Chasing Empty Spaces

Chapter 4

"Good," Louis said and held out his hand. "Keys?"

"Not givin' you my keys."

Louis hardened his gaze and squared his shoulders, "It's either I drive us somewhere or we sit in the parking lot 'til you're okay."

Harry tugged on his bottom lip and looked over his shoulder, wincing when he saw a few of the men in line watching their exchange with curiosity. Judgement dripped from their peering eyes, or at least, that's what Harry's brain was echoing back to him. His back arched over in attempts to make himself small as his breathing sped into small puffs.

"I think I should be alone," Harry mumbled, turning back to face Louis.

Louis looked over Harry's shoulder with his lip worried between his teeth. When the lush skin slipped from their hold, Louis shoved his hands in his pockets. He took a small step forwards and lowered his voice from its usual timbre.

"Page sixty-two."

We can be lonely together.

Harry cupped his head in his hands as the piece of cardstock along his breast pocket seared him as if it was a hot iron. The implication of Louis' words morphed into an unwanted blossom of hope that caused his stomach to turn in on itself. His fingers tugged at the roots of his hair and he swallowed a sob that bubbled inside of his throat. It was impossible to miss the moment Louis' fingertips ghosted along the lapel of his blazer. Harry felt as if his entire life was deconstructed by the simple graze.

"Why?"

Louis slightly tilted his head to the side as confusion crossed his countenance. He raised a shoulder, "Why, what?"

"Why," Harry fidgeted with the hem of his jacket, "Louis, why do you care so much?" He looked across the empty lot and anxiously folded his arms over his chest, "What does it matter to you if I'm lonely?"

Louis looked unnerved from Harry's question, rocking his weight back to the heels of his shoes.

"Just - I dunno," Louis scratched the side of his neck. He shrugged, "I just do."

Harry felt as if he was a cornered animal, begging for a way out.

"S' not normal," Harry disjointedly said, his words coming out choppy through his breaths. He cut his hands in the air between them, "This ain't normal for two -"

"Harry," Louis warningly cut him off. He minutely shook his head, "You're not feelin' well and you're gonna say somethin' you don't wanna say."

"Men shouldn't act like this with each other."

Louis scoffed, his eyes rolling back in disgust as he spat, "And who told you that?" He widened his eyes, "Your mama who's tryin' to marry you off to someone you don't even like?" Louis wildly gesticulated his hands in the air, "Or was it your father who's been pushin' a company on you that you don't care about?"

Harry shook his head, pushing Louis' words away as if they didn't pierce him.

"It's wrong."

"What exactly is wrong?" Louis lowered his voice as he took a step closer towards Harry. He jutted his chin up to meet Harry's eyes, "What 'ave we done that's so wrong?"

"The book," Harry chanced a look over his shoulder to see if anyone was headed their way. When there wasn't, he quietly said, "You wrote that we could be lonely together."

Louis didn't back down, if anything he made himself even taller by swaying forward, "And ya mean to tell me that you don't want that?" When Harry didn't immediately answer, Louis gritted out, "Tell me that's not what you want, Harry."