No Strings Attached

Chapter Four

Was it legal to feel this sexually attracted to something this cute? 

“Lou,” he said simply, his voice casual. “I thought I’d test my luck walking past the restaurant tonight. Guess I’m pretty lucky, huh?”

Louis’ breath hitched in his throat as he frantically looked around. He was thankful that the restaurant was so quiet; this way, he wouldn’t have to share Harry’s attention with anyone else.

“Yeah,” Louis managed. “What’re you doing here?” 

Harry chuckled deeply but shifted his weight uncomfortably, slipping his hands awkwardly into his pockets. He bit his bottom lip – something that threatened to undo Louis completely.

“I, uh, I promised you I would visit,” he muttered lowly, his eyes kept on his Converse. Then he looked up to meet Louis’ gaze. “Is that okay?” 

It was strange to see Harry so awkward and unsure of himself; this wasn’t the boy that Louis first served a week ago, or the boy that he stumbled into at the grocery store. But rather than being turned off, Louis found the whole thing somewhat endearing. Suddenly, he was more desirable than ever. 

“More than okay,” Louis reassured him, and Harry smiled stupidly in return. He looked around again before speaking. “It’s just, erm, well, I’m kind of working right now.” 

This time, it was Harry’s turn to take a look at their relatively empty environment. He smirked. 

“Are you really?”

Feeling bold, Louis pushed Harry in the shoulder. Surprisingly enough, the younger boy’s face only lit up in response. “Yes. So I’m afraid I can’t devote all my attention to you right this moment.” 

Harry feigned a frown. “That’s upsetting. Here I was thinking that I was the apple of your eye.”

“What a line,” Louis scoffed, though he had to bite his lip to keep from grinning madly. “Look, why don’t you go over and sit at the bar and wait for me to finish up? Maybe you’ll see something you like.” 

“You shouldn’t be so sure of yourself,” Harry said huskily with a smile, already walking over to the bar. “Now, don’t keep me waiting.” 

Louis rolled his eyes and continued counting his tips, feeling infinitely lighter than he did a few moments ago. For the next thirty minutes, he sped through the remainder of his chores, feeling both compelled and apprehensive under Harry’s watchful gaze from the bar. They would occasionally make eye contact whenever Louis looked in his direction, and they would share an awkward wave or a raise of their brow. The whole thing felt rather childish, in the same way that children act around their schoolyard crushes. And it wasn’t like Louis had a crush on Harry, necessarily. He was only mildly – okay, a little more than mildly – attracted to the other boy. But how could you resist someone so intense and so charming?

Sexual frustration had never been more maddening. 

“Oi, you’re dawdling,” Harry called from the bar, eyes twinkling with mirth. 

“Oh, shut up,” Louis returned, only a little surprised by how comfortable and familiar their banter felt. 

When all was said and done and the last customer had left and the chairs were stacked neatly against the walls and everything had been meticulously cleaned and Harry was the only person left sitting in the entire restaurant, Louis gathered his belongings from the back room and nervously made his way to the front of the establishment, nodding at Harry to follow him. The other boy only smirked at the gesture, and suddenly, all Louis could hear in his head was the wild beat of his heart.