Solace

Chapter Three

The next day, Louis hopped in the shower, wanting to feel fresh and get rid of the dirty feeling he felt he was carrying. He made sure to lock the door so that no one could possibly disturb him, because after all, this bathroom was the only one on his floor (which absolutely sucked because he didn’t want some fat, bald man using the toilet right before him, quite possibly leaving a terrible smell behind).The hot water steamed the bathroom windows and he drew smiley faces on the glass because, surprisingly, he felt beyond happy. He didn’t know why, it was so strange for him to feel that way, but he had to take advantage of the feeling which came so rarely.

Although the sun was hidden behind the clouds and the weather was rather windy, Louis wanted to go for a walk around the institute to get to know every little place a little bit more.

After he dried himself with a white towel, he reached for his clothes. Dark blue skinny jeans and a grey sweater were on Louis in a matter of seconds. He folded his towel neatly and grabbed the rest of his clothes, heading towards his room.

Once he got there, he placed the stuff on the edge of the bed and grabbed his coat from his suitcase, which he knew he needed to unpack because this stay was going to be a long one.

Louis was never one to care about fashion and maybe that’s why he settled for black converse to go with his outfit; they were comfortable and suitable for the current weather.

He walked down the concrete path, walking towards the trees in the further distance.

“Excuse me, Lewis,” A voice called behind him, “I mean, Louis!”

Louis spun around on his heel, swearing and cursing at the person for already ruining his great mood. He stood still, his eyebrows slightly raised. As the person who was calling approached him, Louis spotted some curls flying out of a grey beanie.

Was it him again? The person who practically stood up for him yesterday? Strange. Louis thought that their meeting was going to be a one-off thing and that Jane or Janet or whatever her name was just told the curly haired lad to learn sign language to make it seem as if she actually cared about Louis.

But no one cared about Louis. Ever. Well maybe apart from his mum and sisters. But that's about it.

“It's me, Harry,” He smiled at Louis; another strange thing that he wasn't used to, “You forgot to sign out.” He stated.

"And?" Louis sighed for him to carry on.

Although Harry had no idea on how to communicate using sign language, he seemed to know what Louis meant.

“I did it for you, thank God that Janet wasn't there because one, she would've made you stay inside, and two, if she saw me signing you out, I would probably be dead.” He chuckled and Louis couldn't help but think that people who chuckled in his presence were actually doing that at him.

Louis gave him a thumbs up, silently thanking him, because truly, he would hate to be on Janet's dark list.

“Mind if I walk with you?” Harry chirped in, “My limbs need stretching, I've been sitting downstairs since six am this morning, and it's now what,” He looked at his new-generation phone, “Twelve, midday...”

Louis didn't know how to feel about that but somehow, something in his head made him nod in response.

“Thanks,” Harry smiled, dimples showing off.

The chocolate-brow-haired lad with his hair swept to the side didn't know what to do. He never walked with a stranger but the presence of Harry was actually quite comfortable for him although he pushed that thought to the back of his head, not wanting to admit to it. He was supposed to hate everything and everyone in the institute, to prove that he didn't need help.