Chasing Empty Spaces

Chapter 2

About half of a mile past The Cotton Club, Harry stopped outside of a three-door garage. With his eyes on a suspended sign labeled, Dempsey's Automobile Hospital, Harry pulled into the gravel covered parking lot. His chest was heaving with labored breaths as he put the truck into park. Pocketing his keys, Harry deeply inhaled and opened the car door.

Pebbles crunched underneath the soles of his shoes as he walked towards the building. Men in navy coveralls strolled by the open doors and Harry craned his neck to see if he recognized any of them. Before he took a step closer, a man materialized towards his left.

"Can I help you, Sir?"

Harry snapped his head towards the approaching man. He had thick black hair that was pushed back from his forehead with matte wax. The visible stretches of his olive skin was smudged with grease and he was leisurely rotating a wrench between his fingers. The man tugged a yellow bandana from his breast pocket and wiped off the beads of sweat from his face.

"I was actually looking for someone who works here?" Harry meant to say as a statement, but it came out sounding like a question.

The man gave Harry an unnerving once over, his amber eyes unwavering as he jutted his chin upwards. When Harry didn't say anything, he pressed, "And...Do you know the name of the mechanic?"

"Oh, yeah," Harry quickly said, feeling a flush rise along his neck. "M' looking for -"

"Harry?"

Harry looked over the man's shoulders and felt a smile twitch at the corner of his mouth. Louis was walking out of the second garage door with a surprised grin playing over his lips.

"Him," Harry pointed at Louis and looked back at the other mechanic.

The mechanic looked between the two of them and slowly nodded before turning back. He gripped Louis' shoulder and leaned in to whisper something by Louis' ear. Louis rolled his eyes at whatever the mechanic said and then nodded. Harry shifted his weight from foot to foot, curiosity ebbing at him when the other man walked back inside.

"Well, this is a surprise," Louis drawled out once he stood in front of Harry.

There was a line of grease along Louis' cheekbone and his hair was parted into a loose quiff along the right side of his face. Harry noted that Louis looked in his element at the shop, coveralls hugging his slighter frame and red bandana tied around his neck.

"Hi," Harry slightly waved.

"Hello," Louis chuckled. His attention flickered towards Harry's truck, "Everything alright with your ride?"

"Oh, um," Harry glanced at his truck that was in perfect condition. He considered saying that something was wrong with it just so he had a better excuse for showing up. "Well," Harry sighed and faced forwards towards Louis' expectant gaze, "Yes."

An impish glint crossed over Louis' eyes and he folded his arms over his chest. His hip cocked to the side as he crossed one foot over the other. Harry glimpsed at the garage, his brows furrowing when he saw the mechanic with raven hair watching them.

"Then what brings you here?"

Harry looked back at Louis and nervously scratched the back of his neck, "Sorry to just come by." He pointedly looked over Louis' shoulder, "I know you're workin', but you said to come by here if -"

"Are you okay?" Louis promptly cut him off, concern dimming his smile.

Harry's gut reaction was to lie, but Louis was the first person to ask him that question in...Possibly, ever. Louis was also the first person to look at him as if he genuinely cared what Harry's answer was going to be. Harry closed his mouth and dropped his gaze to the ground. He shook his head and stubbed the toe of his shoe into the gravel.