Times two

HARRY: (Watches LOUIS in disbelief. His head is now completely out of hiding) You... I'm not sure I know what you're talking about.

LOUIS: Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Or, are you, I mean uncomfortable? Because if you're not then that's, I, uh, I mean it's one of the things I tend to bring out in people- not that you have to feel uncomfortable! No. No of course not, I mean, you don't have to. Feel uncomfortable. But I just meant that if you do then it's, like, okay because people usually do. This is getting weird again, isn't it? Oh god. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make it weird again. Or uncomfortable. Or not uncomfortable, if that's how you feel. No! Wait. That's, I, uh, think I've gotten a bit tangled into my words. I'm just going to stop speaking. Right now. (gulps)

HARRY: (Gaping, staring questioningly at LOUIS) I'm... sorry what...? No! (he hurriedly exclaims when he sees LOUIS open his mouth again) No, don't- don't do that again.

LOUIS: (Quietly nods, avoiding eye contact)

HARRY: Can I ask you a question? Without you answering it with fifty sentences at once?

LOUIS: (nods again)

HARRY: (curious, insecure) Okay. Good. Eh, so I'm not completely sure but I thought you said before that you don't usually ramble? But... (shyly) Well, you do. A lot.

LOUIS: (blushing again) Y-yeah, I did say that but it wasn't, I kind of, well sort of... (interrupts himself, taking a deep breath before answering in a weak voice) lied.

HARRY: (surprised) You lied? Wait... why would you lie about whether you ramble or not?

LOUIS: Because I didn't want you to think I'm weird. People usually think I am. My family too. I mean they say they don't, my family, but I know they do. I just wanted someone to think I'm normal so I thought, hey, maybe a stranger would, probably. I wanted someone I didn't know to not know that I'm weird, if that makes sense. It probably doesn't, I'm so sorry. Sorry.

HARRY: You... Wanted to find someone who don't think you're weird?

LOUIS: (fiddling with his fingers on his lap, his voice almost a whisper) I know it's pathetic.

HARRY: It's not. (bitterly adding to himself in a quiet mumble) At least not compared to me.

LOUIS: What?

HARRY: What?

LOUIS: (confused) W- you, I... What? I thought you... What?

HARRY: Nothing.

LOUIS: Okay... So you didn't-

HARRY: I didn't.

LOUIS: Okay.

HARRY: Okay.

LOUIS: Um... Okay?

(There is a short silence. Neither of the boys seems to know what to say.)

HARRY: (back to hugging himself again, although his face is still visible) So why are you here?

LOUIS: huh? I'm sorry, I don't really... do you mean like here here on the bus or-

HARRY: Yeah.

LOUIS: Oh... But I already told you that.

HARRY: You did? When did you... wait. (Talking slowly, looking as if he's come to a conclusion of some sort) Don't tell me that you went to a bus at... (checking his wrist watch) past three am on a December morning to find someone who wouldn't think you're weird? On a bus?

LOUIS: (begins to fidget nervously with his hands again, opening and closing his mouth several times without answering.)

HARRY: That's, woah, that's... um...

LOUIS: (quietly, defeated) Weird?

HARRY: Well... Yeah, a bit. (LOUIS looks away, obviously hurt.) I didn't mean it like that! (hurriedly) Look, I didn't... Look, I mean, I'm here at three in the morning too, right? So really I'm weird too. We're both weird.

LOUIS: No you're not. You're not. I am. But you're not because you're normal.

HARRY: (snorts loudly) Yeah, right. No, if anything I'm the weird one here and, not to sound rude or anything, but that does say something.

LOUIS: (looking directly at HARRY for the first time) You're not- woah! Ha-, y-you... (clearing his throat) Woah, u-um... shit.

HARRY: What?

LOUIS: Nothing! Nope. Nothing, I just... nothing.

HARRY: (suspicious) You repeat yourself a lot. Did you know that?

LOUIS: Yeah... I do, I'm sorry.

HARRY: Don't appologize.

LOUIS: Okay.

HARRY: Okay.

LOUIS: Okay?

(HARRY sighs deeply, shaking his head. He sneezes again.)

LOUIS: (tentatively) Are you... um, are you sure that you're not-?

THE DRIVER: Hey! (HARRY and LOUIS both jumps) You there, the boy without a jacket? This's your station.

HARRY: (Too quiet for THE DRIVER to hear) Oh... Thanks.

LOUIS: So you're going to go now?

HARRY: Yeah. Guess so.

LOUIS: Okay. (Silently watches HARRY as he scrambles to his feet. He's looking weak and pale, shivers still racking his body. LOUIS bites his lip, looking back and forth between HARRY and the window)

HARRY: Bye then. (Waving awkwardly)

LOUIS: Wait! (HARRY stops and turns around) You... here. (LOUIS approaches HARRY, taking off his jacket and draping it over HARRYS' shoulders.)

HARRY: (Shocked) What are you-

LOUIS: You look pretty cold. Still. Are you cold? Um, not that you have to be I just thought you looked cold. So... there, um, hope you're not going to be cold now. Anymore. If you were cold.

HARRY: I'm... (bewildered, vulnerable) Thank you. Louis.

LOUIS: Yeah, no problem... (hesitating) um, so are- are we, I mean we really don't have to be if you don't want us to, but I was just wondering if we're... Because, um, you're like the first person in ages who, but like I said - you don't have to, I'm pretty weird and all, I mean I know that. That I'm weird I mean. But I was hoping maybe, or not hoping hoping, more like wondering... But again you don't have to, it's really not-

HARRY: Have to what?

LOUIS: Nothing.

HARRY: What do you mean nothing? Obviously it's something. What is it?

LOUIS: Well, okay. I was just wondering if we're... um, if we're... f-friends? (hopefully) But like I said, we don't have to be, we really don't. I was just asking because-

HARRY: Louis. (LOUIS immidiately stops talking) It's... Yes. We can be friends.

LOUIS: Really? (surprised)

HARRY: Yeah.

LOUIS: Okay. (trying to hide his enthusiasm) That's, um, that's good. Great.

HARRY: Yeah.

LOUIS: Okay.

HARRY: Okay, so... Uh, I guess I'll see you around... Louis.

LOUIS: Yeah, yes of course. Great. Good I mean. Um, yeah, okay. See you around! Harry.

(HARRY nods and leaves the bus. LOUIS goes back to the back seat, wrapping his arms around himself with a big grin on his lips. The bus rumbles to life again.)