Driving Mr. Styles

3

Thursday, 11.13

He had done some serious googling yesterday. Harry was right. He had been beyond naive. The music industry was nasty. Record deals meant signing contracts that pretty much gave the label and management the right to do anything. Closeting, beards, and fake relationships. Louis's head was spinning. It couldn't be real, could it? That was totally insane and inhuman, like the artist wasn't a person with feelings but a product, and it was all about money. It made him sick. Was Harry stuck in that sort of contract? Harry was so sweet. He deserved better.

He drove up the driveway to pick him up. Harry was already waiting outside. As soon as he got in the car Louis turned around.
"I'm so sorry about yesterday."

Harry waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't worry about it. I shouldn't have gone off like that. I'm sorry too."

"We're cool?" Louis asked.

"Yeah." Harry smiled.

Harry was going to another meeting with his management. Louis dropped him off.
"I won't be long." Harry smiled.

Louis strongly suspected that wasn't true. As soon as Harry had gone inside he got out of the car and went to a shop on the other side of the street. He bought some candy and a magazine and headed back to the car.

Frontpage featured Harry kissing that model. Louis stared at the photo. It looked like they were caught on a secret date. If people only knew how staged it had been.

12.05

He was leaning against the car, inhaling his first drag of his cigarette when Harry walked out of the building.
"You smoke?" Harry asked and scrunched his nose.

"Yep. Bad habit." Louis said and was just about to put it out when Harry spoke again.

"Can I bum a cigarette?"

"You smoke?" Louis asked in surprise.

"No, it's disgusting but I could sure use one now." Harry chuckled.

Louis handed him a cigarette and lighted it for him.
"Bad meeting?"

"Yep." Harry sighed and took a drag of the cigarette.

Louis didn't comment on it further. They smoked in silence, glancing at each other once in a while. When they had put the cigarette out and got in the car Louis handed Harry a lollipop.
"So you have something to suck on."

Harry's eyes glittered with humor and he smirked.
"Thank you."

He probably should have rephrased that differently. Louis blushed lightly. Harry removed the wrapping, put the lollipop in his mouth, and winked at him.

Louis checked his phone to see where they were going next. Harry had a busy day today. He heard slurping sounds from the backseat and he regretted giving Harry a lollipop. He had such a dirty mind. He looked back and Harry grinned at him. He was doing it on purpose. Louis rolled his eyes at him.
"I just gonna ignore that you little shit."

Harry burst out laughing.
"You started it!"

"True. Harry? Can I ask you something?" Louis wondered.

"Sure." Harry agreed.

"Why do you need a girlfriend right now?" Louis asked and made quotation marks in the air when he said girlfriend.

Harry chuckled.
"I'm gonna write a new album."

"So?" Louis questioned.

"So, some people think that I need a ehm, girlfriend, so that I can say that the songs are about her." Harry answered truthfully.

Louis wrinkled his eyebrows.
"That's pretty stupid if you ask me."

"Yeah." Harry sighed.

"Do you have someone in your life?" Louis asked. He knew that he was nosy but he was so damn curious.

"No. It's hard to find someone who's willing to date you secretly." Harry answered.

"Why secretly?" Louis asked and wanted to bite his tongue.

"Ehm, because I can't be in a public relationship." Harry answered, dodging the question.

Louis looked in the rear-view mirror. Harry was giving him a long look.
"Got it." Louis smiled.

Harry looked relieved and smiled back.
"You talk more than any driver I ever had before."

"I'm sorry." Louis immediately apologized.

"It's nice." Harry said and showed off both dimples.

"I hope you know that anything that you say in this car stay in this car. I've signed a contract." Louis said. His head was spinning. Harry Styles wasn't straight? That explained it. Poor guy.  Then again, he shouldn't make that assumption and label him. Maybe the girls he dated weren't the type of women his management thought he should be seen with? Oh God, now it sounded like Harry dated awful women. He would just stop thinking about this. It was none of his business.

"I find you trustworthy." Harry answered.

They arrived at the radio station.
"This will take an hour." Harry said before he got out.

Being someone's driver meant a lot of waiting and weird work hours but he was paid very well so it was totally worth it. And he got to talk to Harry Styles for crying out loud.

He decided to call his best friend to check in. Niall answered on the second ring.
"What's up?"

"Not much. How are you?" Louis asked.

"I'm dying to know about your new job. Give me the dirt. Is he a dickhead?" Niall asked.

"You know I can't talk about it. All I can say is no. He's really sweet and polite." Louis answered.

"So you actually talked to him?" Niall questioned.

"Yes." Louis confirmed.

"Cool."

They started to discuss their weekend plans. Niall invited him to watch a football game on Saturday. It was Louis's day off so he immediately agreed.

13.22

"Here, I brought you a sandwich and a soda. You must be starving." Harry said as he got in the car, taking a seat at the passenger side.

"Thanks! You didn't have to do that." Louis smiled.

"Well, I'm not eating alone." Harry said and unwrapped his own sandwich.

"How did the interview go?" Louis asked as he took a bite of the sandwich.

"I think it went well." Harry answered. His eyes fell on the paper next to him and he wrinkled his eyebrows. "Frontpage? Crap."

Louis had totally forgotten about the paper he bought earlier, displaying Harry kissing that model. He put it away.
"Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it." Harry said dismissively.

Louis decided to change the subject.
"Do you like sports?"

"No." Harry giggled and they ended up having a heated, playful discussion about it.

Louis drove him home after they had finished their sandwiches.