Ready to Run

Chapter 17

The walk from the restaurant to the hotel is around ten minutes, but they decide to take a walk around the city instead of heading right back. The night is warm, the sky cloudless and the stars displayed above them. It would be a shame not to enjoy it by spending time outside.

Harry is babbling about a series he started watching and Louis listens.

"So, at first I was like meh, not my kind of things," He says, moving his hands around which is a thing he tends to do when he talks about something he likes, Louis noticed. "but I got obsessed and finished the four seasons in two weeks." Louis chuckles, shaking his head slightly.

"You didn't tell me which series it was, by the way. You just told me it was about karate." Louis tells him, looking up at him.

"Oh." Harry smiles sheepishly, and even in the dim moonlight, Louis thinks he sees Harry's cheeks turn a slight and endearing pink. "Sorry." He says, tucking a curl behind his ear and looking down at his shoes, with which he kicks a little rock which is on the sidewalk. The rock rolls away in the direction of a little café which is lit up by fairy lights.

There are a few people there. Two women are holding hands over the table, the red-haired one chuckling at something the brunette said and tucking her hair behind her ear, much like Harry did a few seconds ago. Louis smiles to himself at that thought.

"So," Louis starts, smirking, knowing that he is about to cause more of that slightly sheepish blush to creep on Harry's face. "are you going to tell me what the series is or am I going to have to guess?" He says.

"Fuck, yeah, uh." Harry shakes his head, stopping and covering his face with his two hands. Louis bites his bottom lip, very much endeared by the tall guy in front of him. He looks like a giant teddy bear, very cuddleable. "It's called Cobra Kai. It's the follow-up to Karate Kid." He finishes, taking his hand away from his face but not looking at Louis, not seeing the fondness in his eyes as he watches him.

"Really? I didn't even know Karate Kid had a follow-up." Louis says. Harry nods, his body unmoving except for his head and his hands that he slides in his back pocket. "Are you going to stand there or are you going to move those pretty legs and walk back to the hotel?" He teases, bumping his shoulder with Harry's. Harry groans but nonetheless gets his legs moving, Louis walking alongside him.

"I'm so awkward." He says quietly, but Louis hears it, letting a laugh tumble out of his mouth.

"Yeah, you kind of are." Louis agrees with a smile.

"Hey!" Harry protests weakly, pouting as he takes one of his hands out of his pocket. Louis feels a light pinch on the back of his hand and without looking down, he just grabs Harry's hand. Harry seems content about it for he bites back a smile, looking down at their linked hands.

"But I like that you are awkward." Louis smiles shyly, rubbing his thumb on the back of Harry's hand. "It's really endearing, you know? And the way you blush, really-" He is cut off by Harry throwing his head back and groaning, which obviously makes Louis laugh.

"Stop, you're embarrassing me." He says, tilting his head Louis' way. Louis just shakes his and then tugs on Harry's arm when he sees a little shop that seems to still be open, even considering it is quite late, around eleven.

The shop is called 'Fairy's'. It is small and the only inscriptions are the name of the shop and 'Take something, leave something' and Louis would lie if he said he is not intrigued. Through the crack of the door, Louis can see old books and some paintings, clothes and vinyls. The only light seems to come from an old looking and dusty lamp.

"What about we take a look in there?" Louis asks Harry who has a crease between his eyebrows.

"Are you sure?" Harry says, pursing his lips. "It just seems like someone forgot to lock the door, it doesn't look like it's open. Is there even someo-" The last bit of his sentence is replaced by a little scream when the door opens suddenly, almost knocking Harry over. Louis widens his eyes when he feels Harry jump back and then stick to Louis' side, grabbing his hand tighter and his other hand gripping at Louis' forearm. Louis swears he feels Harry's nails dig into the flesh, which are probably going to leave marks.