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"I’ll take it" Louis says smiling.
The real estate agent nods, and hands Louis the pen and paper to sign off on his new house. She hands him the keys with a smile. “Good luck” she says, leaving Louis in the big empty house alone.
"Hey, Liam. Can you come help me unpack my stuff in the new house?" Louis says into his phone. "Great. See you in a few.” He hangs up and runs out to begin bringing things inside.
Harry watches as the slimmer boy begins moving things into his newly bought house. It’s a hot summer day, and the boy is wearing a pair of shorts and a sleeveless shirt, showing off his biceps. Harry is sitting in his living room, watching out the panoramic window as the other male bring boxes into the house, constantly coming back out for more.
Eventually another man gets there and begins helping the other boy, the both of them bringing the larger items into the house together.
The first boy, the skinnier, slightly older looking one eventually turns around and makes eye contact with Harry. They both smile and wave through the window, and Harry has this instant warmth bubbling inside his stomach.
Louis turns around after placing the box down and makes eye contact with the boy in the house next to him. He is sitting in a chair, feet up, reading a newspaper and looking outside. But Louis manages to catch his eye and he smiles.
The boy has brown curly hair, and a smile to make you melt to the ground, especially on a hot day like today. The boy’s green eyes lock with Louis’ and they both wave, still smiling across the yard.
Despite Liam questioning where he is going without a box in his hands, Louis runs inside. He scrambles through a few boxes, before finding one that says ‘office shit’. He shuffles through it before finding a pad and marker.
He runs back out and writes ‘ HI I’M LOUIS TOMLINSON ’ in big black bold letters and holds it up for the other boy to see. The boy across the yard smiles adorably.
Harry watches as the boy runs into the house, and emerges a second later, with something small in his hand. He writes something down and turns it around for Harry to read, ‘HI I’M LOUIS TOMLINSON’ is written in big bold black letters.
Harry smiles at the adorableness and the other boy’s ridiculousness, before signaling to the boy, ‘One second’ by holding up his pointer finger. Harry goes into the kitchen and finds his own pad and pen, writing back to the other boy, ‘I’m Harry.
The boy across the yard smiles, and from that moment on, a relationship is born.
The two constantly write notes to each other, ranging from simple things like, ‘how old are you Louis?’ ‘20 how about you?' to random things such as, ‘Harry, what’d you have for lunch today?’ ‘tuna :P and you?' They talk every day, before Louis leaves for work, when he gets home, before and after dinner. And every night the notes end with them both writing, ‘goodnight talk in the morning x’
One night, however, as Louis holds his pad to write good night to Harry, something else crosses his mind.
His hand hovers over the page as he debates whether or not to write his thoughts. Biting his lip, Louis’ hand works faster than his mind, and when he looks down, written in beautiful cursive are the seven words that have been running through his mind all week: ‘I think I’m really falling for you
Slowly, Louis flips to the next page and writes the traditional good night note, not sure if he’s ready for the other one just yet.
'good night Harry :) talk in the morning xx sweet dreams' He turns back to the window and holds the pad up for Harry to read. The smile on the younger boy’s lips make him so happy, and he waves goodbye as he draws the blinds and walks to his bedroom.
Louis was taking a bit more time in between his note now, and Harry was anxious. It never took Louis this long to write a note. The only time it took longer than a minute was when he drew Harry a little picture.
Harry begins nervously bouncing his legs, looking across at the older boy’s house. He smiles at how adorable Louis is, even if he is three years older. Harry anxiously pulls his bottom lip between his teeth while waiting for Louis to finish.
He begins to look down at his own notepad, but a movement across the yard catches his eye and he looks up, seeing Louis sit up and smile. ' goodnight Harry :) talk in the morning xx sweet dreams ' is written on the pad.
Harry smiles back and waves as Louis draws the blinds and Harry sees his shadow slowly disappear.
Day by day, Harry and Louis get closer, eventually falling love with one another. They spend three weeks writing notes to each other, communicating only through silly little messages.
One warm Sunday afternoon, Louis is asking Harry what he did the day before, but when he looks up, Harry is also holding up a sign.
'Louis,' it says.
'yes?' Louis writes.
'I have a question…'
'yeah babe?'
Harry smiles down at his pad at Louis’ words.
Babe .
He laughs to himself and can only imagine the older boy saying them, finally getting to hear his voice. He takes in a deep breath before writing his next note, ‘will you be my boyfriend??’ He slowly holds it up, and looks into Louis’ eyes, searching for the answer.
The older boy pauses for a second before nodding as a huge smile spreads across his lips. He drops his pad and Harry sees him jump out of the chair and run across the room. The next second, he’s running across the lawn, and Harry quickly opens his front door as Louis runs in.
Smiling widely, the older boy jumps into Harry’s arms, wrapping him in a tight hug. Harry smiles and wraps his arms around Louis' waist, as the older boy’s link behind Harry’s neck. He rests his chin on Louis’ shoulder as the older boy buries his face into the crook of Harry’s neck.
They stay like that for a while until Harry pulls back. “Hi Louis” he says smiling.
Louis laughs and smiles. “Hi Harry” he replies.
Louis doesn't even know he’s crying until Harry reaches up to wipe a tear from his cheek.
"Why you crying Lou?" Harry asks quietly.
Louis laughs, taking Harry’s hand in his. "I don’t know. Maybe because of the fact that you’re actually real?" he says smiling.
"What’d you think? I was a figment of your imagination?" Harry asks and Louis laughs again, looking up and meeting Harry’s eyes.
"I don’t know. I’m just happy you’re real, and here, and—"
"—and your boyfriend" Harry fills in.
Louis blushes and smiles, “And my boyfriend.”
Hesitantly, Harry slips his arm around Louis’ waist and rests his hand on the small of his back. His other hand drifts up to Louis’ face and the pad of his thumb slowly brushes over the older boy's cheek. Louis shivers and smiles, now reaching up and slipping his fingers into Harry’s hair. They both just look at each other for a minute, taking in the beauty that had never been so close to them.
"I love you" Harry whispers, leaning down to rest his forehead against Louis’.
Louis twists one of Harry’s curls around his finger, “I love you too” he says quietly.
Simultaneously, the boys lean in, and their lips meet. Harry’s second hand now drifts down to Louis’ back, and he’s pulling the older boy closer, their chests crashing against each other's. Louis’ hands drift to the back of Harry’s neck and he plays with the few curls at the bottom of the green eyed boy’s hair. Harry smiles against Louis’ lips, and moves his hands down to Louis’ legs, taking hold of his thighs and picking him up. The boys’ lips only separate for Louis to let out a surprised squeal, but he quickly leans back in and they kiss as Harry carries him to the couch. He sits down and Louis positions himself on his lap so he’s straddling the younger boy and they continue to kiss.
The 'romantic make-out session' (as they've called it when looking back on this day) continues for a while, as each boy takes in the fact that the other exists. That they are actually now meeting, touching, hugging, kissing. Eventually, Louis pulls away, places a quick kiss to Harry’s cheek, and moves off his lap to snuggle into his side.
Harry drapes his arm over Louis’ shoulders as the older male’s hands rest on Harry’s chest, playing with the fabric of his shirt. "So Louis" Harry says.
"So Harry" Louis mimics.
"Am I as wonderful in person as I am across a yard and through a window?"
Louis laughs and looks up at his boyfriend, “Even better.”
The two boys spend almost every day together from then on. They talk about things that were too complicated to express through drawing pads, and things that only really come up when having a normal conversation. Louis tells Harry about the day he thought about telling him how he felt, but didn't and Harry laughs, hugging him lovingly.
"You should have" Harry chuckles, "It would have made my question come a lot sooner. You don’t know how long I was debating that for."
Louis smiles and leans up for a kiss.
Neither one of the boys actually move out of their house, and into the other’s, but they wind up spending the nights together, at one house or another.
Eventually, they both go to university. They decide to go away together, and rent a house on campus, finally living together.
When they graduate, it’s about ten years after they first met. Louis comes up with an idea while they are driving home. "Hey Haz," he says.
"Yeah bud?"
"I was thinking, instead of going house hunting right away, what if we go back to the old ones? We told the renters we’d be back today, so they’re probably gone. We can go back for a bit, then go look for a house of our own. Yeah?"
Harry smiles and nods, “I was thinking the same thing” he says, turning onto the next block.
And Louis is right.
The two families that were renting their houses are gone, the keys in the mailboxes.
"One," Louis says, as they put the keys in the door.
"Two," Harry says, turning the key.
"Three!" they both shout, turning the knobs and pushing the doors open.
Both boys get a chair from the living room, and run it over to the window, sitting down and smiling at each other through the window and across the yard like they used to.
Louis leans down and grabs something from his bag. When he finishes doing whatever he is doing, he holds something up and Harry lets out a burst of laughter.
'HI I'M LOUIS TOMLINSON' the pad says.
A huge smile spreads across Harry’s lips as he reaches into his bag and grabs his own pad. 'Hi, Louis,' he writes back and holds it up, watching Louis double over in laughter. ‘I’m Harry.’
They continue to write stupid notes to each other, and even draw little pictures.
And then Harry reaches into his bag and pulls something out that Louis can’t see.
'whatcha got there?' he writes.
'nothing' Harry holds up his pad, smirking.
'Harry…'
'yes Lou?'
Louis rolls his eyes and looks down to write, but when he looks back up, Harry has another one.
'Louis,' it reads.
'yes?' Louis holds up.
'I have a question…'
Louis gets massive butterflies, and with a shaky hand writes and hold up, 'yeah babe?'
Harry takes in a deep breath, licks his lips and reaches into his bag.
Louis looks down for a quick second, and when his eyes float back up, his breath hitches in his throat, the butterflies get even worse, and he feels the tears on the brims of his eyes.
Not only is Harry holding his pad up with a note on it now, he has gotten out of his chair, moved it back, and is kneeling down.
The sign in his hands is not a regular one that he always writes, it is bigger, and printed out. There are small pictures around the edges, and Louis makes them out to be some of the notes they had written to each other. In the middle is a picture of the two of them kissing on their one year anniversary, and on top of that picture are the four best words Louis will ever see written on a note,
'Will you marry me?'
The tears pour over the edges of Louis’ eyes as he scribbles something down, smiling widely. "He holds up a messily written, ‘yes!’ and throws everything to the floor, running out of his house and across the lawn to Harry’s.
Harry jumps up, opening his door as Louis barges in.
He runs right into Harry’s open arms, and they hold each other in a tight, loving hug. Louis kisses Harry’s jaw, cheek, nose, and eventually makes it to his lips, his colliding with the younger boy’s in a messy, but beyond passionate kiss.
Harry smiles, but eventually pulls back, taking a step back and kneeling once again. He takes a small velvet box out of his pocket and opens it, holding it out for Louis to see.
Sitting beautifully in the box is a silver band, with small diamonds around it.
"Will you marry me?" Harry asks again and Louis nods, smiling ear to ear.
"Of course," he says as Harry stands up and takes the ring out of the box.
He shows it to Louis, and holds it so he can read what is inscribed along the inside. Louis smiles, and blushes as the tears increase. Harry slips the ring onto Louis left ring finger and the two lock eyes, smiling widely.
Louis takes Harry's hands in his, and the younger boy entwines their fingers, pulling Louis so close to his chest that the older boy has to crane his neck to be able to look at Harry properly. He doesn't mind though, stepping into Harry's space as if he'd been doing it his whole life.
Louis smiles up at his fiancé and presses a light kiss to his jaw before repeating what Harry had had inscribed along the inside of the ring. "Happy ten year anniversary."
Harry smiles in response, dipping his head just the smallest bit to capture Louis' lips in a kiss. He slowly detangles his hands from Louis', now wrapping his arms around the older boy's waist and lifting him off his feet. Louis goes willingly, wrapping his legs around Harry's waist and linking his ankles behind his back as the younger boy's hands move down to hold his arse, squeezing playfully.
"Twat," he mumbles playfully, biting at Harry's lower lip.
"Happy Anniversary."