No Strings Attached

Chapter One

“Well, you’ve pretty much already said that you don’t have time for old-fashioned commitment,” Zayn replied matter-of-factly. “And you’re a regular bloke – you’ve got needs. Even if you are a dad. A romp in the sack every now and then never hurt – ”

Louis really didn’t want to have the rest of this conversation. Instead, he put up a hand and checked his watch. He nearly sighed in gratitude.

“Time for work,” he said with a smile.

***

The first hour of Louis’ shift passed by easily, especially for a Saturday night. Unfortunately, Zayn took advantage of the slowness and tried cornering his best mate at every opportunity he could seize. But desperate to avoid that conversation, Louis would purposefully devote himself to the customers in his section – even the ones he had just tended to. He even hid behind the bar, but the bartender immediately wondered what a waiter was doing crouched from sight.

But by the second hour, the usual dinnertime rush began and within thirty minutes, parties of three or more had to wait upwards of forty minutes. It was great business for the restaurant, but it put constant stress on the waters – Louis in particular. Incidentally, the second hour of his shift usually coincided with the time that he began worrying for Rosie. He wondered whether she had been fed properly or not, if she had enough toys to play with, or if the sitter was paying even remotely enough attention to her. But before those thoughts could consume him entirely, he was jarred back to reality by some kitchen clatter or demanding customer.

Once, he nearly dropped a tray full of salad and pasta when Zayn playfully bumped into him, directing his attention to a table of young men and women around their age. Zayn winked but Louis just rolled his eyes.

It was midway through his shift when he took notice of the clamor arising from his section. He was heading to the kitchen when he first heard people talking excitedly amongst themselves. He was tempted to wheel around and take a look for himself, but he had an order slip that needed to be delivered right away.

“Do you know what’s going on back there?” Louis asked when he found Zayn in the kitchen.

“Whatyamean?” Zayn asked with a mouthful of some bread he had nipped from a breadbasket.

“Everyone’s really perked up over in my section,” he explained. “Must be someone famous.” It wouldn’t be the first time that their restaurant played host to someone well-known; seeing as it was a rather high-scale eatery situated in the heart of London, it only made sense.

“Must be,” Zayn said after swallowing. “I’ll go look for myself and I’ll tell you when I get back.” He gathered two chicken plates onto his tray before leaving.

Louis only shrugged, resisting the temptation to pull his phone out of his pocket and check on Rosie. Otherwise, it could lead to an actual phone call, and he didn’t want to be that father. Besides, if anything really warranted his attention, he would have felt his phone vibrate.

Instead, he tore off some crust from the same breadbasket before grabbing the loaf and stuffing it into his mouth altogether. He had barely swallowed when Zayn reappeared in the kitchen, face alive with excitement.

“It’s them,” he said with raised brows. “That group of blokes from The X Factor.”

Louis’ eyes widened in realization. He rarely had time for television, but The X Factor was one of the few programs he actually found himself watching with real investment. He attributed it to his deeply hidden love for singing and performing. He had even considered trying out once, but that was before Rosie.