your lipstick stain is a work of art » stylinson

twelve⚤

part twelve

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harry stands at the door to louis and jesy's flat, tapping his left foot nervously, wringing his hands together. he has been hearing tumbling around from behind the thin wood for a few seconds, and he readies himself, putting on a brave face as the door opens. "hello, harry," says jesy, and he nods slowly, swallowing thickly. jesy invited him here while louis is away at uni still, finishing up his last friday class.

"hello," he says politely, giving her a nervous wave, which she rolls her eyes at and motions for him to come in, jerking her head to the side a little. following her in and closing the door behind them gently, he fidgets with his fingers and stands pigeon-toed as jesy settles back onto the couch, making herself comfortable.

she stops moving after a few moments and looks up at him, and they just stare at each other for nearly 30 seconds - just... staring. after another few seconds, a humor induced grin laces its way up jesy's lips and blush dusts harry cheeks, he ducks his head a little. "quit looking so scorned, you aren't in trouble. take a seat if you want," she offers, actually laughing a little. harry doesn't know whether to be soothed or offended.

but, regardless, he walks over to the recliner adjacent to jesy, and crosses his ankles top over top, intertwining his fingers. "okay, s─sorry," he stutters nervously. he knows why he's been summoned here. the good 'ole fashioned if-you-mess-this-up-and-break-his-heart-i-will-snap-your-neck type talk. and, harry is naturally awkward ─ he can only imagine how this is going to go.

"don't apologize, sweetie!," jesy laughs in surprise, and harry deflates a little, trying not to be so tense. suddenly, and jesy must feel it, too, because she immediately stops laughing, the atmosphere turns serious. "you know why you're here, don't you?," she asks, raising up a little bit, putting her crossed arms on her knees, looking at harry with concentration. he nods, sucking in his bottom lip. "okay ─ i don't want this to go the way you're probably assuming that it will. why don't you start out by telling me a little about yourself?," she asks softly, which surprises harry greatly. he assumed that jesy would be cold-cut and brutal.

"o─okay...," he murmurs, twisting at the ring on his middle finger rather roughly. "what do you want to know?," he swallows, and jesy purses her lips.

"hmm... start out with small facts. what do you want to do with your life? what do you look for in a person? what are your intentions with louis?," she counts, and harry nearly sputters at the word intention.

"i don't have any intention with louis. i like him a lot, and i enjoy his company ─ so i asked him out, not so that i could get any gain out of it aside from getting to spend time with him," he says defensively, and then his eyes widen and he clamps his jaw tight and he shakes his head. "i'm sorry! that sounded rude and mean ─ i'm sorry, i promise that i'm not mean!," he cries, covering his face with his hands.

jesy furrows her eyebrows and leans forwards on her feet to touch harry on the arm lightly. "hey, i know you weren't being mean. i'm glad you reacted like that, actually. it proves that you aren't after... it means that you like him for him. that's all i can ask for," she says, patting harry's shoulder, and he smiles microscopically, ducking his head again. "but if you mess this up i will snap your neck," she adds, and ─ yep ─ there it is.

"i don't plan on messing it up... i've been... i've liked louis for quite some time," he confesses to her, and she blinks, settling back onto the couch. "it's just... i─i've just had this respect for him. every time i saw him in the hallways, wearing a dress or high heels, or wearing lipstick or something... it made me feel like nobody was like him... that he was too brave. and then ─ and then, i started to realize that i liked how he looked in dresses and heels and lipstick and... and... i knew that he didn't like me. he detested me, and i think it's because we are so different... but i'm really glad he ran into me that day ─ that he's given me a chance at all, really. um, sorry for rambling...," he blushes, realizing that he has completely opened up to jesy, who looks just as surprised.