no homo // larry stylinson ⚣

Act I: Scene Two

ACT I
— Scene 2 —
P O V : H A R R Y

I stepped back from the painting, admiring every small detail, colour, and hard work I had put into it. I brushed back my curls to look into the eyes of the girl in the portrait. It almost seemed like the girl, my girlfriend, looked back at me.

Her shoulders were bare and her chestnut hair was tied into a bun. I had been working on it for the past week, putting every second of my free time into the painting. I truly hoped it would be the perfect one-year anniversary gift.

I smiled to myself, satisfied with the artwork, and turned to my scattered supplies. On my palette was a swirl of browns, reds, and peaches, and it almost looked like art itself. I decided not to wash the palette, in case I wanted to do a few touch-ups later.

I put my supplies away, careful to keep them out of sight, so Marissa didn't see them until tomorrow. The sun was setting through the windows of the flat as I hummed lazily to myself. I knew tomorrow night would go smoothly, I was almost sure of it.

---

Apart from the soft hum of the radio, silence swept across the car as Marissa and I drove through the night. I glanced over at her. She faced the vanity mirror, applying a shiny lipgloss. She turned to me and frowned.

"Will you change the station? It's so boring," she whined. I fiddled with the dial, trying to suppress the voice inside of me that wanted to oppose. This was our anniversary night, it was going to be special, without any arguments, only for one night.

We finally pulled up to the restaurant with a flashy red sign that read: Le cul du perroquet. I raised my eyebrows, because I didn't need to be fluent in French to know what that meant. As we walked towards the entrance, I reached to take her hand. I then realised they were both taken up by her giant rose gold iPhone.

I wondered if she was being particularly annoying that night, but it was most likely my nerves that were making me more irritated.

We took a seat and waited in silence for the waiter. I fiddled with the sleeves of my suit, which were too short due to my lanky figure. Marissa typed loudly on her phone, and then giggled at whatever was written on her screen. My fists clenched in curiosity, but I knew better than to ask who she was talking to. Finally, the waiter came and put me out of my misery, and once he left, Marissa put her phone in her bag and faced me.

"So babe, it's our special day, so I wanted to do something special," she purred. She placed her hand on top of mine as I let out a sigh of relief.

"Me too, I have a lot planned for tonight. I swear it will be perfect," I rambled, and she laughed forcefully in return, sliding her hand up my arm.

"Oh great! But you know what they say, ladies first!" she grinned at me and I raised my eyebrows in confusion. Before I had time to question her, the waiter came with our drinks.

I watched as he poured wine into our glasses and took a step back. Marissa picked up her wine glass and swirled it around a couple times.

"Harry, you know how much I like you. A year is a long time, you know." She started. I nodded, giving her a warm smile. I couldn't believe how long it had been. I remember the day I met her as if it were yesterday. It was at the Leeds annual art auction. Even though she told me she only went for the free champagne, I think that was truly when she started appreciating art. A year had gone by so fast, that it felt like only a month.

"Harry, I've been with lots of men. Out of all of them, you're the... greatest." She said, snapping me out of my thoughts. I smiled and leant back in my chair, a little confused but still grateful for the compliment.