painless ➸ larry

thirteen

*chapter thirteen;

"Stop for a second, you're going out with Harry tonight?" Anne asks suddenly, as Louis is getting up to leave his the room, as he's just gotten done with his appointment. 

"Hmm?" Louis asks, not quite sure if he's heard Anne correctly. 

"Harry, you're going out with him tonight?" She repeats, scribbling something on her clipboard. The sound of the pen on the hard surface feels like it's drilling into Louis' brain. 

"Uh," Louis says. "yeah."

"That's what he told me. Just a tip—"

"Sorry, but I'd rather not talk about this." Louis interrupts with a shy smile. To be honest, he doesn't want to get insider information on Harry from Harry's own mum. 

"Oh, okay. Just trying to help." Anne sighs. 

Louis hates making people feel like they aren't appreciated, especially because that's what he feels like most of the time. 

"Dr. Cox?" 

"Yes?"

"Thanks for all you do." 

"You're welcome, Louis."

★

Louis is suddenly having second thoughts as time ticks closer to his date with Harry. Is he not dressed up enough? Should he shave? Does he look good enough? Should he call and cancel it with Harry?

He only knows the answer to one of those questions; the last one, and it's a definite no. He would never cancel with Harry. 

But, even though Louis is sure Harry will at least like whatever Louis' wearing, Louis is still pacing nervously around his room, wondering if he should change. 

At five minutes to five, Louis hears a horn outside of the house. His eyes widen, and finally, there's no going back. He says a quick bye to his mum before heading out the front door and sliding into the passenger seat of Harry's car. 

"Uh, hi." Louis squeaks, his hands fidgeting on his lap. 

"Don't make this awkward, now," Harry smiles. "It's just me, Harry."

"I know that, just, I barely ever go on dates. I don't—" Louis stops himself. 

"You don't what?"

"Nothing, just go." Louis replies, as the car was still sitting in Louis' driveway. 

And so, Harry does. He doesn't want to push Louis by asking anymore, so he doesn't.

They drive for a few minutes in a comfortable silence, until they arrive at a golf course. Louis scrunches his eyebrows together as they pull down the long road, but Harry keeps going until they get to a place where they can rent golf carts. 

Harry gets out of his car and pops the trunk, handing Louis an extra jacket that he had brought.

"I forgot to tell you we would be outside, so I brought an extra coat, in case it gets chilly." Harry explains. Louis smiles and nods, taking the coat while thanking Harry. He's so thoughtful, really.

Then, the boys advance to the front desk where they can rent a golf cart. Harry pays, then leads Louis out to the garage where they keep the carts. Harry uses his newly-rented key to get into the garage and start the cart. 

"We don't have golf clubs." Louis states, like they need to turn back and get some.

"I know." Harry replies, slowly pulling the golf cart out of the garage, careful so that they don't hit anything.

"What are we going to do here, then?" Louis wonders aloud.

"There's some pretty neat-o scenery."

"You did not just say neat-o."

"I did. I'd say it's neat-o burrito." Harry laughs at his own joke while Louis just raises an eyebrow at him. 

Harry laughs for a few more seconds before focusing back on the trail that he's driving on with the golf cart. Harry has a certain spot he's heading to, because he's been to this course before. (Harry loves golfing.) 

Harry almost slams on the breaks, however, when he spots a certain blonde whom he used to golf with a lot. 

"What is it?" Louis says, his voice laden with worry as Harry becomes extremely tense. 

"Niall," Harry mumbles. "is right over there."

Louis looks over to the left, which is where Harry had nodded just before, and actually locks eyes with Niall. Louis has a sudden burning urge to punch this guy in the face, because, Harry had told Louis what Niall did to him, and now Niall was looking at Louis like he was fucking jealous that Louis was in the golf cart with Harry, not Niall. And, in Louis' opinion, Niall had no right to be jealous of what he, so carelessly, threw away.

So, of course, Louis does the first thing that comes to mind and flips Niall off. And then, get this, Niall and his friend, whom Louis doesn't care to know the name of, jump into their golf cart, and start following Louis and Harry.

"Stop the car." Louis demands, and Harry looks at him like he's crazy."Stop the car." Louis insists after Harry doesn't stop. 

Hesitantly, Harry slows the car and lets Niall catch up. 

"Better now than later." Louis whispers into Harry's ear as Niall stops his cart and walks over to Harry. Louis gets out to confront Niall before he can get to his intended target. 

"I insist that you stay away from Harry," Louis begins. "because he is trying so hard to stay away from you. After what you did to him, I'm surprised you haven't been punched in the face yet." Louis says calmly. 

Niall's blue eyes turn icey as he looks over Louis' shoulder and at Harry. "He was mine first, remember that. I kissed him first; I touched him first; I loved him first."

"You didn't love him if you cheated on him." Louis retorts, though his skin is boiling just thinking about Niall touching Harry. 

"I loved him; I still do." Niall says, locking eyes with Harry. 

Harry looks like a deer in the headlights.

"You don't love him." Louis seethes. 

"How would you know that?"

"I do, I know you don't love him."

"I love him more than you love him." Niall says, and the way he's being so calm about this is driving Louis up the wall. (So far up the wall that Louis could jump off the wall and land on Niall and crush all his bones.) (But, Louis totally wasn't thinking that.)

"Not true." Louis replies, in a kind of childish manner.

"Have you ever ki—" Niall is cut off by a sharp blow to the jaw, from no other than his ex-boyfriend.

"Would you shut the hell up and get the hell away, Niall?" Harry asks, but it sounds more like a demand. 

Suddenly, Niall turns on his heel and joins his friend back in the golf cart. 

When Louis looks over at Harry, he looks as if he's got a new sense of relief, now that he's stood up to Niall. 

"How about this date, then?"

★

omg so that's that

the date is the next chapter im excited

but jealous louis how much does that turn you on??

dedicated to abbeh bc perf