Twins [L.S.]

Chapter 9

Harry

Later that same night, Harry found himself on a green couch. A knitted blanket was thrown over the backrest, it was a mix of colors: red, brown, and purple- a great contrast to the couch yet a perfect match with the reddish carpet underneath the couch table. This pretty much represented the general vibe of Stan's apartment: a patchwork of colors, ever-changing according to the seasons.

In the past, Harry had been here before. Three times. The first time was all the way back in late may. The two of them had only just met. Literally. A conversation of about ten minutes had let them here because Harry had been way too wasted... and too high to make it home on his own. Everything he had been told in the past about pills a stranger offered him, had been thrown out the window that night. He would've done everything with anyone and it was most likely an angel that had sent Stan to the rescue to avoid any further damage. Stan had him sober up till the morning on this very couch, before driving him home just in time to avoid Harry's parents noticing anything.

The second and third time had both been for a birthday. They threw a big party for both, Stan's 22nd and Haven's 19th birthday. The five of them had been somewhat close before then, still, it had brought them even closer. Their talks those nights had been intense, long, and personal. Good memories through and through.

Despite all the good memories this place upheld, Harry would've never imagined him sitting here on Christmas. His question in their group chat, asking if someone had time for him, had been a message into the blue. There had pretty much been a zero chance that any of them were available, even the Highmen was on a shortened shift, closing at 1 in the morning instead of at 5. To Harry's surprise, Stan had called anyway, asked about the situation, and ended up inviting him over.

Of course, Harry could've called Louis or Zayn to talk his heart out, but after the past few days, Harry felt like he needed to talk to someone about everything that was going on. Right now, he wasn't ready to out himself to Zayn (it wasn't like he hadn't given it a more intense thought in the past weeks) and Louis hadn't known him long enough to get it all. Not to mention that they might just be occupied with their own families and holiday plans. Harry didn't wanna be a burden.

So, once he had arrived here, he had poured his heart out about Louis, their kiss, and their specific clarification of being boyfriends, about how weird he felt still fake-dating Maddy afterward, about his sister's presence, about his parents, and about Liam, his words.

And then, it spiraled down from there into a full breakdown.

Where was Harry's life going at this point? Possibly messing up a great friendship with his childhood friend for what? Because he was worried? People didn't even suspect anything. Why did he have to panic and tell Luke such a stupid lie?

Even with dating Louis now, there wasn't much suspicion going around. They were seen as nothing more than good friends. However, there were a few other doubts growing inside him. Harry did ask himself if, in the end, it would be all worth it. Could they pull off a secret relationship in the first place? The hiding thus far had been too much already. Stuffing all of what Harry actually loved into a cardboard box underneath his bed wasn't exactly the kind of situation he loved to be in. Not being able to kiss, touch and act around each other the way they would prefer to in public, could be a heavy challenge to Harry's feelings. Who was he kidding? It would definitely be one.

"And what do I do now after graduating? All there ever was, was baseball. Sports. What would I even specialize in now? How the hell am I supposed to pay for that shit in the first place? I am doomed, gonna be a homeless dude on the side of the streets. Gay and homeless. That would be an interesting sitcom title", Harry sighed and covered his face with his hands.