Harry, Harry, Harry... Louis

Chapter 11

As I remain there, motionless, I hear footsteps getting closer to the bathroom door. By the time Louis grips the handle and turns it open, I've already bolted out of the room.

As a tip toe down the corridor and to the stairs, my mind is going in a million different directions.

Last night happened.

The pool.

The touching.

The alcohol.

He has an alcohol problem.

I remind him of a boy...

I don't know why, but my mind instantly flashes to the time we rode our bikes to the village.

His tattoo.

We were t-

Maybe his tattoo is related to the boy I remind him of? I don't know.

Like I said, I know nothing.

All I know is that he acts a certain way around me. He teases me when he's in front of others but gets weirdly gentle with me when we're all alone. Then again, he pushes me away if I get too close. The only time I pushed him away was when he was drunk and therefore, not fully there.

What does this all mean?

Do you want me close?

Or do you want me to keep my distance?

As I walk down the stairs and into the living room, I see that Jeanne is sitting on the green couch, waiting for me.

"Te voilà enfin! I didn't know picking out a book would take you so long" She says, while standing up and walking to the terrace.

"Désolé" I answer. "I got caught up with... stuff"

"Don't worry about it. Je faisais juste te taquiner" She smiles.

I follow her out the backyard and in front of my house, where we both grab our bikes and head to Gabrielle's.

...

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah why?"

"You seemed a bit off today at the pool. You didn't come swimming with us." Jeanne asks as we make our way back to my house.

The sun is setting, and the sky is coloured by different tones of purples, reds and oranges.

"Oh. I was just tired. Didn't really sleep last night, that's all" I lie.

I regret going to Gabrielle's place. I couldn't concentrate on anything other than Louis and whatever happened with him. For the whole day, I stayed seated in a chair by the pool, pretending to read the book that I had brought with me.

All of my friends who were there tried at some point during the day to convince me to go for a swim, but I refused every single time.

We were supposed to stay there for only a couple hours but ended up staying over for diner and getting a couple of drinks at the village bar.

I just wanted to be alone.

Jeanne looks at me intently.

"If you say so" She replies.

She knows I'm not telling the truth but decides to drop the subject.

We don't speak for the rest of the ride. We instead silently watch the sun disappear in the sky, until we arrive in front of my house.