Call Me Baby: Chapter 6 part A
So, because I can’t pick a part out of the first half of the chapter to give as a preview, I’m doing this again. The rest of chapter six will be out in the next few days, but I wanted to give you guys this, because I’m not a dick, like Ryan Murphy. So, here you go! :) xx
Louis stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist awkwardly, the large plastic bag on his cast arm impeding his movements. He shuffled into his room, not bothering with the towel once the door was closed, and went in search of some clothes.
After dressing and removing the damp plastic from his arm, he headed downstairs to go sit on the couch, as Harry had instructed him. He had been reluctant at first, to obey his orders, but he had been told that not abiding by the rules could set him back in his recovery, which wasn’t really an option.
Upon entering the living room, he noticed Harry’s mum sitting on the couch-waiting for him, presumably. He hadn’t really gotten the chance to meet her properly yesterday, so there was a bit of residual awkwardness curling in his stomach. He waved stiltedly with his good arm.
“Er, hey, Mrs Styles,” he greeted, wincing internally at the stiffness of it. She chuckled at him.
“Louis, we’re going to be spending quite a lot of time together in the next few days, I think it’d be good if you’d call me Anne,” she told him lightly, “Besides, my name isn’t ‘Styles’-it’s ‘Cox’. I changed it when I remarried.”
“Oh,” he managed quietly, “I’m sorry… I didn’t know.” Anne waved it off with an air of amusement.
“It’s alright, it’s not really that important. Would you like tea, Louis?” Louis looked up, startled by the abrupt change in conversation.
“Uh… Sure. Milk, no sugar, please,” he told her. She nodded, a sweet smile on her face, as she walked off to make tea. Louis remained on the couch, playing with his fingers awkwardly, as he waited for her to come back.
When she did, roughly ten minutes later, she was carrying two mugs. She handed him his, and sat beside him on the sofa, sipping her tea softly. He followed suit, peering over the rim of his mug at her curiously. She drew back, cupping the mug in her lap, and turned to Louis with a nonchalant expression.
“So, my son tells me you two are very close,” she said slyly. Louis’ face softened in a smile. Harry. This he could talk about without being awkward.
“Yeah, we are. He’s been really great recently, with everything that’s been going on, and the girls adore him,” he chuckled, “So do I, actually. I’ve never had a friend like him.”
“I should think not,” Anne muttered to herself, “You two met at the daycare, yeah?”
“Yeah, it was a bit embarrassing, actually, because I didn’t realize he was the teacher, so I asked him if he knew where the teacher was. I’m lucky he wasn’t offended by that,” he told her thoughtfully, “I honestly can’t imagine my life without him at this point.”
“And what are your intentions?” She asked conversationally. Louis choked on his tea.
“S-Sorry?” He spluttered, “My-my intentions?”
“Yes,” she answered, “When are you going to propose?”
“Propose? No, no, no, no, no, no, no-I think you misunderstood,” he held up his hands as if trying to physically slow down her thoughts, “Harry and I-we’re just friends. We’re not-we’re not dating!”
“But you’re in love with him,” she told him, in a way that left no room for discussion, “I can see it in your body language.”
“What are you talking about?!” He exclaimed indignantly. “What body language?”
“Yours,” she replied, “Let’s start with yesterday, shall we? And move forward from there.” All Louis could do was nod.
“Right,” she started, “When Harry took the girls to the park yesterday, you fidgeted with your fingers and clothes, glancing towards the door every few minutes until he got back. When he did get back, you straightened your posture, and your whole face lit up. The corners of your eyes and mouth softened with he came and sat next to you, and your entire body just kind of relaxed.
“You automatically sat next to him at dinner, and even though you were cutting up Daisy’s food for her, your body was facing him, like you were trying to focus on Daisy, but your body turned by itself. You watched him quite closely throughout dinner, with this little smile on your face, your eyes all soft-gazed and happy.
“When we sat down to watch the movie, the two of you curled up together on one side of this couch-it was completely seamless, no asking or conversation involved. You just did it. And then you fell asleep in his arms. That in itself is an indicator of how you feel about him-you felt comfortable enough, and you trust him enough, to allow him to be with you in your most vulnerable state. You trusted him to take care of you, and protect you.”
“That’s because Harry does take care of me. He takes cares of all of us,” Louis told her. Anne shot him a look.
“And that’s another thing: the girls are awfully attached to Harry. What were you planning on doing when you get better, and he leaves?” She asked him. Louis looked startled at the question.
“I… I don’t know. I hadn’t really thought about that,” he admitted.
“It might be something to think about, then. You’re all already in this nice little rhythm-it may already be too late to undo this. From what I’ve been told, and what I’ve observed, I don’t think the girls would take too well to Harry leaving-and I don’t think either of you would, either,” she told him gently. Louis looked at his lap, where his mug of tea was going cold.
“It’s not like he’d be that far away. The twins and I will still see him everyday at daycare, and he comes on Saturday’s for dinner, anyway. We had a ‘nice little rhythm’ going before I got hurt,” he replied, slightly indignantly. Anne tapped his knee.
“It wasn’t as nice as the one you’ve got going now, is it,” it wasn’t a question, as they both knew the answer, “I love my son, more than anything in the world, but he can be a bit difficult at times. Louis-and forgive me if this is too forward, but I think you should ask Harry to come live with you-as a permanent thing. No, no… Don’t panic,” she said hastily as Louis balked, “Hear me out. The girls obviously love Harry very, very much-that much is evident. Harry loves the girls, too-that’s also very obvious. You and Harry clearly have a… Unique friendship, and I can see that you love my son a lot-I have no doubt in my mind that he loves you just as much. I can only think of good things that would come of you living together!”
“Well, but… It could get awkward! We’re both boys, things… Things happen. To boys,” Louis said desperately. Anne snorted.
“You mean like what happened last night?” Louis paled.
“He told you?”
“Why are you embarrassed? You didn’t seem to have a problem with it this morning-in fact, you were taking great pleasure in teasing him about it!”
“I didn’t-I don’t-” Louis spluttered, before sighing, “It’s just-it’s weird that you know. It’s not something parents should know about. I mean, obviously, you know it happens in theory, but parents should never hear about that happening to their kids. It’s like a kid thinking about how his parents had to have had sex in order for them to be alive-it’s weird.” Anne laughed heartily.
“Louis, I’m going to tell you something that not even Harry knows,” she leaned forward conspiratorially, “When Harry was a teenager, I caught him numerous times-sometimes by himself, twice with a girl. Every time it happened, I just backed out quietly and shut the door. And I’d ask him to wash his hands before dinner.”
“That’s really funny, actually,” Louis chuckled, “When I got my first boyfriend, years ago, I had him over for a night-we’d been dating a few months-because my parents were at my grandparents’ with my sisters. So, naturally, I thought I could get away with it. They, ah, they came home early, ‘cause Georgia had a fever,” he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, gesturing with his hands as he spoke, “Mum heard me-you know… But she thought I was hurt. Oh god, it was so awkward to have her walk in on that. We weren’t-you know-doing it. Just getting there. The worst part was that I hadn’t told my mum I was gay-so it was just like ‘surprise!’. I found out later that she’d known all along and was just waiting for me to tell her on my own time. I really miss her.”
He rubbed his burning eyes ruefully as Anne patted his knee. He let out a bitter laugh. “And now she’s never going to walk in on the girls when they get their first boyfriends. They’re never going to feel awkward, and guilty, at being walked in on by their mother-who thought they’d been hurt. They’re never going to introduce the boyfriend to her while they’re both half naked and scrambling for their clothes,” he buried his face in his hands fully, balancing the mug between his knees, “It sounds so silly, these being the things I’m upset about! I wanted that for them. I wanted them to have that embarrassment, those awkward moments that come with being a teenager. I wanted them to have their mum there, to have a normal life. Not be stuck here with me. I’m not supposed to be their dad, Anne. I’m supposed to be their brother.” He looked at her desperately, searching for something she wasn’t sure she could provide.
“I know you are, Louis. But that’s not in the cards right now. Maybe one day, when they’re all grown up, you can go back to being their big brother. But right now, they need a dad. You’re doing such a good job with them-with everything. I know you’re doing your best to give them as normal of a life as possible, and even if they don’t understand it yet, they will,” she shuffled over, giving him a one armed hug, “And you’re not completely alone in all of this, either. I know Harry is more than happy to help you out-the fact that he hasn’t once corrected the girls when they’ve called him ‘daddy’ is proof of this. All you’ve got to do is ask him to stay. And, regardless of whether he stays or not, he and I will still be there for you-no matter what.”
“Thank you,” he mumbled, curling further into her embrace, “You hug like my mum used to.” Anne blinked, unsure how to reply to that.
“You’re welcome, Louis,” she whispered into his hair, “You’re one of the family now, it’s no problem.”
“What if Harry isn’t ready for that? What if he’s not ready for me to be a part of his family, or for him to be a part of mine?” Louis asked suddenly, after a beat of silence.
“He is, love,” Anne told him, “I know my son, and having seen him interact with you and the girls in the last few days, I can tell you, quite confidently, that he is. He’s more than ready.