next to you ❀ l.s.

fifty five - lunch & lust

"It used to happen in school," Harry said one day, out of the blue. "My episodes. Like, my brain wouldn't let me do it at home. Like it knew I wasn't safe."

"That does make sense," Louis agreed, supportive as always of Harry's little information dumps. He swung their intertwined hands between them as they walked down the abandoned sidewalk, hoping to lighten the heavy mood.

They had a lunch date with Harry's mother at the little cafe beside the bookstore. Appropriately, it was raining and gloomy outside, the sky fading through a few perfect shades of gray. The bell tingled joyfully when Louis held the door open for Harry, and he couldn't help glaring up at it.

Harry's mother stood when they entered, ushering them over to her little table in the corner. "Oh, darlings! It's so good to see you both," she gushed. She took hold of Harry's shoulder, squeezing a few times before letting go.

Harry smiled. His grip on Louis's hand tightened. "Hi, Mum. Find the place alright?"

"No problems at all. My navigation app brought me here without a hitch."

"Good. Good."

"Harry, darling." She turned her scrutinous attention to her son, her eyes shamelessly scanning him up and down. She reached out to tug at the hem of his oversized sweatshirt, giving him a pitying smile. "What have I told you about wearing these types of clothes?"

"Oh, uh --" Harry stuttered a few times, managing to mumble, "Shouldn't go out of the house."

"You've been a bit under the weather, though, haven't you, love?" Louis interjected immediately, offering Harry a reassuring smile.

"Yeah. Yeah, I have been."

"So anything's good as long as it keeps you warm," the older boy teased, kissing his temple. He kept his tone joking and lighthearted, but Harry knew that it was Louis's subtle way of standing up to Harry's mother on his behalf.

As they headed back toward the table, she launched into a spiel about professional clothes, but neither of them really minded -- she wasn't directly attacking Harry anymore, and that was the only thing that Louis really cared about.

The next hour was one of the longest of Louis's life. He listened to Harry's mother drone on and on about things he didn't care about in the slightest, only interrupting subtly when she started to poke at Harry about something. Harry clung to Louis's hand the entire time, but his focus mostly stayed on his mother.

"I'm going to run to the bathroom," Louis announced. He leaned in to press a kiss to the side of Harry's head, murmuring, "Alright?"

Harry nodded, smiling up at him as he stood from the table, reluctantly releasing his hand. Louis made sure to keep his restroom trip quick, hurrying back to the table in less than five minutes, still shaking water from his hands. His ears perked up as he came back into the main part of the cafe, and his eyes narrowed.

"-- you're lucky to have that boy," she was saying. An innocent bystander would probably think that her tone was kind, bordering on proud, but Louis knew better. "If you lose him, it'll be the biggest mistake you've ever made -- and that's saying something, isn't it?" she laughed quietly, the sound tinny and hollow. "Just don't be yourself, and you'll be sure to keep him."

Louis had never had the urge to punch a woman, but there's a first time for everything.

"Liam called," he told Harry as he approached the table, barely acknowledging the rude woman sitting across from him. "He's having car troubles, so we've got to run."

Harry managed to look disappointed, but Louis could practically feel his relief. He was already reaching for their coats before Harry could even voice his agreement, slipping his own over his shoulders before wrapping Harry up in his. He said a cold, cordial goodbye to Harry's mother before tugging his boyfriend from the shop.