Work Text:
Louis POV
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Well, me an' my lady had our first big fight,
So I drove around 'til I saw the neon light.
A corner bar, an it just seemed right.
So I pulled up.
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I wipe down the counter with my rag as a see a young man walk in and sit on the bar stool. He rubs his hands over his face and sighs.
He turns his head and looks at me. I walk towards him.
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Not a soul around but the old bar keep,
Down at the end an' looking half asleep.
An he walked up, an' said: "What'll it be?"
I said: "The good stuff."
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"What will it be?"
He sighs again and mutter his answer "The Good Stuff"
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He didn't reach around for the whiskey;
He didn't pour me a beer.
His blue eyes kinda went misty,
He said: "You can't find that here.
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I didn't reach for the whiskey or the vodka. I just smiled at him remembering when I was sitting in that position.
"You can't find that here" I finally say.
"What?" He asks confused.
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'cause it's the first long kiss on a second date.
Momma's all worried when you get home late
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"Because there is nothing better than having that first long kiss on the second date and mum was worried because I got home late"
I shake my head at the memory.
________Flash________
I have Harry hand in mine. I'm swinging our hands back and forth as we walk up the walk way.
I'm bringing him back home from our second date and it went surprisingly well.
I smile down at our hands and I feel so happy.
We reach the door and I don't let go of his hand. I smile up at him.
Harry is only 2 inches taller than me. I tilt my head up and smile at him. I have known Harry for years but it was only recently that I found out that I liked him more than a friend.
I asked him out and surprisingly he said yes right away.
He is biting his bottom lip. Making it redder as the blood goes back to it.
"Are you going to kiss me or are you just going to stand there staring at my lips?"
I hear him say this as he smiles down at me.
"I think I'll kiss you"
He leans down a bit and stopping. It's like for me to meet him halfway. I lean up and we are only centimeters away from touching.
I feel his breath on my face and it smells like cookies and mint. I bet it will taste like ambrosia.
I hear him make a noise and I don't know who did it first but it doesn't matter.
I wrap my arms around his neck and he wraps his hands arms around my waist. He pulls me closer. Are bodies flush together and I feel my cheeks heat up.
I feel wetness on my lips and its him asking for entrance and I happily open up for him.
I feel him move hi tongue in and I am right he taste like ambrosia. Like he was made my the greek gods themselves. Aphrodite did a great job.
I don't know how long we stayed on his porch kissing an I didn't care at the moment.
When we finally pulled apart, we were breathless. I had my eyes still close. I wants to saver the moment. I wanted to remember this moment for forever.
I feel Harry hands caress my face. I open my eyes and I see green eyes staring at me. His eyes are so bright that they could put Apollo sun to shame.
He smiles at me and I smile back. I think it was a goofy smile so full of love and just childish a bit also.
Again I don't know how long we stayed holding on to each other.
All I know is when we said goodnight I couldn't keep my eyes off him until he closed the door.
I got in my car in a daze and drove home. I got home and glided on air like I was floating on a cloud. I open the door and step in.
I have a goofy smile on my lips and I close the door. Kick off my shoes and go to bed. I'm pulled out of my haze by my mum yelling at me.
"Louis William Tomlinson! Do you know what time it is?"
I blink at her a couple of time. "What?"
"It's 12am!"
"I must have lost track of time" I mumble to myself. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight"
She shouted at me but I didn't care at the moment.
Me and Harry just kissed for the second time and it was...heaven.
--------Present-------
"It was great" the man in front of me said.
"Yes it was"
"But she just gets on my nerves so much now"
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And droppin' the ring in the spaghetti plate,
'cause your hands are shakin' so much.
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I tut. "Well, how about when you dropped the ring in the spegettii plate because you were so nervous"
"It was ice cream"
"Even worse!"
He laughed.
____-flash-__________
Today is the day. Today I will ask Harry to be mine forever.
I open the box do the billionth time to check on the ring. Like its going to anywhere.
The ring is a golden band with two hearts in carved on the top. Each heart has an H and a L. The inside says Hi, Oops.
Those are the two words we said to each other in the school bathroom.
I sigh longingly at the memory. I click the case shut and stuff it into my trousers.
I have a bottle of Champaign in an ice bucket as I wait at the best restaurant in London. It's quite expensive but this is a special occasion.
My leg is jumping up an down as I wait for Harry. I look at my watch and see he is twenty minutes late.
"Do you want anything to drink as you wait sir?"
"Uh a water please"
"Right away"
What 20 minutes turns into an hour. An hour turns into two as I wait.
"Sir. We're closing. I'm sorry to say this but you have to leave"
I frown as I stand up and look at the ring one more time as I grab the to go plates and walk out. I climb into my car as I get the call.
I look down at my phone and see the picture of Harry making a kissy face.
"Hello"
"Louis! I'm so sorry. George had me stay in and file the papers and there were over a hundred to go through and I'm so sorry"
I was quiet and didn't respond.
"I'm sorry. I know it was our 4 year anniversary. I'm so sorry. This night was suppose to be special and I just"
"It's fine Harry. I'll just see you at home"
"I'm sorry"
"Yeah me too" is all I say as I hang up the phone.
I drive home and a couple loose tears fall onto my cheeks but I quickly wipe them away.
I know Harry gets busy at work but he could have just...called. So I wouldn't have looked like an idiot waiting there for two hours.
I get to our house and get out of the car. I open the door and set the plates on the island.
I put the food in the fridge and walked down the hall to our bed room. I don't bother taking off my clothes and just fall asleep like that.
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I wake up to the bed shifting on Harry's side. I don't move.
"I know you felt that" I hear him whisper. "And I'm sorry Louis. You know that"
I was quiet.
"Please Louis just respond" his voice cracks and he sounds like he is about to cry. I close my eyes and will my self to sleep.
I feel his arms snake around me and pulling me close.
"I know your awake Lou"
"Leave me alone then"
"I just-work was...horrible today"
"You had me waiting for two hours"
"I thought I would finish in time but I lost track and I looked at the clock and saw it was so late. I am sorry please" he begs "Forgive me"
"I think I need a glass of water" I say as I yank myself from his arms.
I leave the room and go back to the kitchen.
I could hear him following me as I grab a glass.
I her the fridge being open and a ruffle of plastic.
"I know tonight was suppose to be special and I fucked it up-"
"Harry can you just shut up"
He pursed his lips and grabs a fork to get some.
I stare at him and I just. I love him. He is my everything. I reach into my pocket and feel the box still. I open it and grab the ring.
Harry is looking down at his plate as I walk towards him slowly.
"Do you know why tonight was suppose to be special"
"It's our anniversary"
"Not just that"
He looks confused. "I don't know"
"Because I had something to ask you but I think I'll just show you instead of asking"
"Ask me what?"
With shaking hands I bring my ham up with the ring.
I hear a gasp from him.
"Louis" he breathes out. "I-"
"I love you" I start "I have from the start and I always dreamed of asking you in every situation. And tonight, was the night I was going to ask you"
I see the tears forming in his eyes.
"I did-"
"Let me finish"
He nods.
"I have stood in front of the mirror trying to rehearse what I was going to say and each time I could barely utter a word. Just thinking about how you would be in front of me and I finally got it down. But I will just say it now"
He nods again.
"Harry Styles" I start "I love you with everything I got. You may drive me crazy but I am also crazy about you. I don't know what I would do without you if you ever leave me and I tried to picture it but every time I did. All I can see is nothing. Because I am nothing without you. So will you do the honor an letting me call you my husband"
He has tears streaming down hi face and he opens his mouth to say something but nothing comes out. He just settles with nodding feverishly.
I smile breaks across my face and I feel like I just won a battle and the goddess victory is beside me.
He lift his hand and I bring the ring up with wobbly fingers and try to put the ring on his finger. But all it does is fall from my fingers into the spegettii.
He barks out a laugh and I laugh with him. He picks it out and wipes it.
He looks at it and smiles fondly at it. He sees the engravings.
"Hi and oops"
"Of course. Those were the first words we say to each other back in elementary"
"Sap"
"You love it"
"I love you"
----------------present---------
"You must have had a great marriage"
"It was great but there was some bad times"
"How did you get through it?"
"Son. All I did was think of him and all our memories put together and all that just fades away"
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An' it's the way that she looks with the rice in her hair.
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"Like the way he looked in our wedding day" I smile "He was breath taking and he was mine. It was also funny when we got rice thrown at us and I had to help him pick it out I his hair for an hour"
I laugh again.
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Eatin' burnt suppers the whole first year
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"Even when he burned the dinner"
"My Hazza was a great cook, but he does get distracted a lot"
"Then what did you do if it was burned and gross?"
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An' askin' for seconds to keep her from tearin' up.
Yeah, man, that's the good stuff."
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"I asked for seconds"
"Why?"
"Because I love him so much that it didn't matter that the food was horrid. As long as I had him beside me...and eating it along with me"
"Your crazy"
"I was crazy in love" I say with a shrug. "We both were"
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He grabbed a carton of milk an' he poured a glass.
An' I smiled an' said: "I'll have some of that."
We sat there an' talked as an hour passed,
Like old friends.
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I grab a carton of milk and a glass. The guy chuckles.
"Can I have some?"
"Yeah"
I pour us both a glass and as he drinks he looks to the wall beside him. He stares at a picture. I turn my head already knowing who it is.
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I saw a black an' white picture an' it caught my stare,
It was a pretty girl with bouffant hair.
He said: "That's my Bonnie,
Taken 'bout a year after we were wed."
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I take in a breath an let it out slowly.
It was a black and white picture of Harry. It was him wearing a white T-shirt with Levi jeans. I turned back to the man.
"That's my Harry. I took that picture a year after our wedding. We were visiting his mother when we saw this river and it was beautiful. And of corse he wanted a picture. So I took it and now it has been here since"
"He is very...handsome"
"He was smiling like he just saw something like imperial gold. So I keep it here so when I had to work late I could still have him with me"
I point at the necklace that Harry was wearing.
"I got him that when our son Will graduated from high school. You should have seen him. Harry has always been a cryer but he was sobbing mess when William graduated"
"You guys had kids?"
"Yup five of them. Adopted them all but Will and Elizabeth were from both of us. Harry's older sister gave birth to them both. She volunteered to have him. So we each got a price of each other. We loved them all equally"
"What are they doing now?"
"Great things. William he owns some shopping company. Elizabeth is a nurse in Los Angeles. Michael is a carpenter. Thomas is an surgical technician and the youngest Marry is still in Uni.
"Do you get to see them all?"
"Yeah when they come and visit or I go on those things and chat with them through the computer"
"Skype"
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"Yeah"He said "Spent five years in the bar,
When the cancer took her from me.
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"But it was 10 years after I bout this pub and Harry got cancer" I sigh sadly
I hear him take in a breath.
"He had liver cancer and well the cancer won"
I blink away the tears.
"How old was he"
"55 and I was 57"
_Flash_
I grip Harry hand as he was gasping for air.
He sends me a bright smile even though he knows what is happening.
I try to send him a smile back but there is tears streaming down my face.
He lifts his hand up to my face and thumbs away my tears.
"Sh" he whispers "It's okay. You'll be okay"
"I-" I clear my throat "I don't know Harry. I don't know if I could do it"
"Do it for me" he says
He could only whisper right now because he is out of breath.
I close my eyes and nod.
"They will" cough "Need their daddy"
"But I'm going to need you" I croak back.
"You could do it Lou. Without me. Plus I will be looking 'through the floor in heaven'"
I laugh shakily.
I don't know what happen. He was just laying there and had his eyes close when it happened. The alarms went off and I gripped his hand harder.
"Harry?" I whisper to him
The doctors come in and check and turn off the machines.
"I'm sorry Mr. Tomlinson. Would you like some more time with him?"
"Yes just for a little longer"
She nods and I take off the nubs off him and put them to the side. I push him to the side and climb into bed with him. I wrap my arms around him.
I feel the rearms fall my from eyes but don't bother wiping them away. I run my fingers through his curls and brush them away from his eyes.
I hear the door open and look. It's our kids. They all files in and they all have tears falling onto their cheeks.
William comes closer and is blinking fast trying to stay strong for the rest.
I climb out of the bed and walk shakily towards them.
I hug Marry my youngest. She is 14 and she wraps her arms around me tightly and takes in a shaky breath and cry's into my arms. The rest come forth and we get in a group hug of crying and heavy breathing.
"It's okay" My voice cracks "We will be okay"
Hopefully.
----present------
"Did you, you know start drinking?"
"Yes for the first year I did. I was a right mess. We all were"
"You have stopped"
"Yeah. I have been sober for three years now. Haven't had a drink since I stopped"
"What made you stop?"
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But I've been sober three years now,
'cause the one thing stronger than the whiskey
Was the sight of her holdin' my baby girl.
The way she adored that string of pearls,
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I send him a small smile. "Memories. He may not be here anymore but he lives in my memories. Those memories of everything we have been through are way stronger then any kind of whiskey"
I laugh "Also the time my eldest son gave me and Harry a shirt that said I was a grandpa. That was a surprise it self"
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I gave her the day that our youngest boy, Earl,
Married his high school love."
"An' it's a new tee-shirt saying: 'I'm a Grandpa'.
Bein' right there as our time got small,
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"That must have been a happy memory"
"Oh it is. He came home with his long term girlfriend and said he had a present for us"
I chuckle "Harry was so excited he always liked gifts. We both opened them an there was a T-shirt in both boxes. We grabbed them and lifted the letters. All the T-shirt said was "I am the world's greatest grandpa" and Harry was just bursting with joy"
"He hugged them so tight I thought he would break them. It was a happy day"
"How old was your son?"
"He was 26 and the youngest was Marry was 9 so we still had half of them still in the nest. I just patted Will and told him how proud I was of him. Still am"
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An' holdin' her hand, when the Good Lord called her up,
Yeah, man, that's the good stuff."
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"Even when I held his hand as The Lord called him up. Nothing will compare"
I turn around and see it has been two hours since he has arrived.
"I think you should head on home son"
"Yeah" he stands up and goes to leave but stops "What should I say when I get home"
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He said: "When you get home, she'll start to cry.
When she says: 'I'm sorry,' say: 'So am I.'
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"When you get home she is going to cry an when she says she is sorry. Say so am I"
"And that's the good stuff"
I laugh and nod.
He bids his goodbye and leaves.
"Yeah" I say quietly "That's the good stuff"
I grab the glasses we used and cleaned them.
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An' look into those eyes, so deep in love,
An' drink it up.
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I turn to the picture and smile. Remembering how I used to look into Harry's eyes and I was just so deep in love.
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'cause that's the good stuff.
That's the good stuff."
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The Good Stuff.
I look at all the drinks and remember how it helped forget for a while. I grab the bottle but stop myself.
My phone rings, I set down the bottle.
I grab it and see it is Marry. I smile and answer the phone.
"Hi love"
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The song name is Good Stuff by Kenny Chesney.
So tell me what you think.
Thanks for reading.