lolita // l.s.

chapter three

"thank you again for doing this, louis," anne repeated, grabbing her leather coach purse from the dining table and slinging it over her petite shoulder. she shuffled through the cluttered bag, manicured fingers grazing over the familiar tube of gloss and slathering a layer over her chapped lips.

"it's my pleasure," the old man replied, the corners of his thin lips stretching into a close mouthed grin as the older woman takes both of her children in a tight embrace.

"i'll be back soon, alright?" anne assured the curly haired boy, whose emerald eyes were glassy and plush bottom lip quivered. harry nodded, reluctantly pulling his trembling body away from his beloved mother and wiping the droplets from his flushed cheeks. louis' heart ached at the sorrowful sight.

as the woman disappeared behind the front door, the old man realized that he really had no clue of how to care for children. sure, he'd assisted his always exhausted parents with his five younger sisters and brother, but he was never left alone with ones he didn't entirely know. it was a bit terrifying as the two millennials stared up at him with wide, innocent eyes and gaping mouths.

"would you like to play a game?" the old man pondered, forcing a warm smile when the younger of the two nodded enthusiastically. gemma heaved a deep sigh, rolling her dull brown eyes and heading for her room upstairs. what a rude little girl, louis thought to himself.

"come with me," louis said, locking hands with the pretty boy and leading him to the immense living room, where he plopped down on the ebony coach and gestured for harry to sit next to him. harry obliged, his small body crawling up next to the older man.

"this game is called 'two truths, one lie,'" louis explained, most likely poorly due to his lack of cultural english knowledge. "basically, i say two facts about myself and one lie in a random order and you have to guess which one is the lie. then it's your turn!"

harry beamed, flashing his pearly whites. " i wanna go first!"

"of course."

"umm," the boy began, thinking. "my sister's middle name is marie, my favorite singer is david bowie and um, i like boys." he said the last part quietly, fiddling with his polished fingers.

louis coughed loudly, shifting positions on the sofa. "uh, your sister's middle name is marie?"

"yes!" harry cheered, the tension in the room disappearing. "my sister's middle name is anne for my mama."

"yay," the old man said unenthusiastically, forcing a smile. "well, i suppose i'll go now. uh, i have six siblings, i like cats more than dogs and i like boys too."

harry's emerald eyes widened. "you like boys too?"

"well, you have to guess the lie first to find out, silly boy."

"um, you have six siblings?"

"not quite."

"you don't like kitties?" the boy asked, pouting.

"i do, but i prefer puppies," louis responded.

"oh," the twink said. "well, i'm really happy you like boys too." he giggled softly, wrapping his lanky arms around the man's neck and nuzzling into the crook.

"yes, i suppose we have something in common," the old man said, placing a calloused hand on the small of harry's back.

"loulou?"

"yes?" the older man pondered, grinning at the nickname.

"do you like me?"

"of course i do, little one."

"no, i mean, like like me."

louis' azure eyes widened. "well harry, you're very young. too young for an old man like me."

"why?" harry said, jutting his lower lip out.

"you're only fourteen and i'm nearly forty, bub," louis explained.

"i know," harry sighed. "but you're so pretty and i like you a lot. you aren't mean to me like the boys at school and i really like the way you talk."

"that's very nice of you, but you're just a little boy," the old man said. "i think we should do something else. would you like to color a picture with me?"

"yes!" harry exclaimed, immediately wiggling out of louis' grasp and scrambling to get his pencils and book.

as soon as the boy left, louis let out a sigh of relief. if that minx didn't stop teasing, the sins the old man would commit would be unforgivable.