Chapter Fifteen

He's sat across his kitchen table from Gemma when the he gets the texts through from Jeff. It's 9am on the morning of the 28th, the reunion and tour announcement doesn't go public till 12pm UK time but he still turns away from his laptop screen, where he'd been going through a design model with Gemma to view the message.

Don't know what you did, but you're a bloody legend! (Check your emails)

Is all Jeff's text says and he swipes the screen across on his laptop to open his emails.

"Who was that?" Gemma asks him, she has several magazines spread out before her, marker pens covering a section of his dining room table as she has spent the morning highlighting design ideas for her new range of eye wear.

"Jeff."

He waits for the tab to load, immediately seeing the high priority email sent through ten minutes ago from Rebecca. Curiously he clicks on the email and is met with nothing more than a link to a folder.

He's met with dozens of photos from the photoshoot last week. The photos start with the group ones from the first location, the images are all beautiful shot and capture the all five of them in easy conversation, at times focused on smiling for the camera but most of the photos are purely candid as they switch around the various chairs now and then. He scrolls through each of them slowly, liking perhaps three more so than the others and saves those to his computer. He moves down the list to the wall shots, it starts with the five of them, then the images blend into just two of the lads seated next to each other, there's Liam and Niall on the edge, both mid laugh, then Niall with Harry, the Irishman's arm draped over Harry's right shoulder and smirking towards the camera.

He finally scrolls down to the next section and there's him and Louis. The first two of them with Louis' knees tucked up, Harry's sprawled out in front of them and the two of them are looking down, both with small smiles on their lips. It's...cute, he supposes. But it's also sickening as the first thought Harry has at those two images is of how they'd always looked in the very early days of getting to know each other. Before either of them were brave enough to admit to each other that their liking towards one another went just slightly beyond friends.

Harry quickly scrolls down, hoping to get those thoughts out of his mind when he feels his blood freeze in his veins. The photo is simple. In the exact moment after Louis had just told him what he thought of his performances. There's a longing look in Harry's eyes in the picture, his head turned towards Louis as if he doesn't quite believe he's actually sat there. Then there's Louis, who's looking at Harry in the picture like he's everything. A fondness in his gaze and his lips which are tilted upwards in the most endearing way possible. It's so heartachingly beautiful and simple that Harry just sits at his kitchen table and stares.

He doesn't know how long he sits there for and stares at the image, nor the first moment when a tear trails slowly down his cheek, but he does feel it when Gemma wraps an arm around him and holds him, her head coming to rest on his shoulder.

They sit in silence for the better part of ten minutes, the only sound in the room is the distant sound of the clocking ticking on the wall.

His mind wanders from the image to last week. He'd sat with his head buried in Louis' lap for the better part of half an hour. The two of them hadn't moved, their teas forgotten on the bench before them.

"I wanted to be here when you heard it, thought I owed that to you." Louis had finally spoken, his voice had been raw with emotion.

Harry had left soon after. Not a word more spoken between them as he'd simply stood, grabbed his keys and driven home in deafening silence. He hadn't heard a thing from Louis since, but he supposes he hasn't exactly tried to reach out either.

He knew he didn't need to explain anything to Gemma, and he was endlessly grateful that he has the kind of relationship with his sister he knows he doesn't have too. She's been there for him enough times when he's broken down about Louis to know he'll talk about it when he's ready.

He'd told Gemma about the photoshoot over the phone a few mornings ago, and as she moves her arm that isn't holding him to scroll down he knows exactly where she's going too.

She scrolls right passed the other boys shoots, and even the ones of all five of them bundled together on the rugs and stops as she hits the section where it's just him and Louis dancing in the rain.

The first is a photo taken with Louis with his back to the camera, a blurred figure in the foreground but still recognizable for it to definitely be him, and in front of where he stands in full focus is Harry. Eyes directed straight toward Louis with a bright and open grin spread across his face. Happiness is what he'd have dubbed the image, looking at himself through the screen, gold and white silk shirt plastered across him with his tattoos visible underneath, he looks like a picture of happiness.

The following images shift in positioning, showing both of their gradual enthusiasm as 18 had played in the background. Of course to anyone looking at the images, you'd never know there was music playing in the background aside from the sometimes open mouthed hots of them screaming and lyrics and their arms and legs flailing everywhere. It's uncoordinated, candid and so very them that despite the images' portrayal of happiness, his heart is unbearably heavy.

There's several images of when Louis had pulled him into his side and Harry had thrown his arm over Louis' shoulders. His favourite being the very last image in that sequence, a small moment where both of their heads are turned towards one another, pressed against each other and it's not even the smiles, wide across their faces that Harry is drawn too, it's the look in their eyes as they stare at each other.

Gemma pauses on those last line of images, not even looking at him before she clicks on that last photo and saves it to his computer. He certainly doesn't protest it.

The next line of images load and then its all five of them, arms thrown up into the air, jumping around and truly looking like they're having the time of their lives. No wonder Jeff was so happy with him. These photos are beyond perfect. From the falling rain, and drenched clothes, to the smiles so bright on all of their faces it seems to encase and brighten the entire lot of images.

There's the oddly sequenced photos of them trying to replicate the Best Song Ever dance moves and if he'd been in a slightly better head space he'd laugh at their awkward and very out of sync positions in each of the photos. Gemma saves three of them.

And finally, on the last line of photos he knows he's in, he's back in Louis' arms as they'd quietly sung the closing lines. He thinks for a moment that it's the only place he's ever needed to be to feel like he was home.

~~~~

Gemma comes with him when he leaves for Louis' house, an hour before the reunion announcement is going to be made. The five of them, and a few of the other boys siblings are all heading to Louis' to be together when the announcement airs.

They spend the drive talking about nothing in particular as music plays quietly in the background. As he pulls up to Louis' house for the first time since that night, he doesn't let himself hesitate as he opens the car door once he's parked in the driveway and waits for Gemma to come around from the other side of the car to walk up to the front door. There's two other cars here aside from the two he now knows are Louis', so at least he thinks, he's not the last one here.

He walks up towards the now semi familiar front door and waits for the expected sound of Clifford and Bruce's barks as he rings the bell. Sure enough the sound of scattering paws is heard drawing nearer but what he doesn't expect is for a blonde woman to pull open the door to greet them.

"Harry!" Lottie yells as she throws herself into his shocked arms and his eyes go wide. It takes a moment before he returns the gesture and tightly wraps his arms around her. "It's so fuckin' good to see you! Oh my gosh, congratulations on Fine Line it's incredible, I love it so much!" She rushes out as she only half pulls back from the embrace. And he really hadn't expected this. "Gems!" Lottie says before he has a moment to reply and the Doncaster girl goes to hug his sister who's stood just slightly behind him.

By this time, Clifford and Bruce are sniffing around at Gemma's feet, pausing only when he reaches down and they come back to him as he pats them both.

"Come inside, Zayn and Liam are already here." Lottie says and Harry stands straight again, gives Gemma one last look before following Lottie inside. He shuts the door after ensuring that Bruce and Clifford are safely back inside and trails after the two young woman towards the living space. He can hear music playing softly through a sound system before he's in the room.

He sees Zayn first, settled into the other end of the very couch Harry had mostly fell apart on last week. He's scrolling through on his phone when he glances up and smiles as he spots the three of them. Liam and Louis are behind the kitchen bench, talking innately together with a beer in each of their hands'.

He, Lottie and Gemma are barely into the room when he hears the sound of running footsteps and a high pitched squeal. The next moment, two dark haired young girls are racing down from the narrow corridor Louis had disappeared down on his first visit here and are flying into the room, jumping onto the sofa and collapsing in a fit of giggles. Bruce and Clifford immediately race over to investigate the excitement and it suddenly clicks with Harry that it's Daisy and Phoebe. He hasn't seen them in over four years, and now, being so much more grown up he'd not recognized them for a moment.

"Oi! Who said you could run around me house like that?" Louis calls from the kitchen, his conversation with Liam cut short.

The twins don't reply, instead he sees Phoebe raise her hand and flip him off and Harry thinks he couldn't think of a more Tomlinson gesture.

"Fuckin' rude." Louis says with fair too much fondness.

"Niall's almost here." Zayn suddenly announces as he stands from the sofa and makes his way towards Gemma and Harry. Pulling in Gemma and him each individually for a hug. "Good to see you again Gemma." Zayn says and harry watches as Gemma smiles at him.

"Wouldn't have been the same without you here Z."

"Wouldn't have missed this this time round for the world." Zayn remarks.

"So who's actually ready for this?" Liam asks as he makes his way out from the kitchen towards them. Daisy and Phoebe seem to take notice of him and Gemma then because the two of them look up from where they'd both been huddled together on the sofa and he watches as both of their eyes narrow as they stop on him.

They may be several years younger than him, but the look is rather frightening. He has no idea what he's done wrong, they'd both always loved him when they were younger. Had always claimed him like an adoptive brother whenever he got to spend time with them. So standing here now as they both semi glared at him was rather disconcerting.

"Well I'm totally ready!" Lottie says as Liam halts on the edge of their small group.

"Same here," Gemma says, "I've been waiting for this bloody day for years!"

"There's a bunch of different drinks in the fridge, help yourselves to whatever." Louis says as he trails behind Liam and stops in between Liam and Zayn.

"Louis!" Gemma starts and moves to pull him into a hug, "It's so good to see you again."

Louis catches his eye from over Gemma's shoulder and Harry returns it with a small smile.

"So we have ten minutes before our lives fall to pieces again so a drink sounds fucking great." Zayn says whilst he turns and makes his way towards the kitchen. Harry trails after him, leaving Gemma to talk with Louis and Lottie, Liam heading off to another part of the house.

He grabs a beer from the fridge and looks out across the lawn, trying not to think about the last time he'd been in this house. It's not raining today, infract it's almost sunny.

"You go through the photos?" Zayn asks him from where he stands at his side.

"Yeah, this morning."

He hears the doorbell ring, setting the dogs off once more and knows it must be Niall arriving.

"I'm not even sure how we were ever taken seriously, we're all now over 25 and still act like children." Zayn says with a smile working its way onto his lips.

"Not sure we ever matured enough to be considered adults to be honest."

"True. Especially Louis and Niall."

"Especially them."

As if to prove their point, the next second Niall comes barreling down the corridor from the front door. "Who's fuckin excited!" He yells out, Bruce and Clifford close behind him and it's a miracle that Niall doesn't trip as he wraps Louis in a hug and spins them both.

"How long have we got?" Zayn says, distracting him from watching the scene behind them.

He glances down at the watch on his wrist.

"9 minutes."

Zayn pulls out his phone and Harry watches as he opens up Twitter and types out a tweet, his own phone buzzing from the notification once he presses send.

Here we go!

The tweet reads and Harry turns to Zayn, raising a brow.

"What? We should be getting people interested so they're waiting for the announcement."

"No one has a bloody clue we're about to announce our comeback, and the fans have been going absolutely crazy on social media for the past two weeks!"

"Still." Zayn says with a shrug, "Did you log back into the main account yet?"

"Yeah, Jeff sent it through the other day but I think Liam's gonna use his phone for the livestream."

"Oh, right that sounds good."

"Where are your sisters anyway?" Harry says glancing around the room.

"They couldn't come, but they said to say hi. Gigi flies into London tonight though."

"Oh sweet!"

They're interrupted then by Niall yelling out their names. "Oi! We've got five minutes come over here!"

He shots a quick smile to Zayn as they both turn and head towards the others now moved to the sofas. Harry takes a seat beside Gemma, Lottie on her other side as the two of them continue with their conversation. Liam sits on his right, Daisy, Phoebe and Louis on the sofa opposite where he sits and Zayn perches on the arm of the single chair Niall is sprawled out in.

"So are we doing the live stream at mid day exactly or do we give people some time to hear the news?" Zayn asks and it's Liam who answers.

"I talked with Amanda and Tilly and they reckon give it half an hour or so. We wanna give some time for the news to spread first."

"Fine with me." Niall comments and Harry feels Gemma rest a hand on his knee and give it a squeeze.

Before he knows it it's 11:59, a quiet buzz fills the room and everyone of them sits in baited silence, cell phones in hand but none of them are looking at them. Instead he meets the eyes of everyone in the room, briefly glancing at Louis and the twins but otherwise uses the minute to register just what is about to happen.

There have been several more heavy hints over the past week, most coming from one of the managers but he's slipped in a few words here and there in interviews he's done for the promotion of Fine Line. He doesn't think a topic around the band hasn't been trending worldwide on Twitter for the past two weeks, ever since the Brit Awards and he found out five days ago that Zayn's tweet and the following interactions did in fact break a record. The original tweet is now sitting above 3.6 million likes and he just knows it will forever more be an inside joke between them and the fans.

It had taken Harry a long while to choose the photo he'd use and send back to Jeff. He'd eventually decided that he couldn't choose just one and had actually sent through five. The cover photo was one of them bundled together during a chorus moment from their jumping around in Best Song Ever. The second was the photo of him smiling at Louis who was the blurred out figure in the foreground, the third a photo of them all piled together on the rug mid laughter, the fourth of them wrapped together at the very end of Best Song Ever, with Louis tucked into his side, and the other three boys all linked in arms smiling at the camera, and finally the last photo was the one taken of just him and Louis sat against the brick wall.

The final ten seconds until the clock hits 12pm are agonizingly slow and torturously fast all at once and before he can take another breath each one of the dozen or so phones in the room lights up with the same notification.

It's Niall, because of course it's bloody Niall, who jumps up first, almost knocking Zayn off his perch in the process.

"Welcome fucking back One Direction!" He yells and races around, grabbing each of the boys and pulling them in for one hilariously messy embrace.

Their phones are about to combust with the amount of notifications being sent to each of them, even the girls. And they all turn to find the tweet, Instagram post, Facebook post and dozens of news articles all purposefully composed spam their phones.

It takes a minute before the topic is trending at #1 worldwide, and the official One Direction page to go utterly viral. They'd gone with a photo of the five of them seated together during the first photoshoot. Each of the boys had chosen their own image for their managers to post across their individual platforms when the news broke.

And just like that it seems, the biggest boyband in the world is back.