How Long?

Louise was just about to get into her car when a range rover stopped in front of her house. Albert, Harry’s security aid came out followed by Harry.

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be busy packing or partying on your last day?” Louise said.

“I already partied last night. It was totally fucking epic thanks to Guy and as for packing, let me let you in on a little secret” He said putting his arm around her shoulders. “I don’t have to pack, someone else does that for me” He said in a whisper in her ear which sends shivers down her spine.

“Fuck off” She said pushing him. But he put her in a head lock and pinched her nose.

“Get off me, you wanker” She said with another push.

“Say please” He said teasing her.

“No”

He pinched her nose again.

“Harry!”

“Say pretty please” He said laughing.

“Pretty please” She says.

“That’s better” He said releasing her from his grasp.

She slapped his arm as soon as he released her.

“So, we are talking my car or yours?” Harry asks.

“Harry, I am off to the hospital to visit…”

“I know, you told me last night. I figured I could join you” Harry said.

“You would like to join me to visit sick children” She said raising her brow.

“Yes dummy, I want to spend my last day with you” He said. “So, are we taking your car or mine?”

-----

While on their way to the hospital Harry and Louise kept themselves busy by teasing each other. Louise kept making fun of him about how he has to manual labor is Australia and how badly he is going to suck at it. While, Harry kept going on about how she is going to be so bored without him that soon her name would pop up in Britain’s suicide watch.

“Hey, Bertie are you going with Harry to the Aussie land?” Louise asked Harry’s security aid.

Albert had been Harry’s security aid for four years now. He started working for the royals in his early twenties now at the age of 28 he had been with them for more than six years.

“Yes, Miss Louise I will be joining Master Harry to Australia” Albert replied. He was rather fond of Harry’s young friend. Unlike all of his other privileged friends, she had a good head on her shoulders.

“I envy you. You will get to see Harry doing the unspeakable” Louise said giggling.

“If you didn’t shut up right about now, I will be doing the unspeakable right here” Harry said giving her a menacing look.

----

Since the time Louise turned 16 she had been volunteering at the hospital. Twice a month she spent a few hours with sick children, talking to them or playing music for them. Though she didn’t have many memories of her mother except for the bad ones in this same hospital, but comforting these kids somehow made her feel closer to her. Some of these kids were not that much younger than her, which made her connect with them easily.

Harry had asked his father about accompanying Louise to the hospital. Prince Charles had made some calls and after a throw security check the young prince and Louise made their way to the children wing.
Louise walked into the room with a huge smile. She had really connected to some of these kids, especially the smaller ones. Harry followed Louise carrying her guitar that he had gifted her on her last birthday.

Louise was not surprised to see the kids warming up to Harry instantly. He was always such a charmer. He chatted up with young ones and flirted with the girls closer to his age, talked about cricket and footy with the boys and soon enough everyone was his fan.

Harry sat on couch with a little four year old on his lap. He knew that Louise was close to these kids, she did talk about them constantly but the way the kids responded to her was just astonishing. Everyone was crowded around her singing songs as she played her guitar. Little boys were running around her trying to impress her with their drawings. Seeing her like this reminded him of his mother.

“Louise why don’t you sing something for us like you did last time?” A little boy said.

Harry ears perk up hearing that she sang for them. He had heard her humming tunes all his life but she was so conscious about playing music around people that he had never seen her doing anything other than play piano socially and guitar privately in front of selective people.

“Yes Louise sing for us” Little angle said from Harry’s lap.

“Yes Lou, sing” Harry said with smile.

“Come on guys, the deal was you sing and I play” Louise said.

“Please Louise” Harry said making a puppy dog eyes. “Please Louise, please” He said urging others.

Soon enough the whole room started chanting please in chorus.

“Alright, alright! You” She said pointing towards Harry. “Are going to pay for this” at which Harry flashed her, his playful grin.

“You guys would join me, wont you Carl?” Louise asked the little boy who was still looking at her in awe.

Adjusting her guitar she took a deep breath. She started playing the chords of the first song that came to her mind.

I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete

Harry was dumbstruck for a moment. He had no idea she could sing like that. She was in no way the best singer he had ever heard but there was something about the way she sang. The first few cords were shaky but there was such intensity in her voice which conveyed so much emotion.

Oh simple thing where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

Louise kept her head down as she continued singing. As nervous as she was to play in front of people, she was way too nervous to sing in front of Harry. She had no idea why she had picked this song, maybe her mind was telling her something.

I came across a fallen tree
I felt the branches of it looking at me
Is this the place we used to love?
Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?

Oh simple thing where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

Harry could not peel his eyes off her. He never before noticed just how beautiful she really was. Her brown shoulder length hair, her warm brown eyes, which could see inside his soul at any moment and those perfect lips of hers, for a second he wondered what it would be like to kiss those lips. How soft they would feel against his. And then she looked up, looking straight at him.

And if you have a minute why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go
Somewhere only we know?
Somewhere only we know?

Oh simple thing where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

Getting her nerves in control Louise continued to sing but these words were doing something to her. She was thinking about the Harry’s impending departure and as much as she liked to think it didn’t matter, her gut was telling her things will change once he leave. So, she looked up. Finding him was not difficult, he was sitting right there. Their eyes locked, something was happening to her, something was changing inside her.

And if you have a minute why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go?
So why don't we go?

Ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah

Her gaze was penetrating, not wavering for a moment. He had never seen her like this. She looked so venerable, almost scared. All he wanted to at the moment was to take her in his arms not just to hold her but to be held by her. His pulse hammered as she sang the last few lines of the song.

This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go
Somewhere only we know?
Somewhere only we know?
Somewhere only we know?

The applause of the children made her realize that it was not just them in the room. She finally broke their eye contact and looked around. After a brief second she looked back at him. He had a smile plastered on his face so she gave him a shy smile while her mind did flip flops. Did something just passed between them? Did he felt that? Or was it just me? She asked these questions to herself for the rest of the day.

----

It’s been a three weeks since Harry had been gone. It still hadn’t really sunk in that he was really gone for the next four months. She had kept herself busy with school work. She only had a year left in school and was trying her hardest to bring her grades up. She wanted to apply to Cambridge like her mother and study Sociology. In some ways Louise was happy not to have him around constantly. It gave her some time to think about what she was feeling. She had convinced herself it was nothing and she was being foolish thinking such things. Harry was her friend, more like her brother but even that didn’t sound right. The weekend was coming up and that was the time when Harry not being around really pinched her.

It was Friday night and she was in her dorm packing her things for the weekend when her phones buzzed. She picked it up when she saw Tom’s name flashing.

Tom Inskip was one their closest friends though Harry was closer to him than her. He was really a nice bloke who like Harry had a tendency to attract trouble. That was the reason whenever Harry was in trouble Tom was not far behind. They made quite a deadly duo.

“Hello, Mr. Inskip” She said.

“Hello right back at you, Miss Tomlinson. How have you been since our ginger prince has gone missing?” Tom asked.

“I have been doing pretty well, sir. How about you? Did you find another partner in crime?”

“Well, that was precisely the reason I was calling you”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, I was hoping that you could join me for the Saturday polo match, as you mentioned my other ginger half is missing I thought we could both use some company”

“That is a very fine proposition I must say but….”

“I am not taking no for an answer. Harry told me to keep an eye on you while he was away which means you have to be where I am so that my eye never leaves your sight”

“And here I thought Tom you were my friend, who was just looking out for me”

“Oh I most definitely am your friend but I know that you know without Harry chances of you joining me are very slim. I am just letting you know that Harry is going to be with us in spirit and that I have his blessings”

Louise chuckled. “Alright then, I will be there. And Tom you better not get me in any trouble” She warned.

“I assure you that I won’t get you in any trouble because if I did the ginger prince is going abandon everything he is doing in that god forsaken place and rush back home to publically behead me, I am quite sure of that”

“In that case Tom I really hope you get me in loads of trouble” She said laughing.

----

Louise hate to admit it but she really was enjoying the polo match with Tom by her side. He was a laugh riot. They sat in the corner making fun of fascinators the ladies were wearing, some of which were absolutely horrendous. While having a blast with Tom she realized how little she knew of her friends. Whenever in a social gathering most of her time and attention was spent on Harry not that she ever minded it but getting to know Tom minus Harry was a pleasant surprise.

Louise was cheering for her brother’s team when she saw Astrid talking to Tom from the corner from her eyes. Hate was too strong of a word but that what she would use to describe Astrid. She just hated the petite leggy blonde with her slutty little pink dress.

Astrid was the daughter of one of the wealthiest man in publishing. She was two years older than Harry but that didn’t stop her from taking his virginity when he was sixteen. As much as Louise tried to make it about her seducing him, Harry had always reiterated the fact that it was him who initiated it.

“Hello Louise” Astrid greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.

“Hello Astrid. How wonderful to find you here. How is the university going?” Louise asked.

“It is going pretty well. Thanks for asking” Astrid said.

Louise awkwardly stood there as Tom and Astrid made polite conversation. Tom was trying very hard to flirt with her while Astrid was asking question about Harry. After standing there for god knows how long Louise excused herself to go look for her brothers. She rather commits suicide than spend any more time with Astrid than required.

“Fancy seeing you here” Jake said when he saw Louise wandering around.

“My father does own the place but I can say the same thing” Louise greeted Jake as he kissed both of her cheeks.

“Have you been avoiding me Louise” He whispered gently in her ear.

“No, I have been just a little busy with school”

“Too busy to even take my calls, I rang you quite a few times” Jake said with a slight frown.

To be honest Louise had been avoiding Jake ever since Susanna birthday, which didn’t make much sense because she had fancied him for years and now that he finally showed some interest she couldn’t even hold a conversation with him for two minutes.

“Please forgive me Jake, I meant to ring you back every time but school have been really hectic for the past few weeks” She said giving him an apologetic smile.

“I will accept the apology only on one condition” Jake said with a sly smile.

“And what condition will that be?” Louise asked.

“If you let me take you out for dinner next weekend”

Louise knew this was coming. She has been anticipating this for weeks now but now that he had actually asked her out she was a kind of speechless. Seeing that he was still looking at her for a reply she gathered her wits.

“Jake, are you asking me out?” Louise asked with a shy smile.

Jake laughed. “Yes Louise, I am asking you on a date” Jake said taking her hand. “I have been trying to ask you on a date for months now” Jake said looking in her eyes.

She stood there staring into in his hazel eyes for what seemed like eternity.

“So, shall I take silence as a yes” Jake asked with a smile.

“Yes” She said blushing.