Love is Lame

Chapter Nine

We drove to the tavern in silence other than the radio. Harry's hand sat high between my thighs as he drove and it was distracting me from thinking straight at all. I gave Harry directions and he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat. I could watch his hands all day, it's intoxicating. The way they move and curve and tap. I love holding his hand. I love how sometimes holding his hand feels more like holding his heart and I wish I could explain that but I can't. I can't explain anything with Harry.

He pulled into the tavern and parked, pulling his hand away from my thigh and leaving me cold. I almost opened my door but he smacked my hand. I laughed, crawling over him and opening his door for him. I pulled my lip ring between my teeth and climbed back to my seat as he smirked and got out. He opened my door and I got out, and Harry took my hand as we walked in.

"This place is a dump." Harry noted as I took him to the booth I always sit at.

"Just a teeny bit." Louis was running late, which wasn't surprising. I ordered a water and Harry got a diet Coke and I laughed.

"Diet?" I teased him, leaning my head on his shoulder.

"It tastes better." He defended himself, snaking his arm around me.

"Whatever." I said, throwing my straw wrapper at him.

"Do you come here a lot?"

"Yeah. I mean I used to I guess. I don't really anymore." Not since I met you.

Louis walked in and spotted us. He's always been attractive with messy hair and a little bit of scruffy facial hair. His greenish blue eyes always stood out to me, and whenever my mom saw him she called him homeless. His tattoos popped out of his sleeves and he licked his lips as he sat down.

"Hey, Olivia!" He said excitedly. I smiled at him and so did Harry. He's too nice to not smile at someone he hates.

The waitress came by and Louis got a Guiness and she didn't card him. That's why we always came here.

"So Olivia, where the hell have you been? Everyone misses you at the parties. God, you should have fuckin' been there last night. It was crazy. That Alyssa girl got piss drunk. Made out with everyone. Kind of like you used to." I gasped, shocked as Harry's grip around me tightened. Snip it's of my past flooded my vision. Every night was a different blur, a different bar and a different boy. I hardly remember any of it, being piss drunk and waking up in different houses in different beds with a different guys arm around me. All I remembered was stealing a bottle of Advil out of their cabinet and leaving, never to speak to them again.

Louis was testing his limits. I knew Harry would reach across the table and choke him if he kept going, which made me feel secure but uneasy. It's nice to know he cares about me but I don't want Louis hurt.

"That's not who I am anymore Lou." I shot at him. I could hear Harry breathing fast and I was regretting the decision to come. God, I ruin everything.

"Yeah, but you used to be wild," Louis smirked, as if he were reliving memories. I don't want to have Louis in my thoughts like I used to. I don't want him to want me.

"Shut the fuck up," Harry mumbled under his breath. I sat up and Harry's hand didn't move from my thigh, and I didn't want it to. Coming here was such a bad idea, I knew Louis would bring this up. He was my only real friend during the bad days.

"Excuse me?" Louis was really, really pushing it with both me and Harry.

"I said shut the fuck up."

"Harry." I tried to calm him but his grip on my thigh got stronger. I put my hand over his and his grip loosened a bit.

"She's not your property." Louis said. "Don't act like you fucking own her."