Journal | L.S

Chapter Twelve

They hadn't bumped into each other for a few days and Louis didn't know if he was avoiding Harry or the other way around. He'd catch Harry staring at him in the hallway, but the boy never said anything, almost like he was too afraid to. Though Louis had never wanted to admit it, he often found himself staring too, and perhaps looking through his peephole every time he heard the lad leave his apartment. 

He doesn't know what made him walk to the library that day, but he just felt the need to. He was starting to go insane and was sure he couldn't supress his feelings any longer so asking Harry on a coffee date seemed like a superb idea. 

"L-Louis?" The man turned around when he heard a squeak behind him, Harry almost dropping the books in his arms when Louis looked into his eyes. "What are you doing here?" 

Louis scratched the back of his head awkwardly, avoiding looking at Harry. "Uhm, wondering if you had any plans after work?" He looked up, finding Harry staring at him. 

"I'm going to the art gallery after work. There's a new exhibit starting today." Harry told the man, "But, if you like art, then maybe you want to come to?" 

"Don't really fancy it." Louis cringed. "But sure, I'll take a look." Louis looked around for a bit before turning his attention back to Harry. "Uhm, well maybe we could have coffee afterwards... or tea I guess 'cause-"

"Coffee makes my tummy feel funny." 

"Right." Louis pursed his lips, slightly annoyed that the boy had interrupted him, but he brushed it off. "Well would you like that? We could go to the same café." Louis suggested, waiting patiently for Harry to respond. 

"We could get pastries too." Harry nodded, liking the idea. "I'd probably get a milkshake though, because I didn't fancy their tea last time." 

Louis snorted. "Okay then. Don't have to tell me now." He scratched the back of his neck. "Well, I guess I'll see you at twelve?" He felt himself cringe again, this time hoping he didn't seem too creepy knowing when the boy finished working. 

"You could wait here." Harry beamed. "In the children's corner. It's very peaceful there."
Louis managed to keep himself entertained for over an hour in the children's corner trying to find Waldo in various books, and Harry managed to ruin the fun a few times as he walked past, announcing to Louis where the man was hiding. "I almost had it." Louis grumbled each time, to which Harry answered with, "You were looking at the wrong page." 

Luckily the walk to the gallery was a short one as it had started pouring, Harry of course prepared with an umbrella, but Louis sulked in the rain, getting himself drenched. "Told you to walk under it with me." Harry huffed as they walked into the gallery, "Or you should check the forecast before you leave your house." 

"Yeah, yeah." Louis waved him off, shaking the water from his hair, much like a dog would, earning a squeal from a young woman stood nearby. "No, don't do that! You'll get water all over the paintings!" 

"Sorry." Louis said sheepishly, looking down, feeling his cheeks heat up. He truly hadn't noticed them, and now he wanted nothing more than to walk out and never return. "Maybe shouldn't put one up right by the door." He mumbled when the woman was out of earshot, looking around the place to find the tall boy he had entered with. 

"These are all very nice." Harry hummed, enthralled in one of the paintings though Louis couldn't see why, as it was just a white one with a few black blobs and a blue line in the middle. 

"Could've done that myself in playschool." Louis spoke, making sure to look over his shoulder to see if the woman could possibly hear him, but she seemed to be chatting with someone on the other side of the room. Harry just hummed, as if hadn't heard Louis' statement and he continued to look around. "Why do you like this?" Louis scrunched his nose, not seeing the point in being there and he was already getting quite bored. 

"It's peaceful." Harry shrugged, "And it's beautiful." 

"Well are you almost done then?" 

"You know. You are not making this very peaceful for me." Harry stopped to look at Louis who looked like he couldn't care less. "Well sorry, but I'm quite bored and hungry and we've been here for like," he paused to look at his phone, "Ten minutes?" He huffed, "Feels like eternity." 

Harry just kept on walking and Louis sighed but followed him like a lost puppy. He seriously debated whether he should just go home but there was something inside of him that pulled him towards Harry. "Okay, we can go now." Harry suddenly announced, startling Louis who was sunken into his phone playing some stupid game. 

"Fucking finally." Louis muttered, though it had only been about an hour, it surely had been the longest hour in his life. At least it had cleared up, the sky now just looking gloomy and Louis sighed as he lit a cigarette. "Should really go home and change." He cringed, looking at his jeans that were still soaked from earlier. "But we're closer to the café and I just can't be bothered." 

"I-I don't mind if we go home." Harry suddenly blurted. "We could skip going to the café and I could maybe cook lunch?" Louis eyed the boy, bit offended that he wanted to cancel the date Louis had offered, though he hadn't told the boy that it was a date. Seeing the boy's tinted cheeks, he couldn't help but to smirk. "You want to cook me lunch?" 

"Y-yes." Harry nodded. "We could watch a movie or two?" Louis just nodded, turning around and walking in the other direction towards their complex. Harry's idea did sound better, especially since the weather was so shit. 

"I'll just quickly change and then I'll come over." Louis spoke once they reached their floor and Harry nodded, turning towards his own apartment.

- - - 

"Swear to God, if you are making me a smoothie for lunch I'm walking out." Louis yelled as he let himself into Harry's apartment, seeing him stood by his blender, one hand on the lid and one covering one of his ears. 

"I'm not." Harry told him when he had turned the device off. "I'm making fresh pesto, for the pasta." He pointed at the pot that stood on the stove. 

"Sounds good." Louis approved, looking around the place to find the cat. "Where's Penguin?" He frowned once he didn't see notice her, hoping that Harry hadn't gotten rid of her because she had been a present from him, though he knew Harry would never do that. 

"She's getting spayed." Harry spoke, "Mum took her for me. She will bring her back tomorrow."
"Oh, right." Louis nodded. Harry didn't seem like he needed any help with the food, so he allowed himself to look through his movies, picking out a couple of them he hadn't seen before and wanted to watch. He smiled sadly at a framed photo of Harry and his turtle, Harry maybe in his early teens, looking quite happy with the thing. 

"Pasta's ready." Harry placed two bowls on the coffee table, patting the seat next to him for Louis to sit. "Did you find a movie?" 

"Found a few." Louis spoke, "Maybe you want to choose from them?" 

"No." Harry shook his head. "You can choose." He assured, digging into his food, seeming quite nervous. "This okay?" Louis held up a Pixar film and Harry nodded, giving him a thumbs up. "Never seen that one, can you believe it." Louis laughed, "used to watch Pixar films religiously growing up." 

"I quite like the older Disney ones." Harry told him. "Like Snow White and Sleeping beauty." He smiled, "Pinocchio is quite good too." 

They made small talk, not really watching the movie Louis had chosen, rather interested as each spoke about their childhood, favourite films and favourite foods. "Can't believe you'd actually willingly eat broccoli as a child." Louis scrunched his nose, quite disgusted. 

"It's my favourite!" Harry beamed. "Always has been. At least it's better than boxed macaroni and cheese." This time Harry scrunched his nose and Louis seemed offended. "Tell that to any kid out there and they'd think you're mental. You're the weird one." Louis laughed, also causing Harry to laugh. They both felt quite comfortable around each other, and Louis can't remember the time he felt this happy. 

"Louis?" Harry spoke up after a moment of comfortable silence. 

"Yeah?" Louis hummed in response, looking at the boy whose face was starting to tint pink. There was another silence before Harry shook his head looking down at his lap.

"Nothing."