Once in a Lifetime ➳ Larry

chapter ten

Harry scrubs a hand down his tired face. His mind feels jumbled with conflicting emotions. Even though Louis has helped him immensely, he's also the reason that he's in this mess in the first place. He wishes he could go back in time and undo it all. Wishes they never met in the first place.

His life was much simpler back then, before he became a vampire. He had a routine. Wake up, go to the stripclub, sleep, repeat. And Louis fucking Tomlinson decided to walk into his life and tangle up the simplicity of his lifestyle, all because he misjudged Harry's character based on his job.

And that's another thing that pisses him off. Ever since he became a stripper, Harry's faced daily judgements and assumptions from others. People think they know his life better than he does. They think he's worthless, dirty, has no self-confidence. Think he has some sort of sad backstory that landed him in this shithole.

Harry sighs tiredly and leans his head backwards, knocking it against the nearest tree. The bark feels cold and damp against his hair. He gazes upwards and sees a light pink sheet of sky, interlaced with puffs of white clouds. He's not a religious man, but for a moment he finds himself praying whilst squinting at the sun. Praying that some sort of divine being will save him from this disaster.

Whilst the fallen leaves rustle on the grass, flowing in the breeze, he thinks about his job. He wonders how long he'll be able to keep it. Now that he's a vampire, he's more sensitive to brightness, and the spotlight has already started to burn his skin. It's just a light shade of pink, not very noticeable to the naked eye, but it hurts. He hopes that the customers can't see his discomfort when he dances around the pole, flexing his muscles and wiggling his arse. Lack of relaxation isn't good for business, as Liam always says.

Zayn's lavish, expensive car pulls up on the side of the otherwise-empty road. Harry smiles softly as he parks and rolls down the passenger window. He flashes him a golden grin and sparkling, chestnut eyes.

"Hey, stranger," he teases. "Need a lift?"

Harry laughs and climbs inside, sliding over the soft, black leather. It smells like cigarette smoke, but Harry doesn't mind. Zayn's clad in black skinny jeans and a Rolling Stones t-shirt, and Harry thinks it's weird to see him wearing actual clothes instead of a thong. Of course, they've seen each other outside of work, but only a handful of times.

After Harry buckles his seatbelt, Zayn does a u-turn in Louis's driveway and heads back towards the city. The bugatti's engine purrs loudly between them, increasing as Zayn accelerates beyond the speed limit.

"So, are you gonna tell me what happened with Louis?" Zayn prompts. "I know you say that you're just friends, but it seems like you care about him."

Harry pauses. "It's complicated."

"Complicated?"

"Yeah. I just— I don't really wanna talk about it, if that's okay."

Zayn frowns. "Alright. But you should know, I won't hesitate to kick Louis's arse if he hurts you," he says, glancing at Harry for a quick second. "I'm serious," he adds as an afterthought.

Harry smiles fondly. "Thanks, Zayn."

"No problem," he murmurs.

They fall into comfortable silence as they enter the city. Zayn drives towards Fool's Gold and parks in the back lot. Harry gulps when he looks up to see the club with its bright, neon sign. This place feels like a second home now. It's familiar, comfortable, a place to unwind. A place for his mind to go numb and forget all his worries.

Zayn and Harry climb out of the car and walk inside, pushing open the heavy door that protests with a squeak. It's nearly empty, of course, and the club won't open for another hour. They spot Liam cleaning off the circular tables with a dirty rag. The golden poles on the stages look freshly-polished, not a single fingerprint in sight.