Solace

Chapter Seventeen

The morning air owned a breeze which softly ran down their bare arms, the sun peeking through the soft clouds. Fingers intertwined, it felt all a little too odd to Louis and although he should have been used to the feeling of Harry's hand against his own, he wasn't; it was still new to him.

The institute's field wasn't exactly a romantic place for a morning walk, but it was the most convenient for the both of them, with Harry's job at the place and Janet's constant eye on Louis, and they made it their little tradition to walk in silence, next to each other, hand in hand, at least once every few days. 

Although Louis wasn't happy, happy with himself at least, Harry still managed to put a smile on his face every time the dimpled guy crossed his face and maybe that's why he had been clean for so long, his razor sitting at the bottom of his suitcase which remained closed.

"What time do you have your session at?" Harry spoke up above the soft whistles of the leaves coming from the trees and the distant but audible sound of engines on the roads.

Louis let go of Harry's hand and stuck ten fingers up, following by another two and looked down at his feet, still ashamed of the fact that he was different and that he couldn't talk to Harry normally because in his world, he was retarded.

"Twelve?" Harry asked carefully and in response to that, Louis broke out in a small smile, nodding his head softly.

So instead of doing anything else, Harry squeezed Louis' hand in his own and swung it back and forth while the two walked on the small path at the back of the institute.

They both stopped once they reached a small lake which they visited a couple of times over their time spent walking across the back garden of the institute and sat down on a large log, staring right ahead. Louis' legs were spread out in front of him, his size allowing him to do so comfortably, where as Harry had his knees close to his chest, elbows on knees.

"What do you think about dinner?" Harry proposed an idea to Louis and his head never snapped up quicker than in that moment, eyes wide, staring at curly.

When Louis swallowed and looked straight ahead, his gaze locking on his shoes, Harry spoke up again, "You know, at my flat? You could test out my culinary skills," Louis broke into a small smile, "maybe?"

And so when Harry got off the log and sat down on the slightly wet grass just next to Louis' stretched out legs, with his legs crossed and eyes looking like they could belong to a puppy, Louis couldn't find it in himself to deny such a proposition and nodded eagerly.

"Tomorrow, then?" Harry placed his elbow on Louis' leg and propped his chin up on his palm, watching the way Louis breathed and blushed and nodded once again.

The birds sung, leaves rattled and the wind play fought with the branches of the trees, sun shining through the clouds high above, but for Louis and Harry, it was perfect and calm and nice and just perfect.

Standing up, Harry couldn't help but take in a deep breath of the fresh air in which they were surrounded by, the fresh scents of nature like heaven for his lungs.

Harry's hand reached for Louis' own, helping the smaller lad to stand up steadily. And although the action might have seemed a little too cheesy to some, little things like that made them work in sync, or as in sync as two people can be.

Their tip toes were against each other and their eyes were locked on one another's, unsteady breaths leaving both of their chests. Harry's fingers were intertwined with Louis', giving his hands a little squeeze to reassure him for the nth time, because that's just what Louis needed; reassurance of someone being there for him at all times.

And Louis seemed just as nervous as the first time, like he's not done this before. Because being around Harry doesn't ever get any less exciting, just like this moment. His heart struggled against his rib cage when Harry's eyes seemed to get bigger .

They fluttered shut and it was lips against lips, slow motions passing between the two and although Louis wasn't a great kisser, and hadn't done it with anyone else other than Harry, he knew it was something special, specially when Harry's plumb lips could be felt against his own and with that came small smile from curly, creeping its way in to show the satisfaction and cause the butterflies in Louis' stomach to do back flips.