mcfly-slash ... The Boys of Summer - Chapter 2
Title: The Boys of Summer
Author: me
Rating: PG-13 (I think there’s a swearword or two)
Chapter: 2/16
Genre: AU - Romance
Pairing: Poynter/Judd yet again
Summary: Dougie and Harry meet again …
Disclaimer: me no own, this no true
Dedication: those who commented on the last part … beckystark06, andine_mcfly, returnofwolf, hidden_angel_07, juddpoynter, bellabliss2674, orpheous87, ichnal, stfoosa, elphee, syphilisparade, man_10_az, livwickedd, star55, juweel, jedisnickers and foreverlove_xx
Author’s note: I did make Jazzie a year older than she actually is, I think. Also, I don’t know if Harry’s brother Tom is older or younger but I made him older and put him in an imaginary marriage.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Harry had made it perfectly in time back to the hotel. He had just finished putting on one of his nicer shirts and some fancy trousers before his parents had knocked on his door, picking him up to go to dinner.
“So Harry, did you see anything interesting on your walk?” his mother asked while they all were scanning the menues.
“No, not really. Just walked along the beach. Met another boy though.”
“Oh did you? That is lovely you are already making friends. Is he around somewhere?” His mother craned her neck and started searching the room for any trace of her son’s new friend.
“He isn’t staying here. I don’t actually know where he’s staying at. But we want to meet later again … if that’s alright with you, of course.”
“Sure it is, sweetheart. We are rather tired from the drive anyway. We will go to bed right after dinner. Won’t we, darling?” his mother adressed her husband.
Mr Judd nodded. “What do you wanna do with that new friend of yours then?” he asked Harry.
“Dunno. Just bum around I guess.”
His mother cleared her throat and shot Harry a meaningful look that Harry immediately knew how to read. “Sorry. We’ll just … I don’t know. Sit around and talk I guess. It’s not that you can do much else around here. Especially not in the evening.”
“Just don’t go to bed too late, Harry. Breakfast is at nine and we will leave right afterwards. We have a long day ahead tomorrow.”
“Have we? What are we doing?”
“While you slept we drove by this wonderful castle on the way here. I have asked about it at the reception desk and booked us on a tour through it tomorrow at noon. Afterwards we are going to have lunch there and in the afternoon we will look around the area a bit.” his mother explained.
“And I have to come with you?” Harry asked.
“Of course you have to, Harry. This is our vacation, not your father’s and mine.”
“But what if -”
“Don’t try to protest.” his father mumbled at him from behind his hands, unnoticed by his wife, “I tried earlier but to no avail.” He smiled at him sypathetically.
After dinner the family went back up to their rooms. Harry kept his balcony door open while he had the TV on so he could hear when his parents went to bed. The room next to his fell silent soon. Harry waited a few more minutes until he went out onto his balcony and casted a careful look at the balcony next to his. The lights in the room were out and the door was closed.
Harry was just getting a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of a secret pocket in his rucksack and made his way back onto the balcony when the phone in his room rang. The ringing was a sharp contrast to the silence surrounding him so he rushed to answer the phone.
“Hello?”
“Mister Harry Judd?”
“That’s me.”
“This is the reception desk speaking. There is a young gentleman wishing to see you. He does not know your full name so we are just calling in to check if you are expecting a visit.”
“I am actually, yes.”
“In that case we are sorry for the inconvenience. We will send him up right away.”
“Please do, thank you very much.”
After he had hung up, Harry opened his room door, leaving it open just a bit before he went out onto the balcony and lit a cigarette.
A few minutes after, he heard the door being closed. He turned around and there was Dougie, walking towards him.
“Jesus, didn’t know you need to be VIP-guestlisted to get into here.”
“Neither did I. Sorry they bugged you down there.”
Dougie shrugged. “I’m here, aren’t I?” He then reached out and took the cigarette from Harry’s grasp, taking a drag himself before handing it back.
“You smoke?” Harry asked.
“You surprised?” Dougie asked back.
Harry shook his head. “Not really. Where’s your guitar?”
“Brought it back to our place. When you were gone I left as well. Had dinner with my mum and then I came here.”
“Where’re you staying anyways?”
“We rented a little house close to where I sat earlier. It’s cheaper than staying at a hotel. Nicer as well. More personal, less stuck-up. No offense.”
“None taken. What about your mum?”
“Went out to hit the town. Wants to find some place to go dancing.”
Harry laughed lightly. “Really?”
“Yeah. She refuses to believe that there are no bars or that sort of stuff anywhere close.”
They stood in silence for a few more moments, sharing the cigarette before Dougie looked at Harry and spoke again.
“What’s the get up for?” He motioned to Harry’s fancy clothing.
“You can’t go to dinner in jeans and a t-shirt at this place. It sucks though. As if I don’t wear stuff like that all the time at school already.”
“Oh I bet you look quite hot in your posh school uniform.” Dougie winked at Harry and grinned.
“You wouldn’t believe.” Harry grinned back. “But actually, can you excuse me for a minute? I really need to change.”
“Go right ahead.”
Harry went back into the room, unbottoning his shirt on the way. He threw it lazily on the bed, before he remembered his mother’s words from earlier. Sighing, he took the shirt and hung it onto a hanger in the closet. He also took off his trousers and exchanged them for the jeans from earlier. He pulled a t-shirt out of his bag and just when he stood back up he winced when he saw Dougie was back in the room, watching him intensely.
“Don’t get your boxers in a bunch. Nothing I haven’t seen before.” Dougie smiled, “Though I must say … I’m impressed.”
Harry blushed and pulled the t-shirt over his head. “Thanks.” he mumbled.
“You do sports?”
“Football and cricket at school.”
“How comes I’m not surprised?” Dougie asked amused, “You are so predictable, Harry.”
“Never said the opposite. So, what do you wanna do? Watch some TV? Go for a walk?”
“It’s quite a nice night out. My vote’s on the walk.”
“Fine. Let me just grab my stuff and we can go. But we rather not go too far. My mother planned the whole day out tomorrow. I need some sleep before that.”
“We won’t take longer than we should.” Dougie promised.
When the two boys were in the lift and Dougie pushed the button his t-shirt rode up his arm and showed some colours on his skin. Harry reached out and pulled the arm of the t-shirt back.
“A tattoo?”
Dougie’s blue eyes lit up immediately. “Cool, isn’t it? My mum paid for it. I kept bugging her to get a tattoo for ages and she finally gave in after I came out to her. You know, like a little treatment for me being so brave and all. Said she rather pays for it than me getting it done secretly. I’ve had a few session for that already. So far the colours only go up to here” he pointed to a spot on his shoulder, “but the plan is to extend it further down my chest. The outlines are there already but there are no colours. And then it’s gonna go down my arm. I don’t know if I’ll survive it though. Getting the previous parts done was so fucking painful. I almost passed out.”
“How old are you?” Harry wondered out loud inbetween Dougie’s animated rambling and realised that, in fact, he hadn’t even asked Dougie about his age yet.
“I turn seventeen in November.”
“So you’re sixteen?”
“You’re good at maths, huh?”
“No … I mean yes, I am. But … you’re sixteen!”
“I thought we settled that.”
“You’re sixteen, you’re tattooed and you just came out gay.”
“I came out about two months ago.”
“It doesn’t matter. Thing is, you are just sixteen! Sixteen-year-olds are supposed to … well, I don’t really know what they do but they’re definetely not like you. Not the sixteen-year-olds I know after all.”
“I never said I’m like all the others out there, did I?” Dougie grinned.
By then the two boys had left the hotel and walked down by the closed shops on the sidewalk by the beach. Harry had taken his cigarettes with him and they shared another one.
“You never answered my question.” Dougie spoke.
“Which question?”
“The one that was, according to you, shady. How many girls you slept with.”
“Oh … that one.”
“Yeah, that one. So?”
“So what?”
“How many?”
“You’re persistent.”
“And you’re not even half as mysterious as you think you are. I bet you just wanna hide the fact that you’re still a virgin by saying you have one-night-stands only, thinking it gives you more edge or some crap like that.”
“I don’t think I need ‘edge’, thank you very much. And I’m not a virgin.” Harry protested.
“Then tell me how many girls got to enjoy your lovemaking skills so far.”
“If I tell you, will you tell me how many you had?”
“I can do that right away. Girls … none. Obviously. And boys … well, none either. I once fancied a guy from a town near ours but that’s it. So that leaves me being a virgin all the way. There you go, I confessed. Now it’s your turn.”
Harry sighed. “Fine. I’ve lost my virginity about one and a half years ago. And ever since then I’ve been with …” He paused to think. “… three girls. But it was all just fun, nothing serious. It’s like … when our school and the girls’ school clash together, stuff like that has to happen. They’re the only girls we see all term and we’re the only boys they see all term. Nothing’s about love, it’s much rather desperation. Let me tell you, I’m probably among those with the least sexual encounters in my year. In the whole school even.”
“Why’s that?” Dougie asked.
“I don’t know. I mean, I don’t wanna brag or anything, but it’s not that I lack in requests, if you know what I mean. It’s just … the girls, they’re all so stupid.”
“If it’s just about sex, does it even matter if they’re stupid or not?”
“It probably doesn’t but … I don’t know … shouldn’t it be more than just a pretty face? Like, someone you can talk to and someone who you would want to meet up with again. You know, someone you’d like to properly be with and not just shag just so you don’t have to talk and find out what a complete waste of time that other person is.”
“Yeah I guess. But what does a virgin know about stuff like that?” Dougie smiled.
The two of them kept on walking in comfortable silence for a while longer.
“Have you ever been in love?” Dougie asked out of the blue.
Harry thought for a moment. “No. Can’t say I’ve been. You?”
“Well, there was this guy I told you about. I met him on the bus I have to take to and from school. He worked at the skateshop next town. But he had a girlfriend. I was gutted but it wasn’t like my world ended or something so I probably wasn’t even in love. I just thought he was cool or hot … or something like that. And that’s it really. I’d like to be properly in love though.”
“Why’s that?” Harry wondered.
“It must be nice. Getting all tingly thinking of that person and smiling like an idiot when you only hear their name and all that. My sister has a boyfriend now, her first one. And she’s like that at the moment. Can’t say I like the guy though. He’s an arse. But when she’s happy I’m happy. And she’s more than happy, she’s practically glowing from the inside.”
“I know what you mean.” Harry said, “My brother just got married in spring. It was like … you can almost grab the love between him and his wife with your hands. And when he speaks about her it’s like he has little hearts in his eyes, like in a cartoon or something.”
“It must be cool to have something like that. Not only that you love someone else with all your heart but them loving you back as well. I really wanna have something like that.”
“You’ll get it. You’re a great guy! One day or the other you’ll meet someone.” Harry assured, meaning every word of it.
“Not where I live.” Dougie said, somewhat sadly.
“Love finds us in the strangest of places, Dougie.”
Dougie looked at Harry and smiled. “You know what, Harry? You’re actually not too bad yourself. Predictable like nothing else and throwing things about that could’ve come out a fortune cookie but still, you’re somewhat cool. I hope you’ll find that person one day. You know, those who you wanna meet up with again and not just shag into the mattress.”
Harry chuckled. “Thank you … I guess.”
The breeze had by then freshened up and the two boys started to get cold since they hadn’t brought any jackets with them. Harry looked at his watch. It was nearing 11:00pm.
“What’d you say we go back to the hotel? I’m not tired yet but we could watch some TV or talk or whatever. Or do you have to get back home?” Harry asked.
“Nah, it’s cool. I doubt my mum will be back already. And she’s used to me be being away all the time. She was almost worried because I went to bed before she did.”
“Right then. Let’s go, shall we?”
The two turned and walked back the way they came. They had been wandering off quite far and the hotels and houses by the beach were nothing but masses of little lights in the distance by now. And even though the sea breeze brought goosebumbs to their skin, they walked in the same slow pace like all night.
When they reached Harry’s hotel room it was past midnight and still neither of them was tired. Harry got out two hoodies from his closet, putting one on and handing the other to Dougie. Then he switched the TV on and surfed the channels until the found the music channel. Dougie had in the meantime stepped out onto the balcony, waiting for Harry to join him.
“I love that song.” Dougie said while him and Harry sat on the floor of the balcony, tapping his foot to the beat.
“Who is it?” Harry asked since he couldn’t see the TV from his position.
“Blink 182. I love them. My mum can sing along to all their songs because I play nothing but them.”
“You’re quite close to your mum, aren’t you?”
Dougie nodded. “She’s the best. She’s like my best friend and my mum at the same time. How about you? Are you close to your parents?”
“Not really. But I mean, how? I’m away most of the year for school. But I’m really close to my brother Thomas, Tom. He’s every cliché of a big brother you can have. He told me what there is to know about girls, he taught me to drive, he bought me my first beer and all that. When we were younger he bullied me a lot but that’s just how older siblings are, right? I love him for everything though. He’s great.”
“Same with me and my sister Jazzie. But in our case I’m the big brother which is kind of amusing really. She’s younger by a year but she’s already more level-headed and much more mature than I am and probably ever will be. I tend to have my head in the clouds and don’t think before I do or say just anything. She keeps me on the ground. There was a time when we didn’t get along but that changed. I’d be lost without her or my mum.”
The two kept sitting out on the balcony for a few more hours, just talking about their lives. It was just starting to dawn when Dougie was the first of them to yawn.
“I guess I better get my arse home now. It’s …” he pulled Harry’s arm towards him to look at the watch around the other’s wrist, “Holy shit! It’s almost five! When do you have to get up?”
“In four hours.” Harry said smiling, “But don’t bother, I’ll sleep on the way to that stupid castle. Besides, I really enjoyed tonight so the loss of sleep was at least worth it.”
Dougie smiled and got up. “Yeah, same here. Will I see you tomo… tonight again?”
“Sure, wait.” Harry went to get his mobile phone. “Give me your number and I’ll call or text you when we’ll come back and we’ll sort something.”
Dougie gave Harry his number and then started to take Harry’s hoodie off but Harry stilled his hands with his own.
“It’s still cold out. Keep it. You can give it back to me some other time.” Harry smiled.
Dougie mirrored his smile. “Thanks. See you tonight then, yeah?”
“Absolutely.”
Dougie opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. He turned back to Harry who was holding the door open for him. “Night Harry.”
“Good night, Dougie.”
Dougie kept standing for a few more seconds before he reached out and enveloped Harry in a hug. Harry let out a slight chuckle as he hugged Dougie back. The two let go after a moment and Dougie walked down the hallway towards the lift, Harry’s eyes on his back until the doors of the lift closed.
To be continued …
Comments are appreciated
Author: me
Rating: PG-13 (I think there’s a swearword or two)
Chapter: 2/16
Genre: AU - Romance
Pairing: Poynter/Judd yet again
Summary: Dougie and Harry meet again …
Disclaimer: me no own, this no true
Dedication: those who commented on the last part … beckystark06, andine_mcfly, returnofwolf, hidden_angel_07, juddpoynter, bellabliss2674, orpheous87, ichnal, stfoosa, elphee, syphilisparade, man_10_az, livwickedd, star55, juweel, jedisnickers and foreverlove_xx
Author’s note: I did make Jazzie a year older than she actually is, I think. Also, I don’t know if Harry’s brother Tom is older or younger but I made him older and put him in an imaginary marriage.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Harry had made it perfectly in time back to the hotel. He had just finished putting on one of his nicer shirts and some fancy trousers before his parents had knocked on his door, picking him up to go to dinner.
“So Harry, did you see anything interesting on your walk?” his mother asked while they all were scanning the menues.
“No, not really. Just walked along the beach. Met another boy though.”
“Oh did you? That is lovely you are already making friends. Is he around somewhere?” His mother craned her neck and started searching the room for any trace of her son’s new friend.
“He isn’t staying here. I don’t actually know where he’s staying at. But we want to meet later again … if that’s alright with you, of course.”
“Sure it is, sweetheart. We are rather tired from the drive anyway. We will go to bed right after dinner. Won’t we, darling?” his mother adressed her husband.
Mr Judd nodded. “What do you wanna do with that new friend of yours then?” he asked Harry.
“Dunno. Just bum around I guess.”
His mother cleared her throat and shot Harry a meaningful look that Harry immediately knew how to read. “Sorry. We’ll just … I don’t know. Sit around and talk I guess. It’s not that you can do much else around here. Especially not in the evening.”
“Just don’t go to bed too late, Harry. Breakfast is at nine and we will leave right afterwards. We have a long day ahead tomorrow.”
“Have we? What are we doing?”
“While you slept we drove by this wonderful castle on the way here. I have asked about it at the reception desk and booked us on a tour through it tomorrow at noon. Afterwards we are going to have lunch there and in the afternoon we will look around the area a bit.” his mother explained.
“And I have to come with you?” Harry asked.
“Of course you have to, Harry. This is our vacation, not your father’s and mine.”
“But what if -”
“Don’t try to protest.” his father mumbled at him from behind his hands, unnoticed by his wife, “I tried earlier but to no avail.” He smiled at him sypathetically.
After dinner the family went back up to their rooms. Harry kept his balcony door open while he had the TV on so he could hear when his parents went to bed. The room next to his fell silent soon. Harry waited a few more minutes until he went out onto his balcony and casted a careful look at the balcony next to his. The lights in the room were out and the door was closed.
Harry was just getting a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of a secret pocket in his rucksack and made his way back onto the balcony when the phone in his room rang. The ringing was a sharp contrast to the silence surrounding him so he rushed to answer the phone.
“Hello?”
“Mister Harry Judd?”
“That’s me.”
“This is the reception desk speaking. There is a young gentleman wishing to see you. He does not know your full name so we are just calling in to check if you are expecting a visit.”
“I am actually, yes.”
“In that case we are sorry for the inconvenience. We will send him up right away.”
“Please do, thank you very much.”
After he had hung up, Harry opened his room door, leaving it open just a bit before he went out onto the balcony and lit a cigarette.
A few minutes after, he heard the door being closed. He turned around and there was Dougie, walking towards him.
“Jesus, didn’t know you need to be VIP-guestlisted to get into here.”
“Neither did I. Sorry they bugged you down there.”
Dougie shrugged. “I’m here, aren’t I?” He then reached out and took the cigarette from Harry’s grasp, taking a drag himself before handing it back.
“You smoke?” Harry asked.
“You surprised?” Dougie asked back.
Harry shook his head. “Not really. Where’s your guitar?”
“Brought it back to our place. When you were gone I left as well. Had dinner with my mum and then I came here.”
“Where’re you staying anyways?”
“We rented a little house close to where I sat earlier. It’s cheaper than staying at a hotel. Nicer as well. More personal, less stuck-up. No offense.”
“None taken. What about your mum?”
“Went out to hit the town. Wants to find some place to go dancing.”
Harry laughed lightly. “Really?”
“Yeah. She refuses to believe that there are no bars or that sort of stuff anywhere close.”
They stood in silence for a few more moments, sharing the cigarette before Dougie looked at Harry and spoke again.
“What’s the get up for?” He motioned to Harry’s fancy clothing.
“You can’t go to dinner in jeans and a t-shirt at this place. It sucks though. As if I don’t wear stuff like that all the time at school already.”
“Oh I bet you look quite hot in your posh school uniform.” Dougie winked at Harry and grinned.
“You wouldn’t believe.” Harry grinned back. “But actually, can you excuse me for a minute? I really need to change.”
“Go right ahead.”
Harry went back into the room, unbottoning his shirt on the way. He threw it lazily on the bed, before he remembered his mother’s words from earlier. Sighing, he took the shirt and hung it onto a hanger in the closet. He also took off his trousers and exchanged them for the jeans from earlier. He pulled a t-shirt out of his bag and just when he stood back up he winced when he saw Dougie was back in the room, watching him intensely.
“Don’t get your boxers in a bunch. Nothing I haven’t seen before.” Dougie smiled, “Though I must say … I’m impressed.”
Harry blushed and pulled the t-shirt over his head. “Thanks.” he mumbled.
“You do sports?”
“Football and cricket at school.”
“How comes I’m not surprised?” Dougie asked amused, “You are so predictable, Harry.”
“Never said the opposite. So, what do you wanna do? Watch some TV? Go for a walk?”
“It’s quite a nice night out. My vote’s on the walk.”
“Fine. Let me just grab my stuff and we can go. But we rather not go too far. My mother planned the whole day out tomorrow. I need some sleep before that.”
“We won’t take longer than we should.” Dougie promised.
When the two boys were in the lift and Dougie pushed the button his t-shirt rode up his arm and showed some colours on his skin. Harry reached out and pulled the arm of the t-shirt back.
“A tattoo?”
Dougie’s blue eyes lit up immediately. “Cool, isn’t it? My mum paid for it. I kept bugging her to get a tattoo for ages and she finally gave in after I came out to her. You know, like a little treatment for me being so brave and all. Said she rather pays for it than me getting it done secretly. I’ve had a few session for that already. So far the colours only go up to here” he pointed to a spot on his shoulder, “but the plan is to extend it further down my chest. The outlines are there already but there are no colours. And then it’s gonna go down my arm. I don’t know if I’ll survive it though. Getting the previous parts done was so fucking painful. I almost passed out.”
“How old are you?” Harry wondered out loud inbetween Dougie’s animated rambling and realised that, in fact, he hadn’t even asked Dougie about his age yet.
“I turn seventeen in November.”
“So you’re sixteen?”
“You’re good at maths, huh?”
“No … I mean yes, I am. But … you’re sixteen!”
“I thought we settled that.”
“You’re sixteen, you’re tattooed and you just came out gay.”
“I came out about two months ago.”
“It doesn’t matter. Thing is, you are just sixteen! Sixteen-year-olds are supposed to … well, I don’t really know what they do but they’re definetely not like you. Not the sixteen-year-olds I know after all.”
“I never said I’m like all the others out there, did I?” Dougie grinned.
By then the two boys had left the hotel and walked down by the closed shops on the sidewalk by the beach. Harry had taken his cigarettes with him and they shared another one.
“You never answered my question.” Dougie spoke.
“Which question?”
“The one that was, according to you, shady. How many girls you slept with.”
“Oh … that one.”
“Yeah, that one. So?”
“So what?”
“How many?”
“You’re persistent.”
“And you’re not even half as mysterious as you think you are. I bet you just wanna hide the fact that you’re still a virgin by saying you have one-night-stands only, thinking it gives you more edge or some crap like that.”
“I don’t think I need ‘edge’, thank you very much. And I’m not a virgin.” Harry protested.
“Then tell me how many girls got to enjoy your lovemaking skills so far.”
“If I tell you, will you tell me how many you had?”
“I can do that right away. Girls … none. Obviously. And boys … well, none either. I once fancied a guy from a town near ours but that’s it. So that leaves me being a virgin all the way. There you go, I confessed. Now it’s your turn.”
Harry sighed. “Fine. I’ve lost my virginity about one and a half years ago. And ever since then I’ve been with …” He paused to think. “… three girls. But it was all just fun, nothing serious. It’s like … when our school and the girls’ school clash together, stuff like that has to happen. They’re the only girls we see all term and we’re the only boys they see all term. Nothing’s about love, it’s much rather desperation. Let me tell you, I’m probably among those with the least sexual encounters in my year. In the whole school even.”
“Why’s that?” Dougie asked.
“I don’t know. I mean, I don’t wanna brag or anything, but it’s not that I lack in requests, if you know what I mean. It’s just … the girls, they’re all so stupid.”
“If it’s just about sex, does it even matter if they’re stupid or not?”
“It probably doesn’t but … I don’t know … shouldn’t it be more than just a pretty face? Like, someone you can talk to and someone who you would want to meet up with again. You know, someone you’d like to properly be with and not just shag just so you don’t have to talk and find out what a complete waste of time that other person is.”
“Yeah I guess. But what does a virgin know about stuff like that?” Dougie smiled.
The two of them kept on walking in comfortable silence for a while longer.
“Have you ever been in love?” Dougie asked out of the blue.
Harry thought for a moment. “No. Can’t say I’ve been. You?”
“Well, there was this guy I told you about. I met him on the bus I have to take to and from school. He worked at the skateshop next town. But he had a girlfriend. I was gutted but it wasn’t like my world ended or something so I probably wasn’t even in love. I just thought he was cool or hot … or something like that. And that’s it really. I’d like to be properly in love though.”
“Why’s that?” Harry wondered.
“It must be nice. Getting all tingly thinking of that person and smiling like an idiot when you only hear their name and all that. My sister has a boyfriend now, her first one. And she’s like that at the moment. Can’t say I like the guy though. He’s an arse. But when she’s happy I’m happy. And she’s more than happy, she’s practically glowing from the inside.”
“I know what you mean.” Harry said, “My brother just got married in spring. It was like … you can almost grab the love between him and his wife with your hands. And when he speaks about her it’s like he has little hearts in his eyes, like in a cartoon or something.”
“It must be cool to have something like that. Not only that you love someone else with all your heart but them loving you back as well. I really wanna have something like that.”
“You’ll get it. You’re a great guy! One day or the other you’ll meet someone.” Harry assured, meaning every word of it.
“Not where I live.” Dougie said, somewhat sadly.
“Love finds us in the strangest of places, Dougie.”
Dougie looked at Harry and smiled. “You know what, Harry? You’re actually not too bad yourself. Predictable like nothing else and throwing things about that could’ve come out a fortune cookie but still, you’re somewhat cool. I hope you’ll find that person one day. You know, those who you wanna meet up with again and not just shag into the mattress.”
Harry chuckled. “Thank you … I guess.”
The breeze had by then freshened up and the two boys started to get cold since they hadn’t brought any jackets with them. Harry looked at his watch. It was nearing 11:00pm.
“What’d you say we go back to the hotel? I’m not tired yet but we could watch some TV or talk or whatever. Or do you have to get back home?” Harry asked.
“Nah, it’s cool. I doubt my mum will be back already. And she’s used to me be being away all the time. She was almost worried because I went to bed before she did.”
“Right then. Let’s go, shall we?”
The two turned and walked back the way they came. They had been wandering off quite far and the hotels and houses by the beach were nothing but masses of little lights in the distance by now. And even though the sea breeze brought goosebumbs to their skin, they walked in the same slow pace like all night.
When they reached Harry’s hotel room it was past midnight and still neither of them was tired. Harry got out two hoodies from his closet, putting one on and handing the other to Dougie. Then he switched the TV on and surfed the channels until the found the music channel. Dougie had in the meantime stepped out onto the balcony, waiting for Harry to join him.
“I love that song.” Dougie said while him and Harry sat on the floor of the balcony, tapping his foot to the beat.
“Who is it?” Harry asked since he couldn’t see the TV from his position.
“Blink 182. I love them. My mum can sing along to all their songs because I play nothing but them.”
“You’re quite close to your mum, aren’t you?”
Dougie nodded. “She’s the best. She’s like my best friend and my mum at the same time. How about you? Are you close to your parents?”
“Not really. But I mean, how? I’m away most of the year for school. But I’m really close to my brother Thomas, Tom. He’s every cliché of a big brother you can have. He told me what there is to know about girls, he taught me to drive, he bought me my first beer and all that. When we were younger he bullied me a lot but that’s just how older siblings are, right? I love him for everything though. He’s great.”
“Same with me and my sister Jazzie. But in our case I’m the big brother which is kind of amusing really. She’s younger by a year but she’s already more level-headed and much more mature than I am and probably ever will be. I tend to have my head in the clouds and don’t think before I do or say just anything. She keeps me on the ground. There was a time when we didn’t get along but that changed. I’d be lost without her or my mum.”
The two kept sitting out on the balcony for a few more hours, just talking about their lives. It was just starting to dawn when Dougie was the first of them to yawn.
“I guess I better get my arse home now. It’s …” he pulled Harry’s arm towards him to look at the watch around the other’s wrist, “Holy shit! It’s almost five! When do you have to get up?”
“In four hours.” Harry said smiling, “But don’t bother, I’ll sleep on the way to that stupid castle. Besides, I really enjoyed tonight so the loss of sleep was at least worth it.”
Dougie smiled and got up. “Yeah, same here. Will I see you tomo… tonight again?”
“Sure, wait.” Harry went to get his mobile phone. “Give me your number and I’ll call or text you when we’ll come back and we’ll sort something.”
Dougie gave Harry his number and then started to take Harry’s hoodie off but Harry stilled his hands with his own.
“It’s still cold out. Keep it. You can give it back to me some other time.” Harry smiled.
Dougie mirrored his smile. “Thanks. See you tonight then, yeah?”
“Absolutely.”
Dougie opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. He turned back to Harry who was holding the door open for him. “Night Harry.”
“Good night, Dougie.”
Dougie kept standing for a few more seconds before he reached out and enveloped Harry in a hug. Harry let out a slight chuckle as he hugged Dougie back. The two let go after a moment and Dougie walked down the hallway towards the lift, Harry’s eyes on his back until the doors of the lift closed.
To be continued …
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