The next day he ended up just dropping by the café, snowflakes in his eyelashes as he approached the counter, and snow melting into his coat. Gemma planned on going late Christmas shopping with only three days left till Christmas Eve, and Harry thought it was the worst idea possible. Coming up to the register, he smiled to the cashier and order a small hot chocolate. He tried not to look around the café too much, obvious he was searching for someone. He couldn't help but actually want to talk with Louis, maybe ask him if he'd like to tag along with him so he wasn't left with Gemma and her boyfriend walking beside each other hand in hand and kissing each other's cold noses. He couldn't suffer another third wheeling with them. He really couldn't. Looking to the cashier as she handed him his hot chocolate and he handed her the money, he had a ticking feeling, and he had to just call her back to the register.
"Uh, sorry to bother you but - has Louis been in today?"
She furrowed her eyebrows, "I'm sorry, I'm new here. Maybe some one else could help you?" He was about to wave it off and say it was fine, but she was already calling Nancy over. "This gentlemen wants to know if a Louis was here?"
Nancy looked to him, "Oh. Our reoccurring man." She smiled, "I'm sorry but he had the day off today. Do you want me to call him or-?"
"No, it's fine. I was just wondering."
She nodded, "Well. Tomorrow he's coming in a little later, around noon. You guys hang out a bit, so I thought to let you know." She smiled.
Harry nodded, "Thank you. Have a wonderful day."
"You too."
Harry walked out, mentally kicking himself in the butt. Of course the one day he maybe wanted to hang out with Louis he was out of work, and he'd have to suffer being the third wheel to his sister and her boyfriend. That would be a great thing to shove in his face when he want to ignore the subject of having a partner by Christmas. In three days he'd have to face his family, and he definitely was starting to think about cancelling it.
. . .
Maybe he could say he got sick and didn't want to get any one else sick, that he felt really bad for not going, but he couldn't make it. Maybe he could say that his pet goldfish died and he wanted to be alone for Christmas. Harry didn't have a pet goldfish, but they didn't need to know that. It was when he was standing in the kids aisle, hearing that damn song again, while Gemma was holding up a shirt to him and asking if he thought his niece would like it that he knew he couldn't hide in the clouds any more.
He needed to come back down for a while.
"Harry." She pushed his shoulder and he focused in on her. "I asked you twice if this is cute."
"Yeah, it's cute. She'll like it." He smiled, and rubbed his eye. If her boyfriend was around, he wouldn't be having this conversation with Gem. They'd have a conversation with each other and leave Harry out of this. But no. He was off in the store some where, buying Gemma a gift secretly.
Gem sighed, and put the shirt down to look through the others. "You didn't have to come, you know?"
He felt back down, hearing the remorse in her voice. "I'm sorry, I just - I hate it. When ever I go it's 'so where's your girlfriend', 'why don't you have a partner like Gemma, she's had one for years', 'what's up with you? Why didn't you bring something else than just yourself'?" He sighed, "It really wears me down every year Gem." He sulked as he followed her around the rack.
She sighed, "I'm sorry you have to go through that."
He scoffed, "You're too busy hogging the sweets to notice."
