17BLACK

Chapter 22

Harry's POV:

Louis leads me through his apartment, holding my hand loosely between his fingers and it puts a warmth in my stomach. We walk past his kitchen table and through the small bedroom, careful not to step on his mattress.

I ask him where we are going repeatedly but he ignores my pestering.

Louis leads me through a door in the back of the apartment and then into a very small room, smaller than my arms width. The room smells like rain and mold. The "room" has dark concrete floors and walls. In front of us is a ladder attached to the solid wall. Louis lets go of my hand.

"Wait here," he instructs. I long for his hand in mine again immediately. Louis must have noticed this because he kisses my cheek, and it takes every ounce of my being to not pull him in for more.

I watch him ascend up the ladder. I'm not going to lie, I was checking him out as he did it. "I've got a nice view." I call.

The room, if you could call it a room, isn't any taller than the other rooms. The entire ceiling, however, is a dark, heavy looking door. Louis reaches the top and I shout as he throws his leg onto the other side of the wall.

"I'm alright Harry," he promises. He scared me.

He balances on each of his legs and lets go of the ladder. I tell him to be careful but he seems too concentrated to hear me. Louis reaches up for the wheel on the door and twists it, grunting in effort.

I hold my breath as he pushes up roughly. The entire thing lifts and sunlight and rain explodes into the shaft we are in.

Louis puts both of his feet back on the ladder and climbs up the rest of the way, disappearing from view. I wait patiently and then his head peeks out from the top.

"Come on!" He shouts over the rain. I wrap my towel tighter around my waist and climb the rusty ladder, hoping that my towel doesn't fall. That would be a horrific, naked descent to retrieve it.

I grab Louis' hand at the top and he heaves me onto his rooftop.

He shuts the door to prevent more rain from falling in.

The roof is a light grey, the entire thing empty except for a small glass shack in the middle. The tiny structure is slightly taller than me and about twice as wide. Louis hurries into the shack and I follow, gripping my towel and shivering.

Louis opens the door for me and I lean down to walk under the door. He shuts it with a loud bang behind me.

It's a great deal warmer in here.

The entire building is glass. I could take two long strides and cover the entire length. Small shelves line the sides and in them are skinny green plants.

"Is this a greenhouse?" I ask Louis. He nods, his eyes full of wonder.

I want to ask him why he has a greenhouse on his roof but he doesn't give me time. He walks around the perimeter and shuts the small glass doors on each section of the shelves, putting the glass doors between us and the plants. I watch as Louis closes the last of the doors and then stands in the middle of the room, under a long cord attached to the ceiling.

"Watch this." His eyes light up and he pulls the cord, the shelves extending from the greenhouse and out in the rain. The inside of the greenhouse doesn't get wet, the doors he set down blocking the rain drops pounding against the glass.

And then the plants come to life, small bulbs extending from the leaves. Each bulb seems to glimmer, but I know that it's just the light reflecting off of the greenhouse.