Chasing Empty Spaces

Chapter 2

"Yeah," Harry jerkily nodded. He pushed himself up from the tire, "Where'd you wanna go?"

"Toss me your keys," Louis nodded towards the garage door, "I'll drive."

"Um," Harry hesitantly started towards the exit, "My father doesn't really like other people driving the truck."

Louis rolled his eyes and kept walking until he was at the driver's side of Harry's truck. He rested his weight against the hood and crossed his arms. Harry stopped just in front of Louis, a few feet of distance separating them.

"Well, I don't see your father here," Louis pointedly looked from left to right before meeting Harry's eyes, "Do you?"

"Are you mocking me?" Harry bristled.

"I'm not," Louis easily said.

"Sounds like you are."

"Harry," Louis huffed, "I work with cars for a livin'. I think I can handle driving your truck."

"But -"

"Tell me somethin'," Louis cut him off and tilted his head to the side, "Do you trust me?"

"I -" Harry hesitated a moment when Louis lifted an eyebrow. He thought it through and minutely shook his head, "I don't know if I do."

Harry gnawed on his bottom lip, expecting for Louis to tell him off and send him on his way. What he didn't prepare for, was Louis to nod and gently clasp Harry's shoulders.

"Fair enough," Louis quirked the corner of his mouth. "You don't have to be scared to be honest with me, y'know?" He sincerely said and let go of Harry's shoulders. Louis gave him a small shrug, "Especially cos it seems like you can't with anyone else."

Harry just gaped as Louis plucked the keys from his hand and unlocked the door, sliding behind the steering wheel without another word. Louis brought the engine to life and gestured for Harry to get in the truck. He looked around to see if anyone had seen the exchange, half expecting to see the raven haired mechanic lurking by a garage door. When he recognized that it was just them in the lot, Harry walked towards the passenger side and clambered in.

Louis pulled out onto the main road and thrummed his fingers over the gearshift. Harry tensed each time that the truck got closer to another car, mentally preparing a speech for his father as to why his truck got totaled by a mechanic he barely knew. He glimpsed out the corner of his eyes and watched Louis' relaxed composure as he drove them towards the edge of town.

"Where are we goin'?" Harry asked when Louis veered off of the pavement and onto a dirt road.

Louis glanced at Harry and he winked, "You'll see."

"How enigmatic of you," Harry snorted.

"Big word for a kid," Louis teased. "Did you learn that from one of your ten tutors?"

"I'm eighteen," Harry sat up straighter in his seat and petulantly crossed his arms. "I'm hardly a kid anymore." He scrunched his nose in distaste, "And I don't have ten tutors."

"That so?" Louis cocked his head to the side. He made a left and then a swift right, "How many then? Just five?"

Harry bit back a smile and looked outside the window, "Not gonna tell you."

"Oh my god," Louis crowed, whipping his head from the road to Harry. "Is it five? Do you have five tutors?"

"M' not saying anything," Harry attempted to school his expression into something more displeased. When Louis started to cackle, he groaned, "Shut it."

"That's rich," Louis snorted. "Quite literally."

"How old are you, anyways?" Harry pressed, choosing to overlook talking about his well-tended to education.