Orphans | Larry

40

Louis POV

"I can't do this." My hand shook as I went to open the car door.

"Well we're here now, you might as well." He smiled.

His smile was enough to brighten an entire room, it was enough to keep me grounded.

I breathed, "Okay, let's do this?"

"That's the spirit!" Harry replied. Placing his hand on my lower back.

"Wait!" I stopped in my tracks.

"You okay, love?"

"What does she think we are?" I asked.

Harry retracted his hand from my back then, "A friend."

"Maybe we should act that way." I said.

Harry's smile dropped then, he nodded at the ground and continued his way to the front door.

I grabbed his arm, pulling him back into my direction, "Just until we break the ice and stuff, she was never very understanding of, you know, gays."

"Yeah, no, I totally get it. Friends until we figure out if she's going to throw a bible at us." He laughed.

"Yeah, good way of putting it Haz." I smiled.

I was taking in the scenery around us, it was a lovely house. The door painted blue, the fence white and the grass freshly cut.

Children's toys and bicycles were scattered across the garden, laughter radiating from indoors. A true sign that she had moved on, perfected her life without me in it.

The door swung open then, a pair of twins at the entrance.

"Which one do you think is Louis?" One spoke to the other.

"Girls!" Her voice rang, as she joined her children in the doorway.

She gasped then, her hand raising up to her mouth, her eyes welling with tears. She had aged, and yet she still had the same kind eyes, the same sweet voice that had sent me to sleep so many nights.

"You look so grown up!" She let out a teary smile as she embraced me.

I stood still, shocked at the situation, angry even that she would say such a thing. Harry turned to give me a warning look, clearly having observed how I was feeling.

"Aren't ya gonna say anything?" One of the twins spoke once more.

"Daisy, that's enough!" Johannah said.

"Nah, she's right. I guess I don't have anything to say to someone who abandoned me." I shrugged, looking at my mother straight in the eyes.

Watching her face crumple pained me, it did. Yet I failed to comprehend how she had expected this to go. I was hardly going to jump for joy at a stranger whom had done me such damage.

"I get that," She looked down at her feet, "would you like to come in? I made cupcakes."

"So you cook now, wow things really have changed." I said.