Dream Writer » Larry AU

25: MACHO

A/N: I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

I keep saying it, but please never stop commenting. Reading your opinions is my favourite part of the day!

Louis,

It was Liam's second time baking when I returned home, hair still drenched in water from the stream, and lips newly pecked from when Harry had kissed me goodbye.

My fingertips kept hovering over them, as if they were holy to the touch. I kept them like that even when I entered the kitchen to eventually spot my best friend, picking batter from his fringe, completely oblivious to my presence. David Guetta (or some other mediocre DJ) was playing from the ceiling speakers and Liam was humming along, like the musical geek he was.

"Did you not learn to keep the window open from the last time I lectured you?" I caroled, startling him to say the least. Out of panic, he seized the burning hot pan on the counter, instantly flinching after quickly estimating the boiling heat on his fingers. Thereupon, I sighed, stepped past him and latched the window open to release the burnt smell. "Took you the same effort to fail this time, huh?"

The bloke was blowing frantically on his hands in attempt to cool them down (when he could've just washed them in cold water) before examining my looks, paying extra attention to my soaked hair.

"Where the heck 'ave you been? And why are you wet?"

Ignoring him, I slid down the lid to the oven and waved the smoke away. "Why are you baking again? It's Friday. You don't have work tomorrow."

"I'm practising!" he wheezed and I snorted. And once I'd looked away, I felt him pinching the fabric of my shirt. "Why are you all fancy? Did you have an audition? No, that doesn't explain the hair. What's going on?"

With a speedy heart, I stepped away from the oven and scooted over to the adjacent counter where he'd placed the hot tin he'd earlier burnt his hand on. It wasn't brownies this time. It was beige, weird-looking and had burnt patches all over.

"What even is this? Banana cake?" I gently butted the pastry with my index finger.

"Don't poke holes!" Liam growled. "It's brownies without the cocoa-but hey! Why are you dodging my questions? Where have you been all day?"

Half-surprised and half-not, I blinked. "You baked brownies, without the cocoa?"

"We were out of cocoa powder!" He slouched his shoulders helplessly and I sighed again, a smile growing on my lips in reaction to the stupidity. "Now tell me! Why are you dressed up? And wet?!"

Because I wanted to get as far away as possible from that conversation, I stepped over to the fridge, yanked the door open and let my eyes aimlessly scan over the products inside. Eggs, ketchup, Liam's stupid peach juice, the half-eaten tinfoiled sandwich I left behind two days earlier, cheese-Wait. Had there always been a little rooster on the sriracha sauce bottle?

"Louis!" Liam slapped my arm and successfully kicked me out of my trance. I faced him. "Are you mad at me, or what?"

I grimaced. "No, I just...don't feel like talking about it."

He gave me a look. "That's not allowed. Tell me. Where were you. I have to know. Pronto. Now. This second."

Because he was being a bitch, I decided to at least let him in on the details that wouldn't spoil it. "I was-" I stopped nearly choking on my own breath. "I was on a date."

Liam's eyes shot up in curiosity. "Really? And what did she do? Drool all over your head?" He touched my hair and I swatted his hand away. "Seriously. What happened? Was it raining? I swear, it was sunny this morning."