He pulled the car up on the stone drive and applied the handbrake. Then he turned to Louis, knowing he looked surprised but unable to change his expression, “Your house is gorgeous,” he said honestly, internally wincing at the amount of awe in his voice. “Like something off a postcard.” He licked his suddenly dry lips and stared back out at the stunning house. “I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting you to live in a fairytale cottage.”
Louis chuckled and looked down at his lap. “Thank you,” he said, kind of wistfully, “I probably spend way too much time in my garden to be healthy for a bloke my age.”
So the garden was Louis’ doing… how… utterly enchanting. Harry’s heart felt warm enough to melt. “Um…” Louis cleared his throat, “would you like to come in for a cup of coffee in repayment for the lift?”
Harry hesitated; he really wanted to, really, really wanted to, not just for longer in Louis’ company but to be nosy and see inside that incredible house too. But he had to get those samples done for the van coming over at half four… and it was almost four now. Fuckity fuck fuck, timing could be so bloody unfair!
“I’d love too but I really have to get back to the surgery.”
Louis frowned a little; his expression falling. He looked slightly confused – as though he thought he’d somehow misread the situation - and a little… disappointed because of it?
“It’s okay; I know you’re a busy man.”
Harry winced, he definitely had the feeling Louis was now assuming this was some kind of brush-off. “I wish I didn’t have to go back but I’ve got to. Maybe some other time, though?” he put in quickly. “On a day when I don’t have blood, urine and poo samples to log and send away to the labs?”
Louis grimaced, “Alright, another time then. I suppose I owe you that, but make sure to wash your hands well before coming over.”
Harry threw his head back and laughed loudly, “I promise,” he said, smiling and biting his lip to keep from saying anything else that might be potentially embarrassing.
Louis smiled back at him, his eyes crinkling up in the corners and it was positively adorable. Then he gathered up his bag and opened the door breaking Harry out of his staring, “Thanks for the lift Dr Styles.”
“You’re welcome Louis,” said Harry kindly, meeting his blue eyes and not looking away. He was flipping gorgeous. The corner of Louis’ lips quirked up as though he knew exactly what Harry was thinking.
Then the passenger door closed and Harry let out a long shaky breath as he watched Louis dash through the rain to his front door. He was doomed. He was totally fucking doomed. Why did he hate himself so much? Why did he always end up doing something stupid and utterly masochist? Scratch that, why was the world so cruel as to make a man like Louis Tomlinson exist and test Harry’s terrible willpower and inner strength…?
He groaned pathetically and dropped his head down on the steering wheel only to jump back a second later when his horn sounded. Sometimes he really failed at life.
~*~
Harry never did drop in for that cuppa but he did spend more time talking to Louis in the pub. The young teacher usually stopped by the Wheatsheaf after work (except Tuesdays) to have a cup of tea while he did his marking. Whenever he wasn’t on rounds or attending an emergency call-out, Harry would join him at his table. He pretended to be helping Louis with the marking but really he was only serving as a distraction. Louis never complained though and became more and more talkative each time. In fact it was almost like he was a crumbling dam, he just needed someone to prod him and that wall of ‘pain’ (or whatever the hell it was) started to leak, letting his true self break free.
Chapter 2
Start from the beginning
