Totally Completely 100% Organic » Zarry ✅

25:🍌 Thoughts, Emotions and Peelings

"What's wrong?" Mr. Lou asks when he sees Harry come inside the store sometime in the afternoon.

"That fucking bell is going to drive me crazy."

"Sorry about that. But how else will they bring attention to the hungry and needy families who depend on generous givers?"

"Listen, I'm all for giving. But there's better ways than bombarding people going in and out of the store. They could run a television ad for the season."

"An ad costs money and also it might not be as affective because it wouldn't garner as much profit when the money is only coming from people like you and me."

"So in other words, instead of standing outside of rich people's homes, they find the most traveled places, guilt people who have a little more than enough into giving to people who have a lot less than enough so that the people who had a little more than enough only have just enough. Yet, when the holidays are over, there are no bells or people in Santa hats camped outside the store, those that originally had a lot less than enough are back to having a lot less than enough and the rich people are still rich. So is standing out there really all about being proactive at giving to the needy? Or is it just the perfect time to corner someone because it's what they call 'the giving season'?"

"Hmm. I see your point."

Harry makes his way to the back of the store where he places a signed order form on the desk. He is surprised when he turns around and sees Mr. Lou there.

"Are you stalking me because I said what I said?"

"No. I am not."

"Then what are you doing?"

Mr. Lou smiles. "How's your friend been lately?"

"My friend? Liam, you mean?"

"No. The one you asked me for advice on parenting sometime back."

"Oh." He says. "That friend. He's been fine."

"Have the parents come around to him yet?"

He shakes his head. "Nope. Not yet. But he's been doing a really good job of blocking them out because the person he's with with doesn't let it bother him surprisingly. So I hear."

"That's great."

"Yeah."

"Well tell him I said hang in there. It gets better."

"I will do that. I'll tell him to do that, I mean."

When he leaves, Louis can't help but wonder who this mystery man is that Harry is seeing. Whoever he is, he seems to have improved Harry's mood for the better most days. And that says a lot for a young man who's been bent on never dating, never settling and never opening his mind to having someone he can really call his own.

⭐⭐⭐

It's nighttime. Harry's currently sitting at the bar with Liam. He also has Vodka and tonic in hand but he's only taken a couple sips. He's waiting for a cab he went and called when he told Liam he was going to the bathroom. He knows he's supposed to be drinking with Liam and enjoying the atmosphere like they used to do long ago before he made it a habit of taking a guy home every time he came here. But he can't help it. Old habits die hard. But at least now the man he's going to be with isn't just some random person like it used to be.

"You know that guy Avery you slept with a few times?" He hears Liam say from beside him.

"What about him?"

"I heard from one of his friends that he stopped coming here out of the blue. Went on a whole rant about how he was never coming back again because of some jerk. I guess something happened with one of the guys here."