If I Could Fly

Important decisions

"I have a very important decision to make" Freddie announces from where he's sitting on the bed, buried under every single item of clothing he's packed. He's packed a lot. There must be at least four pairs of skinny jeans, two suits, a tracksuit, shorts, ties, the works. I can see almost every single item of clothing he has at Els house, and there he sits in the middle of it all, like a prince in his throne.

"Christ Freddie, we're only here for one night, how much did you pack?"

"Hush Daddy, you always buy too much clothes when we're at the shops anyway!" He retorts

"Freddie Tomlinson did you just hush me?" I exclaim, feigning anger in attempt to disguise my embarrassment. He may or may not be telling the truth.

"Oh, come on Lou we all know your weakness for suspenders" Harry teases

"Harold! Do not make me bring up your love for anything frilly!" To which Harry immediately blushes a deep red. Ha. See how he likes that.

"Harry! Daddy! Focus! I'm having an emergency!" Freddie chides "I can't decide what to wear!"

"Freddie, if you didn't decide to pack half-"

"Dad! Hush! You can leave, you're no help."

"Okay, okay, I know my place. Just don't come running to me when you need help packing away all that mess" I say, leaving the room to gather the rest of our stuff up before we leave.

~~~

"And then he took the parking space and she like, flipped out I swear! It was the funniest shit I've ever seen!" Liam finishes his story in a heap of his own laughter and I can't help but roll my eyes at his immaturity.
He's already had a couple of beers and now he thinks he's really funny. He's not.

"Anywayyy, we should get going. At this rate we'll never make it to the bar" I say, rising out of my seat

"Aren't you going to invite your lover-boy?" Zayn asks

"He's not my anything, but I can if you want me to" I offer, secretly hoping he'll say yes.

It's only been a couple of days since I last saw him- Harry- but I miss him already. I'm definitely too attached, way too quickly but at this moment I can't bring myself to care. It's been way too long since I last went out with Harry, and I plan on changing this sooner rather than later.
Plus, whenever we go out together I always end up alone thanks to Ziam and their inability to keep their hands off each other.

"Yes, gotta meet this boy that's taken the eye of my best friend" Zayn replies

I roll my eyes, not bothering to correct him and reach for my phone.

————
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Hi H, do you wanna come hang out with us? We're going to the local bar if you want to join?

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Sure, I'd love to, send me the address I'll be there in a bit x
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I smile, sending him the address and rummaging through my bag for an outfit, deciding on a tight black T-shirt with white flecks and a pair of black skinny jeans with my usual vans. I throw on a light blue denim jacket for good measure and then ruffle some texture into my hair and slapping in some cologne before leaving the room.

~~~

We make our way to the back of the building, it's not busy in here but there's a low hum of chatter and laughter as people crowd around the bar. The lights are dimmed and it smells like beer and sweat. Not the most attractive place I've ever been in but it brings back so many memories- the good and the bad. This is where I met El.

We sit at our usual table, the unreasonably tall one in the far corner with the high stools that are never a good idea when drinking, but we always sit here and I'm not one to break tradition. I shrug off my jacket, hanging it off the back of my chair as Zayn goes off to the bar to get us some drinks, leaving Liam sitting opposite me.

"How's he been?" Liam asks

"Who?"

"Don't act dumb, Louis, you know exactly who I'm talking about."

"He's been really good to me Li, and I don't know wether to be delighted or terrified" I reply in honesty, watching Liam carefully. I know he can be a little protective, but he's also great at knowing what to do.

"How is Freddie with him, and how is he with Freddie for that matter?"

"... they get on really well. He fits in a little too well if I'm honest, I'm struggling to fault him, he's trying, that's all I can ask really. I'm not completely comfortable though, he left so easily last time. What's stopping him now, you know?"

"I know, just take it slowly. It's up to him now, and remember, if he tries anything again, I won't hesitate to kick his ass" Liam says, making little pew pew noises while he re-enacts an imaginary fight scene.
I chuckle despite myself, watching as Zayn comes back over with our drinks.

After 10 long minutes of watching Liam laughing like a child at something only known to him, I suddenly tense up.
I can't shake the feeling of being watched, and it's creeping me out a bit, I look up for the fourth time now, scanning around the dimly lit area in search for whoever has their eyes on me, but to no avail. Zayn seems to notice my discomfort.

"Louis are you alright?" He asks, and I hesitate, only for a second, and decide I'm probably just being paranoid.

"Yeh, thanks, think I'm just gonna pop to the gents" I say, excusing myself from the table, hoping to shake the awful feeling of being watched.

I go into the bathroom, doing my business, then I stop at the sinks to splash some cold water on my face in the hope that it'll help to return me to normal.

I jump a mile high, letting out a little scream as two long arms circle my waist, crossing at the forearm as they clamp around me from behind.
I'm about to open my mouth to shout in protest when I look up into the mirror to meet two deep green eyes and a whole lot of curly hair.
Oh.
I wonder how he got in here?
His palms slide flat against my stomach, long, thin fingers spanning almost my entire torso and he pulls me back a little so his chest is flush against my back.

Then he pauses, only for a second, before dipping his head and pressing a series of open mouthed kisses to the side of my neck, dragging his lips over the rugged facial hair that I haven't shaved in way too long, and up to my ear.

It may well be the hottest thing I've ever seen. And it's happening to me.

My stomach flips and my heart skips a beat as he mouths over the shell of my ear. I grip onto the sink so hard that my knuckles go white and his mouth rips a gasp from deep within me.

"You look exceptional tonight" He rasps lowly, eyes raking up and down me in the mirror.
I shiver. Like, actually shiver.
This wakes me up though, sets a fire in my stomach, and I tilt my head up in search of any skin I can find, the urge to kiss him becoming too strong to ignore.

I find, to my delight, that I have perfect access to the underside of his jaw and I press kisses there, stopping only to suckle at the sensitive area just behind his jaw. He moans, just a quiet rumble but I feel it vibrate against my mouth and if we don't stop soon- I pull away slowly

"Your gorgeous" I reply breathily, tracing lightly over the padlock tattoo on his wrist.