After The End: Book 2

5. I'm Making Bad Decisions

Harry's POV

Things at Louis felt calm for the week. Lux and I avoided coming over for a day. I missed our Monday night music session. Finally, Louis baited me over by sending me a picture of a microwave pizza he was considering eating. I'd responded by riding up in the elevator and asking if that was supposed to be a threat. It felt like a threat. I resumed cooking for them again, which was good because after a day off, I missed my time with Oliver.

Things seemed tense between the two parents. Naomi didn't talk to me much except to apologize for getting me involved with her Louis issues. I felt like I'd definitely inserted myself but apologizing seemed to make her feel better so I didn't offer my thoughts. Louis had eventually responded to my apologetic text with something vague that conveyed he didn't think it was my problem nor my business. Personally, I thought that if he was going to have an emotionally charged fight with his baby mama in front of me, then I was entitled to updates. I decided not to verbalize that thought either. I was getting better at not saying every word that popped into my mind. Unfortunately that seemed to make me less interesting.

Now when I dared hang out upstairs I noticed some key things. First, Louis wasn't going to work. I knew he'd rescheduled a handful of meetings because he'd had to tell Lux about the ones she was supposed to be at. That seemed like a good move to me, but what I gathered once I dared spend time with him again was that he'd mostly just decided to take the week off. He was playing the doting father role full time for the week. The second big thing I noticed was how uncomfortably polite he and Naomi were being with each other. It was like watching a debutant dinner or something. It was like instead of talking out their issues, they had decided to kill each other with kindness. Still, for the first time in weeks, Naomi consented to let Louis take Oliver and herself out for a outing to see what little of the Christmas lights were left still strewn throughout the city. It was January, but I think he was just desperate to feel like he was doing something. Naomi even looked like she showered before going which must have been a win.

Truthfully, I was almost thankful that Louis was staying away from the office. That meant I didn't have to worry about him making a stink about the Cory thing and since he was so busy staring at Naomi and willing her to develop some serotonin, he wasn't bothering me about her either. Not being Louis main priority had its perks.

That made it easy to slip away a week later for another visit to the group. I don't know what compelled me to do it. I know that my brain pushes me to do wild things sometimes but even for me, I was feeling quite erratic with this line of actions. I had tried really hard to cut my losses. I had pushed all thoughts related to the blue haired woman who haunted my nightmares out of my mind and told myself to forget about it. I had even told Lux not to worry about it. I never was dishonest with her. Lux was truly my most trusted confidant and had been since almost immediately after I'd first met her. So why was I doing this? Was this pure curiosity? More likely, it was that part of my brain that I didn't like again, sending out impulses that I was blindly listening to.

Knowing all of this, and knowing how sketchy I was acting didn't stop me from making my descent down to the basement where I'd found myself a week prior. It hadn't stopped me from cancelling my appointment with my therapist that week either. I'd known she would take one look at me and know immediately that I was hiding something. I wasn't ready to have a talk about any of this yet.

The hallway was still dim and quiet and crowded with equipment. Someone had drawn little smiley faces in pink highlighter on each of the printer paper signs that directed me to the correct room.

I was a few minutes late again. I was always a little late to these things by design. It made it easier to slip quietly into the back row again. There were a few less people than the week prior occupying the seats, but there was a younger looking brunette a few seats down from me who smiled warmly when I took my seat. She looked nice.