painless ➸ larry

nine

*chapter nine;

"Sometimes I lie, okay? You may remember, I already checked your blood pressure." Dr. Cox says when Louis enters the room and takes a seat.

"Uh, nope. I don't really pay attention during these check-up things." Louis admits. "But, then, why am I in here still?"

"Well, I went out there to tell you that I could contact your mother myself, but when I saw Harry dragging you into the bathroom, I had to investigate." Anne answers. "Is he still hurting you?"

"No, I swear to god, he just wanted to surprise me, because I haven't seen him in a week."

"You don't have to cover up for him. I want to know if he has a problem." 

"No! Really, he doesn't. Just, he was excited to see me." Louis insists. "I actually hurt him; I gave him a bloody nose." Louis tries to take the spotlight off Harry and onto himself. 

"I would've, too, if he was hurting me like that." 

It didn't work.

"Okay, well, can I go? Honestly, I'd rather spend as little time as possible here." Louis says, bluntly.

"You're kind of sassy, you know." Anne flicks her wrist, signifying that Louis can leave. It's about time. 

Louis walks out the door, being cautious this time, to make sure he doesn't get dragged into a bathroom, nor spotted by his doctor. Harry's no where to be seen, however, so Louis just starts his walk home. As he walks, he thinks about how Anne called him 'sassy'. The last time he could remember being called that was when he was five and he ate all the marshmellows that his mother had stocked in the cabinet. Sassy was not a word that Louis had ever really associated with himself. Blunt, maybe. Annoying, probably. Sassy? He's not too sure. 

(Okay, maybe he is sassy, but he doesn't want to admit it. It makes him seem a bit less nineteen-year-old and a bit more five-year-old.)

When Louis finally stumbles his way home, he checks the mail. Like normal, there's bills and scam mail, but Louis is surprised to see a letter addressed to him. Like, who would write a letter to Louis? There's no one he can think of, because almost everyone he knows owns a cellphone and has his number. 

But, nonetheless, there's this letter in his hand; it's for him, and damn well he's going to read it, so let's cut to the chase. 

Sure enough, it's from the idiot a mile over. (Harry; and Louis doesn't really think he's an idiot.)

Louis tears open the envelope, because, who's he kidding, he sucks at opening envelopes. Can anyone really open them up right?

Anyway, Louis reads the letter, and it's basically just a ton of things Harry had already been telling Louis over the phone. (Ex. How he got a ninety on his math test.) Louis can't help but wonder who the hell besides Harry would write a letter and hand deliver it to Louis' house just to tell him that he did good on a test? Okay, so there was more than just about a test, but you get the gist of it.

Louis just smiles to himself and tucks the letter in his pocket, continuing on his was to the door. When he gets inside, he texts his mother to go meet with Dr. Cox after she's done with work. She replies that Dr. Cox had already told her they needed to talk. Oh. 

Louis proceeds to go into the living room and switches on the television, absentmindedly wondering what Harry's doing. Then, he shoots a text over to Liam, whom says they should get together soon. Liam invites Louis over, so after telling his mum he's leaving, Louis is on his way.

What Harry's doing while Louis is with Liam, is meeting up with Ashton—who insisted that Harry had to meet his eight trillion other friends. Like, really, Ashton is super popular and Harry wouldn't be surprised if he was friend with everyone on earth and beyond—if there is anyone beyond. 

Also, Ashton didn't tell Harry how many people he was to be meeting, so Harry just expected the worst; the worst being too many people to count. Harry's surprised when he gets to Ashton's house that there are only four boys sitting on his couch, playing Fifa.

"Okay, so here is Luke, Calum, Michael, and Niall." Ashton introduces, but Harry cannot break his eye contact with the blonde one.

"Niall?" Harry squeaks. 

Niall can't break out of the trance either, because, holy shit, that's his ex-boyfriend standing right in front of him. The boyfriend that he broke up with to go out with Josh; the boyfriend that he never properly broke up with—it was over text message; the boyfriend that Niall still thinks is goddamn hot. But, no, he can't be here, in Doncaster. 

As they stare at each other, the other three boys just glance around awkwardly, wondering what's going on. 

"Mates, are you alright?" Ashton's Aussie accent rings through the room and Harry blinks once before looking at Ash. 

"Uh, yeah, but I don't think I can stay here. I'll just, go home, I guess." Harry mumbles, but Niall grabs his wrist before he can move. 

"No, stay." Niall demands.

It hurts Harry to even look in those blue eyes, so he doesn't. He adverts his gaze over to the telly. 

"Niall," Harry warns, shaking his wrist free. "I don't want to talk to you." Or see you, or hear you, or think about you, for that matter, Harry thinks. 

"Uhm, alright, just—I'm sorry, okay?" Niall says desperately, but Harry shakes his head, walking right back out the door and leaving Niall to explain the dilemma to his now-curious friends.

★

oh plot twist

niall finally made it. he's in with the 5sos boys.

well anyway now the mystery of how anne knew is solved... but now there's the mystery of: how did niall get to doncaster?