No Strings Attached

Chapter Four

What was going to happen now? It wasn’t completely out of the realm of reason for Louis to start running through all of tonight’s possible scenarios. Why was Harry here, and better yet, why had he waited for Louis to finish his shift and why was he following him outside now? Didn’t he have somewhere better to be, someone else’s company to enjoy? 

Louis tried to keep those simmering thoughts at a safe distance from the fore of his mind as he walked out the restaurant. But rather than stopping there on the street where everyone could see them, he turned left and lead the way into an alley next to the building. He only ever ventured here when Zayn needed a smoke break, but he could finally appreciate the narrow alleyway’s darkness and obstruction from prying eyes. Thankfully, Harry didn’t seem to question Louis’ motives.

Once in the alleyway, Louis could breathe a little easier. He turned around to find that Harry was smiling.

“Is this where you take all the guys you meet?” Harry asked with an amused raise of his brow. 

Louis brushed the comment away and before he could monitor what he was saying, he sputtered, “What do you want from me?”

Harry’s face fell slightly as he absorbed Louis’ brash comment. Instantly, Louis felt like the largest prat in the world. 

“Sorry, I mean – ” he tried amending, but Harry cut him short.

“You’re interested, aren’t you?” Harry said casually, and Louis was taken aback by how calmly he approached the question. “I mean, that was flirting back there earlier, right? It’s not just me?”

Louis honestly didn’t know how to respond. How could he express the extent to which Harry had occupied his mind recently without sounding a raving lunatic? He didn’t want to push the boy away, but he didn’t know what to make of this situation, either. What exactly was Harry proposing here?

“Maybe – I guess – I don’t – I’m not really sure,” Louis stuttered to Harry’s entertainment. “This is all just very strange and – I’m a father!” Those last words fell from his lips without any restraint.

Harry looked at him curiously, his face refusing to give anything away. But a few moments passed before he shrugged and said, “I know. Liam and Niall told me.”

Of course, Louis thought. Was he supposed to be upset that Harry knew? It wasn’t a big secret, after all, but maybe it meant a greater deal to Harry than he could have anticipated.

“But I don’t really care,” Harry continued. “I’m sure she’s a great girl, but quite frankly, that little tidbit doesn’t really change how fucking cute you are.” 

Louis felt like he was going to be sick. No one had spoken like that to him in a long time, unless you counted drunken, prickish Zayn – which Louis didn’t. 

His head reeling, he vomited another stupid comment. “Yeah, well you’re famous.”

At that, Harry actually laughed. It was a rough noise, but one that Louis could appreciate for its carefree and unbound quality. Louis wasn’t sure he had ever met someone quite as happy or untroubled as Harry seemed in that very moment.

“Not really,” Harry said after coming down from his laughter. “Famous isn’t really what you call someone who can’t quite score a record deal.”

Louis breathed deeply, trying to regain his grasp on the situation unfolding before him. He was in an alleyway. Right now. With Harry. Harry Styles. Harry Styles of One Direction. Harry Styles of One Direction who was standing before him, Louis Tomlinson, with a tilted head and red cheeks and big, innocent-seeming eyes looking at him with some kind of emotion he couldn’t quite place. Like any of this was supposed to mean anything. 

“Okay, but still – ”

“Look,” Harry interrupted again, this time sounding a little more exasperated than usual. “Louis. The thing is, I’m attracted to you, okay? And from the way you’re looking at me right now, I can sense that it’s mutual. I’m not looking for anything serious and judging from the fact that you’re a father, I’m guessing you’re not either. So that’s two things we have in common. Now I don’t know where your hesitation is coming from or what kind of big freak out you’re threatening to have right now, but I guarantee you that I’m not asking you for anything other than a really great night. You’ve been on my mind ever since I saw you last week and I’d really appreciate it if you would just get out. So let’s just do this and be done with it.”

The back of Louis’ throat suddenly felt very sticky and uncomfortable. He was barely able to croak, “But you’re straight.” 

He was relieved when Harry’s features softened once more into a light smirk. 

“Not exactly.” 

That was it. That was everything Louis needed to hear. None of it made sense, of course, but it made enough sense at the moment. He didn’t even realize that Harry had taken Louis’ hand into his own, and was tracing light patterns against his skin that sent little shocks of electricity throughout his nervous system. 

“Your place or mine?” Louis said, his voice raspy and thick with want. 

Harry chuckled, his eyes unreadable yet somehow inviting all at once. He squeezed Louis’ hand tighter before dropping it. 

“Mine isn’t really an option, what with Liam and Niall living with me and such. I’m guessing you have a sitter since you’re working tonight,” Harry mused. “So…yours, then? Did you drive?” 

“Yeah,” Louis replied, head pounding with the bizarreness of it all. This was it. This was about to happen. 

“Good,” Harry replied simply. “I figured as much. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have walked here.” 

“That’s presumptuous of you,” Louis said, feeling a little more confidently and a little bit more like himself. “Let me just send a quick text.” 

“Hurry,” Harry groaned, and Louis couldn’t really ignore how impatient and lustful he sounded just then.  

“Yeah, yeah,” he said dismissively as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He skimmed through his contacts quickly before typing a short message to Zayn, one that would hopefully say everything that needed to be said in that moment. 

caught up with something. see you tomorrow. 

He winced at the thought of leaving Rosie for a night, but he knew that Zayn would be more than understanding once filled in properly. He looked up at Harry, who was leaning against the brick wall with his arms folded. They grinned at each other.

“Done?”

“Done,” Louis said definitively, grabbing Harry’s hand in his and pulling him out of the alleyway, delaying his inevitable mental breakdown the next morning and instead silently thanking Jacki for her unfortunate bout of stomach flu.