Chapter 36

"A few more bites, Louis." James encourages his nephew.


"I'm really not that hungry." He pushes his plate filled with his favourite pasta aside.


"At least eat half of your plate."


"Fine."


Louis takes his fork, swirling some pasta around it and puts it in his mouth.


"Can I take a bath, uncle?" Louis' voice is barely a whisper.


"Sure, I'll let the water run. But after that I need you to open up to me, Louis. I don't mind giving you the rest that you need, but you've been missing a week of school and so am I. I have to go back tomorrow and you should come back as well."


"You can go without me."


"No, Louis. It's your senior year. You really can't fail. Also, I don't think it's a good idea for you to stay alone. Louis, your mom is really worried as well. You know I won't tell her what happened if you don't want to but..."


"Let me take my bath and we'll talk." Louis interrupts his uncle. He knows he is the one person he can trust. His uncle knows everything about him, or almost everything. But in an hour or so, James will know everything.


Louis undresses himself, dropping himself in the hot water. Louis almost spent all day in a bath or a shower, feeling disgusted with himself. He closes his eyes and goes with his head underwater until he feels a pain in his chest, grabbing for air.


Louis has thought about just staying under water these last few days. He wonders how it is to stay in your sleep forever. Would he be stuck in a beautiful dreams? Would he be stuck in a nightmare? Or would he just stay in a dark black hole for infinity. His own thoughts scare him.


He isn't that selfish. He can't do this to his mom or sister. He can't think about the guilt uncle James would feel. His friends would be devastated as well. Louis knows that there are people around that love him, he really does. Yet he feels so alone.


After bathing for an hour, scrubbing himself clean, he finally goes out of the tub. He takes a big towel and wraps it around his body and walks like this to the guest room. He grabs a pair of boxers and a shirt from his uncle that is way too big for him, reaching his knees.


"There you are. Sit down, I made you some tea." James smiles when he hands the steaming cup of to his nephew. Louis gives him a thankful smile and takes place next to the older man on the couch, enjoying the hot liquid warming up his cold body.


"I'm really worried about, you Louis." James starts the conversation. "I haven't seen you like this in so long. What triggered you?"


Louis bites his lip, trying to find a way to say this to his uncle. He decides to just be straight to the point.


"Tristan is back in town." His voice is barely audible but it was for sure loud enough for James to hear what his nephew just said.


"Have you seen him?" he asks curiously.


"I did something stupid." Louis confesses.


"What did you do? Louis did he hurt you?" the look on James' face is full of worry.


"I hurt him but I didn't mean to, I really didn't. I swear uncle James." Louis is crying silently.


"I believe you, bud. Just tell me, how did you hurt him? Where did you see him?"


"I went over to his house. There was a small get together. I really didn't want to go but I did in the end. He followed me when I went to the bathroom and he came onto me again, only touching my arm, but still. It made me sick and shiver and I wanted to throw up. I told him to stay away from me and not touch me, but he wouldn't back off. I pushed him, harder as I should have, and he fell into a shelf having glass bottles and stuff on it. His head was bleeding heavily and he had to go to the hospital. I didn't mean to get aggressive with him. I just wanted to stay clear of him, I swear. I didn't even want to be there..." Louis is sobbing by now, his knees stuck under the big shirt of his uncle. He hides his face in his hands and James caresses the back of his nephew.


"Oh, Louis... Why did you go over there in the first place?" James is really curious now but he also feels extremely bad for his nephew. He knows how Tristan triggers him . They had done everything in the past to make Tristan leave town and it is a big question mark for James why his nephew would look the boy up in his own house.


"Harry is friends with his sister." Louis explains.


"Stephanie?"


Louis nods before continuing his story.


"They are quite close and Harry and I have been fighting a lot about it. I made a promise to him that I would hang out one time with his friends, including her. You should have seen the smile on his face, uncle James. He was so happy, for sure when I agreed to come to this stupid get together at Stephanie's house." Louis can't help but smile sadly himself when he thinks about the way Harry's eyes were shining and the big smile plastered on his face.


"Then he came to pick me up in my room, telling me that the get together was because Stephanie's brother was back in town. I really didn't want to go, I begged Harry to stay home, using silly excuses but he got pissed off and just left by himself."


"So you went to avoid a fight with Harry if I understand well?" James asks before taking a sip of his tea.


Louis shakes his head.


"I can have him being pissed off at me, it happens quite often actually. We have always made it through. I couldn't let him go alone to... him. I had to be there to protect him, uncle. I care way too much about him to let him through the same thing as me. I won't let that happen. I can't imagine Tristan doing..." Louis feels physically sick when he thinks about it, putting his hands on his stomach.


"Then why are you running away from him?"


"He hurt me as well, uncle. Not in the same way as Tristan but I feel the exact same amount of pain. He didn't support me. And I know the scene looked bad when he arrived, but he didn't want to go home with me. I was crying and he let me go home alone. He wasn't there. He promised he would always choose me, but he didn't." a tear drop is falling down in Louis' empty cup of tea.


"Louis, do you have feelings for Harry?"


Just as about Louis is to answer, the sound of the doorbell goes through the house.


"I'm sorry, Lou. I'll just tell whoever it is to go." Louis nods, deciding to clean up the empty cups of tea. When he comes back he bites his lip, heart beating against the cage of his ribs.


"Hey, Lou. It's been to long I haven't seen or heard you. We need to talk. I miss you."

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