next to you ❀ l.s.

thirteen - almost date

"I heard you walking around. Let's go and do something."

Harry scrunched his nose, leaning on the door frame and shooting Louis a skeptical look.

The older boy was dressed far too fashionably for this late on a Monday night, with his typical cuffed jeans, a white sweater, and oversized leather jacket to top it off -- like something out of a 50s movie. Normally, Louis's dominant personality made him seem larger than life, but he looked inexplicably small under the cheap hallway lights, rocking up onto his toes every few seconds as though he just couldn't contain his pent-up energy for another moment.

"Lou, it's nearly midnight."

Louis raised his eyebrows, something between amusement and sympathy flashing across his features. "And? It's not like you sleep."

Heat rose to Harry's cheeks, but he cracked a smile. Without another moment's hesitation, he stepped out into the hallway, closing his apartment door behind him. "Okay. Where to?"

Louis just shrugged, seeming a bit surprised that Harry had actually agreed. "I could use a bite to eat. Any preferences?"

Harry shook his head, and he followed Louis down the hallway toward the stairwell. "I'm fine with anything."

"No food allergies I need to know about?" Louis cut Harry off before the curly-haired boy could even reply, shaking his head in disbelief. "Jesus Christ, I sound like a concerned parent. Please ignore me."

They both laughed, although Harry's heart swelled inside of his chest. He couldn't decide if he felt happy or guilty that Louis seemed to care so much about him, but he knew for sure that he felt warmer inside than he ever had. He clung to the feeling.

As they left their apartment complex, the cold night air nipped at their cheeks, but Harry didn't mind. Momentarily forgetting his own clumsiness, he stole a glance up at the sky to see the stars, and he ended up bumping unceremoniously into Louis as he did. The older boy just laughed and nudged Harry playfully with his hip.

Harry blushed furiously, and he prayed that the pale light of the moon and stars wasn't enough for Louis to notice his bright red cheeks.

Once they reached the parking lot, Louis fished his car keys out of his pockets, dangling them off his fingers to show Harry. "Walk or drive?" he offered.

"Walk?" Harry replied quietly, unsure if Louis would really take his opinion into consideration.

The older boy stuffed the keys back into his pocket without question, and he didn't appear angry about it in the slightest. Harry swallowed the lump in his throat -- he had no idea how to deal with Louis.

For his entire life, Harry had always had someone waiting to rip into him. Every word that left his mouth was met with unrelenting criticism, as though he didn't even hold any authority over the way that his lips shaped the shortest syllables. He was so used to carrying the scars of that scrutiny, his shoulders hunched under the crippling weight of his own insecurities, that he didn't have a clue how to respond to someone like Louis -- Louis, who made everything feel lighter.

Louis, who shone brighter than the sun without even trying. For the first time, Harry felt like the overbearing burden of his own existence might finally ease.

The walk to the town's twenty-four-hour diner was short, just a few minutes past the main strip. The small restaurant was packed with drunk college students on the weekends, but Mondays at midnight seemed to be a relatively quiet hour. Harry smiled as they approached the brightly-lit building, harsh lights glaring through the large windows and spilling onto the pavement outside. He shivered; he was excited to get out of the cold.