But when he heard the front door close, he didn't feel as relieved as he thought he would.
'Cause no Louis meant no food.
***
"Is that the coat you usually wear?" Louis questioned Niall when they strolled down the street. "No wonder you're always freezing when you stop by."
He absentmindedly rubbed the younger boy's back, feeling a little protective over Niall.
He didn't want to see the fake-blond with blue lips and trembling hands. He preferred him with a bright smile, nice and warm, with a blush on his cheeks. That's how Niall looked at his best.
"It's nothing I can't handle."
Niall said, puffing out his chest. Louis just rolled his eyes at him.
"Where are we going?"
Niall dragged him to one of the city maps.
"So far I've checked this part, this part and this part. So today we should look here."
All together the boy had searched in almost three quarters of the town. It amazed Louis how much work he'd got done all by himself. Especially with such a thin coat when it was so cold. No wonder Niall always broke down when he talked to Louis.
"Let's go then, shall we?"
Louis seized Niall's hand, leading him from street to street. It was cold and the wind hurt his skin, but he felt like he was doing Niall a favour, so it was all worth it.
"So, what do you do for a living?"
Niall asked him, just as an icebreaker. Things were always a little awkward between them, until one of them got the conversation going.
"I'm a writer. Which is why I'm always at home."
He explained Niall, leaving out the part about his source of inspiration.
"What about you?"
He asked, since Niall had yet to say anything. To be honest, Niall felt a little ashamed. Louis was actually doing something with his life, using his talent. Unlike Niall, who didn't even have a proper degree.
"I'mabartender."
He said quickly, hoping the older lad didn't understand what he said and would drop the matter. But that wasn't anything like Louis, he heard every word Niall said, saw every movement he made and tried his best to guess what he was thinking.
And the way Niall looked at the ground when the words left his lips hadn't gone unnoticed by Louis.
"Does Harry work in the same bar as you do?"
He asked, receiving a nod from Niall.
"Yeah, he does. We didn't always do the same shift though."
After endless chatter and banter, Louis had learned a lot about both Niall and Harry.
For instance, he now knew that Niall was born in Ireland and that he had an unhealthy obsession with Michael Buble. Just like Louis, he loved football. But his favourite team was Ireland's national team, where Louis preferred the Doncaster Rovers, the team of his hometown.
He'd also learned quite a lot about Harry. Apparently, the boy was rather popular with both genders. He liked staying up late, or sometimes he just didn't come home at all. Niall couldn't count in him, he often made Niall do his shift.
Niall had also told him about how well Harry got along with little kids and his love for indie music. His hairband, Instagram and tattoo addiction. Or just how much he sucked at footie.
