Room 317

Chapter 7

To his surprise it was one of the twins that answered the door. She squealed when she saw it was him. “Harry!” Then she launched herself at him and Harry, taken by surprise, staggered backwards under her weight. Chuckling, he hugged her back as the second twin appeared and attached herself to his leg, bouncing and squealing like crazy.

“What have I told you about opening the front door to strangers, girls!” Mrs Tomlinson shouted from the hallway. It took a few seconds for her to appear and when she did, Harry found himself staring into a very stern, very scary scrutinising gaze. For a few moments, neither of them said anything and Harry knew, just by her unyielding expression, that Louis was definitely here and that she knew Harry had something to do with it.

“Harry’s here!” the twins squealed at her, still jumping up and down.

“I see that,” she replied neutrally.

“Have you come to cheer Louis up?” One of them asked Harry, tugging at his shirt.

“Uh…”

“Because he’s very sad,” she said, looking suddenly sad herself, “He came home crying this morning.”

“Yeah, and Louis never cries,” the other added.

“We tried to cheer him up,” said the first, “but he’s been in his room all day and won’t talk to us.”

Harry’s stomach lurched violently.

“That’s enough girls,” said Mrs Tomlinson, “go back into the house please. I need to talk to Harry for a few minutes.”

“Can we go tell Louis that Harry’s here?”

“No,” said Mrs Tomlinson firmly, “I want you to stay downstairs.”

“Oh…” their faces dropped but they obeyed their mother’s wishes and went back into the house. Mrs Tomlinson pulled the door closed behind them and wrapped her long beige cardigan across her chest trying to hold out the cold wintry air.

For a moment, they just stared at each other; Harry swallowing thickly with nerves and Mrs Tomlinson still stern and unyielding. It had been a month since Harry had last saw her and almost two since that first night in the hospital.

Suddenly she sighed, looking resigned, “What are you hoping to achieve by coming here? I really doubt he wants to see you. I’m not sure I want you to see him either.”

“I just…” Harry struggled to find something to say, “I just… I want to apologise at the very least. I didn’t mean what I said and I need him to know that.”

Mrs Tomlinson tilted her head to the side, narrowing her eyes, “And what about what Louis needs?”

“I…” Harry twisted his hands, uncertainly; he had no answer to that.

Sighing again, Mrs Tomlinson tapped her foot and warned, “Harry?”

“I don’t know!” He burst out, “I don’t know. I… I think I panicked.”

“Panicked?” Mrs Tomlinson repeated, sounding sceptical. She stared down at the young man in front of her; he looked pale and tired and genuinely upset. He was also shivering in the cold afternoon air. Despite her misgivings, her motherly instinct won out and she uncrossed her arms, “okay, let’s go and talk in the kitchen.”

She opened the front door and ushered him inside, then led him straight down the hall into her warm domain, closing the kitchen door firmly behind her.

“Right, I think we need a brew. Sit down,” she gestured towards the large wooden breakfast table and made a beeline straight for the kettle. Harry, pulled off his hat and coat and took a seat on the nearest wooden chair. His knees bounced nervously as he looked around. It had been a long time since he’d been in Louis’s house.