Chapter twenty-five :)

Louis insisted on taking Harry home with him just until they figured out what was wrong with him. There was no way that he would let him out of his sight for a second. The glowing traffic lights reflected in Louis' watery eyes, it was already dark.

Liam and he had tried everything to get a word out of Harry but he just sat there staring into the air, his eyes were red and blurry sometimes his lips trembled and a few tears streamed down his face but then it got emotionless again.

Liam had told him that Harry had barely eaten in a really long time, that he only ate lunch sometimes, but Louis was doubt about that he had eaten at all. He looked so skinny. Zayn told him that he saw Harry with mugs of coffee in the middle of the night and that he told him it was because he had to study for a biology test. He didn't even had a test in biology.

Harry just had one exam that week and that was math Louis knew that for sure. The whole thing didn't make any sense, why was he lying? And what happened that he acted like that?

The air conditioner made a loud noise, the wind of it burned in Louis' eyes, he turned it off. Now he could hear the song Sparks by Coldplay playing on the radio. He turned the volume down a little and turned over to take a look at Harry.

He still sat there the same, his arms wrapped around himself, gripping his own shirt tightly like he would fall apart if he'd let go and stared straight ahead to the streets. Louis' grip around the steering wheel got stronger and his lips trembled, it was horrible to see Harry like this.

Warm tears streamed down his cold cheeks, he had no idea what he was supposed to do, he had no idea how Harry felt or what he could do to help him. He left so helplessly at the moment, all he wanted was to make his Hazza smile again.

He turned the volume back up trying to focus on the steets. It took roundabout five minutes until he reached the parking lot and stopped the car. It was silent for a few seconds. Louis got out of the car and walked over to Harry's door opened it and took off his seat belt. He didn't even blinked.

Harry's skin felt colt beneath his warm hands. He took Harry's arm and put it around his shoulder to help him stand up, just like Liam and he did to get him into the car. As Harry got out Louis grabbed the huge back with all of Harry's stuff and banged the car door shut with his hip.

He walked next to Harry taking small slow steps, Harry's legs were shaking and week, on the way upstairs his legs suddenly buckled and Louis had to carry him the rest of the way up. It was really exhausting, he was way heavier than he looked like, it took all of Louis' strength.

He felt Harry's cold sweaty skin shake between his arms and his head leaning against Louis' chest. He was breathing shallowly and fast. Louis brought Harry over to the couch and put him down "Lou," He breathed, his eyes looked like they would close every second.

Louis sight in relief and looked into Harry's empty eyes, it made him shiver to see how unhealthy he looked. His skin was almost as white as a ghost's, the circles under his eyes dark red and his lips grey and dry. "I-I need coffe-" Louis shook his head watching Harry's expression change.

"No. You don't get another coffee until I saw you eating something." Suddenly Harry's eyes snapped open and he tried to stand up "No, no you, you don't understand, I need it I- I need to stay awake I-" He stuttered hysterically brushing his hands through his hair.

He tried to walk a few steps but his legs were too weak and he broke down to his knees. Louis rushed over to the boy and kneeled next to him and put his hand on Harry's back he could feel the sharp bones of his spine. "When was the last time you ate something?" He asked shocked.

"Not important" Harry's voice sounded so quiet and fragile. He tried to up again "Let me help you." Louis put Harry's arm around his neck and helped him get up. They stumbled back to the couch and set down. "Harry I'm seriously worried about you. What happened?"

"Nothing I'm just... sick." Louis didn't want to confront him with the nightmare now, but he needed to know what was going on it drove him crazy that he couldn't do anything. "Listen, uhm Liam told me about the nightmare." Louis felt Harry flinch at the word. "Has it something to do with that?"

Harry shook his head slowly, staring straight ahead "You know what? If you don't want to talk to me it's fine but I'm not letting you starve yourself." Louis tried to overplay that his hurt, Harry had promised to call him if he had another nightmare. He thought he trusted him, well maybe he was wrong.

There were still some leftovers from yesterday that Louis warmed up in the microwave while he took a mug out of a drawer and filled it with some fresh-made coffee. He hated the thought of Harry drinking it but if it made him eat something first it was worth it.

"So, you can have this coffe," Harry still sat at the exact same place Louis left him. He placed the mug at the table in front of Harry "If you eat this first." He held the plate over to Harry it was so hot it burned his fingertips.

"Come on I know you're hungry I can hear your little tummy growling." Harry took the plate eyeing the coffee like it was the only thing he cared about at the moment. Louis was relieved as he saw the younger boy eat, it wasn't much but at least something.

He had drunk the coffee in less than 30 seconds like it was a shot or something. But at least he was strong enough to stand by himself now, Louis was on his way to get a few towels for Harry, he needed a shower really bad. "Here you go, new shampoo is in the cabinet next to the sink." Harry didn't say anything he just walked in and closed the door.

Louis imminently grabbed his phone and called Liam. Walking up and down in the kitchen waiting for the boy to pick up. "Hey, how is Harry?" Liam still sounded worried, Louis took a deep breath in "He is taking a shower right now and I got him to eat something." Liam sighed in relief.

"But the reason I call is I need you to tell me everything he said or what you saw as he was still at yours." He played nervously with a strand of his hair waiting for Liam to answer. "So uhm, first there was the thing with the nightmare he told me he was fine but as I entered the room he screamed 'don't' and 'leave me alone"

A cold shower went down Louis' back as he imagined Harry like this. He squeezed is eyes shut a few seconds to get the picture out of his mind. "Then he didn't eat properly,  he just stayed in his room all day and then there is the thing with the coffee, Zayn told me he saw him drinking it all the time. Even at night, so I was wondering if he stood up all night and went checking on him at like 4 am. and he was awake so I have no idea for how long he has been awake now." Liam stopped.

Louis couldn't believe what Liam just said. But then it hit him, it all made sense. He was binging on coffee to stay awake. Which explained the dark circles under his eyes and the only thing Louis could think of being so horrible that Harry would stay awake for days, so he didn't have to face it was his nightmares. Flashbacks he remembered.

"Do you, do you think it has something to do with the nightmare he had?" Actually yes, yes he did but why didn't he call Louis then? It was like Harry tried to avoid him since their last call where he told him that the doctor gave him some medication.

"Yes but I'm still trying to figure out why he is starving, do you think it has something to do with his medication?" Louis asked thinking really hard to find a reasonable reason. "What medication?" Liam sounded confused and surprised at the same time. "The ones he got from the doctor after his appointment."

Louis took a sip of cold water to calm down and be able to think straight, he sat on the counter next to the fridge leaning against a wall. "He had no appointment." Louis needed a few seconds to understand what Liam had told him. "He told me he had a doctor's appointment as I wanted to visit him."

"No. He didn't leave the house, not even once." A stinging pain went through his heart. Was it an excuse for not meeting him? did he do something wrong? "Why would he lie about that?" Everything had been so perfect and now Louis sat on his kitchen counter trying hard not to cry.

The rustling sound of the streaming shower stopped "I have no idea but tell us if you know something new." Louis hung up and took another sip of the water as he heard a loud noise coming from the bathroom. He jumped off of the counter and ran through the living room over to the bathroom, and knocked at the door.

"Harry are you okay?" He was afraid that he may lost the rest of his strength and collapsed or passed out or something like that. As no one answered he slammed the door harder "Harry!" His hands still hurt from when he punched the door at Liam's. A sharp pain rushed through them as he carried on.

"Yes, yes I'm fine I just dropped the shampoo bottle." Louis stopped beating the door waiting for the boy to open it. "I'm sorry I accidentally kicked it down with my elbow." Harry's hair was soaking wet, his face still pale and his lips grey. Louis felt the desire to kiss them healthy again but something stopped him.

Harry wore grey sweatpants and a basic white hoodie "Are you feeling a little better?" Harry just nodded looking down. Louis noticed that Harry tried to hide his hands with his sleeves, Louis usually finds this cute but something at the way Harry hid them was different.

"What is with your hands?" Louis reached out to take them but Harry pulled away "Nothing they're just a little cold." Louis didn't believe him he had lied so many times this whole last week. But he swallowed it and looked up deep into Harry's eyes biting his tongue.

Louis just nodded, why was everyone betraying him first his dad and now Harry? Harry, the one with who he wanted to spend the rest of his life kept constantly lying to him. It felt like someone had stabbed him right in the heart. "Did you take your medication?"

He asked to make sure if it was a lie to him or not.

As Harry answered with a "yes" the knife in his chest got twisted a few inches. Louis bit his tongue again looking down at his feet as tears built up. He wanted to hide beneath the sheets so rounded by pillows and cry but he needed to take care of Harry first. So he took a deep breath in and looked up again "Let's watch a movie."

Harry just walked past him into the kitchen without even saying one word. "What are you doing?" It was nearly midnight and Harry took a mug out of the shelf and filled it with the cold leftover coffee. "That one mug didn't help." Louis watched the mug in Harry's shaking hands.

"It isn't supposed to." Harry looked confused at him after he drank the whole coffee in just a few sips. "It's decaffeinated."