You're the place my life begins. [l.s]

Part III.

            When he is inside his car, smile all wide and happy, he texts Louis. His fingers shake with excitement as he types the message, and he suddenly starts to worry, how is he going to be able to hide something this big from the one person with whom he shares every detail of his life?

‘Chopsuey, Im gonna stop by mums house real quick. love you.’ He presses send, and looking at the small bag lying on the passenger seat for the nth time, he turns on the car. A few minutes later, a song from 2005 comes on the radio. He knows he has heard it at some point of his teenage years but he does not remember how the lyrics go, so he listens to it carefully as he drives.

“I didn’t see you coming,

You took me by surprise and,

You stole my heart before I could say no.”

 

And he feels like the biggest sap when the lyrics remind him of the way he felt when he started falling for Louis, when his love was only blossoming and its petals were just shyly opening to the world. That blurred amount of time when everything was just a small crush. When he had least expected it, Louis came into his life, passing through the doors of his heart and making it his home without asking for permission. In the most unforeseen moment, he appeared with his blue eyes and crinkly smile and his voice so dulcet, taking his breath away. And it was so easy to fall for him; he had not even had the chance to rationalize.

             The drive is not long, given that his mother has been living in a suburb of London for four years. A few years back, Anne told Harry that she had been considering moving. Harry, who was missing her terribly, made a point to find her a house close to him, not paying attention to what his mother had said about still wanting to live in Holmes Chapel. After going through almost four websites and visiting five or six different houses, they had finally found the perfect one; she felt in home as soon as she put a foot on its wooden floor. She bought it a week later, and Harry still thinks that that has been the biggest triumph of his life.

He pulls into his mother’s driveway, the sight of the wooden fence, the colorful flowers, the garden leprechauns, and the grey brick walls making him feel at ease, just because it is simply like her; homey and welcoming.

            He rings the bell, and then rings it again before he hears a voice, ‘coming!’. Only a couple seconds later, his mother opens the door and when he is greeted with a surprised expression from her, his tongue is twisted in a tight knot. He is not sure what he has to say now, so he only smiles awkwardly while his mother greets him and pulls him into a hug, kissing both of his cheeks.

            They go inside and straight into the kitchen, he sits in a chair by the marble island and tries to form coherent sentences in his mind, all the while she puts a kettle on the stove. She sits by his side, and tells him that Gemma has called that morning and the doctors have told her that her baby will be a boy. He beams, and thinks that life is so kind. He also makes a mental note to call her and convince her to name her son Harry.

            An hour later, while Harry is picking on a piece of the tangerine pie that Anne has baked the previous day, he sighs loudly.

            “Mum, there is something I need to tell you.” He announces, while scratching the nape of his neck nervously. He doubts his mother will disapprove of his decisions, but there is always a chance that she will tell him that it is too soon or that he is being delusional, because she is wise and he is only a young man whom Fate has chosen to bless with her most beautiful gift. A young man who is just helplessly in love.

            “Naturally.” She closes her eyes, letting him know that she has been aware of his hands constantly fidgeting or the way he suddenly opens his mouth to say something only to close it again, getting all thoughtful with his brows meeting just above the line of his nose.

            “Well, you know that I love Louis very much, right?”

            “Yeah.”

            “Well, I, I kind of…” He does not know how to say it, his nerves are holding the words at the back of his throat and his mind is fogged. His eyes go from the lamp to the ceiling fan to a frame on the wall, but it seems that his ability to articulate is completely gone. So he tells her to wait a second, walks out of the house and to his car, and goes back inside with the little paper bag. “Look.” He hands her the bag and at the moment she takes out the small velvet box and opens it, she covers her mouth with her free hand and tears start welling up in her eyes.

            “My baby,” she looks at him with glassy eyes, waiting for her younger son to confirm what she already knows.

            “I will propose to Louis, mum.” He declares, more confidently. She tears up a bit, and smiles a beautiful and proud smile. Then she gets up and pulls him into a long embrace.

            “Congratulations, my baby.” She says, voice watery and dripping nothing but support.

            “You don’t think it is too rushed?” He asks, mentally smacking himself for bringing that up, but he needs to know; he needs to be reassured.

            “I think you have been together long enough to know when it is the right time.” She says when she gathers herself, wiping away tears with the hem of her sleeve. 

*

If you read this, thank you so much!