Misadventure

51

Harry's POV

"You know, when you boys said you needed to pick up stuff for your vacation, I was expecting more along the lines of sunscreen and disposable cameras."

"Hey. Don't look at me." I shrugged, throwing my hands up to express my innocence. Then I pointed at my boyfriend. "This was all him. I don't even know where we're even going for this trip."

"We're going to Ireland. I've told you this," he argued.

Wow. That really narrowed it down (not). Knowing what country we'd be in didn't help much in terms of what to expect.

Dad was driving us to go buy some last minute supplies. We very would have been capable of going by ourselves, but Gemma was in quite the mood this morning and needed some space.

I felt awful for her. Before finding out about the pregnancy, and everything going on with Evan, I would have been so annoyed at her for being so moody that it drove Dad out of his own house. Now I could empathize with her. She was heartbroken, scared, and hormonal. And with Evan and her fighting, she had nowhere else to turn to.

So Dad took Louis and I shopping, and we decided to make a whole day of it. It was nice to spend some quality time together, because Louis and I were leaving the country tomorrow.

The first stop we made this morning was to the sports/outdoor activity market. The inside smelled like rubber floors and potting soil. It had the highest ceilings that I'd ever seen, and a childish part of me couldn't help but wonder what would happen if someone let go of a balloon in a store like this. They'd probably never see it again.

Louis paraded around the store for nearly two hours, filling a shopping cart with the most bizarre merchandise. Dad and I trailed behind, confused but intrigued.

Life jackets. Hip waders (aka, thigh-high mud boots). Two full-sized spade shovels. Wasp repellent. A waterproof tarp. An industrial first aid kit.

"Louis, what on earth is all of this for?" I asked for the fourth time. I didn't mean to sound annoying, but I couldn't help myself from asking. My curiosity was driving me insane.

"Let me remind you how surprises work. I can't tell you-"

"Oh come off it." I rolled my eyes. "Does it really have to be a surprise?"

"It does."

"Why?" I grew exasperated. The suspense was killing me.

"It just does."

Wow. What a helpful, articulate explanation.

We payed for our stuff and loaded it into the bag of Dad's pickup truck, strapping it down so that nothing would fall out.

"Where to next?" Dad asked, buckling himself into the front seat and starting the engine.

Louis and I sat together in the backseat, holding hands in the middle. He looked at me in question. "Harry? Anywhere else you want to stop?"

"Hey, don't look at me, mister 'this trip has to stay a surprise'."

"That's the last of the supplies we need," he said. "I guess we could go back to the house now."

The car was silent for a moment. The air was thick with an unspoken, mutual agreement that going back to the house was not something any of us were looking forward to right now.

"Or we could go out for lunch," Dad suggested.

"Without Gemma?" I asked, skeptical. This didn't seem like the smartest idea. She was already in a mood. From what I understood about being pregnant, making her feel left out, and getting food without at least bringing her back anything would be a recipe for an argument.