Jammed (Louis Tomlinson au)

Chapter Nine

He seemed to be enjoying himself, though. So, I figured he wasn’t too torn up about it. That, or he was too hopeful. But a Ph.D doesn’t usually have problems disagreeing with fact. If that was the case, Louis was doing a fine job at lying to her. 

“So, we’ve ordered champagne, yes? To what are we celebrating then?” Louis asked as one of the waiters finally brought over the bottle I had ordered minutes ago. He poured us each a glass and I watched the bubbles forming in each long, crystal glass. The bottle I had ordered was called Golden Gun. It was a pretty bottle, I had never had it before but it was in fact golden. It was fairly pricey so I figured it had to be good, and it was the least I could give any good possible suspect in a lead international crime. 

“How about partnerships? I understand that the three of you are doing some work together, so let’s toast to partnerships.” Sasha proposed, picking her glass up and raising it to the center of the table. The three of us soon joined her and we clinked our glasses together, some laughter erupting while I silently groaned to myself at the stupid gesture that people did whenever alcohol came about. Why did we always have to make a toast?

“Partnerships, yes, that’s a lovely thing to toast to.” Louis had spoken after everyone tasted the drink and agreed it was quite good in fact. Sasha smiled at him and continued to drink out of her glass, raising it to her mouth as the rest of us did the same. 

“They’re a funning thing you know: partnerships. Delicate little things. If you aren’t careful, they can blow up in your face. No one really thinks of it but sometimes they end violently. But, I’m sure with that toast our work is well on it’s way.” I spoke bitterly about the subject. What I said was true, though; I wasn’t just trying to get a reaction out of her. I had saved that for much later. But I really wasn’t fond of partnerships, obvious to the fact that I lived and worked alone. 

I had never been too attached to anyone and I never planned on being so. It was hard learning that as a small child, but with nowhere to go and no one to run to I didn’t really have the choice or even time to think it over. And even after almost twenty years of thinking it over, I still didn’t do partnerships. Nothing good ever seemed to come out of them. 

“Jancer, you’re too goddamn cynical. Maybe if you had a better mindset- or a heart, you’d actually have someone to share your life with.” Louis laughed and Sasha joined him, to my dismay. Whatever alcohol in his system was making him an ass, or just enhancing the fact that he already was one and I had forgotten for just a second. 

“Louis it’s so hard to remember that you have a brain and know how to use it when every single word you come up with is coming out of your ass. I smirked at Louis as Niall began to laugh heartily and the other two fell silent on their corner of the table. I smiled ever so slightly just because pissing Louis off was so much goddamn fun for me. 

I took another long gulp of what was left in my glass before readying myself for whatever pathetic comeback Louis would come up with next. Niall and Sasha both didn’t dare intrude, but I knew that Niall was at least enjoying the scene playing out in front of him. 

“Well, at least I can manage a brain. Remember, my dear, you’re only a lab assistant here to Niall. That’s basically the janitor of the biotech field. So, just remember that I am your superior.” Louis smiled and I almost gave him props for his clever little story. Since his girlfriend knew nothing about me except for the fact that I had been working with him and Niall, it made it fairly easy for him to manipulate my story. He continued to smile as he finished off another glass of wine, which we had recently switched to after dinner had arrived. Louis and Niall were both becoming a little tipsy, aligning with Louis’ sudden arrogance.