The Story of Us // L.S

Thirty Six.

Songs for this chapter are:

*She Lays Down // The 1975 (on repeat xD)

*

Two weeks later

My phone starting ringing on the dashboard and I glanced over to it, seeing Belle's picture flashing on it. There was nowhere to pull over and answer as I was on the motorway, driving home from work. I let it cancel itself before pulling off at the nearest off ramp and driving down country roads. Belle rang again and I huffed, trying to spot a place to pull over. Luckily for me I was on a line of shops and I parked behind a white land rover. I dialled Belle's number and waited for her to pick up.

"Dad? Where are you?"

"I'm driving back from work. Why?"

"Louis dropped in for the first time uninvited and I thought he could stay for dinner?" I rubbed my temple with my fingers and tried to stop myself from sighing audibly. "Not tonight, there's nothing in."

"Sorted, he offered to pay for a take-away."

"I said no Belle. Offer him a tea or something and then get him to leave." There was a pause before she replied an annoyed 'okay'. I put my phone down and watched as the screen lit up, telling me it was dying and was about to shut down. I didn't pay much attention to it and tried to start my car to continue home, but it wouldn't start. I twisted the key several times and each one ended with the same result: a sad engine noise followed by a klmphf sound.

This could not be happening.

I reached for my phone to call Isobel back and ask her to find my insurance information, when I realised my phone was dead.

Fuck. Fuckity fuck fuck. Fuck.

I ran a hand through my hair and started to pull at it, wanting it to rip out of my skull so I could feel something other than pure rage. My teeth gritted together as I scanned the street for some place that would have a phone.

There was a bar at the end of the road with lights on and it looked busy.

I climbed out of my car and jogged towards it, not even looking as I crossed the street. I hadn't realised it while I was sat in the car, but it had started to rain and when I reached the pub, my shirt had big wet splotches down it and my hair was dripping at the ends. I felt like a wet dog trying to dry off as I made my way over to the bar. The women behind it smiled at me and I smiled back with every last piece of my energy. "Hi, do you have a phone I can borrow, my car's just broken down outside?" She directed me to the corner of the pub and handed me several coins to use in the machine. I bounced them up and down as I walked towards the phone and slotted two in, dialling my home's landline number.

Louis answered.

"Where's Belle?"

"In the bathroom. What's wrong?" I sighed and started to twist the cord around my fingers. "My car's broken down. I need her to find the papers so I can call the insurance company and get a tow."

"Why aren't your papers with you? In your car?"

"'Cause I'm an idiot okay, tell Belle to hurry up." There was a pause and I rested the phone between my shoulder and ear as I slotted more coins into the machine.

"Harry?" I spun around hearing my name and saw a familiar tall blonde coming my way. He held out his hand for me, like he had the first time, and reintroduced himself. "Sam, you remember me right?" I laughed painfully and shook his hand back. "How could I forget, Sam."

"Dad? Hello?"

"Sorry, car troubles I just need to talk to my daughter." I turned my back on him and shut my eyes, unable to believe this was happening right now. "Belle? My cars broken down and I need.....Belle...Hello?" The line went dead and I groaned slamming the phone back on the hook repeatedly.

"If you need help I can help you?" Sam's voice made me jump since I forgot he was there and I turned to face him, clutching at my chest as my heart rate tried to slow down. At this point it didn't look like I had many other options. I nodded and he smiled, seemingly happy he could offer some poor shmuck a good deed for the day. "I have a friend that owns a tow truck, he could be here in an hour max. We'll take it to a garage and it'll be right as rain, and I can give you a lift home." He smiled at me and I was beginning to find it difficult to hate him. "You'd do all that, for me?"

"Course I would, any friend of Louis' is a friend of mine. You look stressed, let's get a drink in you and relax okay?" I found myself nodding as I followed him to the bar and watched as he ordered two drinks. He told me to pick a table and I sat waiting for him and it felt incredibly wrong. He was being so nice to me, when I didn't deserve it. I had slept with his boyfriend behind his back, the least I deserved was to be stranded in the middle of nowhere without a phone.

He placed two drinks down on the table and I snapped out of my thoughts, finally seeing what he'd ordered. It was two fruity pink drinks in cocktail glasses. "These always help me unwind." I forced a smile and picked it up, nearly downing it all in one go. "Woooah steady on tiger, the night is still young." He started sucking daintily on his straw and looked up at me before starting to talk again. "So how long have you know Louis?" I didn't know how to answer his question since the last 18 years didn't really count as knowing him. "We're old friends that lost contact over the last couple of years." He nodded, genuinely interested. "He's just never mentioned you."

At that I picked up my glass and finished off what was left before slamming it down onto the table.

"Wow you go hard don't you?" I signalled at the barmaid for another round and in minutes she scurried over with a tray of two more. "Mine's a virgin Harry, since I'm driving so you can have this one, all on me." Sam pushed his new one towards me and I didn't even thank him as I started to suck on the straw.

"So tell me Sam, how long have you and Louis been together?" He puffed his cheeks out in thought and let all the air escape before answering. "Best part of 6 years."

"Mhmmmm, do you think you know everything about him?" He looked at me quizzically, "He tells me everything, so I do know everything about him. Why do you have some juicy stories from when he was younger?" He leaned forward and rested his head in his hands, his eyes sparkling.

"No, Harry, does not have any interesting stories about me."

Both our heads snapped up to see Louis hovering above our table.