Here In The Afterglow

Chapter 2.11

The humidity hovers like a wet blanket that week, and the one that follows, trapping the air inside it and making it hard to breathe.

While Louis enjoys the warmth, he doesn't like the sweatiness and the stickiness. He hates riding home after school with the sun beating against his neck and the air pressing intrusively into his nose, making his lungs burn.

More often than not, he and Harry find themselves in the shower together once they're both at Louis', riding separately. They lift their faces to the cool water, just lukewarm, and get each off as fervent as the sun, before their skin goes wrinkly and the water becomes on the side of too cold.

During the second week, as the dome of damp air has just begun to lift, Louis takes off to ride to Harry's, bag heavy on his back. Harry's bike had already been absent from its spot, so Louis starts his ride idly, not willing to work up an unnecessary sweat.

As he's rounding the first corner away from the school, a voice calls out to him.

"Louis!" Stan yells. "Wait up, man."

Louis closes his eyes briefly before he slows to a stop, feet tip-toeing on the pavement. Stan comes to an abrupt stop beside him, already breathing heavy through his nose.

"Where're you going?" he asks. He wipes the back of his palm over his forehead. Louis observes him cautiously.

"Just felt like a ride," Louis answers. He grips the handlebars tight.

"In this heat?" Stan raises both his eyebrows, looking shocked to hide his suspicion. Louis doesn't say anything more, and Stan shrugs. He wheels his bike around so that they're facing opposite directions. "Li and I are going to Daphne's, might get milkshakes after. You in?"

Normally, Louis might say yes. Normally, he would cower under Stan's too bright smile, shrink from the almost manic intensity in his eyes. But then he thinks of Harry. Harry, who he only got a few hours with last night before Lisa came home early. Harry, who will be waiting patiently for Louis with eager lips and a bunch of records already plucked from among the stacks.

"Sorry, I can't," he says instead of yes. Stan looks visibility surprised. "No thanks, man."

"No?" Stan asks incredulously. "What could you possibly be doing?"

Louis huffs and raises one of his feet to his pedal. "Just leave it. I do have a life outside hanging around you two."

"Whatever," Stan mutters under his breath as Louis kicks off, pedalling away frantically. He's too aware of the sun on his skin, of its wet mouth on the back of his neck.

He checks behind him as he ride to make sure Stan isn't following, paranoia getting the better of him.

It was probably stupid to blow him off like that. Stupid and reckless and against what he and Harry had agreed on. But this is the only time they have, and if Stan thinks for a second that Louis is going to sacrifice time with Harry to hang out with him, he's mad. He won't let him win completely, won't let him take over every aspect of Louis' life.

When he enters through the wonky gate, bike bumping on the rough ground, he sees Harry at the window.

He smiles, smudged out by the light, but it's there, and all worry lifts from Louis' chest.

Louis takes in a long breath, breathes out, relaxes his shoulders, and smiles back.