i fell in love in 1914 ~ l.s

📖 9 📖

~ Harry ~

(A/n: I don't want to waste your precious time, but I wanted to tell you that this chapter is a little longer (1700 words, which isn't much, but more than the chapter before (hihi that rhymes)) okay, I'll stop being annoying now).

I'm delusional.

There is no other explanation. For a moment I thought he was going to kiss me. What was I thinking? Of course he wouldn't kiss me.

And that's not even the worst thing. I actually liked the idea! I should be grossed out, boys shouldn't kiss boys. It was the most awkward thing, I swear to God. When he whispered: "I want to show you something." I actually stared at his lips, like, who does that!

Even if he was a she, we just met. But even if we had known each other for years, I don't want him to be a she. I'm so confused right now.

"Look." Louis' voice interrupts my thoughts.

He's holding a dark green book, covered with golden letters and frills. He shows me the cover of the book, it's beautiful.

It looks expensive and it's really detailed.

"Peter and Wendy." I read out loud.

Louis opens the book and starts reading: "All children, except one, grow up." He looks back up at me. "It's the first line of the book."

I crawl towards him and lower myself to sit next to him on the cold ground.

"It's muddy in here." I find myself say.

"What socks are you wearing?" He's so random. I pull my trousers up: "just black wool ones..?"

"Are they damp?" He asks. I don't know where he's going with this. "Yeah, the snow melted on my shoes.."

"You need to change your socks at least twice a day." He tells me. "I always wear three pair on top of each other."

"W-why?" I'm so confused.

"Trench foot. It happens all the time, I've seen it myself. You need to make sure your socks stay dry." He says

"What's trench foot?" I ask

"I bet you've heard the complaints about men who's feet itch, tingle, hurt or swell? Their feet have cold and blotchy skin, are numb and have heavy feeling feet?" He asks.

"Uhm yes, we use whale oil for that." I say unsure.

"Whale oil? We don't have that. It might help, because oil is known to repel water, but I'd feel better if you'd change your socks." He says.

"I don't have-" I try but he's already taking off a pair of socks.

Once I changed my socks, he decides to show me the "Peter and Wendy" book. He flips through the book until he is at 'Chapter V, The Island Come True'

I can tell he has read this book a lot, by the way his eyes find the right paragraph within a matter of seconds.

"The first to pass is Tootles, not the least brave but-" he reads out loud but stops mid sentence and his eyes scroll down a bit. "Next comes Nibs, the gay and debonair, followed by Slightly, who cuts whistles out of the trees and dances ecstatically to his own tunes. Slightly is the most conceited of the boys. He thinks he remembers the days before he was lost, with their manners and customs, and this has given his nose an offensive tilt."