Confessions of a Gay Disney Prince

Chapter 26: Realize

[Harry's Range Rover, West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, 3:01am, Driving Home]

LOUIS: (cuddled up in the passenger seat, whiny) "Don't drive so fast. I'm gonna be sick."

HARRY: "Sorry, sorry. I'll slow down." (looks at Louis worriedly, slows down) "I just wanted to get you home fast."

LOUIS: (bitter) "So you can get rid of me?"

HARRY: "No."

LOUIS: "Dump me in my room and crawl back in bed, forget this ever happened?"

HARRY: "No, it's not like that at all."

LOUIS: "How is it like then?"

HARRY: "I thought you'd want to be in bed, perhaps have a glass of water, stay warm, are you cold? You're cold? Here." (wiggles his way out of his jacket and hands it over) "Put it on."

LOUIS: (shocked) "But..."

HARRY: "I want you warm." (drapes the jacket on top of him, roughly arranges it with one hand while the other one is on the wheel) "Better this way?"

LOUIS: "Now you're just wearing a t-shirt in February, you fool." (takes the jacket nonetheless, snuggles it on top of him, pulls his knees up to his chest and under so he's just a ball covered by Harry's big jacket) "It's nice. I like this jacket. It's a nice jacket."

HARRY: "Thank you. I like it too.

LOUIS: "I wanna wear it tomorrow."

HARRY: (to himself) "If you make it out of bed..."

LOUIS: (pouty) "Can I?"

HARRY: "Sure. Are you warm?"

LOUIS: (smiling) "If I say no, will you give me your t-shirt too?"

HARRY: (chances a sideways glance, grins) "I might." (face drops back into worry) "Are you okay? Do you need anything? I might have a water bottle laying around..." (tries to look in the back seat, struggling) "Lemme see."

LOUIS: "I'm fine. Don't worry so much. I'm not gonna die on you—unless you crash the car. Look in front of you, stupid. Then you say I'm bad at driving."

HARRY: (snorts) "You are bad. You make yourself carsick. That has to be a new skill." (Louis doesn't respond, Harry looks at him in worry) "Still okay? You want something to eat?"

LOUIS: "No...Was just thinking..."

HARRY: (glancing from the road to Louis every few seconds) "What about?"

LOUIS: (quiet) "You won't be held accountable even if I do die. No one would blame you..." (lowered voice, to himself) "...or care. They wouldn't miss me anyway."

HARRY: (angry) "Don't say that!" (softer) "Don't say that. Are you crazy? Of course, they'd miss you. We'd miss you. Everyone'd miss you. Don't talk like that."

LOUIS: "Would you miss me?"

HARRY: "Of course. Terribly."

LOUIS: "Are you just saying that because I'm here and you can't be polite and say otherwise?"

HARRY: "No, Louis. I'm saying that because I mean it. I'd miss you a lot and I'd be devastated. Please stop talking about this now. It's nonsense."