Young & Beautiful

“Somewhere.”
“That doesn’t count as an answer,” Louis says crossly, rolling his eyes. “And you can stop with
the attitude. I have a right to know.” He pauses. “You could be taking me somewhere to kill me.”
He watches Harry’s reaction closely.
“I wouldn’t kill you,” Harry says, sounding as if it’s the most ridiculous notion in the world.
“That’s messy.”
Oh wow.
Louis’ eyebrows shoot up. “Oh! My bad! You could be taking me somewhere to have someone
else kill me, then.”
And Harry keeps silent at that.
Which is, maybe, slightly worrisome.
Overcome with unease (he doesn’t think he’s ever been in a more awkward situation in his life)
Louis reaches out to fiddle with the radio which looks completely at odds with the vintage vehicle,
if he’s being honest. He flicks it to the first station he can think of.
“Aaaaaalright,” the DJ’s voice booms through the silence and the wind, and Harry’s eyes flick
sideways before settling back on the road. “Well there it is. ‘One Heart’ by Electra, their brand
new single, out October 16 th . It’s sure to have the kids dancing, isn’t it, Ted?”
“Right you are,” Ted agrees, and Louis smirks at their grandiose, exaggerated voices, noting
Harry’s white knuckles on the steering wheel as he glances once more at his phone which sits on
his thigh. “But that won’t be the only hit for Nick Grimshaw this year, will it?”
“No?”
“He’s got that new single with Des Styles, hasn’t he?”
And Louis stiffens at the name, and he thinks Harry might, too.
“Ahh, yes, you’re right. And they’re sure to deliver—they always do! Speaking of Des, he’s had a
bit of a—“
But the radio switches off then, Harry’s hand flying to silence it, and Louis starts, looking over at
him in alarm.
“I was listening to that!” he complains, but Harry’s brow only furrows further, his silence taking
on a new edge.
“I wasn’t,” he counters, as if that’s all the reason in the world needed to end the conversation.
Which, normally, would spur Louis to do the exact opposite, but Harry’s cold eyes flick back
down to the black screen of his phone, and Louis can’t bring himself to argue amidst the alreadythere
layers of tension and silent chaos.
So Louis lets it go. Because whatever those radio cronies were about to say in regards to Des,
Harry didn’t want to hear it. Or did he not want Louis to hear it?
“That’s funny that Niall’s doing the drum bits for your dad’s new song,” Louis drops
conversationally, unable to resist pressing the matter just a tiny bit.