Free i 0d2125e00f277ca8 by Craig Lightfoot

eyes, Jesus Christ.”
    58

    Louis holds out the hose, but then pulls it back before Zayn can grab it.

    “So you‟re saying you risked blindness to throw yourself at this guy,”
    Louis says. Harry and Niall are both laughing so hard they look like
    they‟re about to wet themselves.

    “Fuck you, Louis, this fucking burns.” He snatches the hose from
    Louis‟ hands and starts washing the soap off his face. “Go distract him,
    I can‟t let him see me like this,” he says, cupping handfuls of water and
    bringing them up to his eyes.

    “Are you seri—” Louis starts, but Harry interrupts.

    “You can gather intel, Lou, go on,” and well, the man does have a
    point. Thankfully, there‟s a line at the donation area too, so Louis has
    time to saunter over before Liam‟s left. Louis walks up to the driver‟s
    side window and leans over, doing his best to look normal-friendly and
    not your-discomfort-delights-me-friendly.

    “Hello, there,” he says, offering his most winning smile.

    “Hi,” Liam says. His face, Louis notices, is a very interesting shade of
    red, but beyond that, he still seems to be behaving as if this is an
    ordinary thing to happen to a man who just wanted to get a wash and
    wax for a good cause. “I, um, I think this is where I‟m supposed to give
    a donation?”

    “Yes, right this way,” Louis says, gesturing elaborately to the group of
    teenagers just ahead. “We appreciate your contribution.”

    “Great, thank you,” Liam says. “I‟m happy to help.”
    Poor sod. Poor, oblivious sod.

    59

    He pulls up, and Louis watches as he pulls out his wallet, counts out a
    couple of notes, pauses, and then empties the entire thing into the
    bucket.
    60

THREE

    "Rod Stewart," Harry says. Louis stares blankly at the contents of his
    refrigerator, phone wedged against his ear. Just moments ago he was
    standing here wondering how long ago he bought that feta cheese, and
    then Harry called and effectively commandeered all of his attention.

    "What?"

    "Rod Stewart,” Harry says again. “I was right. It was totally Rod
    Stewart, not Barry Manilow."

    Louis leans against the door of the fridge, trying to pin down the
    sudden smile inching up his face. "Christ, that was like two weeks ago,
    Harold."

    "Yeah, but I just remembered to google it," Harry tells him. Louis can
    almost see his shrug, the smug set of his mouth, and he‟s thankful
    Harry can‟t see the way his own smile keeps spreading.

    "Well, I hope you're pleased with yourself," Louis says. He snags a jar
    of cherries off of the shelf and closes the door with his hip, twisting the
    lid off as he pads over to the kitchen counter.

    "I am,” Harry says, and then he drops his voice and rasps down the
    line, “If you want my booody, and you think I'm seeexy, come on sugar
    let me knooow."
    61

    Louis squeezes his eyes shut for a moment but doesn‟t miss a beat.
    "Did you only call to serenade me with the smooth, sultry sounds of
    Not Barry Manilow?"

    "Pretty much, yeah,” Harry says. “And there are a lot of songs by Not
    Barry Manilow, so you should settle in. It‟s going to be a long show."

    Louis sets the jar down on the counter and leans against it. “Is that so?”
    Duchess leaps up to the counter, and Louis pets her absentmindedly.

    “Mhmm,” Harry hums.

    Louis can‟t help himself. “So you‟re going to keep me up all night,
    then?” he purrs. He hears a sharp intake of breath down the line that
    could be the start of a laugh, but before he gets to find out, Duchess
    swipes out a paw and bats the jar of cherries off the counter.

    It hits the floor with a crash and shatters into a puddle of glass, cherries,
    and syrup that starts spreading alarmingly fast. “Shit, shit, shit,” Louis
    says, jumping across the kitchen to grab a dishtowel off the side of the
    sink. Duchess just watches him, her tail swishing angrily.

    “Lou?” Harry‟s tinny voice reminds him he still has his phone between
    his ear and