Unbelievers

Chapter 10.3

"Alright," his mum says after putting the last suitcase of clothes into the back of her car. "I'm all packed up and set now."

Harry nods where he's standing on the sidewalk in front of the house, fiddling with his hands. "Right," he gets out.

His mother sighs, leaning against the side of the car. She looks up at the house, shaking her head in small movements. "I'm going to miss the house."

Obviously, Harry thinks, but doesn't say it. She's lived there for a long time now. It feels a little sick, but somehow he's come to terms with this happening. His eyes aren't prickling like he thought they would, he mostly feels a little bitter and sad.

"Yeah," he hums. Gonna miss having you here. Gonna miss watching you cook dinner in the kitchen, read on the couch, work in the office. Gonna miss you being here.

She looks at him. "I really want you to come stay a few days with me Cheshire, Harry. You can bring Louis if you want."

"Maybe," he shrugs. "We'll see." He's not ready to say all those things yet, and maybe yes, he resents her a little for leaving. They'll be fine, though. Someday, everything will be okay. Louis has helped him believe that.

Anne straightens up, smiling sadly at him. "I love you so much, baby," she whispers. He can see how honest she is, brows knitted sadly. "I wish some things didn't go down the way they have, and I wish I could fix them, but I can't. I just need you to know that I love you and I'm always here for you. I'm really proud of you for... you know, being you."

Why did she have to wait until this moment? All the shit that has gone down within the family, and she chooses this moment to say it. There's been a whole lot of crap, including Harry feeling like he had to start a fucking fire for them to notice him. He wishes she could have done this sooner.

He steps into her hug, feeling her latch her arms around his waist. He hasn't hugged her in a long, long time. He's much taller than her now, but she smells just the same. His heart hurts.

"Love you, Mum," he whispers, because of course he does. Despite everything, he loves her so much.

"Me too, sweetheart," she says. When they finally part, she gives him a close-lipped smile, tucking one of his stray curls away behind his ear. "I'll call you tomorrow, love." She softly taps his nose.

"Okay." Harry wraps his arms around himself as he watches her climb into her car, biting his bottom lip. She waves and he waves back, before starting the car and leaving the curb.

He watches her go, inhaling tiredly. The goodbye felt succinct, but enough somehow. He can settle for that.

He knows he's settled a lot when it comes to his parents, but it's very hard to change how things are within a family, especially as a kid. It's fine though, because sometimes things suck, but you learn to handle it. He's not going dwell on it anymore. He's done that far too much.

He goes inside, heading up to take a shower and get ready for his and Louis' date. It's a good distraction, because he's been rather excited about this.

He steps into the shower, rubbing himself with the honey soap because he knows Louis likes the smell. He washes his hair, and trims his pubes just a bit because he kind of likes how neat it looks, before rinsing off and getting out.

He lets his hair dry by itself, curls becoming bouncy due to the rather expensive conditioner he splurged on last week. He picks a pair of black jeans, and then a red flowy shirt. It's a little blouse-ish, has ruffles on the sleeves and the neckline is V-shaped. It's a nice one, and he thinks Louis will like it.

He fetches two small packets of lube from his drawer, placing them in his pocket. Just in case.

The clock is just hitting seven when he hears the car pulling up at the curb. He grins, slipping into a pair of brown boots before hurrying downstairs. He throws a last look in the mirror before heading to the door. When he opens it, he finds Louis standing on the lowest step, looking entirely amazing. There's a swooping sensation in his stomach, and he actually licks his lips. He can't help it. Louis makes him feel all kinds of things.