off her shoes and was tapping to the beat on her knees.

“Don’t look at me like that. I am exhausted and you told me to get comfortable” She said.

“I didn’t even say a word” Harry said turning on the blinker.

“But you were thinking about it”

He grinned. “Maybe”

They talked for a bit and soon after Louise drifted to sleep. When she opened her eyes Harry was pulling into a driveway.

“Where are we?” She asked.

She clicked her seatbelt as he belted around the car to her door. She laughed as he helped her out of the car. The cold air hit her face making her shiver slightly. She turned around to witness the breath taking view of the beach. She closed her eyes and inhaled the cool salty air.

“How long was I asleep?” She asked opening her eyes finding Harry staring back at her.

Cold air had made her cheeks red. Her hair was a bit of a mess. She was wearing an oversized jumper. Most might not found her attractive right now but to Harry she looked absolutely adorable. He couldn’t drag his eyes away from her.

“Where exactly are we?” She asked again looking back at him with those chocolate brown eyes.

“We are a few hours outside of London. Tom bought this place last year” Harry said peeling his eyes off
her. He took her hand and led her inside the house. “I just fell in love with it the moment I saw it”

“This is beautiful” She said looking around.

“Come on. I need to show you something” Harry said.

Louise followed Harry up the stairs. He unlocked the door and stood back and let her walk inside first.
Louise looked around the house. It was not too big or too small. It was very warm and homely. She instantly loved the warmth of the place. She ran her fingers along the leather couch. She looked at the beautiful paintings that hung on the walls. She found them bright and cheerful.

“Come see the view” Harry said opening the doors leading out onto the porch. Louise walked out and went straight to the railing. The cold breeze caught her messy hair and it danced around her shoulders. Harry liked seeing her like this. He stepped back inside and went to grab a bottle of wine and two glasses and the food he had picked up on the way.

“Here” Harry said walking up behind her.

She turned to look at him and he was carrying food and wine.

“Thank god. I am starving” Louise said. She walked over and sank down onto the thick cushion. She opened the bag of food and found ham sandwiches inside. Harry scooted besides her and handed her a glass of wine.

“Thanks” Louise said and she looked back at the waves crashing.

They both sat there in silence enjoying the food and each other’s company. Once Louise had finished eating she stretched her legs and leaned back.

“You know this reminds me of the time when we went to Bournemouth…”

“With my mum” He said finishing her sentence. “I thought the exact same thing when I first came here. I am surprised you remember. You were barely 10 at the time”

“I can never forget that trip. It was the first time I remember laughing after my mum passed away. We
had such a blast swimming at night, building sand castles and eating ice cream for dinner. Your mum was the greatest”

“She was, wasn’t she? She was also absolutely mental” Harry said with a chuckle. “She use to giggle at everything”

“I remember” Louise said looking at Harry. “You miss her, don’t you?” Louise asked. She obviously
knew the answer to that but she also knew how little Harry liked talking about his mother.

“I do. I miss her every day. It doesn’t get better with time” Harry said.

“I don’t remember my mum that much. There are days when it’s difficult for me to even remember her face which makes me feel so shitty afterwards”

“You were so young when you lost her, Lou. It’s nothing to feel guilty about” Harry said taking her hand. Louise rested her head on his shoulder.

“I suppose its better you don’t remember much about her. I feel as if I remember too much. I can’t fathom that she lived with such scrutiny. She was all alone to deal with it. Especially after her and dad split up. I vaguely remember her crying at nights when she thought me and Wills were asleep. I remember waking up in the morning and seeing her red rimmed eyes. She was hounded by those vultures wherever she went. And ultimately they are the reason for her demise” Harry said fisting his hands so tight that his knuckles had gone white.

Louise took his hands in hers, squeezing them gently. She knew how much he hated the press for their part in his mother’s death. They sat in silence for some time not wanting to say anything further.

“It’s getting late. It’s better if we stay the night here or do you want to travel all the way back to London” Harry asked looking down at her.

“I rather not, I am so dead tired. I will just ring home and tell them I am staying the night with you” She said yawning.

“Let’s get you to bed” Harry said getting up. He showed her to the bedroom.

“Where are you sleeping?” She asked as she took off her jumper, her jeans and got under the covers with only her tank top and boy shorts on.

Harry was planning on sleeping next to her but now that she had asked that question it seemed odd to admit it. So he mumbled that the place had another bedroom. Saying goodnight to Louise he made his way to the other room. He tried opening the door but it was locked. He took out the house keys from his pocket that Tom had given him. It was then the brilliant idea struck him.

Louise was nearly asleep when Harry popped his head in.

“Lou” He said.

“Hmmm”

“The other room is locked. Tom must have forgotten to give me the key. Can I crash on the couch here? The one in the living room doesn’t seem that comfortable”

“Don’t be daft. Get into the bed” She said patting the space next to her.

Scored

“You sure?” He asked innocently.

“Positive. Now get your arse in here” She said.

Harry yanked off his jacket, shirt, pants, and shoes and climbed into the bed with Louise. He circled his hands around her waist pulling her closer.

“Cold! Your hands are fucking cold” She said pushing him, well she tried it anyway.

“Sorry” He mumbled still not taking his hands off her waist.

She groaned.

He smiled.

After few minutes his feet touched her bare legs.

“Harry, your feet are also freezing” She cried. “Stay on your side of the bed and I’ll stay in mine then we both can sleep”

“No way, I want to cuddle. As you said I am freezing” He said and even with her eyes closed she could
feel him smiling.

“Fine, but if you snore I’ll kill you in your sleep” She said.

“Same here” He said.

---

Harry groaned when his phone rang. Louise buried her face deeper into his warmth while she tried to block out the phone ringing and the sunlight streaming into the room.

“Shut it off” She muttered.

“What?” Harry said picking up his phone with one hand and pulling Louise closer with the other one.
She went willingly. Her head rested on his bare chest just under his chin, her arms wrapped across his
torso, and one leg was thrown over one of his.

She felt good in his arms. A little too good. He’d never felt this while holding any other women. He loved cuddling but even with Chelsy he never cuddled the entire night. Lately when Chelsy tried to cuddle he felt cornered and irritated but here with Louise he felt comfortable, relaxed and extremely happy. It felt like she belonged there in his arms. But he pushed that thought away concentrating on the voice on the other side.

“Harry, you know better. How dare you to ditched Albert and Richard?” Charles asked on the other side.

“Jesus Christ dad, what time is it?” Harry asked.

“It’s almost noon. You and Louise should get ready and head back to the city. Albert will be waiting for
you outside”

“Wait. How do you know where we are?” Harry asked.

“Louise told Simon last night. It was highly irresponsible of you to go without the security” Charles said
again.

“We will be back in a few hours dad. Relax” Harry said.

Louise quietly listened to the whole one sided conversation but she could guess what was going on. They had been in such situations before. Harry had a habit of ditching is security since childhood.

“If I wouldn't be this comfortable, I would have kicked your arse for waking me up from such brilliant sleep” Louise mumbled against his chest.

“I am sorry but we have to get ready. Bertie is waiting for us outside” Harry said.

“Why? I am still sleepy” She grumbled adorably.

Closing his eyes he inhaled her scent. “Maybe we can sleep for a little more”

“Good” She said closing her eyes as well and soon they both were drifting back off to beautiful deep sleep.