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“What do you mean you aren't coming?” Louis asks down the line of his phone and runs a hand through his hair, visibly annoyed. “You're a right twat sometimes, Horan.” He adds for good measure.
“Look- I swear I’m sorry. Just.. last-minute change of plans!” Niall doesn't sound sorry at all. “I gave my ticket to one of my mates from Uni. I swear I’ll make it up to you. Anyway, I have to go. Love ya!”
The line goes dead and Louis pulls the phone from his ear for a moment to glare at it, irritated that he got ditched at the very last minute possible by his supposed best friend. He shoves his phone in his pocket and makes his way toward the queue for the security check. Soon, he’s got a beer in one hand as he makes his way down to the floor seats he’d bought months ago. He takes a moment once he’s settled to admire the view of his seat for a bit, briefly wondering when Niall's friend will be here and if he will be required to make awkward small talk until the opening act comes on stage.
Luckily, he doesn't have to wait long for the small band of musicians to file on stage and begin the opening set. They’re a great up and coming band from up north and Louis can feel the energy in the arena rise as they play a few unfamiliar but upbeat tunes.
Unlucky for him, his seatmate decides to try and squeeze by in front of the people to Louis’ right to get to his seat in the middle of the first tune that Louis recognizes. It's an upbeat song that’s been on the radio a few times recently, and the chorus comes along with sudden jumping of the crowd which causes the beer Niall’s friend is holding to slosh all down the front of Louis.
Louis curses and looks down at his shirt in dismay, the white fabric is currently clinging to his chest and tinted a slight yellow from the beer. This was one of his favorite shirts damn it. He’ll make Niall buy him a new one if it's stained.
“I’m so sorry mate.” A deep voice says right beside Louis so he pulls his eyes up to look at the stranger.
Also unlucky for him, Niall's friend is beautiful. He's got long hair that's been pulled back out of his face into a bun and he’s wearing a dark shirt that shows off his toned arms. And well, Louis was not prepared for this beer spilling assailant to be so bloody gorgeous.
Louis shrugs a shoulder as he tries to keep himself composed. “It's alright.” He assures before he excuses himself to make his way to the toilets to clean up the mess Niall’s clumsy beautiful friend made of his shirt.
After dabbing the fabric with paper towels and deciding that he had done the best he could to clean himself up, Louis splashes a bit of water on his face and makes his way back to his seat just as the opening act thanks the crowd and the lights come back up for a bit as they reset the stage.
Louis takes his seat and promptly turns to the man beside him. “Do I get to know your name, now that I’m wearing your beer?” He asks, his tone casual as he fusses with the fringe that just isn't staying put any longer.
The other man startles a bit as if he is surprised Louis would talk to him after the mess he’d made. But Louis is nice and he's going to make the best of this. “Oh! Yeah. I’m Harry Styles.” He says, a smile slowly creeping up on his lips as he offers his hand to shake. “Sorry again, I'm clumsy in daylight, let alone a jumping crowd in the dark. Also, I bought you a new beer. I promise not to spill it again.” He says with a sheepish grin and Louis notices the two cups in Harry’s large hands for the first time.
Louis can't help the smile that tugs at his lips. “It’s alright mate. I’m Louis by the way.” He allows, his hand reaching out for the beer, “Thank you. How do you know Niall?” Louis asks because honestly, he is ninety percent sure that he's heard Niall mention a Harry before, he just can’t place it.
“We had a history course together last semester,” Harry explains, and Louis takes a moment to note the scattering of ink that covers Harry’s arm as the other man pushes his sleeve up to his elbow, “You're his flatmate, I’m assuming?”
“That's me!” He responds, wondering briefly why Niall had never introduced him to this gorgeous man, and he thinks maybe he needs better friends. They fall into light conversation and Louis decides he wants to ask Harry so many more questions, maybe about what he is studying, or where he grew up, or if he's single, but before he can embarrass himself the lights go down again, signaling that the show is about to start. Louis jumps up excitedly and tells himself that the pounding of his heart is due to the adrenaline of the show and not the beautiful man beside him.
“That was incredible!” Louis laughs out, his voice louder than normal in the night since his ears are still adjusting to the quiet of the outside world beyond the loud arena. Luckily, Harry’s having the same issue as they step into the cold air.
Louis tips his head up toward the sky and inhales, the fresh air is a welcome relief from the hot atmosphere he's been surrounded by for the past few hours. When he opens his eyes again, he looks toward Harry and raises a brow when he catches him already watching him with a grin that matches Louis’. “Want to grab a bite with me?” Harry asks, a dimple poking out and his eyes still stuck on Louis.
He doesn't know why it seems so easy when he says ‘yes’, and he definitely isn't sure why it feels like such a big moment, maybe he’s tipsy off the two beers he had several hours ago. He knows that’s not it. “I know a place just down the street if that's alright?” Louis asks, his palms a bit sweaty as they start toward the late-night diner he likes to go to after nights out with his mates.
“Wait- So you told your mum that she was a drug dealer?!” Louis exclaims half an hour later, two stacks of pancakes in front of them on the table, and laughter spilling from his lips so so easily.
Harry shrugs a shoulder and takes a bite of the whipped topping that sits on top of the strawberries on his stack. “She told me WWF was staged! What else was I supposed to do?” He replies with a laugh and Louis loves the sound so much he thinks he would do just about anything to make Harry giggle again.
Shaking his head, Louis spears a bite onto his own fork. “Can’t say I blame you.” he laughs softly and they continue in easy conversation. Louis can't help but marvel at his luck to be where he is at the moment and wonder how Harry happened to be free tonight.
“I'm amazed you had nothing to do on a Saturday night at last minute,” Louis voices his curiosity a bit later, winding down to his final bites of pancake stack, their conversation becoming lazier as the adrenaline from the show leaves them bit by bit.
When Harry speaks, the confusion that coats his words makes Louis blink as Harry’s head tips slightly to the side as he looks across the table, “What do you mean?”
Louis shrugs and takes a sip of his water, grateful that his ears are finally beginning to stop ringing. “You know, it’s just good luck that Niall was able to find someone to take his ticket quick.” He clarifies, hoping his words hadn’t offended Harry somehow.
Harry purses his lips and thinks for a moment, a cute dimple forming between his brows. “Um. Niall gave me his ticket nearly two months ago.” He explains as the fiddles with one of the rings on his long fingers, and Louis blinks slowly as he tries to take that in.
“Back in March?” Louis clarifies and Harry nods his head. “Are you shitting me?” He says a moment later, his voice loud in the nearly empty diner when it fully dawns on him, “He gave you the ticket as soon as we bought them.” He tells the gorgeous man across the booth. He might kill Niall.
Harry’s lips purse as he thinks that over and then a look of realization crosses his face, “He set us up.” He observes his cheeks suddenly a soft pink color that looks oh so lovely on him.
Louis nods his head solemnly. “Yes, Harold. We have been set up. The little Irish shit has been trying to set me up on a blind date for months now, and I've told him no so many times. He saw his opportunity and took it.” He explains.
There is a moment of silence as both men mull over the absurdity of their mutual friend. The quiet is broken by a gentle laugh bubbling from Harry’s lips, followed quickly by a chuckle that causes Louis’ face to break out into a smile and suddenly they're both laughing. Harry clears his throat after a few moments and pinches his lower lip between his thumb and index finger, catching Louis’ attention again before he speaks in that low drawl that makes Louis want to listen to him for hours.
“Well, despite not knowing this was a date, I had a really nice time.” he admits, his eyes nearly stun Louis with the gentle sincerity they hold.
Louis can't help but nod his head in agreement, his eyes crinkle at the edges as his grin pushes up his cheeks. “I did too.” He admits quietly, the atmosphere around them suddenly feeling charged with chemistry. “Would you like to go on a proper date?” He asks only a moment later, the words falling out before he can think it through properly. Although it's far more forward than he usually is, he can't bring himself to be embarrassed.
“I would love that.” Harry says in earnest, his eyes shining as he reaches into his pocket and grabs his phone fumbling it in his large and clumsy hands before he slides it in Louis’ direction, the other man takes it and punches his number in quickly.
Forty minutes later, and after Louis had the journey home to decide he doesn't hate Niall after all, he turns on all the lights in the house and smacks a noisy kiss to his roommate's cheek before quickly retreating to his own room- Niall’s annoyed curses following him down the hall.
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“Did you check the front pocket of your luggage?” Harry calls out, knowing that his boyfriend very well hasn't checked that spot while on the search for his phone charger. He wouldn’t be asking if Harry had seen it if he had. He doesn't get an immediate response, so he takes a sip from the watermelon flavored mixed drink he's holding and waits.
A minute later, Louis reappears without his phone and drops a kiss to the top of Harry's forehead with a “Thanks, love. I swear I had already checked there.” before he sets himself in the chair that matches Harry’s.
Chuckling quietly, Harry shuts his eyes behind his sunglasses and tries to ease the nerves he's feeling as they settle into the afternoon. They’d woken up late and gone swimming for a bit in the strip of beach they've called theirs for the past three days, and now Harry can't help but turn his head and admire Louis’ beauty as they lounge in the warm sun.
“What?” Louis asks, his sunglasses covering his eyes and a smile playing at the corners of his thin lips, “I can feel you staring, Harold.”
Harry shrugs a tan shoulder and settles further into his lounge chair. “I’m just admiring how lovely you are,” he assures and the two fall into a comfortable quiet as they bask in the sun for a bit before they need to get ready for dinner.
That night when they return to their bungalow, their lips tasting of wine mixed with salt from the ocean, Harry falls asleep excited to ask the amazing man in his arms to be his forever.
It’s the morning sun that wakes Harry up, his eyes still tired and his bare skin sticky from the humidity as Louis clings to him in the bed. He can’t help the lazy smile that falls in place or the kisses he presses to Louis’ temple and shoulder until the other man stirs and buries his face away. “Gotta get up Lou.” He whispers, his hand tracing soft patterns into the bare skin of Louis’ lower back in hopes to wake the angel he holds.
It takes a few minutes, but with many kisses and some light tickles Louis finally wakes up. After a quick shower and a healthy breakfast for each of them, they are ready to head out for the day.
Harry is back to trying to keep his cool, hoping desperately that he’s not showing how nervous he is. While Louis is out drinking the last of his tea on the lanai, Harry makes sure he’s got everything he needs to make his plan go as smooth as possible.
“You’ve got this. He's going to say yes. You’ve been planning this for months.” He says quietly to himself after freshening up in the mirror, and he glances down at the ring box in his hand that holds the gorgeous and rather expensive ring he’d picked out just for the man outside. A smile finds its way back onto his lips and he puts the ring on the chain around his neck, tucking it into his shirt where it's hidden away safely.
The shuttle picks them up on the main road outside the property they’ve rented, and soon they are sat in comfortable seats, their hands tangled in between them as the other groups load onto the bus. Louis turns to Harry as they wait for everyone to get settled and asks for only about the fifteenth time this morning, “Where are we going?”
Harry grins and pulls the voucher from his pocket and shows Louis the print on it. “We’re going zip-lining.” He announces, an excited smile filling his lips.
Louis’s jaw drops as he reads the print to make sure he understands correctly and Harry chuckles a bit as he watched. “Harry no way! I thought you said you'd never go? This is incredible!” Genuine excitement covering Louis’ face and shining in his eyes.
Harry purses his lips a bit, “Well I can't say I'm not shitting myself over it. But I know it’s something you've always talked about, so.” he explains and grins against Louis’ lips which are on his only a moment later. Harry hums as they pull away, “So you’re excited?” he teases.
Louis gently smacks his arm and nods his head, “Of course I am! I think you’ll love it.” He decides. Harry just nods, knowing that Louis is likely right because, from past experiences, Harry ends up enjoying most scary things he tries with Louis by his side.
The ride up to the top of the mountain takes a little less than an hour, and Harry takes that time to watch Louis stare out the window in awe. He grins to himself and laces their fingers together, grateful that he spilled his beer on his surprise blind date a year ago. Louis glances over at Harry and catches his eye, “What's got you making that creepy frog face, love?”
Harry pouts a bit but soon is smiling back and he leans over to press a soft kiss to Louis’ lips before answering. “I'm just happy we went on this trip,” he says honestly and Louis hums in agreement as he turns back to the window.
Once they get to the top of the mountain, Harry can really feel his stomach twisting in knots. He finds Louis’ hand and holds on tight as they begin the short hike up the trail with a few other members of the group they are in. It doesn’t take as long as Harry would have liked, but soon they are standing below a platform that's a bit higher up in the trees than Harry is comfortable with.
“This is going to be so much fun!” Louis says, excitement evident in his voice and his small frame all but bouncing with energy as the instructor waves them over.
“Shh.” Harry whispers back, his eyes focused on the man leading their group as he shows how the harness should fit and how it will hook into the zip line cable. They go over important safety guidelines and Harry can feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins already as he gently reaches up to touch the chain around his neck just to make sure it's still there.
Only a few minutes pass before the instructor begins making groups of four and is leading the first group up the ladder and on to the platform above them. Harry can tell the moment Louis realizes how absolutely nervous he is feeling, as he feels his boyfriend’s arms wrap around his waist from behind and hug him gently.
“You don't have to do this, love.” Louis says gently, his voice sincere and quiet for only Harry to hear. Harry shuts his eyes for a moment and he relaxes into the other man's arms before he speaks.
“I know.” He assures, his already shaking hands reaching up to squeeze Louis’ where they are resting on his stomach for a moment before he pulls away to turn and face the shorter man, “I’m doing it because I want to. Plus, a little living-on-the-edge here and there is good.” He decides, putting his most convincing smile on his lips as the instructor waves their little group forward and helps them climb up to the platform.
Harry is thankful he let Louis climb up before him because as soon as he's standing on the wooden platform he feels Louis’ fingers slot into his own, stilling his trembling fingers and he smiles a bit as he leans over to press a quick kiss to his boyfriend’s lips.
“I want to go first,” Harry announces, feeling a bit bolder now because well, he got this far he won’t let himself turn back. “Think I might chicken out if I don’t.” he adds with a sheepish grin before quickly pressing another kiss to Louis’ cheek before he watches the man right in front of him go sliding along the wire by the harness and disappear into the trees with a delighted cheer.
Louis lets go of Harry’s hand so he can step toward the instructor who goes over the final check of Harry’s harness before he attaches him to the line above him by the clip. What simultaneously feels like an hour and a minute later, Harry is told he's got the go-ahead to lift his feet.
Harry takes a deep breath and flashes a nervous smile at Louis before he's off, down the mountain with wind flying in his hair and stinging his cheeks. The way he soars down the line gives him a weightless feeling and despite the nagging fear of falling to his death, he lets go of the line to spread his arms. The wind makes his eyes tear up a bit and he lets out a shout, feeling free and bold and so very excited suddenly.
A bit too soon, Harry sees the platform ahead of him and he lets out a final ‘whoop!’ of exhilaration before he slows to a stop and the instructor at the bottom helps him detach from the line. Harry steps to the side and takes a deep breath as he tries to calm the pure adrenaline coursing through his veins and causing his hands to shake, both from what he just experienced and what he is about to do.
“Thank you again so much for letting me do this,” Harry says quickly to the woman who is waiting beside him for Louis to appear through the thick trees. He carefully undoes the clasp of his necklace, which is a bit of a task as his hands still are shaking, and carefully places the ring that was hooked through the chain in his shirt pocket. Harry takes a brief moment to center himself before he looks around at the trees, and then quickly at the ground that seems to be too far below for comfort still.
It's a good thing if you ask him, that Louis’ energetic shouts of joy come echoing to him only a few moments later, and he looks up to see his boyfriend speeding down the zip line toward him. Harry smiles wide, wets his lips, and quickly runs a hand through his wind mused hair as he watches Louis come to a stop.
“God Harry wasn't that bloody amazing?” Louis rushes out as soon as he’s got one foot flat on the platform and he’s all but vibrating with the same energy Harry feels.
Harry smiles back and nods his head, and before he can overthink it and with nerves running through him like electricity, he grabs Louis by the hands. “I’m in love with you, with every part of me.” He says slowly, losing the carefully thought out speech he had in mind immediately.
Harry can see the confusion in Louis’ eyes, but slowly he seems to understand as Harry drops to one knee on the wood planks below them that creak a bit with the weight shift and he reaches into his shirt pocket to pull out the ornate silver band he’d spent weeks searching for and months saving up his money to purchase.
Harry bites his lip as he focuses on arranging the ring in his hand to hold it out with his trembling fingers, and he glances up at Louis once it’s held tight and safe. “The past year with you has been everything I could have ever asked for and more. Louis Tomlinson, you’re my entire world and I want to spend the rest of my life giving you everything you deserve. Will you marry me?” He asks, the tension of the question ringing in his ears.
Louis smiles through the tears that have started, Harry can tell that even behind the hand that’s currently covering the lower half of his face that Louis’ soft dimples are on display as he nods his head, “Of course. Always. Yes!” He chokes out.
Harry swears his heart could leap from his chest, and he is fairly certain that his cheeks are about to split from smiling so hard. He fist-bumps the air and jumps up to hug Louis close with laughter bubbling up between them and tears filling his eyes. As his arms wrap around Louis’ waist to lift him up, Harry feels something slip from his fingers. He only has time to glance down, eyes just barely catching the ring as it bounces once on the wooden platform and then rolls right off into the deep green forest below them.
Louis pulls back a bit, with a smile still spread across his gorgeous face and he takes a tiny step back to hold out his left hand expectantly for the ring to be slipped on. Harry blinks slowly and then curses. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He groans and turns his eyes toward Louis’ “I- Lou it fell off the platform. The rings gone.” he said quietly, his hands reaching up to run over his face and through his curly hair.
Louis turns slowly and peers over the edge of the platform, Harry follows his gaze as the embarrassment grows. All that’s below them is roughly twenty feet of air and lush green grass. There’s a moment of quiet as they both take in what happened before Louis begins to laugh.
Harry looks over with humiliation and panic written all over his features causing his cheeks to burn hot, and Louis just continues to giggle, his eyes bright as he reaches over to grab Harry’s hand. “I’m so sorry, Louis. I’ll go down and look for it!” Harry says, his voice shaky as the emotions wash through him again and his eyes threaten to fill with tears.
Louis gently reaches up and brings their lips together, effectively shutting Harry up. “Hey, it’s okay darling.” he says quietly as they part, his eyes soft and the laughter gone as they meet Harry’s, “We’ll go look for it. But it’s just a ring, it’s not the important thing here.” he assures.
Harry frowns a bit and his hands fit gently onto the smaller man’s hips as he listens to his boy speak. “It’s fitting, you know. You spilled beer all over me the night we met, and the ring got lost when you proposed. Good thing I have a thing for clumsy, beautiful men.” Louis teases, finally earning a bit of a smile from Harry.
Harry shakes his head and pouts for a moment longer before he kisses Louis and pulls back a bit. “You’ll still marry me?” he asks, just to make sure.
Louis replies with a wide smile and a nod of his head, squeezing Harry’s hands in his own. “Of course. It’s always been you darling.”
When they tell their family and friends the story, they make up a game out of ways the ring went missing. Once, it’s an unfortunate swimming accident where it slipped off due to the water, another time it just was gone in the morning when they woke up. Their family gets annoyed with the game fairly quick but the two of them fall into fits of laughter every time.
Harry loves that Louis doesn’t mind the spilled beers or dropped rings, and he knows he’s going to spend the rest of his life with the perfect man beside him.