I met Louis in the pool house. I was tempted to rush into his arms, but I had no idea what was going on in his mind. Maybe he was here to end it, so I had to keep myself strong.

“Hi,” I said quietly.

“Hi,” he said, taking a step towards me.

I immediately failed at the whole “keeping myself strong” thing. I bit my lip and I could feel my face crumpling with the threat of tears.

“Hey, come here,” he said softly, surrounding me with his strong arms, pulling me into a comforting embrace.

I sighed with relief at the feel of his heartbeat close to mine. I managed to chase the tears away, but I really wanted him to know that my intentions had been genuine. “Louis, I'm sorry if you thought that I was just trying to use my money to get you to love me,” I spoke against his shoulder as he kept holding me. “That wasn't what I intended at all, and I don't know how to make you believe me. So, maybe if you really don't want to go to Harvard anymore, I can just give you the money and you can go to the University of Alaska or as far away from me as you want to. Or you can go to Harvard and I'll move to Utah so you'll know that I didn't do any of this just to force you to stay with me.”

I felt his chest vibrating, interrupting my rambling. I leaned back and looked up at him. “You're laughing at me?”

“Yes,” he chuckled. “Because you're so darn adorable. Now, about Harvard-”

“I know, Lou. I'm sorry," I continued rambling. "I guess I'm just naive when it comes to the real world. I love you so much and I really wanted you to have something good and I never meant to make it seem like I was just throwing my money around because I really truly love you, and I was-”

He stopped me with another laugh. “You didn't let me finish. What I want to say is that I would be very honored to accept your offer. I went home and talked to my family about it. I had to get their perspective because they know how much this means to me. They told me I'd be a fool to pass up the opportunity, and then I realized something else.”

“What's that?” I asked, already feeling a little giddy from what he'd just told me.

“I realized that what you did was truly an expression of love. You're finding out who you are, Ash, and she's beautiful, inside and out. I realized that, since I met you, you've transformed from the selfish, bitchy girl demanding an appointment at the salon to this amazing and generous woman who gives money to a homeless woman in the subway and buys a dress for her servant just because she loves it so much.”

I was humbled by his words. “Thank you,” I whispered.

“I'm sorry for the things I said about using your money to get whatever you want. Can you forgive me?”

I put my hand on his cheek, his beautiful, stubbly cheek. “I forgive you. I just wanted to do something to show you how much I love you.”

“Speaking of that,” he said, leaning in and kissing me softly. He pulled back just enough so I could see his beautiful blue eyes. “I love you, Ash. I am crazily, insatiably, wonderfully in love with you.”

“Really?” I asked, my heart suddenly racing.

“Yeah, really,” he said. Then he kissed me again and my heart when wild. His hands slipped under my jaw, cradling my face as he pressed harder against my lips. My hands found his hips and worked their way up his sides while our mouths moved so fluidly against one another that I almost felt like he was a part of me.

I moved my hands around his back, sliding them over his thin t-shirt, appreciating his lean, muscular build. I dragged my fingers up and down his back and his response was a groan from somewhere deep inside. He moved one arm so it was completely around my shoulders, my head resting in the crook of his arm, while the other arm slid around my back, pulling me even closer to himself.

The kiss became heated and I know neither one of us wanted it to end. I broke away long enough to tell him again, “I love you,” to which he responded, “I love you, too.” Then he dove back in, kissing me harder and deeper.

Everything, everything came together right in front of me. It felt like it happened all of a sudden - Louis and I loved each other and it seemed like nothing else mattered at all.

I led him over to the sofa so we could sit down since we had a lot to talk about.

“So, what made you change your mind?” I asked.

“My family helped me to see things from a clearer perspective. This is an amazing opportunity-”

“No, Lou, I meant what made you change your mind about me?”

He smiled warmly. “I didn't have to change my mind about you. I've been in love with you since our first kiss. But like I said, it blindsided me. I didn't come to New York to find love. It was a little scary at first because I had only been in love with one other person, and...well, you know what happened. It was alarming to think about making myself that vulnerable again, you know?”

I brought his hand to my lips and kissed it, just as a little encouragement.

“The other thing is – okay, I don't want you to think I'm insane – but I felt kind of guilty for loving someone else besides Katie. I thought she was the only one I could ever love, and she was...until now. I've been in love with you all along, but I had to come to terms with being able to say it to someone other than her.”

“That doesn't sound insane at all,” I said. “I'm glad you didn't just say it to make me happy. And I'm glad to know you mean it now.”

He slumped back next to me with a lazy smile on his face and said, “I still haven't quite wrapped my mind around Harvard yet. And I can't imagine ever being able to thank you enough for it.”

“I'm just glad you still want it,” I said sincerely.

“I wanted to tell you a something else. There's another reason that I didn't want to take the acceptance to Harvard. I did some stupid things that pretty much destroyed my chances of getting in on my own. I told you everything about Katie and how I spiraled after her death.” I nodded, quietly urging him to keep going. “Well, sleeping around wasn't the only mistake I made. I also got in trouble with the law.”

I could tell he was ashamed to admit all of this to me. I just squeezed his hand in encouragement.

“I hit rock bottom, sleeping around, drinking, and doing illegal drugs.” He stopped to gauge my reaction. I just listened patiently. “I got arrested – a number of times, actually – for selling illegal drugs. Since I was a minor, I won't have a criminal record, but still, Harvard tends to frown upon such activities. When you gave me that acceptance letter, it felt like it was too good to be true. And I felt like I didn't deserve a second chance.”

“That's silly, Lou. You shouldn't be branded forever by mistakes that you made when you were young.”

“Funny you should put it like that because that's exactly when I branded myself,” he laughed, referring to his tattoos.

“I never liked tattoos until I met you,” I said with a wink. 

“It was Zayn who finally kicked my ass. Literally. I remember him shoving me up against the wall and holding me by the collar. He was yelling in my face and I was trying so hard to fight him, but then something made me stop struggling and listen. He told me that I was being an ass and that I was ruining my future and all of my dreams. That's pretty much what everyone had been telling me, but for some reason, when Zayn said it, it changed my whole perspective. I love him for that. If he hadn't had the courage to confront me about it, who knows where I'd be right now. Anyway, I busted my ass to get my life back on track and I graduated with honors. But obviously that wasn't enough.”

It was heartbreaking to see what grief had done to him, but I told him I was proud of him for pulling himself back together. Not many people would be able to do that without some professional intervention. I leaned back on the couch and pulled him close so that his head was resting on my chest. I skimmed my fingers through his hair.

“I love you, Lou,” I finally said. “And nothing can change that. I'm just happy that we'll be together.”

“And we can do this all the time. This is a nice place to hang out,” he said, referring to his head resting on my bosom. “I'm becoming quite fond of these, actually.”

“Oh, geez,” I giggled, turning pink.

“Besides, I told you that I was going to show you what it's like to be a kid. I couldn't very well do that if I moved to Alaska or if you moved to Utah. Good heavens, woman, what were you thinking?”

I giggled even harder, eventually laughing out loud. “I was thinking that I'd do anything to keep you with me.”

“Well, now you've got me. I'm yours and I'm not going anywhere.”

“Except Harvard,” I corrected him.

“Except Harvard,” he agreed with a happy sigh.

Now that I knew we were going to Harvard together, I finally allowed myself to think about the actual move. I looked at the calendar on my phone and I panicked. No way! I was supposed to be moving in two weeks! Where had the summer gone?

Louis' summer contract was up on August 31, which was the day I was set to move. I was very eager to get out and make a fresh start with him, in a place where we didn't have to hide. Even though I'd grown up in the lap of luxury, this was when I finally felt like I had it all.

Louis and I talked and planned a lot over the next several days and of course, we talked a lot about the dynamics of living together. In my father's eyes, Louis would be a servant. To me, he was the man I loved. But I would still need him to help me since I didn't know how to do much for myself.

“So, are you okay with this? I mean, in my mind, you're not going to be my servant. But my father will be paying you as a servant.”

“It's not ideal,” he admitted. “But if I'm making honest money, I will want to do something to show for it. I suspect that you will need some help with cooking, cleaning, laundry.”

“Ugh, that just seems so creepy. You're my boyfriend, not my servant.”

“Well, I know that you don't know the first thing about keeping house,” he teased. “How about if we do those things together? It will be like your dad hired me to teach you how to fend for yourself. I'll teach you how to earn your keep," he teased again. And there was his cute little wink.

“I think that would be kind of cool,” I agreed.

“And I had another idea and I'm fairly serious about this. I would like to show you what it's like to live underground.”

“Pardon me?” I said, my lip curling into scowl.

“Underground? That term you snobby rich folk use for people like me?”

“Oh, my gosh, Louis. I'm so sorry I ever said that. Do you want to know the truth? That was just a phrase I made up when I referred to other people. I mean, it's not like everyone says that.”

He grabbed my wrists and curled my arms up so they were almost pressed between us. “You're a little shit, you know that?” He laughed. I was completely helpless as he kissed me with his signature smirk on his face. 

But then he said, “Well, the attitude is still there, whether it has a name or not. You're learning to overcome it, but I want to show you how the other half lives. I've had plenty of first-hand experience with the rich folk. It seems fitting that you might experience a bit of what my life is like."

“So what would that entail?” I asked, quite curious to know exactly what he was thinking.

“Well, I'm guessing I'm not going to talk you into moving to an apartment when you have the house that your father bought ready and waiting for you.”

“That would be correct,” I said, eyeing him more curiously.

“The idea is basically that we live like 'normal' people who don't have the money to do whatever we please, whenever we please. We should shop for food together before we cook. Go out to reasonably priced places instead of the finest restaurants in Paris. I get the feeling that you grew up immersed in a mindset that if something wasn't expensive, then it wasn't worth it.”

I was still a bit confused. “Do you still think I'm a snob? Like I can't appreciate simple things?”

“You're learning,” he said. “But as much as the thought of eating at Denny's makes you cringe, the idea of eating at five-star restaurants every night makes me uncomfortable. I don't like the thought of having someone cook for me, serve me, and then clean up after me. I'm not helpless, and it wouldn't be very fulfilling for me because I enjoy doing things for myself. And I'm guessing that the idea of cooking a meal and cleaning up the mess afterwards doesn't appeal to you?” I nodded. “I just think we should tone down the whole rich and entitled thing, and try to meet in the middle. Does that make sense?”

“I guess so. But you might have to teach me as we go.”

“How about following a budget?” He asked.

“Bite your tongue!” I snapped, but then I laughed a little. “Actually, it might not be a bad idea to learn how to do that because when my parents find out about us, they might disown me. And that means bye-bye to my inheritance. Well, not completely, I guess. I have the first bit of my inheritance in my name already, but I couldn't live on that for the rest of my life.”

“If it's not too personal, do you mind if I ask how much it is?”

“I have $5 million in my personal account right now.”

Louis sat down and his jaw dropped open.

“Well, minus the $350,000 I used for your tuition.”

The color drained from his face.

“Upon my parents' passing, I will inherit a minimum of $500 million, maybe more.”

He put his head down between his knees.

I rushed over and sat next to him. “Oh my gosh, Lou, are you all right? Are you sick?”

He nodded a little and I rubbed his back lightly. He stayed that way for a bit and then sat up slowly.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Whew! That's a shitload of money,” he laughed. “I mean, I'm not stupid, I knew your family had a lot of money, but to have it laid out like that is just a little overwhelming. And then realizing how much you paid for my tuition just....” He took a deep breath and blew the air out. “Maybe it doesn't seem like a lot to you, but it's like you just handed me my whole future. It's kind of mind-boggling.”

After he collected himself, he told me that I could very easily live on $5 million for a long time, maybe my whole life if I invested the money wisely and learned to live a simpler lifestyle. He suggested that we just tell my parents about us right away and he could teach me how to live on the $5 million if they actually disowned me. I reminded him that he'd be out of a job, and he scoffed, telling me that he wasn't worried about finding a job and that he could work anywhere if he put his mind to it.

“As long as you don't go to work as someone rich snobby socialite's pool boy,” I teased. “Because you're mine now.”

“I'm all yours,” he smiled.

I told him I couldn't handle telling my parents about us just yet. It was going to be hard enough to leave my dad without throwing a significant change at him just before I left. And I was legitimately concerned about my mother. I had hardly seen her since Richard and I broke up. She was almost always sleeping. If I happened to see her awake, she wasn't herself, and she was drunk more often than not.

Then he made a proposal to have us live on his salary, which would ironically come from my father. He said that my father paid him better than what his father made during most of Louis' childhood. That sounded reasonable, but when he told me it was only $1500 per week, I just about fainted.

“You can't be serious! We'll be eating out of garbage pails!”

“Um, I don't eat out of garbage pails. And you ate pretty well at my parents' place, right? We know how to be thrifty without being cheap. But if you're not comfortable living on my income, if you're not ready to get that cozy, I can live on my pay and you can live on a budget. I can help you learn how to manage your money, if you'd like. Either way, I have no doubt that we can make it, even without the rest of your inheritance, if it ever comes to that. But I'm sure it won't.”

I sighed deeply. “You haven't steered me wrong yet, Tomlinson, but if we're out on the street in a few months, I'm blaming you!”

“Oh, right, Miss Melodramatic! Your father bought you a house and I'm sure he wouldn't let you go homeless. But you do have your own money to fall back on if I fail you. You can always kick me out!” He said with a sly smile on his face. “I know for a fact that we can both live on my income for quite a while because you so generously paid for my tuition, in addition to the fact that I have such gracious employers who provide room and board. Sooo, by the time I'm done with medical school and find a good job, I could support us with my income, hopefully without having to skimp on the good stuff.”

“Us?” I asked quietly. “So, you're serious about this. About us? The end of med school is still years away, but you're talking like you're including me in your future.” 

“I have been all along,” he breathed just before he kissed me and made my heart go wild.

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We just reached 7K reads and it's all because of you!!! xoxo

The gif features some alternate covers, made by @celestical (the one with confetti), @damnyouchi (the one with the white background), and I'm SO embarrassed because I can't remember who made the last one (with the palm trees and sun), so if it was you, please let me know! :D 

Also, the new cover that I used was made by @damnyouchi

YOU GUYS ARE SO AWESOME!

Finally, I attached the song, "Keep You With Me" by Hot Chelle Rae because Ash told Louis she'd do anything to keep Lou with her. :) I'm becoming quite a fan of Hot Chelle Rae.