14 days with you - Larry

DAY 12

Louis is an outright horrible companion in the morning. There's really no other way to explain it. He's rude because he's tired and angry about airport policies, but I suspect he's going to be okay once he's had a nap. He's very, very pouty as we head towards my lodge instead, clinging to me as he complains about how stupid it is that we have to be at the airport an hour prior to departure. And he knows it's on him for booking the tickets he booked, but I also know he chose to do so because he wanted us to spend time in Rome, so I can't bear to tell him that he has no right to be angry.

He stays outside when Mum unlocks the door to let me in. I can tell she's not too happy about my decision to get my things now rather than last night, but she's also happy to give me a hug once I've put them in a backpack. I sneak my sunscreen in there—without telling Louis—and my baseball cap because my scalp is going to protest against my existence if I choose not to protect it. Louis is already wearing his, looking adorably tired in my hoodie and a pair of loose shorts, vans still untied when Mum brings him into a hug. I crouch down to tie them so he doesn't trip in his tired state.

He's quiet as we make it across the campsite but wrap his arms around me as we wait at the bus-stop. I turn his cap around so it's not in the way when I wrap my arms around him, letting him nuzzle into my hoodie as he mumbles an apology. I've never been against mornings myself, but I grew up with a sister who'd rather poke out her eyes than get up this early, so I know Louis isn't rude because he wants to be but because it's six in the morning. It's not as though he's been rude to me directly anyway, just a bit snappy and sassy, not to mention how irritated he is about not getting a shower. 

"Don't worry about it, love. I know you're tired."

He turns his cap back around when the bus arrives, then leads us to a seat towards the back. He holds my hand as we head towards the airport, dozing in and out of sleep with his head on my shoulder. I remove his cap and put it in my lap so I can kiss the top of his head and wrap an arm around him to tug him closer. He mumbles something I can't make out as proper words, then hooks his closest leg over mine. He slips a hand under my hoodie, too, moving it across my stomach until he rests it there.

I'm not sure how he can stay asleep with how impossibly loud someone's kids are, but he's supposedly too tired to notice how they're running up and down the aisle without being reprimanded. The driver eventually tells them to calm down, and I wake up Louis when we're at the airport, leading his tired ass inside so we can check in. He clings to me as I get us through everything we need to get through so we can settle down near our gate where he asks me if I want to play uno with him to pass the time.

"I'm gonna get us something to eat," I say, locating some loose money in my backpack. "You can sort out the cards in the meantime."

He smiles in response. "That sounds good."

I press a kiss to his lips before I'm on my way. I pick out something simple, two sandwiches and a chocolate muffin because Louis deserves the sweetness. He'd surely accept water, but I suspect it's not what he wants, so I get him a chocolate-milk instead. He's sitting on the floor when I come back, probably seeing it as a better option when it comes to uno. I sit down opposite him and bring out the crinkles by his eyes when I hand him what I've gotten him. He gets onto his knees instead, placing his hands on my knees so he can lean in and kiss me on the lips.

"I hope you haven't purposely given yourself all the good cards."

"I'm so tired that it didn't even cross my mind," he says, voice soft as he unwraps his sandwich. "I wouldn't do that to you anyway."

I smile as he takes a bite of his sandwich. I peel the straw off his chocolate-milk and stick it through the hole, taking a quick sip before I put it down in front of him so it's ready when he needs it. He smiles with his mouth full, then puts down his sandwich to pick up his cards instead.