Devil in Your Smile

Chapter 36, The Devil Knows No Age

helloooo, happy Saturday!!

this isn't edited so I apologize if I didn't catch any mistakes :)

LOUIS POV

We pull in front of a large pale blue house, and once I'm parked, I take a second to actually look at the house and yard, appreciating it while also scoping it out. Two bikes are pushed up against the bushes that line the front of the structure, and I wonder who the smaller bike belongs to. When I hear Harry open his door, I step out fully onto the pavement, moving to the backseat to grab the bags from the grocery store, not wanting to take credit for the gifts Harry brought or bring attention to myself. Why did he bring me here? I can't help but think. Nervousness coils up somewhere in my stomach, unsettling me even more when my mind brings the helpful thought of this feeling like I'm meeting his parents. Oh god. My stomach lurches as we walk up the sidewalk that leads to the door, and I try to focus on something other than the freak out that's bubbling up inside me. My eyes fall onto the potted flowers at the bottom of the steps, and I try to think back and see if I can name them. My mind flips through the memories that have been covered for so long, but I come up empty, meaning that years of abuse has officially erased the only memories of my nan and I. I look away from the flowers, deciding to deal with the painful present instead of my fading past. When I look up, Harry is looking down at me from the top step with worry filled eyes. I give him a fleeting smile and watch as he turns and knocks on the door. Within seconds, I see curtains move in the window nearest to the door, getting a flash of blond before it shuts and the door swings open, revealing a small boy dressed in an outfit that says I'M NOT! The shirt confuses me, until I see an older boy with similar blond hair appear from behind the door, sporting a similar outfit with the words I'M THE BIRTHDAY BOY printed across the front. I zone back in, hearing Harry talk to the little boy who is now in his arms. "Uncle Harry! Today is LuLu's birthday! Did you know that?"

I watch Harry shift the wiggly boy in his arms before leaning in and whispering something into his ear. I watch as the boy behind the pair rolls his eyes, but he drops the agitated act when he sees me standing behind him. Finally, Harry lets the little boy I'm guessing is Eli back down, watching him scamper off into the house before he hugs the older boy tightly, holding his place for a few seconds before he gives another squeeze and lets go. Seeing Harry act like this makes my heart do flips, and I walk behind Harry into the house after he picks up the five gift bags that I didn't notice he set down. Do I look like an ass for only carrying a bag of spoons and some ice cream? It's too late to panic about that, because as soon as the door is shut, we are practically half way into the kitchen where I can see a woman is stood next to the oven. When she hears our footsteps, she turns around with a bright look on her face. "Harry! So good to see you babes. You can set those down on the table in the living room, he can't open them until after we sing Happy Birthday." As she talks, she waves the spoon in her hand around, gesturing towards the bags in our hands and then to the cake that's sitting behind her on top of the stove.

 When she sees me, she goes from happy to absolutely ecstatic, dropping the utensil in her hand with a clatter and rushing towards me. I lock up, resisting the urge to step back and drop the bags in my hand to defend myself as she pulls me in for a bone crushing hug. "You must be Lewis, Harry told me he'd be bringing you! I'm so glad you could make it, any friend of Harry's is a friend of mine." My eyes pinch shut when I hear what she calls me, but before I can react, Harry has already begun to correct her, "It's Louis. Like Lou-ee." She must see the panicked look on my face, because she immediately backs away and apologizes, picking up the icing covered spoon and making herself busy with it.