Hidden Gardens

Chapter 3

"Louis Tomlinson, are you folliowing me?"

Louis froze in place, the basket in his hands still swinging from the sudden stop. Was it weird that it took him no time at all to recognize Harry's voice? He turned around and sure enough, there he was, smiling bright.

"I could say the same thing." Louis said, trying not to stare at Harry's absurdly long legs, exposed by his track shorts. He was wearing a black, long sleeved, cotton shirt and had a headband tied around his head, keeping his hair out of his face. He looked flushed and the hairs on the back of his neck were damp with sweat. "What are you doing here?"

"Hum...well..." Harry looked from the basket in his hands – which contained an unusual amount of fruits and a probably unhealthy amount of yogurt – to the toilet paper aisle next to them. "Grocery shopping, what else?"

"No, I mean, here, in this supermarket." Louis insisted. Harry still looked confused. "Like, in this area of the city?"

"Well, it's closest to home, so I don't have to carry heavy bags for too long," he answered, still looking like he didn't quite understand the reasoning behind the question.

"You live near here? In actual Tottenham?"

"Yeah, moved here from Cheshire about two months ago. Where do you think I lived?"

Louis blinked. "I don't know. Not here." He started walking in the direction of the cash registers and Harry followed him. Harry's eyebrows shot up, understanding dawning on him.

"Oh, I see. You thought that because I like to photograph people I must be some rich boy whose daddy supports him financially, is that it? That I only came to your pub to see how the other side lived."

Louis looked down, suddenly embarrassed.

"Maybe."

Harry let out a humorless laugh.

"Well, that explains why you can't stand me."

"It's not like that," Louis was quick to say, because it really wasn't. Harry had a way of getting on his nerves, but he didn't actually dislike him. How could he, when Harry was so nice?

He rang up his few items while Harry stood next to him. He caught a whiff of his smell with a hint of deodorant under it. He moved one step away.

"We like the same type of cheese," Harry said to him as Louis bagged his groceries. The comment was so typical of Harry that Louis couldn't help but smile.

"And you like yogurt a lot."

"I've got cupons for that," Harry said triumphantly as he handed them to the cashier. "Gotta love a good deal."

Louis shook his head, waiting for Harry to finish paying for his own groceries before leaving the supermarket. It was already 10 o'clock and he needed to be at pub at 11 to open.

"Here," Harry said when they walked out the door, handing Louis a couple of plastic bags, "you can help me bring those home."

"Excuse me? I'm not walking you home."

"You already are." Harry smiled at him and nudged his hands in Louis', who took the bags. Only then he realized he was walking beside Harry on the opposite direction of his own place. "I live only a few blocks away, I'll give you a special treat if you do."

"I don't want any special treats from you" Louis scoffed, but he had no arguments, really. He was still walking Harry home.

When they reached his place, Louis was not surprised to see it was an old, four-story building. Most housing was like that in this part of the neighborhood. He watched as Harry fumbled with the keys, taking more bags from his hands to help him.