built memories | a sequel

17 - Horizon

Playlist:

Statues by Nina Nesbitt 

~*~

Louis' dad comes home when Louis and Fiona are still in the kitchen finishing cleaning everything. Louis was just stressing over what Harry is doing with his siblings and if he is comfortable or not. Basically he just really wants to be next to him right now. He was stressing over something irrational that made him forget about Carl and how is voice really sounds like... He just lost the capacity of listening so he doesn't realise the noise his father does and the door opening.

"Louis?" Louis wakes up from his small trance and looks around from the sink to see his father with Fiona next to him. He is still wearing his big coat, which makes Louis relax a bit because he just got home now and definitely didn't see Harry yet.

"Oh hi dad."

"I've been talking to you and you just ignored." Carl says, his tone softer than usual. At least not the soft Louis is used to hear anymore. Well, he seems to be in a good mood, that's good for the occasion.

"Sorry, I was just..." He looks over at his mom and then at the door from the kitchen. "... Distracted." He completes.

"How was your trip?" He asks, probably repeating what he said previously, taking his jacket off after putting his work bag on the floor.

"Good. It was... Very good." He clears his throat, his father not really showing any disapproval due his behaviour. Probably not even noticing it. "How was your work?"

"Stressing. I'm tired and a bit hungry. Just really want to relax. Where's Zoe?" Carl says looking from Louis to his wife. Fiona opens her mouth but then closes it, glancing over at Louis so he takes it has a cue to speak.

"She is in the living room... About that dad, we need to –"

"Louis?" Fuck, fuck, fuck. "Peter was talking about a movie you –" Harry stops when gets into the kitchen. And really he should have stopped right when Carl looked behind when heard him calling for Louis.

Louis thinks that this is it, there's no need of him to feel worried about all of this. It needs to go all right, it will go all right and it would happen eventually, he wouldn't hide Harry away from his father. But this is the moment and Louis sees his mother looking at him in concern and Harry is frozen in the same place he stopped.

Carl is probably a mess right now. Louis steps to the side and sees. Sees his father's face and he recognises that expression. He is mad. He has the same expression that he wore the same day Louis broke down completely.

"What are you doing here?" Carl asks and Louis cringes with the harsh tone. Harry takes a step back and Louis feels that horrific sensation coming back. He is seeing with his own eyes the meaning of change. The way Carl used to look at Harry as his own son, as family, disappeared as well as the tender way he used to speak with Louis. Now is just disappointment living in his eyes and even if sometimes there isn't a sign of it, Louis still thinks it remains there.

Harry doesn't say a word, Louis sees he tries to but anything comes out from his mouth.

"Dad, I –"

"Shut up, Louis." Carl interrupts him, looking for a moment at him and then going back to Harry.

Louis can't find the courage to talk after listening to his father yelling at him to shut up. He lowers his head, he can't do anything because he lives with the fear of something he might say or do can be the lower point for his dad. The point he realises Louis isn't worth it anymore, the moment he finally tells him that he doesn't need to come visit them this often (or ever), the moment it crashes Louis' hopes to ever get better with his father, to ever go back to normal. He doesn't know the limit but he sure doesn't want to test it.