Pressure

Take The Hint

In the end he didn't have a choice, as his phone rattled against the bedside table with its ringtone blaring around the room. Harry groaned low in his throat, head burrowing into the pillow as Louis cursed under his breath. He rolled his eyes and pulled his arm from Harry's grip, twisting backwards to reach for his phone whilst his legs were still trapped between another pair. He didn't bother checking the screen to see who was calling, just jabbed blindly with faint annoyance and answered with a rough 'hello'.

"Finally" Came a voice sounding just as annoyed as his own, followed by a drawn out huff. It was Lottie. "I tried calling you at least ten times yesterday"

Louis furrowed his brows, head dropping back against the pillows as he wiped the sleep from his eyes. Lola let out a squeak, disturbed by the impact, and crawled away whilst Louis sent her an apologetic look. "Sorry, I mustn't have noticed"

"Well if you're going to disappear in the middle of the night then you could at least return my calls, or send a message, anything" There was shuffling in the background, someone asking 'Is it Louis?', probably one of the girls. "We've been worried sick. And dad's been in a bad mood ever since he realised you were gone. Where are you?"

Louis was distracted for a moment as Harry began to sit up, a yawn escaping his lips that he tried to cover with the back of his hand. Louis could finally pull his legs free, and Harry sent him a questioning look that he hoped was directed towards the phone call, and not their position. He broke their glance when Lottie began asking if he was still there. "Yeah, sorry. I'm at a friends house. Are you and the girls okay?"

"Okay as we can be, I suppose" She paused, more shuffling, a shocked 'Lottie!' being screeched in the background. "Dad's angry that you left, he's been trying to call you, so I guess he's been taking it out on us a bit with our studies and he's pushing the staff too hard" There was another pause, the silence filled by a sigh, and guilt was steadily creeping up Louis' throat. "Are you coming home soon?"

Louis clutched his phone tighter and his eyes drifted up towards the ceiling. He was sat in a warm bed with nobody telling him he had to get up, accompanied by a friend, someone who he could be himself around, whilst breakfast was being made downstairs by a family with no restrictions. He had this freedom of another home, an escape route, where he could in fact take that normalcy that he had thought he'd never experience. As much as he enjoyed it, it was still a dull reminder of what he'd left his sisters to back home. "I don't know Lottie, I'm sorry"

Harry sent him a concerned glance, brows pinching together, a hand reaching out. Louis waved him off. "But, you'll be back for New Years won't you? Dad always hosts those stupid parties for New Years and you know how awful they are. It'll be worse without you there"

He held back an annoyed groan at the thought. Each year the parties became more extravagant than the last; more alcohol, more money, more people. It wasn't like the fundraisers or balls, where appearances were kept and everyone was one their best behaviour, with polite small talk and chins pointed up. New Years would leave the house tainted by smoke and the floor with fresh stains, money left carelessly on tables after gambling the night away and glasses broken by drunken business men. His sisters would be kept up the entire night by the noise, locked in their rooms upstairs with the maids checking in on them each hour, whilst Louis had been forced to attend for the past two years despite his age.

It probably wasn't appropriate. Not with the house full of adults who were too drunk to care for their behaviour in front of a child, and a parent who didn't care enough to scold them. He was expected to make an appearance, and though he didn't want to attend, he needed to be there for his siblings.

"Yeah, I'll be there" He agreed, reluctantly. He flicked his eyes back to Harry to find him mouthing the word 'where?', clearly still concerned with the frown tugging at his lips. Louis gestured for him to wait a moment whilst he finished up the phone call. "Just stay out of dads way until I'm back, alright? If you need anything ask the maids, they'll take care of you, and if not then call me"