The neighbor

11

Lottie showed up on Wednesday and the kids screamed and hugged her before Louis even got a chance. He waited for his turn and gave her a warm hug.
"Missed you."

"Missed you too. You look good, healthy, and happy. So where's the mysterious man?" Lottie asked with a wink.

"He's hiding out in the kitchen." Louis smirked.

Lottie immediately headed for the kitchen and Louis followed her. Harry might need protection from his intense sister. Harry got up from his chair and put Darcy on his hip when they entered. He reached out a hand for Lottie to shake.
"Hi, I'm Harry. Nice to meet you."

"Charlotte, but everyone calls me Lottie. And who is this?" She asked and looked at the baby with a smile.

"My daughter, Darcy." Harry replied fondly.

"She's adorable." Lottie said and stroked her hand over Darcy's head.

"Want some tea?" Louis asked.

"Sure." Lottie agreed and took a seat at the table.

Louis made tea while Lottie talked to Harry. He kept an eye on them. He never knew what Lottie would say, but she behaved. He took a seat next to Harry and they drank tea and small talked. Lottie asked Harry question after question but he answered them calmly. When their cups were empty Lottie turned to Louis.
"Who knew that you had such good taste when it comes to men."

Louis blushed.
"Lottie!" He grunted.

She just grinned at him.
"It was nice to meet you, Harry. I hope we'll see more of you in the future. We need to get going."

"It was lovely to meet you too." Harry said and shot her a dimpled smile.

She blinked a couple of times before she got up. Louis went with her and Harry followed them closely behind.
"Kids! We need to hit the road!" Lottie shouted.

Dominic and Elton came running with Johannah in the back. They ran up to Harry and hugged him.
"Oops! Wait a second. Here." Harry said and handed Louis the baby so he could hug them properly.

Lottie let out an "Aaaah, adorable!"

Harry blushed. He took Darcy and said goodbye and Louis grabbed everyone's bag and followed them to the car. Lottie carried Johannah's car seat. He put the bags in the back and installed the car seat before he hugged his children goodbye.
"Have fun and behave. I love you and I'm gonna miss you."

"Love you too Dad." Dominic and Elton said at the same time.

"Drive safely and call whenever you need to." Louis said to Lottie and hugged her.

"Your kids will be spoiled. We're all looking forward to spending some time with them. We still haven't forgiven you for moving from Donny." Lottie said.

"You know why." Louis replied.

"Yeah, I get it. Hey, Louis? Harry is a keeper. Don't screw it up." Lottie said before she got in the car.

He stuck his tongue out and she grinned. He waved and blew kisses as they drove off until they turned left and he couldn't see them anymore. He returned to his apartment. He found Harry in the living room, putting a sleeping Darcy in her carriage.
"So?" Louis said.

"So." Harry replied.

They just stood there staring at each other.
"Fancy a beer?" Louis finally asked.

"Sure." Harry agreed.

Louis went to the kitchen. He sighed. Why were things so awkward between them all of a sudden? He needed to get a grip. He returned to the living room and handed Harry a beer before he took a seat next to him.
"So what do you wanna do today?"

"Wanna hit the mall? I haven't gone shopping in ages." Harry suggested.

"Sure, sounds like fun." Louis immediately agreed.

"Darcy is growing so fast. She needs a new wardrobe. Oh, maybe we shouldn't drink these." Harry said and put the beer on the coffee table.

"Relax. They're non-alcoholic beers." Louis said.

Harry looked at the label.
"Smart! Well, cheers then."

They leaned back and sipped on their beers in a comfortable silence, waiting for Darcy to wake up from her nap. Louis' eyes fell on Harry's hands. They were so big. He wondered how they would feel caressing his body. His eyes traveled up his arms, littered with tattoos. That was so sexy. His eyes fell on his chest and he remembered the swallow tattoos there. Hot! His eyes traveled down to his stomach. He knew that a butterfly tattoo was hidden underneath that shirt. He almost passed out the first time he saw it when they went to that public pool. His eyes landed on Harry's crotch. He wondered what was hidden there. Harry cleared his voice and his eyes snapped up to meet his. Harry looked amused. Louis blushed. He hid his face in his hands.
"Fuck, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. It's very flattering. You can check me out whenever you want to. I'm just getting a little flustered here." Harry grinned.

"Shut up." Louis giggled and peaked between his fingers.

"You're adorable." Harry said softly.

Louis saw something in his eyes that he wasn't ready for yet. He gulped nervously and his stomach erupted into butterflies. Luckily Darcy woke up from her nap and Harry got up. Louis let out a breath of relief.

Harry changed her diaper and fed her before they took his car downtown. They had a great time at the mall, shopping. Louis bought some new boxers for himself which earned him a smirk from Harry, but mostly they just bought things for the kids.
"Is this how my life will be from now on? Even if I intend to buy something for myself I only find things for Darcy?" Harry asked.

"Yep, that sums it up." Louis chuckled.

They returned home and they cooked dinner together at Harry's place for a change. Louis had chopped things but Harry did the actual cooking. Louis entertained Darcy in the meantime.
"Hey, Harry? Can I take you out to a restaurant tomorrow, to hopefully celebrate me new job?"

"Feeling confident, are we?" Harry smirked.

"I said hopefully." Louis snorted.

"I'm sure you'll get it. Uhm, I would love to but I don't have a babysitter." Harry answered.

"Of course, Darcy will come with us. I thought that was a given. Let me rephrase the question. Would you and Darcy like to go out to dinner with me tomorrow?" Louis asked again.

"We would love to." Harry smiled happily.