Love Can Conquer All

chapter 53

We danced for another few songs before she admitted she was tired and went to sit down with Harry and Felicity who were both laughing at some secret conversation they were absorbed in. His brown curls bobbed as his head moved with laughter. He'd shed his black jacket and tie, like the rest of the men in the party, and was in his white shirt with the collar unbuttoned and the sleeve rolled up showing his tanned, strong forearms.

He grabbed Daisy and pulled her onto his lap where she stayed for quite some time, laughing and chatting with Harry. Before long Phoebe went over to join them and I felt Louis' arms wrap around my waist. I twisted around so we were face to face and smiled when, my eyes met his.

'Do you want another drink?' He asked.

'Do you really need another drink?' I asked.

'I think I might.' He winked.

'Alright then, I see no reason to debate, you are the most responsible drinker I've ever met.' I smirked. 'Remind me again of the second time we met.' I laughed.

'Oh come on. It's a wedding.' He said, grabbed my hands and pulled me over to the bar where we sat down on the tall stools. He ordered himself a beer and me a Vodka and orange, my drink of choice.

'So, are you having fun?' His warm hand rested on my bare knee.

'Definitely, you gotta love a good wedding.' I took a sip of my drink as he paid the barman. 'Are you?'

'Of course. They're so happy together.' We both spun around in our seats and watched Liam and Rose dancing together. Rose was laughing as a tipsy Liam sang to her, his arms holding her waist firmly as they danced in the middle of the floor, surrounded by drunk family members and friends.

'They are.'

...

The room started to empty as people said their goodbyes and congratulations before leaving.

'Louis, honey, we're heading home now. We'll see you for lunch tomorrow.' Jay smiled as she shifted a very tired looking Phoebe's hand from her left hand to her right one.

Louis stood up and pulled them both into a tight hug, his arms wrapping around the both of them. 'Yup, 2pm. The Ivy, be there or be square.' He called before pulling them back in for a sloppy hug. He was definitely drunk.

'Yeah. Go easy on the drink now Lou. You've already had a lot.' She looked at me and smiled. 'Keep an eye on my boy, will you?'

'I will.' Louis took my hand and squeezed it.

'She's very good to me you know.'

'I know Lou. See you tomorrow.' She laughed and left practically dragging Phoebe with her.

'Shall we head home too?' Louis asked.

'Yeah, you don't need to drink anymore.' I smiled.

'True. Let's go and say goodbye.' He walked over to Rose and Liam at the table they were sitting at. Liam had his arm around Rose's shoulders as they sat side by side in their chairs having a drink.

'We're going to head home.' I said to them as we stood next to the table. 'Congratulations' they pulled me into a hug, and then Louis. I looked at Rose 'You look gorgeous. The dress was the perfect choice!'

'Thank you so much.' She smiled.

We said our goodbyes to the rest of the band and people there before climbing into a waiting taxi and leaving for Louis' apartment.

...

My head felt like lead, I could only just lift it off my pillow. My eyes, if they could talk, would have screamed every time I opened them. I pulled the quilt over my head in defeat and tried to fall back asleep but failed drastically. Eventually, after psyching myself up for it, I threw the quilt off and opened my eyes fully, forcing myself through the unimaginable pain that came with the light shining through the window into my eyes. I got up and shuffled into the kitchen. The tiles were cold against my bare feet and caused me to speed up to get to the rug which wouldn't be such a shock to the system.

I heard a grunt and looked at the table. Louis was slouched over it, his hands wrapped around a mug of coffee, his hand resting on the thick wood of the long table. Light streamed in from the glass wall behind him, causing immense pain to my head and no doubt his too.

I opened the cupboard and grabbed the Paracetamol box. I popped two into my hand and closed my fingers around them, keeping them safe while I filled a glass with water. I swallowed them down, the cool fluid quenching the painful thirst I woke up with. I flicked the kettle on and pulled myself around the counter next to it.

I picked at a thread on my navy cotton, Jack Wills pyjama shorts I'd worn to bed and looked at Louis. His hair was in a disarray and his bare back looked clammy in the sunlight. He looked up as though he'd felt my eyes on him, his mouth folded into a slow, painful smile before he took a sip of coffee.

'Oh how I love the morning after a night out.' He rubbed his forehead with his hand, rubbing the hair that was stuck to his face out of his way.

'Why do you think I stopped drinking? I forgot how bad it felt.' He gave a weak smile.

'Yeah, I guess stopping was a smart thing to do.' I nodded.

I filled a cup with a coffee and water. Milk was not welcome at a time like this. I needed caffeine and plenty of it. I filled half of the mug with cold water, so as not to burn my mouth, and took a large sip. The warm liquid filled my mouth and left a warm trail as I swallowed it.

'What time is it?' He mumbled. His voice was muffled by the hand he was resting his chin on.

I squinted at the clock on the oven, my eyesight still seeing double. '12:30, what time are we having lunch with your parents?'

'2pm' His head slowly went back to resting on the table, his eyes closed.

'Oh god, I wonder if they are as bad as we are.' I thought aloud.

A quick laughed echoed through the table. 'Probably. They had a lot to drink.'

I finished the rest of my coffee before climbing off the counter. 'I'm going to go and have a shower now, I'll probably be unbelievably slow in this state so I should start earlier.'

Louis threw a hand in the air and gave me a thumb up in response, his head resting on its side on the table. I leaned over and kissed the cheek that was facing up lightly and then shuffled back into the bedroom before grabbing a towel and having the hottest shower possible.

I pulled on my dress, careful to avoid messing up my hair as Louis stepped out of his wardrobe wearing a white shirt, open at the neck and the sleeves rolled up and a pain of black trousers. He had small, dark shadows under his eyes but he no longer looked sickly.

'Ready?' He asked. His voice was still husky with sleep and his hangover.

'Yeah.' The Paracetamol I'd taken had worked slightly, but I still had a pounding headache and dark shadows I couldn't get rid of, even with makeup.

We stepped out of the lift into the taxi we'd booked. We still had so much alcohol in our system that it would be impossible to drive.

'Where are we going?' the driver asked.

'The Ivy please.' Louis replied. He wound down the window and leaned as close to it as possible; suddenly looking quite green once the car was in motion.