keep driving

16. toothache (& heartache)

Song: head over heels by ABBA

They wordlessly leave the small deserted alleyway again and walk next to each other in silence. Harry crosses his hands behind his back as he walks, chewing on his lower lip in slight embarrassment. He feels it even from Louis next to him, there is a hazy awkwardness radiating between them.

Because they never talked in school, Harry was convinced Louis had been unaware of his existence, and then they get stranded here and suddenly there's this magnetic field between them. Harry is sure Louis must be feeling it too. Harry doesn't know what to call it, what to do with it, and it's stressing him out.

Harry's panicking thoughts about how it's now going to be awkward forever are interrupted though, because Louis pulls out the fries Harry forgot about and offers him some.

Nodding as a wordless thank you, Harry takes two, keeping his gaze locked ahead on the empty street. Louis doesn't say anything either, which might be the worst thing. Normally, Harry would have been sure he could rely on Louis to either make a joke about it, or to have absolutely no shame and just starting the conversation that has to happen sooner or later. But right now, Louis is evilly quiet for the first time, the only time Harry would have done anything to have him speaking.

Harry wants them to talk about something, so his mind races faster than it ever did to find a conversational question. Something Louis will fall into a ramble about. Something that will make Louis talk for hours.

"How are you so good with kids?" He eventually asks, popping a fry into his mouth right after to make it look casual.

"I, uh" Louis starts, a small smile playing around his lips. "I have four little sisters"

Harry's eyebrows raise and he stops chewing, turning his head to look at Louis while they're still walking, trying to look for a house they hear music coming from. He didn't think it would just be a little statement, accompanied with a smile. He thought Louis would start ranting. This is too... not enough.

"Tell me about them"

"Well, it's basically just a whole lot mess, having so many kids at home. It's hard keeping track of who is where and who might need to be picked up from where." Letting out a beautiful laugh, a wide smile makes its way onto Louis' face. "No, I really liked it growing up with so many people to love and to mess with. Gives me something to miss when I'm at uni and something to come back to as often as I can. They're actually my half sisters, you know," Louis glances at Harry, and before he can even ask, he goes on. "Don't know where my dad is, but I suppose I should call myself lucky having grown up in an all female household."

Harry can't help but laugh at that, nodding along. "Me too. But with four sisters..."

"They're quite the chaos" Louis chuckles at the thought of them and somehow, this is the confirmation of what Harry thought a few moments ago. If you're one of those people really important to Louis, he's going to love you outwardly and purely, going to smile like this when he thinks about you and kick everyone who talks shit about you in the balls.

Oh, to be loved by Louis.

"I have an older sister" Harry says, thinking of Gemma for a second. He hasn't seen her in a while, since she moved away for uni. "It's not chaotic with her"

"Yeah, I suppose" Louis laughs. "With only one older one you don't have the chaos. I grew up with one expecting me to attend her tea party, one wanting me to braid her hair, one saying she wants a unicorn and that I should fucking get her a unicorn already, one complaining about toothache and stuff like that"

"At least you were the oldest." Harry nudges Louis' side. "I was basically a real life dress-up doll for my sister until I was five."

Louis turns to him and looks him up and down a few times with a smirk on his face. "Yes, Harold, I can picture you in a glittery pink princess dress."