Bells for Harry [Larry Stylinson]

Chapter 4 The Fear

Friday rolled up unnoticeably, and Louis would have forgotten about Liam's party completely if Jordan hadn't reminded him. Harry had avoided him all week, and he'd spent it almost entirely at Jordan's, comforting him about his worries about his parent's impending divorce. In truth, he needed comforting too. His application for the semester abroad had been rejected, and the vice-principal had given him a lame excuse when he'd asked for the reason, making him feel like he'd just hadn't put enough effort into it, having been rejected for being average. And being average wasn't an option. The way his finances looked, he'd probably be able to pay for college, but he didn't have any money to count on after that. Getting an education that would look good on paper to get a good job wasn't for laughs, he really needed it.

"Saw your kid the other day," Jordan said conversationally.

His boyfriend seemed happy for some reason. Usually he would never say Harry's name. Harry had made it clear to him plenty of times that he didn't think much of him, and in the beginning of their relationship he would often pester Louis so he'd let them hang out with them. Jordan had thought that it was only innocent kid antics at first, thought he'd found it funny that him and his friends hung out with someone younger, host family or not. But eventually, as the relationship between Louis and Harry had become strained, and Louis started wondering if Harry hadn't just wanted to sabotage his relationship with his boyfriend from the beginning just to mess with him, Jordan had become wary of Harry as well. Now they were standing at Jordan's stove, Louis hugging his back while Jordan cooked up some sort of oriental liqueur with spices for the party. He slid his hands under his boyfriend's shirt and buried his head in his neck. He didn't want to talk about Harry, now, or ever.

"Hm?" he said with indifference, when Jordan looked at him to see if he'd heard him.

Jordan laughed. "The kid, he was on the corner of that gas station convenience store yesterday, when I was filling up my tank?" he said. "Making out with this girl, I guess he's all grown up now!"

"Oh he's up to all sorts of shit," Louis said with annoyance. "But at home he still whines like a baby. I can't wait til I go to college."

Jordan's face fell, and Louis immediately regretted his words.

"I didn't mean it like that," he said softly, grabbing Jordan's face to kiss him. "I just can't wait not to have to live there anymore, that's all."

Jordan smiled, but it was a little bit strained. He started to say something, but in that moment the door blasted open and his friends came in, yelling happy birthday into the almost empty kitchen of Jordan's family's house's first floor open floor plan.

"He's not here yet, you idiots," Louis laughed. "You're the first ones to arrive."

"Lame," Shana said, depositing the booze she'd procured onto a nearby table.

With her tall figure, her serious demeanor and her full breasts, she could pass for someone in her mid-twenties easily, and would seldomly get carded.

"Oh, Harry's wearing a band T-shirt," Niall said, tossing his things onto the couch and looking out the window. "I had no idea he listened to metal."

Harry and a few girls from their grade were standing outside smoking and chatting, and sure enough, Harry was wearing a Metallica shirt.

Shana chuckled. "Shut up, the boy only listens to whiny ballads, Britney and Backstreet Boy shit," she laughed. "He's just trying to be cool, he changes the way he dresses every two days now, you're the only one who hasn't noticed. It's cute, really."

"That's kinda weird," Jordan said.

"I don't really pay attention to stuff like that," Niall said, looking at Jordan's array of spices.