TWENTY-SEVEN

Wind streamed through the open windows of Louis' car making the summer heat atleast a little bearable. Harry leaned his head back just enjoying the break from reality. School was just exhausting lately and Harry sped the rest of the day learning. So this was the only break he got.

He lifted his legs and rest his feet on top of the dashboard. "What are you reading there?" Louis asked after a while as Harry flipped a page. "I don't know, I found it under my seat," Harry answered and read the title out loud. He dropped his head to the side to look at his boyfriend, "What?"

The look on the older boy concerned Harry. "I didn't know it was still there." He took the book and ran his fingers along the blue cover after they had pulled up in a parking lot right in front of a sea. A sad smile appeared on his face, "It was my sister's,"

"Lots?" The twins weren't in the age to read a book like that or to even read at all, but Harry couldn't picture Lottie reading something like that. "No, it was Fizzy's." He answered meeting Harry's confused eyes. "She died a few years ago," Louis shrugged. Harry remembered all the family pictures that hung in the hall to Louis' room.

There was always a girl with Louis that he didn't know. Harry always took it as she was a cousin or a friend. "I am so sorry Lou,"

"No, no it's okay," Louis talked it off with a smile that actually seemed real, it was the same he had when they were stuck on the highway. "Was she the one with the panic attacks?" Louis looked up, his hair framed his forehead, it was still messy. He chuckled and gave the book back to Harry.

"Do you have everything?" He asked after clearing his throat as a sign for Harry to don't ask further questions. He dint want to talk about it and Harry respected that. "Yes," He nodded and took the back that was placed between his feet and got out. He had been at this sea before but that was a long time ago, with Gemma, every time they were home from school earlier and Anne wasn't there. Harry smiled at the memories playing through his head.

There were a few family's sitting on the meadows that surrounded the blue water. Harry stopped underneath the shadow of a tree ready to let his bag drop, "Why is nobody sitting here? It's literally the perfect spot." It was, the perfect view, near the water, half in the shadow and half in the sun where both of the boys were happy. Since Harry loved the sun while Louis always stayed in the shadow because 'it's way too hot to stay in the sun.' Like he would say.

"Technically it is, but we won't be sitting here neither."

Louis pointed at a hut near the water, there was no place to sit only as Harry took a closer look he saw some pedal boats with a sign to borrow them. "Oh, No,"

"Oh, yes." He took Harry's hand and dragged him past all the people towards the small wooden building. Harry had no chance to disagree, within seconds a man came and gave them one of the boats. And in the next blink, they were floating with a bunch of others on the shining sea. It was very shaky, Harry held onto the edge.

The boat also had an attached slide which Louis was clearly excited about. He got up and crawled over what made the boat sway even more. "Louis," Harry hissed "we will tip over," And just the way Louis as had to provoke it. "It's stable, look." He shifted his weight from one leg to another making the boat wobble as it would in a thunderstorm in the middle of the ocean.

I'm serious," Harry laughed getting up. "It's just water," He laughed as Harry grabbed his arms and started pushing him backwards, "Oh, okay," Louis "don't you dare,"

Louis pushed back "what if?" Harry could now easily push him one last time and he would end up falling backwards into the water. "No I'm just kidding," He said in a soft voice, leaning down to kiss Louis and God, he loved it. Their lips just fitted perfectly together.

"Good, because if-" He started smiling cheekily up but didn't get to finish his sentence, as Harry pushed him off of the boat just after he broke the kiss.

"It's just wota," He imitated Louis sharp accent as the boy reappeared and brushed his hair out of his face. Louis said something as he climbed up the boat again that Harry didn't understand because he was laughing so hard. His abs tightened and his back hurt, Louis face was just too funny.

The next thing he felt was a tight grip around his ankles and the cold water swallowing his body. Luckily he had brought some trunks so they didn't have to walk around in their wet clothing or naked. Not that he had a problem with that but probably the other people around.

-

They arrived home pretty late, it was dark, only the lights in the living room were lightened up and Niall was laying on the couch, his smile grew as he saw Harry enter the room. For some reason, it unsettled. "What?"

Niall knew something he didn't know. That's what he could readout of his smile. Louis behind him was smiling just as wide as the blonde boy. Harry frowned, his eyes skipping between them. "Why are you two smiling like that??" He asked impatiently. His shirt was still wet and sticking to his skin just like the trunks he had decided to keep wearing because there was no way he could have gotten into his skinnies.

"Well," Niall started and got up, he talked slowly on purpose to postpone the point of what he was about to say. Harry slowly got aflutter and kind of scared because he didn't know what to expect as Niall took a few steps closer. "Tell me already."

But instead of answering the question, Niall pulled an envelope out of his back pocket, Harry eyed it until Louis' words ripped him out of his thoughts. He gulped before he took the white square of paper. He didn't want to open it, not yet. If he didn't get accepted, he didn't want to know. Not now where everything was fine. He only would stress himself with studying stuff again.

He didn't want that, he didn't want to think about what to do after school. All he wanted was to do all those things he did this summer over and over again without thinking about school. He wanted to watch the sunset like today without wondering what specific grade he would need for one specific work. He didn't want to follow his stupid study plan when he could be with his family instead.

Or to just lay in Louis' arms watching a movie while he would stroke his hair until he falls asleep, with no thoughts about what grades other people have. Or that he would be the only one not to get accepted.

Harry took a long shower where he listened to some music to distract his mind from overthinking, he washed his hair and body with some shampoo and soap smelling like strawberry, enjoying the warm water running down his bare skin from scalp to toe.

After he got out and wrapped a towel around his waist he eyed his reflection in the mirror noticing how long his hair had grown. The curls already reached his collarbones. They looked so much better and defined as they only reached his jaw so he opened the top drawer and pulled out some scissors and cut them off.

A few minutes and half of his hair later he was satisfied with the finished look. His perfectionism had subsided through the last months. Luckily, it was really stressful sometimes. Harry just threw on some shorts and a shirt and went back to his room where he found Louis laying on his bed reading a book.

He was wearing one of Harry's shirts and a pair of shorts Harry didn't recognise so it probably wasn't his. The older boy didn't look up from the pages, not even when Harry crawled up to him burying his face into the crook of Louis' neck, it was the spot where he smelled most like himself. He pressed a kiss on Harry's forehead.

He was reading the book from the car Harry noticed. He was already halfway through, wow he was a fast reader. He closed the book after he finished the chapter. "You really don't want to know Haz?" He whispered raspy giving Harry a soft glance and stroked a hair strand back. Harry's shook his head slightly.

"I like that new hair," Louis chuckled. Harry barely listened, all he could focus on was what he would miss. "I just don't want to know when I didn't get in."

"But you wanna know when you got in." He did and buried deep down inside there was still a spark of hope and belief that he got in, but it was so small. He sighed and rolled out of Louis' arms and got out of bed. He grabbed the envelope from his desk and ripped it open.

To be honest, Harry wanted the following to be over as quick as possible. He gave Louis (who was standing next to him now) a glance before he pulled out the folded letter.

"See, I told you,"

And of course, he got in, all the stress for nothing God, it was relieving for him. "See, I told you," He. Got. In. He really got in. Thank god he didn't have to work at the bakery full time. So much weight lifted off his shoulders that Harry noticed how tired he had been. Now he could finally sleep carefree again.

-

"Soo, prom night," Liam started explaining, he had planed it all through, from how they got there to the day after. This whole thing meant so much to them. Harry couldn't believe that they were really finishing school next week. Like, all Harry always wanted was to finally finish school Liam every other student on this planet as well, but it seemed so surreal.

He took a sip of his milkshake, they were the only people in the o.p.s around this time and (what didn't happen often) Louis was sitting with them instead of bringing them their order. "So Liam and I will pick you lads up around seven pm." Harry already saw how stressful that whole day would be. First, the graduation ceremony then going home, changing outfits and back to school for the prom.

And then probably to an after-party, someone was throwing at their house.