Falling Fast - L.S

20 - part one

My eyes snapped open. "Harry?"

He pulled reluctantly away from me. "That'll be Mum and Caitlin back from Mass."

"What?" I squeaked, grabbing my shirt. I sat up, fumbling to turn it the right side out. "What were you doing, letting me be all undressed? They could....." The words got caught in my throat as I imagined them walking straight in.

"Well, Gemma was here the whole time... you weren't bothered about that." Harry rolled his eyes in mocl-exasperation.

Oh my God. My stomach lurched. I'd completely forgotten Harry's sister asleep next door.

Harry stood up. "Jesus," he groaned under his breath. Then he turned and grinned at me. "We gotta talk about stopping and starting like this, Lou. It's killing me."

I eyeballed him furiously, as I struggled to put my arm through one of the holes.

Harry reached over and helped me. "Don't blame me." He laughed. "You shouldn't look like you do." He held up the other side of my shirt and I poked my other arm through the sleeve. As I hauled it round and fumbled for the first button, I heard the bedroom door open.

"Hazzy?" It was a little girl's voice.

He disappeared through the curtain.

"I've told you to knock, Caitlin," he said mock-seriously.

"'S my room too," Caitlin said crossly.

I stood up, fiddling with the bottom button. There. I smoothed down my hair.

Harry poked his head back round the curtain.

"Come meet Caitlin," he grinned.

I emerged into Caitlin's section of the room, feeling extremely self-concious. She was standing by the door, dressed in a long pink skirt and a white T-shirt. She was pretty - about eight or nine - with the same dark brown hair as Harry and Gemma - but curly and cut in a short bob. Her pale blue eyes widened into saucers as she saw me.

"This is Louis," Harry said.

Caitlin stared at me.

"Hi, Caitlin," I said.

She carried on staring. There was something slightly haughty about the way she was looking at me that reminded me of Harry.

The curly haired boy rolled his eyes. "Jesus, normally we can't shut you up, Cait. What's your problem?"

Caitlin turned to him. "Is he your boyfriend?" She asked.

Harry put his arm round me. "Oh yes," he grinned. Then he bent down and whispered in my ear. "Wait here a minute, I'm just going to tell Mum you're here. She'll freak if we just show. Okay?"

I nodded. I was feeling slightly freaked myself by the entire situation: Harry's home, his life story and now meeting his sister and his mum. It was all a bit overwhelming. Still, it was what I wanted. My heart soared as I thought of how relaxed Harry had been with me just before Caitlin walked in. How close to him I'd felt. Closer than ever.

Harry slipped out of the room, leaving me and Caitlin alone. She was staring at me again. I looked round the room again, trying to think of something to say to her. My eyes lit on the faded Barbie cover stretched neatly over the mattress.

"D'you like Barbie, then?" I said.

"No way." Caitlin's face screwed up into a contemptuous grimace. "Not since I was really young," she said. "It's a very old duvet cover."

"Yes." I bit my lip. "Of course." I sat down on the floor, remembering where Harry had said she'd been. "So you've been to Mass, then?"

She nodded, sitting down opposite me on the mattress.

"What's it like?"

Her eyes widened. "Don't you go?"

I shook my head. "Never."

"What, not ever?" Caitlin seemed dumbstruck by this news. "Not even at Christmas and Easter like Gemma?"

I shook my head again. "I'm not Catholic."

Caitlin nodded. This seemed to make sense to her. "What's your name? Was it Lew-is?"

"Louis," I said. "You don't pronounce the 's'."

Caitlin made another face. "That's weird," she said.

I grinned. "I know," I said. "I used to get bullied about it when I was your age."

Caitlin looked interested. "Did you tell a teacher?"

"Well...."

"Jaysus, Paddy." A woman's voice across the corridor - an Irish accent. "What are you doing with the poor boy, keeping him hidden away in your room?"

Footsteps pounded towards us. I caught Caitlin's eye. She grinned.

As the door opened, I scrambled to my feet.

Harry's mum stood in the doorway. She was slim and smaller than I'd expected. Only a centimetre or two taller than me with the same brown hair as Gemma and Caitlin. But what struck me most was how tired she looked. Her pale forehead was creased with deep lines and there were dark rings under her eyes.

We blinked at each other for a moment, then Harry's mum started talking.

"It's grand to meet you, Louis. I'm so sorry Paddy took you in the room there. I don't know what he was thinking. You didn't want to see all his messy bits and pieces all over the flood...."

"I-----"

"Come on, now, with me and we'll put on the kettle."

She gripped me firmly by the elbow and drew me across the corridor and into the little living room/kitchen area. Harry was sitting on one of the beanbags, his chin propped up in his hands, gazing up at us with a slightly bemused expression on his face.

"Now, Paddy," his mum said. "Get up and make up a nice cup of tea. Go on with you now. Go on."

Harry leaped to his frat and strode towards us, into the little kitchen area near the door. Three of us standing there was a squeeze, so his mum walked across the little carpet and eased herself down onto a beanbag.

I caught Harry's eye as he filled the kettle under the tap. He was blushing slightly, his expression both amused and embarrassed.

"Sugar?" he said.

I took a step closer to him. "Thanks, Paddy," I whispered.

I wondered if he remembered how, ages ago, I'd asked him what his family called him. How he'd ignored me, then.

Smiling, he bent down and kissed the side of my head.

"Harry to you," he whispered. "Lew--is."

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Sorry I took so long to update! 😆   
I did this chapter in two parts because it would have been wayyyyy too long to type in one go and would have taken agessss, but I hope you like it and i will upload part two ASAP!!! ❤😊