Aside from Harry's little Grease stunt, the entire day is a faultless success. The game went great, the Friday night is spent with his family around the kitchen table having dinner and watching movies in front of the tv.
Louis' got Daisy on his hip, the five-year-old drawing on his cheek with a purple crayon as she giggles, while Louis helps his mother cook dinner. Lottie and Phoebe are drawing at the kitchen table, quietly giggling and chatting.
He's cut the onions, now letting them fry with the champignons in the frying pan on the stove. They're making Spaghetti Bolognese because that's what the girls requested. His mother is by his side, bringing out the pasta and pouring up water in the stew pan. His mum's taken the entire weekend off to spend it with the family. Louis it hasn't felt this bubbly in a while.
He's crooning along to the stereo, some happy song by Natasha Bedingfield, and blows a raspberry against his sister's cheek, belting the "I love you, I love you, I love you" part into her ear and making her scream at him, smile hiding in her eyes. That's when his mother comes up on his other side, the money box her hand, face in a frown.
"Why is there extra money in the box, Lou?" she murmurs, fingers touching the extra couple of pounds.
"Oh," Louis says, casually. "We didn't go shopping yesterday." He clears his throat, acting busy with the food on the stove. "We just ate sandwiches last night."
"Why?"
"Sorry, we were just tired," he says, looking up to meet her eyes. She shakes her head, sighing.
"Darling. You need to eat properly. I give you money to cook real dinner. There've been too many takeout and sandwich dinners in this house." She chuckles, but Louis knows she's serious.
"Yeah, sorry, mum. Sorry."
She gives him a smile, stroking his back warmly before she starts bringing out plates and cutlery from the cupboards. Louis sets Daisy down and walks over to Lottie, sitting down next to her at the table. He taps her thigh lightly while looking at her. She turns, frowning.
"What?" she murmurs, leaning into his side.
"If Mum asks, we ate sandwiches last night, okay?"
"We ate tomato soup last night."
He gives her an exasperated look.
"Fine, but you owe me," she says, serious. He rolls his eyes, but he can tell she's wondering why he's having her lie about some dinner.
See, he hasn't told anyone he works at the fro-yo shop yet (which is going great. Greg is ace and Harry's parents haven't come around again, thank god), not even Lottie knows, and he normally tells her everything. Thing is, he doesn't want his family to know he's got a job to help make the household go around.
First of all, if Lottie would get a job, Louis would be angry and pissed because a teenager shouldn't have to get a job, even if it's necessary, and he reckons she'd feel exactly the same about him. Second, he just wants to help, make everything just a bit easier on his mother. He hates that she has to work long nights and shifts, and he barely gets to see her during the week. She looks tired and stressed most of the time, and if he can help her by bringing in some extra money maybe she wouldn't have to work so damn hard all the time. Thirdly, his mother would probably hit him. Alright, not really, but she would be angry and then she'd be sad. Louis can't have that. It would bring on the realization that their situation is much shitter than they're pretending.
All money they're bringing in is currently going to bills, food, car petrol, and Lottie and Louis' university funds. Louis sneaks his money into the food and petrol box, and if there's any left, the jar under his bed. Slightly old fashioned, but it works.
They have dinner and move on to the couch once they're finished, where they put on a Disney movie for Daisy and Phoebe. Or maybe it's for all of them, because the Tomlinsons are all saps and Disney lovers deep down.
The little girls start to drift off to sleep sometime around ten-thirty, and Louis gets up from the couch, starting to put the empty bowls that held some snacks and fruits away in the kitchen. Lottie comes in after him, carrying two glasses. They walk back to the living room, but Louis stops in the doorway. His mother is sitting back on the couch, the twins lying on her legs, fast asleep. Jay strokes their cheeks, smiling down at her daughters.
Louis stares, unable to look away. He feels Lottie grabbing his arm, fingers tightly clutching around his elbow.
"I wish she was here," Lottie whispers, and Louis can't look down because he can already tell by her voice that there are tears in her eyes.
"Me too, Lots." He swallows. "Me too."
They stand there quietly for a few minutes. Louis breathes slowly, feeling like Lottie's hand on his arm is the only thing keeping him sane.
"Let's go to bed, yeah?" she says, pulling him towards the stairs. "Let's leave them alone."
He nods, following her upstairs and crawls in under his duvet in his room.
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Unbelievers
قصص الهواةIt's Louis' senior year, and he's dead set on doing it right. However, along with his pair of cleats, a healthy dose of sarcasm and his ridiculous best friend, he's also got a complicated family, a terrifyingly uncertain future, and a mortal enemy m...
