"Do you want your regular seat, sir?" The young blonde asked, her smile wide and her lips red.
Harry nodded his head, following the girl to his usual booth in the corner. He sat down on the left side, nodding a thank you at the girl as she sat down his usual cup of coffee. He lifted the cup to his lips and sipped, letting the hot and bitter liquid burn a trail down the back of his throat. He opened the menu to the first page, even though he already knew was he was going to order. He always got the same thing, but looking at the menu was just a familiar comfort.
Outside restaurant, Harry could see questionable people walking around. He had witnessed drug deals and fights from this same window seat. The small diner wasn’t exactly on a good side of town. It wasn’t on the side of town Harry lived on or worked on, really the diner was away from his usual life. Harry turned his head to the side, smiling weakly at all of the familiar waiters and waitresses.
He came to the small little diner about four times a week. It wasn’t because the food was especially good, the food tasted like something that you’d by from a gas station. And it definitely was because of the shitty decor that was slowly deteriorating into dust. No, he came for something else entirely. Or, maybe it was more accurate to say someone else entirely.
"Oh, look who it is," Harry heard, his heartbeat quickening a bit. "It’s always good to see my favorite customer."
Harry turned his head to look at his usual waiter. The boy’s smile was wide and bright, his eyes crinkled at the side. His hair was hanging carefully in his face, his skin tanner than it usually was now that the days were getting warmer and longer. His name tag was a bit crooked on his shirt, Louis.
"Good to see you, too." Harry said quietly, a small smile dancing over his lips.
"So, I’m guessing you’ll have the usual, yeah?"
"Yeah."
Louis nodded before going off to the kitchen. Harry watched him go, feeling his heart slam against his rib cage once, like it was trying to break through so it could run after the boy. Harry sighed, shaking his head. He knew that this obsession he seemed to have with his waiter was odd and that the boy would most likely never reciprocate it. But he couldn’t help it, he couldn’t help but lay in his bed at night and think about Louis.
About thirty minutes later, Louis was setting Harry’s food down in front of him. “Here ya go,” Louis said, grinning wildly, and Harry couldn’t understand how this boy was always smiling.
Every time Harry came to the diner, it was a bit before closing time so Louis would have time to sit down across from him and talk to him. It was Harry’s favorite part of his day, to sit and watch Louis talk, his hands flying about as he told stories.
"How old are you?" Louis asked as Harry was eating his last few bites.
Harry sighed, cringing a bit. “I’m twenty-eight,” He muttered, his voice full of disgust at his age.
Louis’ eyebrows furrowed. “Why do you sound so sad about it? You’re not that old. You’re only, like, nine years older than me.”
Harry shook his head, laughing. He looked up to see Louis’ face full of the most honest sincerity he’s ever seen. It was crazy how this young kid, this young man could be so sincere and confident with the things he said and did. Harry remembered being Louis’ age quite clearly, and he knew for a fact that he wasn’t anything like this boy. Harry still wasn’t as honest and confident as Louis, and he was almost thirty.
The diner closed about an hour later, and Harry walked Louis to his car like he did every night that he ate there. Louis thanked him with a smile and a peck on the cheek before climbing into his beat up car. Harry sighed as he watched Louis drive away, climbing into his own, more expensive car. He sat in the driver’s seat for a few moments, trying to build up the courage to go home to his too quiet, too empty of a home.
-
Harry walked into the building, smiling at the people he passed by. Cara stopped him before he could get to his office, coming around her desk to stand in front of him with her hands on her hips. Her face had a sour expression on it that Harry knew all too well. It was the warning look he got whenever Aimee was in his office.
"Really?" Harry groaned, wiping his large hands over his face. "This early in the morning?"
Cara nodded, rolling her eyes. “She’s insane. Like, I literally had to carry her out of your office yesterday before you got back from your board meeting so you wouldn’t have to see her.”
"Everything is finalized, what more could she want?" He asked as he went up to his office door, stopping before he could open the door.
Cara shrugged as she sat back down in her desk. “I don’t know, sir. But you really need to get a handle on her, she’s getting worse.”
Harry nodded, opening the door and stepping inside. Aimee was sat on the edge of his desk, grinning at him as soon as he stepped in. He could feel his chest getting heavy and he sighed, looking at the woman he had once loved with tired eyes.
-
"She just keeps comin’ ‘round," Harry said to Louis later that day, leaning against the front counter as he talked to the younger boy. "No matter how many times I tell her to stop or threaten to get a restraining order, she keeps coming back."
Louis frowned, setting his chin in his hand. “But, isn't she the one that wanted the divorce.”
"Yeah. She had even left me for some other guy, but then my company’s value sky-rocketed and I’m making twice as much as I was."
"Gold digger," Louis scoffed. "Out of all the things to like about you, she chooses the money."
Harry frowned, looking down at his fingers as memories of Aimee played through his mind. He had been a shitty husband there towards the end, but maybe that was just because he hadn't really loved her anymore.
"Not really," Harry said after a while, shrugging as he studied his fingernails.
Louis tucked a finger under Harry’s chin and tilted his chin up so he was forced to look him in the eyes. “Yes there is,” He said confidently. “There are so many things that I like about you.”
Harry felt his heart leap.
-
Harry felt nervous taking Louis into his home two nights later. It was just meant to be a friendly dinner, but the butterflies in his stomach wouldn't stop. Louis stood in the living room just turning his head from side to side, his eyes wide as he took in the interior of Harry's home.
Harry took off his coat and hung it up in the closet, slipping off his shoes as he watched Louis do the same. Louis' face was full of wonder and Harry could understand why. Louis had had no idea exactly how rich Harry was, but now he did and that kind of scared Harry just the smallest bit. He didn't want his amount of money to affect how Louis saw him. So many people treated him differently once they knew how rich he was, and he hated it. He just wanted to people to treat him like they would otherwise.
Louis finally turned to look at Harry, a small smile playing his lips as his eyes gleamed and Harry let out a sigh of relief. Louis was looking at him just like had always looked at him, and that's all he could have asked for.
"You're home is really nice," Louis said as Harry led him into the living room.
"Thank you, I had a decorator come in and fix everything up a bit a few weeks ago." Harry admitted as he sat down on his sofa, Louis sitting down next to him, so close their thighs were pressed together.
"Your living room is about the size of my whole apartment," Louis said with a laugh.
Harry chuckled. "Yeah, well. I had originally bought the place with the assumption that I would have a large family. If I had known it would just be me eventually, I would have bought a bit of a smaller place. But, y'know.."
Louis gave a sad, small smile. "You thought you were going to spend your life with Aimee," He finished, reaching his hand out to pet it across Harry's cheek. Harry felt like he was on fire.
"Uh, yeah. Y'know, like. I always wanted a big family."
Harry looked over at Louis and Louis was looking at him and, and it just felt like they were both really seeing each other for who they were. Harry felt so open and exposed. Here he was, with his chest cut open down the middle just so Louis could see his insides. He swallowed roughly, looking down at Louis' hand that was set on his own. Harry turned his hand so their palms were pressed together, his long fingers intertwining with Louis' smaller ones.
His heart was beating so fast, and he could feel Louis' breath on his lips and mixing with his own. His eyes flicked from staring at Louis' mouth, to his eyes, to his mouth again. Louis' mouth twitched into a smile before he was pulling back, tilting his head to the side.
"You know you can still have a large family, right?" He asked, breaking whatever spell that Harry must of been under.
Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I haven't anyone to start a family with."
Louis pulled his hand back, stretching his arms over his head, letting out a soft yawn. Harry got up to go to the kitchen, opening a bottle of wine and pouring two glasses. He came back to the living room to see Louis flicking through a photo album that he must have grabbed from the bookshelf. He glanced up at Harry as he was handed a glass of wine, saying a quiet thank you.
Harry sat back down, sipping at his wine as Louis looked through the old photos. They were all from back when Harry and Aimee were still dating or had just gotten engaged. They both looked so young and happy, arms around each other. Harry smiled at some of them, reaching in front of Louis to point at one picture.
"That," He said, stabbing his finger onto a certain picture. "That is my sister, Gemma. The man beside her is her husband Kyle, and then that's my mum, Anne. Right there, those are my old friends. The girl with the green hair is Aimee's sister."
Louis laighed, shaking his head as he looked at them. "You were all an interesting group. Your mum and sister are quite pretty, though."
"Yeah," Harry agreed, smiling. "I miss them, all of them. Even my idiot school friends. God, they got me in so much trouble." He laughed.
"Well, why don't you ever visit them?" Louis asked.
"Ah, well. Gemma lives in Italy, I believe. My mum is back home in the UK, where most of my friends are."
The rest of the night was spent like that, going through old photo albums until they got too tired. Louis ended up falling asleep with his head in an album, making Harry chuckle. He picked the boy up and carried him into Harry's room, laying him in the bed. He pulled off the boy's jeans, leaving him in his boxers and t-shirt. Harry slipped out of his clothes and into a pair of flannel bottoms.
He lifted up the blankets, curling up next to Louis. He watched the boy sleep for a while, his tanned and peaceful face lit up by the pale light from the moon. Harry smiled, wrapping his long arms around Louis' body, letting his thoughts fall apart and turn into dreams.
-
That next morning when Harry woke up, his arm was asleep from Louis' body sleeping on it, he had brown hair tickling his face, and warm, thick morning breath being pulled into his nose instead of air, and drool on his t-shirt.
It was decidedly the best way he could ever wake up.
-
On Friday, Harry met a girl.
She was small and loud, her lips full and her eyes large and dark brown. Her fingers were thin and smart, quick on a keyboard and even quicker when they were wrapped around him. Her name was Luna, warm and an easy word to slip off the tongue.
He met her in a bar late one night, one of the nights that Louis didn't have a shift at the diner. She had caught his eye with her curves and the way she threw back her head when she laughed. He had gone over to her, his courage fueled by all of the alcohol in his system. She had laughed at his jokes, challenged his arguments, and danced against him with a heavy sway to her hips, and a light tease to the way she looked at him.
The days passed by, and the more numb he felt. She kissed like fire and talked with an easy roll to her r's. The Latin in her blood flowed thick from her mother's side, she had told him.
Weeks passed and Harry barely ever made it to the diner. When he had told Louis that he was seeing a girl, Louis' smile had looked forced and his eyes didn't shine like they used to. The night Harry took Luna to the diner was the night that Louis met her. It was the night that Luna frowned at the food, her nose crinkled in disgust. That was the night that Luna blacklisted Harry's safe haven.
Months passed and Luna was asking about moving in. They were on Harry's couch, Luna underneath him as he pushed in and out of her when she had stopped him and looked him into the eyes with a seriousness that Harry was becoming way too familiar with.
"I think I should move in," She said, big brown eyes boring into his soul.
Harry pulled out of her and sat up, his forehead wrinkling in confusion. "What do you mean?" He asked. "We've only been dating a while."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "We've been dating for four months, Harry. Listen, I'm looking for something serious and permanent, and I feel like you're it for me. I think we should move in together and start thinking about our futures together."
Harry wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to that.
-
The next night, Harry went to the diner for the first time in two weeks. The woman at the front led him to his usual booth where he waited for Louis.
Louis looked unsure as soon as he saw Harry, his eyes narrowing and his lips squeezing into a thin line. He came up to the table, his whole body tense in a way that Harry had never seen before. He was looking at the boy with pleading eyes, gesturing for him to sit. Louis looked around for a second before complying, sitting down in the space across from Harry.
Neither of them said anything at first, both of them just sitting there as they let their eyes roam over each other. Harry's chest ached from how much he had missed Louis, missed the way he looked and laughed and talked. Especially missed the way he smiled, crinkles forming by his eyes and his nose scrunching up.
"You haven't been around in a while," Louis said after a while, his tone sounding hurt.
Harry looked down at his hands on the tabletop. "Yeah."
"I'm guessing you've been too busy with her. "
"Yeah."
"Did you not want to see me anymore? Didn't you miss talking to me. I thought we were-" Louis cut off before he finished, causing Harry to look up.
"Thought we were what?" Harry asked quietly.
Louis shrugged, looking out the window. "Obviously it doesn't matter what I thought we were because we aren't. You're with that woman, that's all that matters."
Harry sighed, putting his head in his hands. Louis was being so difficult and yeah, he could understand why. Louis probably thought that Harry had led him on but he hadn't. He hadn't planned on ever being anything with Luna. He wasn't even exactly fond of her, he just felt like he was supposed to be with her, the same way he had felt with Aimee. He pulled his hands away from his face, looking into Louis' with a brand of tiredness that Harry was becoming all too familiar with.
"She want to move in with me," He said with a sigh.
Louis' nose flared, eyes icy. "Well, that's great."
Harry groaned, throwing up his arms in exasperation. "Not it's not, Louis." He all but yelled. "I don't want her to move in with me, I don't even want to be with her. I never have wanted to be with her. I wanted to, to be with you."
It felt like a relief to finally say it, especially with the way Louis' face lit up. That smile that Harry loved so much was starting to crawl back onto his lips, making Harry's heart soar just the tiniest bit.
"Well, then what are you doing with her, you fuckin' idiot?" Louis murmured, his eyes full of fond.
Harry laughed, shaking his head. "To be honest, I don't know. I didn't even ask her out to begin with. I thought all she'd be was a one night stand."
Louis chuckled, grabbing Harry's face between his two hands and pulling his face to his for a small kiss. It was only a peck really, but Harry couldn't help but think that it was the best kiss that he had ever had.
-
The next day, Harry went to lunch with Luna and broke it off. She had asked him why and he told her the truth, which in turn caused her to scream at him and throw her salad in his face before stomping out.
All of the people were staring and whispering, but Harry couldn't help but smile. Sure, he had like Luna's company. She was a brilliant girl.
But he would prefer Louis any day.
-
"Harry, yeah." Louis whimpered out, his hands gripping Harry's arms tightly.
Harry grunted, moving his hips quicker. The sound of his hips and balls hitting against Louis' full ass spurred Harry on even more. Especially with the way Louis was gasping and moaning underneath Harry's body.
"You look so good," He murmured, kissing the younger boy's neck. "Fuck, so tight, too. Love being inside of you."
It was the third time that they had sex that day, and really neither of them could get enough of each other. Harry could never get enough of Louis ever. He moved his hand down to grip Louis' prick in his hand, pumping it quickly until Louis was coming only seconds later.
Harry grabbed hold of Louis' hips and started fucking into him quicker, coming only a few moments later with a grunt. He pulled out, taking off the condom and tying it. He laid his body next Louis, who immediately snuggled into his chest with a happy sigh. Harry grinned, wrapping his arms around Louis' body.
"Hey Harry?" Louis murmured, turning his head to the side so they could make eye contact.
Harry smiled, running his fingers through Louis' sweaty hair. "Yeah, babe?"
"I think I love you. Is that weird?" Harry felt his heart soar, arms tightening around Louis' body.
"Only if it's weird that I love you back."