Pretty Boy

Chapter 10

Harley

It was the day before Valentine's Day. The only Valentine's Day Harley hadn't spent alone was last year's and that had been with Declan. 

His ex. 

They had spent the day on a double date with one of Declan's friends and his girlfriend, who had snarked at him every chance she could get. Harley wasn't sure if it was because they were queer or because she just hated him. Either way, she had been a bitch and had made Harley want to repeatedly bash his head into the wall. And to make it better, Declan being the asshole he was, never stood up for him, he had just laughed along with whatever his friends said about him.

Harley enjoyed fucking around, joking, but when his own boyfriend made him the butt of the joke, it hadn't make him feel very good. 

Harley was so glad for the moment of clarity that had given him the courage to break things off with Declan. Some of Harley's friends had asked him why he dated Declan in the first place if he was such an asshole and as much as Harley had tried to explain to them that it didn't work that way, none of them had understood. He hadn't known Declan would be a manipulative asshole; on the exterior he had been one of those charming and well-mannered guys, but on the interior, boy oh boy, he was an utter twat. There was something so ugly about an attractive guy who only ever cared about his feelings. 

Harley could've forgiven him for almost everything he did, everything except call him a liar when Harley had opened up to him about being sexually harassed in the past. It had fucking sucked, gaining enough courage to finally open up about it to someone, only to be called a liar and a drama queen. He had been so infatuated with Declan that he trusted him with things he never told his own twin brother. It had got him to revaluate their relationship which ended up with him dumping Declan's ass and swearing off of relationships forever.

It had mostly worked out.

Until Liam came swooping down with his teasing eyes and stupidly blinding grin. But this time, Harley knew Liam wouldn't do anything to hurt him. He had known Liam since they were in pre-school and he was the most empathetic person Harley knew. If even things never worked out between them, Liam would never do to him what Declan had done, or anything remotely close to it. Harley was glad he knew someone he could trust that much.

He wanted to ask Liam out on a date. Officially. And Valentine's Day was probably the most appropriate day to do so. Harley's hyper active hamster brain was thinking about almost every possible worst-case scenario which all ended with Liam rejecting him and Harley moping around in his room reading angsty books. It was weird, but it was how he coped.

Harley had never asked someone out on a date before. With Declan, it had been him who had approached Harley, but this time it was the other way around. He couldn't ask Charlie advice as his brother rarely dated. Charlie had a penchant for hooking up and dating guys who were in closet and then getting his heart broken. His recklessness and self-destructive behavior when it came to anything that concerned his own life had always been his brother's weakness. 

That boy fell way too hard and way too fast.

With Charlie out of the picture when it came to relationship advice, there was only one other person left.

Harley decided to ask his dad. He would've asked his father, except he was the most blunt when it came to things like relationships and love, and Harley really did not want that right then.

He found him in the kitchen, chopping up carrots. Eek

His dad smiled when he saw him, "Lunch isn't ready yet"

"Mr. Hayes", Harley said with a nod, trying to keep his tone professional but he ended up sounding cheeky.

Dad raised an eyebrow, putting the knife down and leaning back against the counter, "Uh oh"