Only The Brave ⟨⟨ʟᴏᴜɪs ᴛᴏᴍʟɪɴsᴏɴ⟩⟩

⟨⟨ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴜs ⟩⟩

Before his bandmates could continue questioning his social engagements, the rest of the people working on their album entered the room and called for their attention. Their fifth album would be coming out in a week, so they didn't really need to be in the studio but the team needed to discuss some final things with them regarding promo and their hiatus. Knowing that he would get annoyed if he listened for too long, Louis quietly pulled out his phone and clicked on his gallery again so that he could look at the pictures he had taken the day prior. 
As he scrolled through the various images of plants and signs displaying the odd names he had found most humourous, he felt the tension in his chest softly fade away. Upon wondering if Elora was thinking about their day together as well he realised that he could just ask her. With a small grin, he shared the picture of her to the newly added contact and waited for her response. 

He looked up from his screen and recognised the concentrated looks on Liam and Harry's face while Niall looked around with vague interest - they had been talking more about hiatus. Louis examined the signs of exhaustion creeping through the cracks of his mates' faces and he sighed with the thought of what was to happen. They had been talking about this for a year now but he still couldn't help but feel disgruntled with the decision. They were at the height of their time together and he just wished the others didn't feel the need to take a break. His mood soured as he recalled the increased frequency of their conversations after Zayn left the band and how that had led to their announcement in August. Tapping his fingers against his knee, Louis looked away from all the people in the room and clenched his teeth to maintain his neutral exterior. With the sudden sensation of Harry stroking his leg in calming motions, he shot his head in the direction of his best friend and couldn't help but sigh as he realised that he had failed at seeming to be at peace. He looked down and patted his friend's large hand in thanks for his attempt to calm him down. 

When their meeting eventually ended, the lads stayed in the room together with expressions of resignation covering their faces. Louis leant his head against the back of the leather couch and exhaled loudly, trying his best to not fall into the pit of negative emotions swirling in his stomach. They were all tired of everything, he knew that, but his understanding of why they were doing it all annoyed him because he still couldn't wholeheartedly agree. He could feel the stares of the three other people in the room as they remained on his. Three people, he had spent some of the best years of his life with - a time in his existence that they were so keen to end. 
"Mate-" 
"-I need some air," Louis interrupted Niall before he could continue trying to console him. He rose from his seat and shoved his phone in his pocket before he moved out of the room, knowing full well that he wasn't going back in. As he exited he could hear the deep voice of Harry telling the others to just give him space. With a disgruntled huff, he pulled out a cigarette and flicked on his lighter, needing the chemical peace to calm his racing thoughts. Taking a drag from the habit he had developed, he felt the faint buzz in his pocket announcing that someone was requesting his attention. Assuming that it was one of the lads or a member of Management biting at the chance to force him to do something, he ignored his phone and continued smoking as he leant against the wall. When he had finished he pushed himself into a standing position and motioned to one of the security members that he was ready to go. They ushered him into the vehicle and he remained thankful that no one had seen him while he was in the state he was in. 

After a while of sitting silently in the back of the dark car, he pulled out his phone with the full intention of ignoring whoever had messaged him until he read the sender's name. With the surprising realisation that he had managed to forget that he had been waiting for Elora's response, he clicked on notification. 

A dream is one way of saying it.
I thought that my meds had been messing with me ;)

Meds?

Oh yes, you met a special girl.

That doesn't sound threatening at all.

Dangit, I failed then.

Louis chuckled at her message before looking up and seeing that the car had stopped outside his apartment with the security guard waiting for him to exit patiently. Vaguely thanking him, he slid out of the car and made his way through the front door of his London home. Before he could kick off his shoes and get comfortable, Louis decided to take initiative and clicked on the contact displayed on his screen. Hearing the faint ringing in his ear, he waited for her response knowing full well that she had her phone at hand. 

"This is too much confrontation," her soft voice flowed out of the device after the ringing had continued for a bit too long. Louis laughed at her greeting, a smile forming on his face immediately.
"Not a fan of calling then?" he questioned with full understanding that she could hear his smirk through his voice.
"Well, not really, I like to have the call scheduled," she attempted to explain with a tense voice, "So that I can prepare myself and such. It never works but it helps fend off those with the desire for a casual call." 
He laughed once again, grateful for her honesty even though he guessed it was rooted in her discomfort, "For someone living so far from home, you're doing awfully bad at maintaining your relationships."
He heard her gasp through the speaker, "Excuse you me, that was rude."
"Just returning the honesty," he responded with a grin as he continued to stand in the middle of his flat, "Aren't you happy that I'm being so open after knowing you for only a day?"
She laughed lightly on her side of the call before she revealed, "I will admit that I appreciate you making true your promise to keep contact."
"Good good," he smiled, "Then you'll be ecstatic to know that I would like to do something with you today."
"My my, Mr Tomlinson," she mused with a smile in her tone, "You truly are an introvert's nightmare. First a call and now physical interaction."
He laughed loudly as she teased him, thankful for the confidence he had that prevented him from becoming a stuttering mess as he remarked, "I do try." 
"Well I just got home and my roommate has already begun staring at me weirdly," she commented, "So leaving my apartment seems like a great idea." 
The vague shout of another person penetrated her audio and he chuckled as he imagined what their relationship would be like. There was a beat before she responded, "Shut up, you know you love me!"
Louis continued to laugh before she seemed to return her attention to their shared call. Jumping at the opportunity to tease her he commented, "I'm not so sure about love right just yet, we only met yesterday."
She laughed at his words before saying, "I'm not going to even try and defend myself. Sure, let's do something."