The Boyfriend PART 3
The Boyfriend Part 3
"Okay," Harmony said, chewing on another french fry. "What's up?"
Perry frowned at her. " 'What's up'? What do you mean what's up?" He leaned back in the booth. "Can't I take you out to lunch once in a while?"
"Harry's not with you," Harmony pointed out. "So it's something about him." Her eyes widened in that knowing way of hers. She swirled another french fry around in her ketchup. "So spill."
Perry sighed and drummed his fingers against the tabletop. "He's so jealous that it's almost unreal."
Harmony stopped chewing. "Richard is living with you, isn't he?" She mouthed a foul word, staring up at the ceiling. When she looked at Perry again, she spat, "Jesus, Perry! What's wrong with you?"
"Well I'm not going to kick Harry out!" Perry retorted. "And at the time it seemed like a good idea."
"At what time, Perry? Hm?" Harmony pushed her plate back. "How is Richard taking it?"
"Well he adores Harry." He shrugged. "I think..."
Harmony nodded, her lips puckered to one side. "What do you like about Richard?"
Perry rolled his eyes. "Oh, Jesus. You too?" He sighed. "I like that he's genuine. He's not from LA. I don't feel like I have to impress him, and he doesn't have to impress me."
"I'll bet you've never met anyone like that, huh?" Harmony asked, smirking slightly.
"What are you getting at?" Perry asked, squinting skeptically.
"What else makes him so attractive?" Harmony asked, swirling her straw around in her glass.
Perry pondered this. "He's just a great guy. He's different."
Harmony nodded. "Uh huh." She pushed her glass away. "And what about Harry?"
"You mean why doesn't Harry like him?" Perry frowned skeptically again.
Harmony smiled even bigger. "What do you like about Harry? Just as a person, I mean."
Perry shrugged. "You're asking me about Harry? He's a mess." He scoffed and began to tear with the paper wrapper from his straw. "I don't what is about Harry..."
"Nothing?" Harmony raised her eyebrows again. "Well, I like it how Harry's such a sweetheart. He pouts and bitches, but he never truly gets angry with anybody." She stared into space. "He'll never hold a grudge for long."
Perry smiled. "Yah...I guess..." he chuckled softly. "Fucking Harry..."
"And I like how he insists on talking through movies," Harmony said and she and Perry both started giggling. "Like he's the damn narrator!"
"I know!" Perry laughed. "I can't take him to the movies." He stopped laughing, but was still smiling. "I think what I like best about Harry is that he's needy, but he tries. He offers a lot, even though he doesn't have shit to give."
"What do you mean?" Harmony cocked her head slightly.
"He's selfless," Perry said simply. "He bitches a lot-like you said earlier-but he does whatever I tell him. He goes where I go. He eats what I eat. He thinks he's so badass in a fight-"
"Well, duh." Harmony laughed again. "That's why he's always getting his ass kicked."
Perry grew silent and stared down at the tabletop. The waitress came by and Harmony polietly and silently handed her her debit card. When Perry looked back up, he frowned at Harmony.
"Why did you do that?" He asked.
"Do what?" She smiled innocently.
"Harmony, I'm with Richard. I'm trying to make things serious with Richard," Perry said, sounding out each syllable slowly. "I want a relationship where I can be myself and not have to work my ass off to please somebody else."
"And you didn't already have it before Richard?" Harmony raised her eyebrows again.
"Harry's straight," Perry said quietly. "I love him to death, but things could never be like that for us."
"You know I once dated a lesbian," Harmony told him, taking a sip of her water. "For almost a year and a half.
Perry's brows furrowed. "You're not a lesbian."
Harmony shrugged. "Didn't matter. I was attracted to her. We were good for each other." She signed the receipt when the waitress returned. "Okay, I'm lying, but do you see my point?"
"No." Perry shook his head. He stood up and so did she. "And I don't want just a super-good buddy relationship. I want to be able to fuck, and kiss, and cuddle...all that jazz..."
"Maybe Harry's afraid he'd never live up to your standards," Harmony suggested. "Did you ever think about that?"
Perry stopped. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm just saying...you're big badass Perry who brings home hot guys and does each one twice nightly and ever so rightly!" She crossed her arms. "And he's just nine-fingered Harry from Embrey, Indiana. Maybe he just takes what he can get."
"That's ridiculous," Perry scoffed. He moved towards his car. "Thanks for coming to lunch with me."
"Perry-" Harmony followed him to driver-side door. "There are guys like Richard all over the country." She bit her bottom lip. "There's nobody like Harry Lockhart."
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"Perry?" Richard asked. "You okay, Honey?"
"Yah." Perry snapped out of his trance and stared into the candle flame between them. "Sorry...just thinking of a case..." he waved his hand around in a semi-circle. "This is a nice restaurant."
"The Tilapia is to die for," Richard commented. "They grill it just right." He frowned slightly. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"
"I'm tired," Perry lied. He looked at the menu and let out a snort.
"What's so funny?" Richard smiled too, looking at his own menu.
"I took Harry to this really fancy-ass restaurant before," Perry explained. "We were celebrating one of our cases-one he solved, actually..." he played with his cloth napkin. "Anyway, the waiter came by for our drink orders and Harry was so nervous because the prices were so high-and at first he asked if they had Sprite-" he had to stop and suppress a few chuckles.
" 'Sprite'?" Richard laughed too. "Where was this?"
"The Green Vine on Sunset," Perry explained and Richard laughed even harder. "Well the waiter told him no and Harry just ordered water. He didn't know they had seven kinds of water, and he finally just asked for an empty glass and went to the restroom and filled it with tap."
Richard shook his head. "It's a good thing I won't make such a dumb mistake."
Perry shrugged. "It was adorable, in his...Harry-esque way."
Richard cleared his throat. "Yah..." he sighed. "You know, Perry. I know you care about Harry and all, and I mean, he's a great guy-"
"He doesn't hate you-" Perry tried, but Richard cut him off.
"It's not Harry," he said. "It's you."
Perry frowned slightly. "Me?"
"You're so comfortable around him, and you eat from his plate, and touch him all the time..." Richard waved his hand around.
"Richard, it's you I'm fucking," Perry said and immediately winced. "Sleeping with, I mean."
"It's not just the sex, Perry." Richard smiled sadly, drumming his fingers against his menu. "A good, stable relationship has more than that. You don't touch me like you do him. If I cut my finger, you hand me a bandaid. If Harry cuts his finger, you sit him down and doctor him up."
"He's an idiot," Perry argued. "He can't take care of himself." He laughed a little. "You're a fucking doctor."
"I'm not angry," Richard said softly. "I just don't want things to go too far between us if there's somebody else, and moving in with you was a good idea." He looked at Perry. "I had my suspicions and I asked to move in just to make sure I wasn't imagining things."
"Richard..." Perry wanted to say he wanted to be with him, but he was no longer sure if he'd be lying. "Harry's..."
"We had fun," Richard finally said, still smiling, but more sadly. "I'll admit it, I had a great time with you."
"So this is it?" Perry asked.
"Well, we still have dinner," Richard said, thumping his menu.
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"I'm so sorry, Perry..." Harry said, sitting on the couch beside Perry.
"It's not your fault," Perry told him, unbuttoning his jacket. "You didn't do anything."
"I did, actually." Harry looked away.
"What?" Perry frowned at him. "What did you do?"
"I couldn't get along with Richard," Harry sighed. "I tried...honest to God, Perry. I tried, but..." he scratched his head.
Perry started laughing quietly and Harry frowned at him.
"You're such an idiot," Perry said, looking at him. He pulled Harry against him. "You know, I am too...sort of..."
Harry raised his eyes. "You? Perry Van Shrike."
"Harry, I fantasized about this perfect relationship where I knew everything about someone and loved everything about them and we just clicked..." he stared down at Harry. "Turns out I had it all along."
"Is this a good time to confess that I've been in love with you for a while now?" Harry shifted himself slightly, his head now on Perry's chest. "Because if it isn't, you know, I can wait."
"No, the timing's perfect," Perry said quietly. "Go for it."
"Perry, I've been in love with you for a while now," Harry said.
"Why didn't you ever say anything?" Perry asked him.
Harry shrugged. "Figured it'd be too gay. But not gay enough for you."
"Richard didn't like Iron Man," Harry sighed.
"Yah..." Perry stroked Harry's new haircut as he stared into space. "That was weird."
"Perry?"
"What?"
"Can, I...kiss you again?"
"Again?"
"We've kissed before."
"You remember that?"
"Sort of..." He manuevered himself into half kneeling, half sitting position. "Let me see." He brought his lips to Perry's and Perry tried not to grin as he felt Harry's shaky hands press against his own on the cushions.
"Is it bizarre that this doesn't feel weird at all?" Perry asked when Harry pulled away. He leaned forward and kissed the spot just below Harry's ear and the back of his jaw.
"Hey, think of it this way," Harry said, grinning slightly. "Now you can fuck and cuddle me."
The End...