Open Mic || Larry

english love affair

•louis•

i am about to give harry my real name, when several of his band mates come over bumbling and shouting about drinks. i notice harry doesn't take the water, like the rest of his band mates, and instead knocks back the impressively large rum and coke without even a slight pause.

the bassist looks at harry, an eyebrow raised. "careful, there. don't let ingrid see you with another one."

harry chuckles and shakes his head lightly, setting down the empty glass on the wooden counter top with a thud. "fuck ingrid. ah, speak of the devil. hey, bitch."

a girl with blonde hair teased up extremely high, a black dress, and an absurd amount of black makeup on leans against the bar, right in between the bassist and harry. "hey, asshole."

before i can even blink or turn away, they're making out - heavily. i feel my face contort in surprise, and quickly look away. the bassist comes over, slumping down in the stool beside me. "to answer your question - yeah, they're always like that."

i nod, looking away from his amber eyes. he holds out a hand, half-heartedly setting his half-empty water bottle on the counter. "i'm drew."

i shake his hand, impressed by the scratchy calouses on his tough hands. "i'm-"

"trouble, i know. i heard," drew chuckles, shaking his head slightly. "so, what's your real name, trouble?"

i blush slightly, examining his nose ring and hipster-esque haircut. he's quite handsome, and i'm in no place to deny it. "um, i'm louis."

"do you come 'round here often, louis?"

i shake my head fervently, earning a laugh from drew. "er, no... i don't really like crowds much."

drew looks at me for a second, like i am an exhibit in a museum. "well, i guess you came to the wrong place, then."

i chuckle along with him, nodding slightly. "yeah, i guess so. what-"

before i can finish my sentence, the girl who was making out with harry - ingrid, i think - puts a hand on drew's shoulder. "if you two lovebirds are done chatting it up, drew, i need you in the little girl's room."

drew winks at me, before being tugged away by the collar of his shirt by ingrid. once again, i'm left by myself, jaw on the floor at the band's strange behaviour. i compose myself, and look over at harry, who is glumly sipping another drink, his head almost resting on the countertop. before i can stop myself, words pop out of my mouth. "are you okay, mate?"

harry turns his head slightly, and a fake smile spreads across his face. "yeah. i'm good."

he scoots over one stool, so he's right next to me, and sets down his drink. "hey, i never got your name. i mean, besides trouble."

i chuckle a little, and sigh. "louis, my name's louis." after a simple nod from harry, i continue. "i don't mean to pry, and i might be overstepping my boundaries here, but seriously, what's with your girlfriend?"

harry lets out a bitter laugh, and gulps down his drink. "yeah, i'm wondering the same thing, honestly. but the thing is, when she's not being a passive aggressive bitch, she's awesome. but lately the psycho has been outweighing the good."

his eyes are tired, sort of bored, but hopefully not of me, as he stares down his empty glass. a part of me wonders what happened to the bubbly, cheerful, polite person who was on stage, and is now replaced by a melancholy, drunk mess of a man. it's almost like two totally different people. in a desperate attempt to cheer him up, i change the subject. "you and your band should release an album. it'd be a hit, i know it."