Chapter 20
"Come walk with me," Harry said as I sat down in a kitchen chair. I glanced at him. "Now?" I asked.
"Yeah," he said eagerly. I shrugged. "Okay then," I said and we got up and left.
"Liam better not find out about this," I warned Harry as we left the tour bus. "He's still kind of freaking out over the whole overprotectiveness thing."
"Sure, sure," he replied.
"But what is this all about?" I asked.
"Does there need to be a reason?" he asked. "Can't a boy and a girl go on a walk together?"
I laughed. "Liam's right," I said. "You're so random."
"Why, thank you," he said lightly and I laughed again.
"How's your wrist?" I asked.
He sighed. "Would you stop asking me that question?" he exclaimed. "It's broken, end of story."
I rolled my eyes. "Is it wrong for me to care?" I asked.
"Yes, no, I'm not sure," he said, frowning.
"You're confusing me."
"Depends on what you mean by care."
I was still confused, but I decided to let it drop. Let Harry have his own fantasy thoughts.
"How are you enjoying tour so far?" he asked me.
I shrugged. "It's pretty good," I said. "A lot more eventful then I was expecting, but still pretty good."
He grinned. "Yeah, I didn't think I would have a broken wrist this early in the tour," he said.
"Well," I said loftily. "If it weren't for me, you would have missed your first concert and caused quite a bit of drama."
"Don't we always?" he said jokingly.
"Touché," I giggled.
We walked in silence for a moment, but it wasn't uncomfortable. I was smiling as we walked.
"How are things going between you and Louis?" Harry asked casually.
I shot him a look. "What do you mean?" I asked warningly.
He shrugged. "Well," he began. "You two seem to be getting closer. You're like peanut butter and jelly, demon and devil. Do you--"
"Ah!" I yelped, slapping my hands over my ears. "Shut up! No! I don't like Louis like that!" I glared at Harry. "And I don't like how you guys keep bringing it up," I added sourly.
He looked at me innocently. "It was just a question," he said.
"If you're going to be asking questions like that," I scowled. "I'm leaving."
Harry didn't say anything for a moment. "Sorry," he finally said. "It's just that I'm kind of looking out for Louis and Eleanor. And I don't really like how close you two are getting."
I glared at him. "I told you to shut it," I snapped. "And I'm for Elounor all the way. They're perfect for each other. End of story."
Once again we were walking in silence, but instead of being comfortable like last time, it felt bitter and unsettling. At least to me it was. I hated how the boys kept making snide remarks about me and Louis' friendship, and Liam didn't trust me. I knew I could take care of myself. Why couldn't anyone else see that?
I glanced at Harry cautiously. He wasn't looking at me, but staring straight ahead. Now, if I were absolutely positively forced to like a boy, it would probably be Harry or Niall. I liked Harry because of his looks really. Other than that I barely knew him at all. Maybe this is what this walk was for.
Or I would choose Niall, not just because of his looks, but because of his sense of humor and personality. He's really cool, and we have a similar appetite, something you don't see in a lot of girls. He can sing, dance, eat, and he's good-looking, humorous, the list goes on and on.
Why was I even thinking about this? I wasn't being absolutely positively forced to like a boy. I was eccentric.
"Do you want to get a coffee?" I asked randomly.
Harry nodded. "Sure," he said and we took a left.
"Let's play a game," I suggested.
He looked at me weirdly. "Okay," he agreed reluctantly.
I smiled at him. "What's your favorite color?" I asked.
"Pink," he replied immediately.
My smile turned into a frown. "Really?" I asked, a little surprised.
"Yeah," he said. "Is that a problem?"
"No," I said hastily. "Favorite animal?"
"Cat."
I rolled my eyes. "Of course it is," I said.
He chuckled. "Are we playing twenty questions?" he asked.
"Sure, you can put it like that," I said. "Favorite song?"
"Ugh, that's a hard one...."
"Favorite season?"
"What? Wait, I haven't even answered the first question--"
"Favorite food? Favorite hobby? Favorite bra?" I rattled off. I'm not sure where that last one came from, but Harry's been around so many, I bet he had a favorite brand.
"Ah! Shut it!" Harry yelled and I laughed. "I'm just messing with you," I said, elbowing him lightly.
"You were going too fast," he complained. "I couldn't keep up."
I grinned. "Now my turn," I said.
"Favorite color?"
"Purple."
"Favorite animal?"
"Cheetah."
"Favorite song?"
"I'm not sure...."
"Favorite candy?"
"All of them! Unless chocolate is an option...."
"Oh, look, we're here," Harry said, pointing with his good hand to the coffee shop.
"So we are," I noted and we headed inside.
As soon as we got our coffee, we turned back the way we came. "What's your favorite hobby?" Harry asked me.
"Annoying Liam," I said carelessly, stirring my straw in my cold drink.
Harry raised his eyebrows. "I think that's Louis' favorite pastime too," he said. "Other than prank-calling us."
I sighed. "I'm not going to go on walks with you anymore if you keep bothering me about me and Louis' friendship," I said sharply.
Harry looked away. "Okay," he said in a tone suggesting that he had surrendered.
"Oohh, look, a park!" I cried excitedly and I raced off to the swing set.
"Hey, Lily! Wait for me!" I heard Harry call me behind me, but I didn't slow down. "Whee!" I squealed, setting down my drink and jumping onto a swing. Harry caught up to me and watched me with amusement. He leaned against a tree.
"What's it been like, being hidden for seventeen years?" he asked randomly.
I started swinging back and forth. "You learn to appreciate the little things," I said.
"I know you've never loved," Harry sang out of the blue. "The sound of your voice on tape. You never want to know how much you weigh...." I laughed when I finally caught on, a little late. "I'm in love with you," I sang with him. "And all of your little things."
"That's a good song," I remarked.
"Thanks," he said, flashing me a dimpled grin. "But that doesn't answer my question."
I thought back to it. What had it been like? "To put it bluntly," I said, preparing myself to jump. "It's boring, it's annoying, and it's plain unfair. Just think of it this way: you're the lowly sister trapped in a house with your parents for your whole life, while your older brother is living the high life as a famous popstar. A lot like that."
I didn't realize I was saying that bitterly until I was done. "But I'm happy for Liam," I added quickly. "I'm proud of him. And I did learn some things--" I cut myself off as I jumped off the swing.
Harry had moved from the tree he was leaning against to the front of the swings, and I kind of accidentally fell on him.
"Watch it!" he yelped, half-catching me, half-cushioning-my-fall.
"Sorry," I said hastily, standing up. "But, yeah. It's like that."
I don't think Harry was paying much attention anymore. I was standing right in front of him, and just because I stood up didn't mean I was out of his arms. He seemed a bit too focused on that. But truthfully, I didn't mind.
"We better head back," I reminded him quietly, taking a step back and detaching myself from him. "Or else Liam will start wondering what has become of us."
"Yeah," Harry mumbled, and we picked up our drinks and headed back.
*~*~*~*
"Here's a coin, keep the change, you filthy animal," Harry growled and I burst out laughing for the third time. That was the best ever, in my opinion. Never gets old.
"It was only chocolate," I cried. I calmed down. "But that is worth millions," I corrected myself solemnly.
Harry nodded in agreement, mocking me with a serious expression. I slapped his good arm.
"Hey!" a voice yelled, and we jumped, thinking it was a fan. Thankfully, it wasn't. Or was it "unthankfully"? Liam glared at us. "Where were you two?" he demanded.
"Out for a walk," Harry replied, narrowing his eyes. "Is that a crime?"
"Uh huh," I muttered under my breath. Louder, I said, "You shouldn't be so worried, Liam. All we did was talk and drink coffee and swing on swings. Normal things."
He didn't look convinced. "Well, next time, tell me where you're going," he ordered. I restrained myself from glaring at him. Didn't he hear us? Me and Harry were going nowhere! We were just out walking! Oh, whatever. Liam's never wrong. Note sarcasm.
Me and Harry went on the bus. Zayn and Niall were having a staring contest. Louis was timing them, but when he saw Harry they seemed to be having a staring contest of their own. Or a glaring contest. It was hard to tell. These boys were bipolar.