A Walk in the Park--Larry Stylinson

Teddy Bear

As they sipped champagne, they talked, and they talked, and then they talked some more. Everything from how life was at home when they were kids, to pets they'd had, to favorite subjects in school, favorite hang-outs, books, and on and on. Harry was not hesitant to tell Louis about his childhood. He didn't seem to be marred—or not much anyway—at the early loss of his parents. This was baffling to Louis. Harry was rock solid stable, and Louis figured it would take a lot to ruffle him. Harry was sensitive, but he had to be inherently sound and clearheaded to survive what he'd been through, if still a little naïve and innocent. How he retained that purity, Louis had no idea.

They skirted around the subject of dating when younger, as the last time the subject had come up, it had been a dead-end.

"I'm lit about us livin' together," Harry said in his usual frank way.

Louis liked his frankness. "I like chillin' with you. It was always so quiet before when I lived alone. Comin' home to an empty apartment was brutal. But I never trusted anyone enough, or even wanted anyone to live with me, period."

Harry smiled, his dimples beckoning. "If ever . . . if ever you, kinda, um, decide you wanna be alone again, you just tell me, and I can move out," he said shyly.

"I will, I promise. But after all these weeks, and no problems to speak of except little tiffs here and there, I'm glad you're me roommate," Louis assured him. "Hey, when are you gonna work with the new band?"

"We're gonna practice at the rehearsal hall they rent this weekend," Harry clarified.

"When do I get to meet 'em?" asked Louis.

"How about after we're done with practice, you come pick me up, and I'll introduce you?"

"Sounds good." Of course, that meant he had to drop off Harry as well, but that was okay.

"Oh, tomorrow night, would you mind us cookin' sommat for Mr. Hammond so we can take it by and eat dinner with him?" Mr. Hammond was the older man who had undergone surgery and had needed his dogs walked until he recovered.

Harry's green eyes lit up the entire room so much that it almost hurt Louis' eyes. "Yeah! Let's do that! We did say we'd keep in touch, and I think he'd like that."

"First though . . . " Louis started out gingerly. "You have to remember he has those two dogs, and he might not have 'em locked up. You're gettin' more and more comfortable, and physically closer, to the dogs I walk. I was thinkin' we could prepare you for Mr. Hammond's dogs by givin' you one of me customer's dogs to walk."

Harry gulped out loud, then clapped his hand over his mouth, eliciting a loud slapping sound. Louis didn't seem to notice though. He was still stuck on Harry walking a dog. To him it was the most far-fetched thing he could think of, but he had to at least give it a go.

Louis hurried on while Harry was still in shock and incapable of protesting. "I was thinkin' Tiffany. Tiffany the Sheltie. She's gotta be the easiest dog to walk on the planet. She just does what you do. Stays right beside you. Never pulls on the leash, and never even growls at the other dogs."

"Oh no . . . no, I can't. I can't do that!" Harry was already working himself into a near-frenzy. Louis had never seen anything like it.

"Or Trinket, if you prefer," he went on, a desperation creeping in. "She's the tiny Shih Tzu that loves everyone, and although not quite as smooth on the leash as Tiffany, she makes friends wherever she goes."

Harry took a big swallow of the champagne, puckering his lips and wrinkling up his nose a bit, narrowing his eyes from the tart bubbles.

"No way can I ever walk a dog, Lou!" he whined. "It's a big deal that I get anywhere close to you when you walk 'em. And what if they decide they don't like me? They could turn their head and bite me so quick that even you couldn't stop 'em. Oh no, you won't catch me touchin' a dog or even its leash." He shuddered—actually shuddered, and even though Louis had seen his fear of dogs before, this display illustrated just how acute it really was.