Dinner is nice and Louis is relieved. His sisters manage to behave themselves when Harry shows up with his mum around 8. Louis notices that Harry's step dad is missing. "Robin's out of town, actually," Anne explains. "He's going to be so disappointed he missed Harry."
Turns out, it wasn't his sisters he really had to worry about. He almost has to plug his ears as Jay and Anne shriek loudly when they see each other and immediately start chattering quite loudly over the food Jay's finishing up with in the kitchen. He guesses his mum wasn't exaggerating when she said they'd lost touch over the past year, as they don't run out of things to talk about for nearly the entire night.
Louis' almost thankful that they're as distracted with each other as they are, because the way Harry looks tonight, in a clean white button down and well-fitted black trousers, Louis' finding it hard to concentrate on acting like they're just long-lost best friends. It's been over a week since he and Harry have done anything other than kiss and Louis feels like a horny teenager. It's pathetic, really. He's almost twenty-one for God's sake, and he should be able to control himself better than this. Harry lifts an eyebrow at him a few times during the night, quietly amused.
Louis notices after an hour or so that he isn't the only one staring at Harry either. He hadn't mentioned it when he'd seen his oldest sister Lottie coming down the stairs for dinner before Harry and Anne had arrived. But he'd noticed that she had more make-up on her face than he'd ever seen her wear before and he could smell her perfume from across the house. He's not even going to think about what she was wearing before Jay had made her go and change.
Louis gets it now, his mother's comment from earlier that morning. It's a little disconcerting, but mostly amusing, the way his fourteen-year-old sister is making moony eyes at his boyfriend over the dinner table. And even more amusing is the fact that Harry seems completely oblivious to it, more concerned with trying to make the twins laugh. He looks positively chuffed when he manages to make them giggle so hard they're red in the face. Louis has to force himself to look away from the scene, positive that others can't miss the adoration in his eyes. He settles for gripping Harry's thigh underneath the table instead.
All in all, the night goes wonderfully. Anne had still seemed a little distant, her arms a bit tense as she hugged Louis in the doorway. After a glass of wine or two she'd loosened up though and pretty soon they were all discussing old memories from a time so long ago Louis had almost forgotten.
And most importantly, no one talks about how they all ended up here tonight. Louis feels like it should be something tense and looming, the abrupt end to his friendship with Harry and the sudden reappearance of it now, something they want to address but don't out of politeness. But it doesn't ever feel that way, not once. His family and Harry's mum are so caught up in the reunion that they don't even allude to the two years of time that have passed between then and now. It's almost as if that time of them being away from one another has been forgotten, doesn't count somehow.
Louis isn't naive enough to believe that it really is forgotten, but he lets himself live in the fantasy for the moment, comforted by the notion that everything just might turn out okay for once.
It's when Harry's hand is halfway up the inseam of Louis' pants underneath the table that Anne announces that she has to get home. She thanks Jay countless times and kisses all the girls on the cheek as she gets ready to depart.
"It was really lovely, Jay. Thank you so much for having us. We should really do this more often."
"It was no problem at all," his mum assures, "You know you're are always welcome. I'll call you about that thing next week, we'll make a day of it."
Louis has no idea what they're talking about, more concerned with the way Harry's hand keeps accidentally brushes against his hip. Anne kisses Jay's cheek once more before opening the door.
