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Harry straightened up from where he had been bent over the cold metal table for far too long. He stood up tall, cracking his back and stretching his arms up toward the wooden ceiling of the university’s greenhouse. He pushed his unruly chocolate curls behind his ears and smiled down at the little tiny shoots he just got done transplanting. His bottle green eyes squinted toward the giant windows toward the Seattle skyline on the other side of the greenhouse and saw that the sun was halfway to the horizon. A quick glance at his watch confirmed that it was getting close to three and that he had been in the greenhouse for the better part of four hours.
He had planned on being home by four o’clock so he could make a celebratory dinner for his roommate, Niall, who had just gotten promoted to manager at a seedy bar downtown. Well, it wasn’t really seedy. It was just kind of dark and grungy, like the bar itself was stuck in 1993. It wasn’t really his scene but he could admit they had epic open-mic nights.
Harry grabbed his brown leather messenger bag and slung it over his shoulder as he took off for the bus stop at a brisk pace. If he hurried he could still catch the 3:11 bus and make it home by 4:30. He knew he should have driven that morning. What would have been a 20 minute trip by car out to Alki was a tortuous hour and some minutes by bus, including two transfers.
He hitched up his bag and walked faster, smiling at the sight of the sun peeking through the buildings and shining brightly off the trees with not a cloud in the sky. He took a deep breath of the warm summer air and jogged up to the bus stop just as the bus was pulling up.
He got settled in his seat and put in his earbuds, pulling up a playlist. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the sun-warmed glass letting the music relax him as he planned that night’s dinner.
A little over an hour later and Harry was stepping off the last bus. He couldn’t help but smile at his surroundings. He lived in this little area of Seattle known as Alki for five years, having moved in with his aunt when he started school at the University of Washington at Seattle. Unfortunately his aunt passed away the year before but she left Harry her little house and he was proud to call it home.
Harry opened the gate to the front yard and walked up to the little blue cottage, pleased with the look of the pretty pink flowers growing in the yard. He and Niall had recently painted the shutters a soft pink to match the flowers. The exterior of the house was a very peaceful and welcoming sight.
He entered the house and hung up his messenger bag then went into his bedroom to change clothes. He put his boots neatly in the closet and placed his dirty clothes in the hamper. He slid on a pair of white shorts that ended mid-thigh and pulled his curls up in a soft bun before walking out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.
The steaks that were marinating in the fridge were soon placed on the counter and the corn on the cob removed from the brine it had been soaking in overnight. Harry set them aside and started tearing up lettuce and chopping vegetables for a salad. He placed a few beers in a bucket with ice then went outside to fire up the grill.
While the grill heated up, Harry went over to his garden to check on his plants. He watered his vegetables first then his flowers. He grabbed his notebook and walked over to his pride and joy. Several rows of benches held flower pots with green shoots of varying heights. He scribbled down some notes as he checked each pot.
“So, how is Emma doing?” asked a voice behind him.
Harry turned around with a fond smile and a tilt of his head as he took in his blonde roommate. “She’s fine, Niall.” Harry likes to name his plants and Niall took a liking to Emma. Emma was hard to grow and there were times when both boys thought she wouldn’t make it. It was a very stressful time because this type of plant was very rare and very expensive.
Harry was trying to create a successful hybrid of the very rare impatiens bequaertii, which are also known as a dancing girl impatiens, and more common blue knight impatiens. Dancing girl impatiens are unique in that the flowers look like girls in dresses with their arms outstretched as if dancing. The flowers are white or light pink. Harry’s dream was to create a hybrid of the two types of impatiens and create blue dancing girls.
Niall was extremely supportive of Harry’s research and experiments, always willing to help Harry out when he could. “Hey, mate,” he said, “You keep on working. I’ll man the grill.”
“Are you sure?” Harry asked. “This is your promotion celebration.”
“Course I’m sure. Besides, I’m the grill master,” he said laughing.
They chatted about their day as they ate. Once their plates were clear, they lay back on the deck chairs and enjoyed a couple beers. “Open-mic night this week is going to be sick,” Niall said. “You should come. Ed will be there.”
“Yeah, of course. I’ll be there,” Harry said with a lazy smile.
…………………………
Louis hurried into the break room and opened his backpack. He grabbed his black skinny jeans and kicked off his Vans. He slid the obnoxious board shorts down his legs, wadded them up, and threw them in his bag before pulling on his jeans. He hated the bright Hawaiian shorts he had to wear as part of his uniform. At least he didn’t choose to wear the ugly Hawaiian shirts instead like Liam does.
Speaking of the devil, Liam himself walked into the break room at that moment. “Mate, Garrett just called. He wants to have a luau next Saturday. We’ll have to work late.”
One of the best parts of working at the surf shop on Alki Beach was their boss, Garrett. He was really chill and laid back. Sometimes he decided to close the shop so the boys could go find some good surf or he’d simply close it to have a party. Of course, even though the shop itself was closed, Louis and Liam would still be working. They had to work as hosts and make sure the guests were happy.
“Sounds great, Li. We’ll start planning tomorrow. I’ve got to get going. I need to be in Westport by 4,” Louis said.
“Good luck, man. Drive safe,” Liam replied as he hugged Louis and smacked a kiss to the side of his head.
Louis walked out to his car, an old rusty blue Subaru station wagon with a roof rack, and hoped inside. He rolled down the windows to let the breeze ruffle his chestnut hair and took a deep breath of the clean-scented sunny air. He plugged cassette adaptor into his iPhone (it was an old car, sue him), and pulled out of the parking lot, mentally preparing himself for a 6 hour round trip drive.
He hoped and prayed that this trip ended up going smoothly. The family he was meeting did not seem to understand the worth of the items they were selling and he hoped they did not sell the items to another buyer before he got there.
You see, Louis had a dream and that dream was to open up his own shop selling antique and vintage surf items. The family he was meeting had recently lost their grandfather and were getting rid of all of his treasures.
Louis suspected that they had no idea what they were sitting on and an even stronger suspicion that they didn’t know their own grandfather very well if they were willing to part with all of these things so easily. The grandfather was a surfing legend in his native Hawaii. When he retired he settled in Westport, Washington with his wife and children. He ran a surf school up until his death a few months back.
Louis pulled up to the house after a long drive, grabbed his backpack and walked up the drive to the front door. He rang the bell and was greeted by a stunning woman around his age. She was taller than Louis with straight black hair falling down to her waist. She held her hand out for Louis to shake. “You must be Louis. I’m Haleigh. Thank you for answering our ad so quickly. We need to have the house cleared out by the 1st of the month for the new buyers and really need to get rid of this old junk.”
Junk? Louis internally sneered. This “junk” is a glimpse of surf history. Of course he couldn’t expect everybody to appreciate the things he was interested in and she actually seemed very nice so he pasted on a winning smile and asked if he could see the items they were selling.
He ended up buying a couple vintage wooden longboards and quite a bit of memorabilia. He was right that they had no idea what the items were worth. After Louis pulled $1,500 from his backpack, the family was shocked. They had seriously considered asking no more than $500 for the lot. Considering Louis would make around $6,000, he wasn’t too bothered with spending over a grand.
Before he left he cautioned the family to do a bit of research on their grandfather and the remaining items so they could get a fair price for them. He laid all of the seats down in the Subaru and placed the wrapped boards and memorabilia in the back. He didn’t trust the roof rack to keep the boards safe on the long drive back to Seattle.
He was exhausted from his long workday and even longer drive and just wanted to fall into bed but first he had to make sure his new treasures were secure. He usually parked on the street in front of the apartment that he and Liam shared along with Liam’s boyfriend, Zayn. This night he decided to park his car in the garage they rented to make sure no one could look into the backseat and see the items he had stored there.
The garage was situated off of an alley that ran behind the apartment building and several houses. Louis locked up the car, double-checked that the garage was locked, and walked down the alley toward the street.
As he walked around the corner, he was hit by the most amazing smells. The rich smell of grilling meat made his stomach clench as he realized that he hadn’t bothered eating in at least eight hours. The smell of the grill was accompanied by the smell of the sweetest flowers. It wasn’t overpowering, just mellow and lovely.
He heard low music and laughter and couldn’t resist taking a peek over the low wall that separated the yard from the street. He could immediately tell that this was the yard that the amazing smells were coming from. Louis could see an absolute jungle of flowers. He looked around and noticed a blond man standing at the grill. He peeked over to see who the blond man was laughing with and saw the most beautiful man he had ever seen.
Louis’ eyes raked up the stranger’s long shapely legs, up to hips clad in white shorts (hips Louis wouldn’t mind nibbling on), a never-ending milky-gold torso, and finally settling on a face that could only belong to an angel. Louis had a hard time tearing his gaze away from the dimpled smile on the cherubic face framed by wispy tendril of curls. Oh, Louis thought. He is stunning.
Just then, a loud rumble form his stomach snapped him out of his staring. He quickly hurried down the street into his apartment where he finally ate some dinner and went to sleep.
…………………………
Saturday afternoon found Harry in his garden testing soil and measuring plants. The weather was a perfect 75 degrees and the humidity was relatively low at 55%. Lovely weather for gardening. As Harry puttered around his plants wearing only cut off jean shorts, he remembered that Niall had to go to work early to set up for open-mic night. It was Niall’s first open-mic night as manager so he was a bit nervous. Harry promised he would be there for him but first Harry wanted to cook Niall a nice dinner.
Leaving his impatiens outside, he gathered fresh tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, and herbs from his garden and took them in the house to rinse them. He washed the vegetables and set to make some pasta. He sautéed some garlic and onion in olive oil. When they were tender he crushed the fresh tomatoes by hand and grated some zucchini and carrots before adding it all to the pot.
While the sauce was simmering he took a hot shower then pulled on some loose shorts to wear while he finished dinner. The sauce bubbled away on the stove top so Harry added a handful of fresh herbs and grabbed the fresh pasta out of the refrigerator. After he put the water on to boil he sliced some Italian bread and took out the butter.
Niall was just arriving home from a day out with friends as the pasta finished cooking. He walked over to the fridge and grabbed two bottles of water to take to the table as Harry dished up the meal. As he passed Harry, he gave him a big smacking kiss to the side of his head and said, “You’re too good to me, mate.”
Dinner was delicious and filled with talking and laughter as it always was with the two of them. As they cleared their plates, Niall got a serious look on his face and announced that he needed a favor from Harry.
“I’m kind of stressing about tonight, man. What if it’s not as good as other nights? I don’t want to mess up the first time I’m in charge.”
“Oh, Niall,” Harry said as he reached out to place his hand over top of Niall’s, “You’re brilliant. You won’t mess it up.”
“Just come early with me? Help me get ready?” Niall asked batting his eyelashes.
Harry patted Niall’s hand and stood up, “Of course I will, Niall,” he said and went to his bedroom to get dressed.
Harry was only in his bedroom five minutes when Niall started yelling at him to hurry up. He threw on a pair of black skinny jeans along with a mostly unbuttoned blue plaid flannel. He ran his fingers through his curls, deciding to leave his hair down and slid his black boots on his feet as he grabbed his phone, keys, and wallet.
He took one final look around his room to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything and jogged out to door to a waiting Niall.
As the two boys drove to the pub, Harry couldn’t shake the feeling that he had forgotten something. When he brought it up in the car, Niall said, “Well, yeah. I think you left your plants outside but the weather is supposed to stay this nice all night. They’ll be fine. Anyway, who would steal a plant?”
“You’re right. I won’t worry about it. They’ll be fine,” Harry said and vowed to have a good time with his friends.
…………………………
Louis shrugged the hated Hawaiian shirt up on his shoulders, leaving it unbuttoned over a black tank and made a face. “Why does Garrett hate me? I can’t believe he’s making me wear this,” he whined to Liam.
“Calm down, Lou. At least the print has a black background. He literally gave you the least tacky one he had. He doesn’t hate you. He just wants this to go well tonight,” Liam replied as he added more product to his hair to spike up the front.
“Yeah Lou,” he heard from behind him, “every surfer you guys know from up and down the coast will be here. He just wants to show off his shop.” Louis turned to face Zayn as Zayn slid around Louis and behind Liam, wrapping his arms around his middle, nuzzling his nose between Liam’s shoulder blades. “Don’t worry. It will look great with the grass skirts he’s picked out.”
Louis’ head whipped around to face Zayn, his face a mixture of shock and outrage. One look into Zayn’s eyes confirmed that he was kidding so he threw the bottle of hairspray at him and stalked out of the room.
“We’re going to be late. Let’s go!” he yelled at the two boys as he grabbed his keys and stomped out the door, the other two giggling as they followed him.
The party was still in full swing in the courtyard as the sun began to set, leaving Louis and Liam to put the food away in the shop’s tiny refrigerator. They each grabbed a case of beer to take outside and headed back out into the courtyard. As they were adding the bottles to the ice-filled buckets, Garrett announced that they were all going to play a game.
“We are going on a scavenger hunt. You’ll be broken up into teams of two. I’ve tried to pair each local with one of our out of town friends to make it fair. You’ll each have a list of things you have to find but you won’t bring the items back with you. You must take a selfie with each item and you can’t use items in the shop or the courtyard. That would be too easy.”
Louis was actually pretty excited at this turn of events. He was very competitive and was ready to win.
“The teams,” Garrett announced, “are Louis and Stan…” Inwardly, Louis cheered. He liked Stan. Stan was a good friend who lived on the Oregon coast. They didn’t get to see each other too often but when they did they got on very well. Both were extremely competitive and Louis knew they’d make a great team and have no trouble winning.
“…Liam and Dan,” Garrett continued. Louis had to repress a snort. Liam was a good sport and very patient most of the time but Louis knew that Dan would test his patience. Dan was an awful person to just be around. He had next to zero actual surfing skills and could be found mostly lounging around talking shit while everybody else was out in the waves, but he never failed to let everybody know that he was the best surfer on the west coast and annoyed everybody with his know-it-all attitude.
“…Zayn and Nick,” Garrett announced. Louis’ eyebrows rose at this pairing. Both Zayn and Nick were really laid-back and secretly goofy. Neither were fond of physical activity or competition but if it was something they were interested in, they could be seriously cut-throat competitors. Judging by the wicked glint in Zayn’s eyes as he nodded to Nick, they’d be in it to win it.
As Garrett droned on with the names of the other teams, Louis walked over to Stan and sat down. “We gonna win this?” he asked Stan with a bump to his fist.
“Dream team, bro,” Stan replied. “We got this in the bag.”
Garrett passed out the lists and went over the rules. Each team had until midnight to be back at the shop with their list completed. Both team members had to be in each selfie so there would be proof that they didn’t split up.
“Winning team gets to use my cottage down in Pacific City for Labor Day weekend! Ready? GO!” Garrett cried.
Louis and Stan shot off like streaks of lightning. Louis knew exactly where to go for the first item on their list. A life preserver. Fairly easy considering most of the houses in Alki were decorated with a beach theme.
They only had to run a block away to find a life preserver. They quickly snapped a selfie and looked at the next item on the list. A draft beer. Half empty.
Okay, Louis thought, Easy peasy. They jogged over to a nice little outdoor pub and ordered beers from the bartender. They drank half of them down and snapped a picture.
Eleven o’clock rolled around and they still had five items to find. The list had started out nice and easy but as it started to get late, the people in the shops and houses were starting to take things in for the night. It now came down to what they could find just lying around outside.
11:40 and they still had two items left on the list. A surfboard and a flowerpot. Louis figured they had time to run to his apartment and snap a picture with one of his boards since Stan’s were in the courtyard of the shop and off-limits.
They ran as fast as they could to the apartment and snapped a quick shot with one of Louis’ surfboards and ran back out into the street in a panic. It was 11:47 and they still had to find a flowerpot and run back to the shop. They’d never make it. Louis didn’t even know where to find a flowerpot.
Louis jerked to a stop, causing Stan to run into his back. “What the fuck, Lou?” Stan cried breathlessly.
“I know where we can find a flowerpot!” Louis yelled as he began running around the corner of the block. “It’s over here!”
The two boys ran around the corner, stumbling up to a low wall. Just like Louis remembered, the yard was full of gardens and benches of flowerpots. No sign of the curly-haired vision, though. Louis sighed mentally. Maybe next time. “Hurry, Stan. Lean over the wall. We’ll get the flowerpot in the background.”
They leaned back over the wall and snapped the picture but the yard was too dark and the flowerpot didn’t show up. “Shine your flashlight on it. Maybe it will be bright enough!” Louis cried.
Stan opened the flashlight on his phone and pointed it at the flowerpot while Louis snapped another picture. It still wasn’t bright enough so you couldn’t tell that there was a flowerpot in the picture.
Louis looked around to make sure no one was looking and climbed up on the wall. “What are you doing?” Stan asked. “I didn’t know we were going to be doing a little breaking and entering.”
Louis looked at him in exasperation. “Do you want to win or not? I know I want to stay in Pacific City for Labor Day. Besides, we’re not stealing it. I’m just bringing it to the wall for the picture then I’ll put it back.”
Louis grabbed the closest flowerpot and lunged for the wall. Stan snapped a quick picture and looked to make sure it was good. Just as Louis turned around to put the pot back, they heard a door open and a deep voice say, “I’m so sorry my babies. I didn’t mean to leave you out. I’ll get you all inside.”
Shit! thought Louis, It’s the curly-haired angel.
Louis didn’t want to get caught in the yard so he hopped the fence, grabbed Stan’s hand and ran as fast as he could down the street. Never mind that he still had the flowerpot in his hands. He would return it later.
…………………………
Eleven-thirty and Harry was still sober. Not that he wasn’t having fun or enjoying the music. He was. Niall did a great job organizing open-mic night and Ed was currently wowing the crowd with his signing and guitar playing. It’s just that Harry couldn’t get his mind off of his plants.
He really didn’t want to disappoint Niall but he couldn’t stay. He needed to go home and take care of his plants. He figured that he could sneak out, drive home, and put the plants inside. If traffic was on his side he could be back in less than an hour. No one would miss him and he could actually have some fun knowing his babies weren’t out in the yard.
It’s not that Harry cared more about his plants than he did his friends but these plants were very hard to get and they kind of decided part of his future. He needed these hybrids to be successful so he had to go take care of them.
Sneaking out of the pub proved to be difficult as Niall saw him right as he was slipping out the door. As Harry was unlocking the car, he heard Niall say, “Let me guess. You’re going to home to put your plants away.”
Slowly Harry turned around with a sheepish smile on his face. “Yes,” he answered in a small voice.
“It’s okay, Harry. They’re important.”
“You’re important too, Niall. I feel awful but I’ll be right back. I promise.”
Niall gathered Harry up in a big hug then opened the car door for him. “Don’t feel bad. I’m not upset. Come back if you can but don’t worry if you don’t make it. I’ll grab a ride with Ed.”
Harry was so glad to have such an amazing friend as Niall. He couldn’t ask for anyone more supportive or kind. He was thankful every day that he met the blonde.
Harry hummed quietly along to the radio on the drive home and was glad to pull into the drive. He walked into the front and dropped his keys on the table as he toed off his boots and pulled off his socks. Harry would never think about going out into his garden while wearing shoes. Being barefoot made him feel more grounded and connected with the earth.
“I’m so sorry my babies. I didn’t mean to leave you out. I’ll get you all inside,” he said as he stepped into the yard. He scooped up four pots at a time and took them into the house, lovingly placing them on shelves that were built into the big window in the mud room.
As he stepped up to the last row of outside benches to grab the last of the pots, he noticed something was wrong. Where there should have been four pots there were only three. Harry looked around frantically. He looked around that corner of the yard and under the benches but there was no fourth flowerpot.
He looked at the other three pots to see which one was missing. He had Abby, Tori, and Lizzie. Katie was missing.
Harry started to panic. These four pots were some of his newest seeds that he had worked the hardest on. They hadn’t even sprouted yet. It just looked like a pot of dirt. Did someone steal it? Why would someone steal a pot of dirt?
He went inside and texted Niall.
Not coming back. Katie is missing. Have you seen her? –H
A few minutes later his phone went off.
No. She was out with the others when we left. I can come home. –Ni
No. Stay. Maybe I’m just not looking hard enough. It’s dark. –H
I’ll help when I get there. –Ni
Love you. –H
Love you more. –Ni
Harry grabbed their brightest flashlight and went back out into the yard. He looked absolutely everywhere but couldn’t find Katie. Someone had to have stolen her. But why? Why would someone do that?
The only thing Harry could figure out to do at this point was to make some posters offering a reward for her safe return.
WANTED
My Missing Plant!
Her name is Katie and she is very important.
I need her to finish my project for grad school.
REWARD OFFERED!
No Questions Asked
Harry: (360)555-5555
Harry printed out the flyer and, distraught, went to bed hoping that Niall would be willing to pass out flyers the next morning.
…………………………
Louis went to bed that night with a guilty conscience. He knew the plants had to be important to the guy around the corner or else he wouldn’t have a yard that looked like a beautiful jungle. Even though Louis had just a brief glimpse of the yard, he could see that the plant life was well taken care of and thriving.
He decided to go ahead and just go to sleep and worry about returning it the next morning.
Fate must have been conspiring against him, however, as his alarm didn’t go off for work and he was running very late. He barely had time to grab a shower and shove some cereal in his mouth before he had to leave. Oh well, he thought, I’ll just go over there after work and return it then.
………………………………….
Harry woke up Niall early in the morning waving a stack of flyers in his face. “I’ll buy you breakfast if you help me pass these out.”
Niall was awake instantly, whether it was the promised breakfast or because he truly cared enough to help, Harry would never know. “Let me grab a quick shower and we’ll go. I really hope you get your plant back, Harry. I know how much this means to ya.”
Harry, figuring they’d be doing a lot of walking that day, put on some comfortable gray joggers with an old Rolling Stones t-shirt and his bright yellow running shoes before pulling a beanie over his damp curls. He figured comfort was much more important that his signature style and face it, he was too darn stressed to make much of his appearance.
He placed the flyers in his messenger bag along with some tape and a staple gun so they could hang some flyers in some of the businesses as well as staple some to the street poles.
The two boys left the house and walked straight to their favorite café so they could get a good breakfast in their bellies before hitting the pavement.
They spent some time over their breakfast of fruit, pancakes, eggs, and coffee, Niall doing his best to stay positive for Harry’s sake. “We’ll get her back, Harry. There has to be some explanation as to why someone would just take her.”
Harry racked his brain to come up with a decent explanation. Did he have an enemy in the botany department that wanted him to fail so bad that they would take Katie just to screw with his data? Was it just some kids looking for a thrill and now Katie was broken in an alley somewhere?
He shook his head. There was no sense in playing the wondering game. Someone took her and with any luck at all, he’d get her back safe and sound.
The server brought their check and Harry went up to pay, asking if he could leave some flyers on the counter for people to see. He was able to leave a few flyers on the counter and tape on in the window so passers-by could see it as well.
The two of them walked slowly down each street as the day went on: Niall holding the stack of flyers and handing them out to pedestrians and Harry running into each business, taping them to windows and stapling them to poles.
…………………………
Louis had just finished wrapping up some glass floats that had to be sent to a customer in Pennsylvania and was sitting in a chair behind the desk, picking at a frayed edge on the hem of his shorts, stressed about how he was to return the plant.
He supposed he could just wait until the middle of the night and hop the wall again. He really couldn’t think of anything else so he figured it was the best plan he had.
The bells on the door jingled causing Louis to stand up, ready to face the new customer. He opened his mouth to call out a greeting but his words died in his throat when he saw who it was. Standing in front of him was the curly-haired plant god himself, along with his blonde friend that Louis had seen in yard, too.
“Hi,” the curly one said. “I’m Harry. I was wondering if you would be so kind as to let me place this flyer in your window?” he asked as he slid the flyer across the counter.
Louis didn’t bother looking down at the flyer. He was too mesmerized by Harry’s green eyes. Harry. Suits him.
Louis realized he hadn’t answered and was blatantly staring when he heard, “Um, if it’s not okay I understand. I’ll just go,” Harry said as he slid the flyer back toward himself, causing Louis to snap out of his trance.
“No! No. It’s fine. I’ll post it here by the register,” Louis replied with a wine-red stain forming on his cheeks. He could feel the blush forming so he looked away from Harry’s face down to the flyer. What he saw made him almost gasp aloud. A wanted poster. For the plant. That Louis stole. Oh God.
“That would be great. Thank you…?” Harry coaxed.
“Lou-” Louis had to cough to clear his throat. “It’s Louis.”
“Well nice to meet you Louis,” Harry said as he reached for Louis’ hand to shake it. Louis met him halfway and felt a bolt of electric fire as their hands met.
Harry must have felt it too since his eyes shot straight up to look into Louis’ brilliant blue eyes and gripped his hand just a touch harder.
Who knows how long the two of them stood there looking into each other’s eyes while the grips on their hands turned gentler, almost caressing. Louis could almost picture their wedding and their future family.
They broke out of their reverie when Niall cleared his throat with a sly grin on his face. “We should go, Harry. Lots of ground left to cover and it looks like there’s a storm coming in,” he said.
“Yeah,” Harry said, turning toward Niall. He started to walk to the door to leave but at the last second turned around. “Louis? My number is on the flyer. Call me if your hear anything about Katie. Or just if. . . just if you want to?” he said with a small smile.
“Okay,” Louis replied a little breathlessly as he watched Harry walk out the door.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it, thought Louis. It figured that he’d meet one of the prettiest boys he’d seen in forever but it was already ruined because Louis accidentally stole his beloved plant. Of course, if Harry never found out it was him…
He posted the flyer next to the register as he promised then planned how he would sneak the plant back into Harry’s yard that night.
By the time Louis closed up the shop, the storm Niall had warned about was raging full-force. Louis ran home against the wind and driving rain, knowing that he couldn’t try to return the plant that night. There would be no way the plant could survive the weather. He would have to try again the next night.
…………………………
Now that Katie had been stolen, Harry was much more careful of leaving his plants outside in his absence. He didn’t bother going into the city to work in the greenhouse because his plants needed to be out in the sunlight and he couldn’t just leave them. It had been almost 48 hours and not one person had called with tips as to her whereabouts. He hoped someone would call soon because he couldn’t neglect his studies at the greenhouse too long.
It had also been 24 hours and Harry had yet to hear from Louis. Harry really thought there was an instant connection there and was sure Louis had felt it, too. Louis seemed nervous but Harry just figured it was for the same reasons he was nervous. He always got nervous and tongue-tied around new, extremely beautiful guys.
He would just have to go back to the surf shop and ask him out on a date. Determined, Harry laid back in his deck chair and closed his eyes as he sipped a beer. Maybe he’d go back and ask him tomorrow.
…………………………
Louis snuck around the corner of the low wall with his heart in his throat. He was hoping that the house and yard would be dark, signifying that no one was home. If it was all clear he could run home real quick, grab the plant and have her back in her rightful place in Harry’s yard in a flash.
He house and yard looked fairly dark so Louis put both hands on the wall and stood on his toes to get a better look. A deep voice from over to the side of the yard drawled, “Hello, Louis.”
Louis jumped and yelped. “Harry? Um, I didn’t know you lived here.”
Harry chuckled, “So, whose yard did you think your were looking into?”
“No one’s. It just looked so beautiful with all the flowers. I was just taking a peek.”
“Do you want to come inside? I’ll give you a tour.” Please come in. Please, Harry thought to himself.
Louis thought about it for a second. From what he knew of Harry from the short time they talked, he knew he liked him and he knew he was very attracted to him. He really, really wanted to spend some time with him, but what about when Harry found out he stole the plant? He’d definitely lose any chance he had with him and he wasn’t sure he was willing to risk it. If he didn’t get attached it would make it easier when Harry cut him out.
On the other hand, Louis was a glutton for punishment and if it hurt later, so be it. Louis was not about to pass up a chance to spend some time with the prettiest boy he had ever seen.
Several beers and one tour later, Louis was smitten. In addition to his good looks, Harry was charming. However, as Harry told Louis more about his field of study, Louis began to feel guilty.
…………………………
A few days later Louis was walking home from work feeling awful. He hadn’t figured out a way to return the plant as Harry was careful about not leaving them in the yard and by the time it was dark Louis was too afraid of leaving her, Katie, outside. It didn’t help that he was faced with the wanted posters every few feet as he walked home.
He really liked Harry. Like a lot. He liked him so much that he decided to just suck it up and tell Harry that he took the plant even if it meant that Harry wouldn’t want to see him again.
Determined, he walked straight over to Harry’s house instead of going home. I’m going to tell him.
He walked up the sidewalk with his heart in his throat and every step making his legs feel like lead. He got to the door and took a deep breath. He brushed his brushed his hair out of his eyes, straightened his white tank top and knocked on the door.
He was scared. Every instinct in him told him to run. He felt like shit now. He could only imagine how much shittier he’d feel once Harry slammed the door in his face. It was worth it though. Harry’s future was much more important than Louis’ happiness right now. It just sucked that he was already falling for the boy even though they had only hung out one time. It was just too easy and too comfortable with him.
The door swung open just as Louis was raising his hand to knock again. Harry stood there wearing nothing but tiny yellow shorts that did nothing to hide his miles and miles of long legs. They hung so low on his hips that his torso seemed to go on for days.
Louis had to swallow and clear his throat before looking up at Harry’s face. If everything below the neck could be defined as sex on legs, the neck up was even better. He had his curls up in a bun on the top of his head but it had started to fall to the side, leaving curly tendrils hanging along one side of his face. He had beads of sweat glistening along his hairline and to make him even more endearing, he had a smudge of soil high along one cheekbone.
Louis didn’t even stop to think and reached up to rub the dirt off of Harry’s cheek with his thumb. Harry froze with a sharp intake of breath, causing Louis to freeze as well. Louis started to apologize and pull his hand away, but Harry just placed his hand on top of Louis’ and pressed his cheek against it while he murmured, “So glad you’re here. I can’t stop thinking about you.”
Louis’ stomach absolutely exploded with butterflies. It was a strange mix of guilt, lust, and adoration. He could imagine the butterflies all warring with each other to see which emotion would win.
Before he had a chance to dwell on it too hard, Harry had pulled him by the hand into the house. “Come with me. I have to show you something.”
He held Louis by the hand as he toed off his shoes by the door then pulled him through the kitchen into the back yard. Harry gently dragged him through the rows of vegetables and fruits and flowers until he stopped by the very last bench in the row. “Notice something?” he asked.
Louis’ heart started to pound in his chest. Did Harry know he was the one who stole Katie? He could feel his face flame as he looked up into Harry’s eyes, ready to give him an explanation before he was kicked out of the beautiful garden with his tail between his legs in shame.
However, the blinding smile that lit up Harry’s whole face made Louis pause. If he knew Louis was to blame he wouldn’t be smiling. Hope bloomed in Louis’ chest and Harry’s smile was infectious. Louis smiled back at Harry and looked down to the flowerpots sitting neatly on their benches.
They were growing! Tiny green shoots could be seen barely poking out of the soil.
“Harry, that’s wonderful!” Louis cried and pulled him in tightly for a hug.
Harry beamed. “I did it. They’re growing. I can’t wait to see if they’re blue,” he said as he picked Louis up off the ground and spun him around.
He set Louis back down on his feet and cleared his throat, looking around awkwardly. “Um, sorry. I didn’t mean- I just- um, got excited?” he stammered.
Louis grabbed Harry’s hand and squeezed it once, looking up at Harry through his lashes. “I didn’t mind, Harry. It is exciting.”
“Do you want to stay for dinner?” Harry asked.
“Yes. I’d like that,” Louis replied.
…………………………
Louis walked home later that evening with a bounce in his step. He had a great time. Harry was lovely. So, so very lovely. Louis could feel himself falling hard for the boy. The whole night was filled with small touches and secret glances. Louis just knew that Harry liked him, too.
Niall had come home long enough to grab a quick bite before work and Louis liked him a lot as well. He already knew he didn’t want to lose either of these new boys in his life so as he walked home he conveniently ignored all of the wanted posters that were swaying in the evening breeze on every pole along the sidewalk.
Louis got home and jumped into a hot shower. Once he was clean he wrapped a towel around his waist and walked into his bedroom. He turned on the light, walked over to his dresser, and grabbed some clothes. As he pulled the cut-off sweats up his thighs, his glance rested on the windowsill where Katie sat.
He tiptoed over to take a look. The plants at Harry’s house started to grow. Maybe Katie was growing too. He could feel a tendril of hope bloom in his chest as he was now also emotionally invested in Harry’s research.
He leaned over to take a look. Nothing. Just smooth, damp dirt.
He sunk down onto his bed and buried his head in his hands. Shit. Louis saw no way out of this predicament in a way where he would come out happy.
He had two choices.
He could come clean with Harry and tell him that he was the one who stole Katie and that he had accidentally killed her. It was the right thing to do but Harry would never forgive him, especially since the plant could have been saved if Louis had the balls to return her earlier. He would lose Harry and Oh God, he really didn’t want to lose Harry.
His other option was a selfish option but the only way he could think of to keep Harry in his life. No one but Stan knew that Louis is the one who stole the plant. He could just quietly dispose of the pot and Harry would be none the wiser.
But Louis was a good person. He couldn’t, in good conscience, throw the plant away. He could never begin a relationship with a lie. He had to come clean.
…………………………
A few more days passed. Louis still couldn’t find the nerve to return the dead plant. He still added water to the dirt. Just in case. And still kept it on his windowsill to get sunlight. Just in case. He forced himself to ignore the flyers that were still posted around town. He couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t eat. He was a complete dick to everyone at work and at home.
“You’re being a complete dick, Louis,” Liam sighed after Louis refused to clean the bathroom at the shop. “What the hell is your problem? Work is good. You’re doing so well at getting the stuff for your shop. Is it that Harry guy you’ve been hanging out with? Trouble in paradise already?”
“No, Liam!” Louis snapped. “He’s perfect. I just have some other things on my mind. Is that okay or are you going to keep acting like my mom?”
“Well, if you’d just grow up, I wouldn’t try to parent you. Either talk to us so we can help or quit acting like such an asshole!” Liam yelled as he slammed out the door.
Louis knew he was being an asshole but he couldn’t help it. He wasn’t good at handling this type of stress. He couldn’t ask his friends for help because he really loved them and didn’t want to get them involved.
The only bright spot in his days was Harry. Somehow he found himself at Harry’s house every evening after work. They had gotten closer, including lots of snuggling and holding hands while watching movies together. Louis could sense that Harry wanted to kiss him a few times but he pulled back, trying to keep their relationship platonic. He couldn’t afford to fall any harder.
Tonight was no exception. They were cuddled up together on Harry’s couch with a movie playing quietly in the background. Harry was holding Louis’ hand and stroking his knuckles with his thumb. Louis looked over at Harry with a small smile on his face but Harry’s eyes were looking down at his lap, his bottom lip sucked into his mouth. He looked like he was deep in thought.
Louis assumed that he was thinking about Katie. This is why he couldn’t get involved any further with Harry. Harry’s heart would break when he found out the whole plant debacle was Louis’ fault and Louis’ heart would break when Harry wanted nothing more to do with him.
However, Louis couldn’t help himself. He reached over to Harry and pulled his head up with a gentle hand under his chin. He looked into his green eyes as he used his thumb to push a curl behind Harry’s ear. “You thinking about Katie?”
“No. I don’t think I’m getting her back, Lou, and I’ve accepted that. I was actually thinking about you,” Harry replied with a slight blush blooming on his cheeks.
“What about me?” Louis asked quietly, his heart pounding.
“Well,” Harry began as he grabbed both of Louis hands in his and angled his body toward Louis. “I like you a lot and I thought it was pretty clear but I don’t think we’re on the same page. It’s just we hang out over here, which I love, but you’ve never invited me to see your place.”
Because I have your dead plant in my bedroom.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you a few times but you pull away,” Harry continued.
Because it will kill me when you leave me.
Louis opened his mouth to speak but Harry cut him off. “But it’s okay, Louis. I understand if you only want to be friends. I’ll get over my crush,” he said with a wobbly smile.
A rush of pure want and need ran through Louis. Kissing Harry right now was more important than the dead plant. More important than the heart break he knew was coming when all of this was over. He knew he needed to feel Harry’s mouth against his. He knew he needed it more than air.
He leaned forward and crashed his lips against Harry’s. Both of his hands sunk into Harry’s soft curls as Harry’s arms went around Louis’ back, one around his waist and one up between his shoulder blades.
Their heads tilted to find the right angle as they both pulled each other closer. Their mouths both opened slightly and their tongues met somewhere in the middle. Louis gasped as Harry’s tongue started stroking his so he tugged on his hair trying to pull him closer.
Harry slid his arm down Louis’ back and lifted him up and over so Louis was straddling Harry’s waist. Louis dragged his lips down Harry’s chin, nibbling along his jaw line before running his tongue down Harry’s neck. He stopped to suck a slight bruise right above Harry’s collarbone.
The entire time Louis was worshipping Harry’s neck with his mouth, Harry was running his hands all over Louis’ back under his shirt, and everywhere he could reach, as if trying to memorize every square inch of his skin.
Louis pressed tiny kisses in a row back up to Harry’s mouth. After delivering a few soft closed-mouth kisses to his lips, he looked into Harry’s eyes and sighed. He offered up a sweet smile and was answered with a blinding smile from Harry in return.
“I like you, too, Harry. A lot,” Louis said softly, “but I think I should go. Let’s take it slow.”
Luckily Harry seemed to understand and bid Louis a good night, walking him to the door like a gentleman.
Louis’ stomach was aching. Whether it was because of his deceit or because of being close to his beautiful boy, he didn’t know. He figured he could sleep on it and hopefully in the morning things would be clearer and he would be able to decide what to do.
…………………………
Louis woke up the next morning with a stomach full of lead and a slight ache in his heart. He had come to a decision and it just might cause him to lose Harry once and for all. He was cursing all of his decisions up to this point.
If he hadn’t panicked and stole the flowerpot in the first place he wouldn’t be in this mess. If he’d just told Harry he had Katie when he came into the shop the first time he wouldn’t be in this mess. If he’d just sucked it up and knocked on Harry’s door and returned the flowerpot he wouldn’t be in this mess. If. If. If.
Now it was too late. There is no if. What was done was done. He couldn’t go back and change the decisions he made. Hopefully, in time, he and Harry could be friends again. It was doubtful Harry would ever want more because Louis obviously wasn’t to be trusted.
Louis lay in bed staring at the ceiling delaying the inevitable. He finally drug himself out of the covers and over to his dresser to grab clothes for the day. He trudged into the bathroom to take care of his morning routine.
When he was dressed and ready to go he walked over to the window to get Katie and return her to her home with Harry. Even though she was dead, maybe Harry could salvage something.
Louis approached the window where the sun happened to be shining just right. He looked at the soil and swore he could see just a faint tinge of green. He bent down to look closer and GREEN. THERE WAS GREEN!
Louis scooped up the pot and skidded out of the bedroom. He shoved his phone and keys in his pocket, not even stopping for shoes or to lock the front door.
He ran and ran as fast as he could down the street and around the corner to Harry’s house. He stood on Harry’s stoop and banged on the door as loud as he could with a giant smile on his face.
Harry was going to be so excited that Katie wasn’t dead. Harry was going to be so- oh. Harry was going to be so angry.
The smile dropped from Louis’ face as he realized that he was about to face Harry and let out all of the secrets regarding his theft of Harry’s beloved plant.
The door started to open and Louis took a deep breath.
Harry stood in the open doorway looking like a sleepy angel. Louis’ knocking had obviously woke him up. His hair was in a big messy cloud around his shoulders, his eyes were puffy with sleep, and he had a charming crease on his cheek from his pillowcase.
He smiled at Louis and said, “This is a nice surprise.” He started to move in for a good morning kiss but his eyes landed on Katie.
“Louis! You found-” he started to say just as Louis was beginning to apologize.
“Harry, I’m sorry.”
Harry either wasn’t fazed by Louis’ words or he didn’t register them, “How’d you-”
“I didn’t mean-” Louis interrupted.
“I’m so happy!” Harry exclaimed as he tried to drag Louis in by the waist and plant a kiss on his face. Obviously he didn’t understand.
“Harry! Listen to me!” Louis barked.
Hurt washed over Harry’s featured at Louis’ sharp tone. It made Louis feel terrible. Well, more terrible than he already did so he handed Katie over to Harry and gently took Harry’s other hand in his. “We need to talk,” he said as he pulled Harry into the house.
He took a seat on the couch and looked down at his bare feet. He chuckled to himself when he realized he hadn’t put on any shoes in his haste to get to Harry. He hadn’t cared about his shoes when he knew that Harry would be over the moon about Katie. That’s when he knew without a doubt that he was doing the right thing.
Harry sat down next to Louis with their knees touching. He tentatively reached out and placed a hand on Louis’ leg and said, “So, let’s talk,” in a wary but gentle tone.
“I have something to tell you but please don’t say anything until I’m finished.”
Harry nodded.
“I stole Katie,” Louis said bluntly. Harry’s eyes widened in shock and he opened his mouth as if to talk but Louis put his palm up to stop him.
“Let me finish,” Louis said Harry nodded but removed his hand from Louis’ leg and sat up straight.
“The night before we met there was a party at the shop with some of our friends from up and down the coast. Our boss thought it would be fun to have a scavenger hunt and we had to take selfies with random objects. A flowerpot was on our list and I knew about all of the pots in your yard because you and Niall were grilling one evening and I peeked over the fence. I didn’t mean to take Katie but the lighting was too bad to get her in the shot from the bench she was on so I hopped your fence and brought her to the wall for a picture but then you came home and I panicked. So we ran. And I still had Katie. I was going to return her the next day but there was the storm and I didn’t want to leave her outside. Then I was going to sneak her in your yard but you were out there and invited me to hang out. Every time I thought about returning her something got in the way. Then the other ones grew and Katie didn’t and I thought I killed her and I didn’t know what to do but this morning she was growing and I got so excited that I ran over here. So, here we are and I expect that you hate me now and I understand and it’s okay so I’m just going to go now. I’m so sorry, Harry.”
“Louis, you can’t leave. I heard what you had to say. Now you need to listen to me.”
Louis looked down to his knees but answered, “Okay,” in a small voice. He hoped Harry would tell him off and break his heart quickly. Every second he had to sit here was tearing him apart.
“Louis, I’m not angry that you took Katie. I understand that part. I’m upset and confused about the part where you were trying to figure out how to return her. I just have one question about that then I’ll let you go.”
Louis’ eyes searched Harry’s face for any clue as to what he was feeling but Harry’s expression remained closed off. “I’ll answer anything you ask,” Louis said with his heart sinking even farther.
“Look at me,” Harry said.
Louis nodded and looked straight into Harry’s eyes while Harry asked, “Did you only hang out with me because you were looking for a way to return Katie to me?”
Louis’ eyes filled with tears and he shook his head no.
The corner of Harry’s mouth raised in a small smile. “Two questions then, Lou. Do you actually like me?”
Louis tried to blink back the tears as he nodded his head yes.
Now Harry had a full smile as he wiped his thumbs under Louis’ eyes. “Three questions, babe. Can I kiss you?”
This time it was Louis’ turn to smile as he nodded his head yes.
Harry held Louis’ face in his hands and kissed his forehead. “I forgive you.” A kiss on Louis’ right eyelid. “For everything.” A kiss on Louis’ left eyelid. A whispered “Please don’t go,” A kiss right below Louis’ ear.
“I won’t,” Louis whispered, “I’m not going anywhere.” A kiss on Harry’s lips.