☽︎☽︎☽︎Long Years apart – can make no
Breach a second cannot fill –
The absence of the Witch does not
Invalidate the spell –
The embers of a Thousand Years
Uncovered by the Hand
That fondled them when they were Fire
Will stir and understand – ︎☾︎☾︎☾︎
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Faith
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Sunlight was pouring inside the room, illuminating each corner of the room and making it much more warmer than it should've been. Louis was lying on the bed, his face pressed on the pillow, limbs spread and his duvet half falling from the bed at his feet. His skin shining from the sunlight, he felt warmth on his back and he internally groaned remembering that he forgot to close the blinds last night. Suddenly he felt someone gently shake him, along with the warmth he'd been feeling. After cursing under his breath inaudibly, he turned around to see a blonde girl, with her hair in a bun, with hazel eyes gently smiling at him.
He distinctively remembered the blonde girl, he thought again and came to conclusion that she must be the hook-up from last night, don't make this awkward, he thought to himself as he sat up, rubbing his eyes and yawning.
"G'moring " he spoke up, in his morning raspy voice.
"Good mornin', I am taking a leave, I just wanted to tell you that, um , like I-, oh god, this is hard." she stumbled upon her words. She had silky smooth voice, Louis noticed. She held a shy smile and yet a confidence that Louis tried to comprehend, but failed due to the remnants of sleep in his mind.
"I liked the time we spent last night, so I wanted to ask you. Would you go on a date with me?" she spoke in a rushed tone, yet the confidence in her eyes contrasted, her shy smile. She was not fiddling with her fingers, Louis noticed. She had a tattoo too, which was almost completely hidden, by the sleeves of the shirt, that was too large on her, hanging on her collerbones, accenting the tattoo on her collerbones.
Louis politely disagreed to that, his sleep suddenly slipping out because of the question. The girl smiled awkwardly "Oh okay, it's alright. I was actually waking you up from sometime, but you were not waking up. I really need to leave. My boss would kill me since I'm already late."
With that she got up from the bed and started dressing up hurriedly. She picked up her purse and took out her phone. While typing something on her phone and wearing her heels simultaneously, she looked up and said in a hurried tone "Oh and Louis, I put my number on the notepad on your bedside table. You said last night that you're a writer and trying to get your work published. I actually work in a publishing house, so you can ring me if you ever need to." with a smile.
Louis half-opened his eyes and nodded while replying "Sure". With that the girl let herself out. As he tried to welcome the slumber he remembered how once, when he was younger and life was perfect, he dreamt of being a successful writer. The childhood dream must have slipped into an easily shaped lie last night to not reveal himself. He almost fell back to sleep again, when his phone started ringing. He groaned and decided to ignore it and get back to sleep, but after the third call, he picked it up without casting a glance to the caller ID.
"You forgot to pick me up, didn't you Tommo?" Liam spoke from the other side definitely sounding livid.
Louis suddenly sat up and started scurrying to find his clothes, while balancing his phone between his shoulder and ear, saying "I- Wha- no Payno, I'm on my way you see, I wasn't picking up your call because I was driving. And now I'm getting late because I had to park my car on the side to pick up your call." Although he knew Liam was not gonna believe a word.
"I know Tommo, you're lying. You aren't even out of your house yet." Liam replied, impatience visible in his voice.
Louis strode out of his house quickly towards his car while half-lying to his bestfriend "What, no Li. Why would I lie? I'm hanging up now because I'm coming in a few minutes. Yeah?"
"Yeah, although I know you are lying. I'm glad at least you're going to pick me up this time!". Liam taunted regarding the times Louis had ditched him, for his work.
With that Louis hung up and started driving his car out of his garage to the way to the airport, where he was supposed to be present almost half an hour ago. When he met Liam, at the airport, he had decided to pick something for breakfast, which Louis needed, so although Liam was a bit mad at him for being almost an hour late, he smiled when he saw the MCDONALD'S breakfast his bestfriend had bought.
"How can you forget to pick up your brother like bestfriend, whom you haven't met for almost three years, Louis?" Liam grumbled, while sitting in the passenger seat.
"I didn't forget you, Payno. See I stopped for breakfast, so-- wait you've been in America for three years?" Louis defended, while loading Liam's luggage.
"Really Louis, you little shit. Did you even miss me? Sounds like it wasn't much time for you." Liam answered, sounding offended,while Louis was sitting in the driver's seat.
"Hey, I missed you. I meant it like, those three years felt like a million to me." Louis replied with that innocent look on his face, batting his eyelashes for effects.
"Of course, you did." Liam replied, rolling his eyes and reaching for the burger.
With that Louis started driving towards his house, since that's where Liam would be staying. Louis had a nice house, one that made him feel lonely at times, but of course with Liam, he'd like staying there more than staying at his office, working at nights. Louis had been a journalist for almost five years now, risking his life because he didn't care anymore about his life as much about other's.
When they reached home, he showed Liam around since, he bought it about two years ago, when Liam was in The States.
When he had completed the small tour, they sat down together on the couch in the living room. Louis spreading his limbs on the coffee table and Liam half hanging his long legs on the armrest of the couch.
They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, since Louis was working on his laptop and Liam was texting someone. After sometime Louis noticed Liam looking at him with a concerned look on his face, and he knew what it was all about.
"Louis-" Liam spoke up, in a soft voice.
"Here we go again." Louis cut him off, sighing, knowing very well where this conversation was heading.
"Lou, please you can't keep building up walls around you and not letting people in. It's been a long time since the accident, maybe you could try, maybe please, just for me, try dating again." Liam pleaded with the same soft voice and more concern in his eyes. Louis thought and realised that maybe Liam that noticed his bed and that girl's phone number on the notepad.
"Li, you know my work, very well, what makes you think that I'd risk anyone else's life, when I don't even get feelings for people since the accident. You know I've tried dating in college, it never worked, Payno. You know I've got major trust issues, it's not that I built up that wall intentionally, it built up to save me from the emotional trauma, I've once been through, you know everything Liam, I don't think I really need to explain you because I- I just can't. And you've been there every moment, yo- you know it already anyway I already know, that the day those people know what I look like, they're going to kill me. Then why do I put people through it, when I know I can't even give them a good time, since I'm always at work, either working on a report or working for a report. Li, I get your concern but it's just way things are now for me and I'm fine with it. Please." Louis replied meekly, his voice just above a whisper, reaching the last word.
Liam turned completely towards Louis, picking up his laptop and setting it down on the coffee table and almost jumped up to wrap him in his warm embrace, reminding Louis of his caring mother. Louis melted into the embrace, feeling someone around him caring for him after so long, feeling bad for not missing Liam enough when he was gone. Liam hugged him tightly, whispering " Everything will be fine, Lou. It's going to be alright. I get it."
Louis had to try his hardest to not have a breakdown then and there, it's not like Liam hadn't seen his breakdowns, Liam had seen worse than those. It was just one of those moments, where you feel, so deeply connected to someone, that you feel if you move, this moment will be gone. And it would be the last thing Louis would want right now.
Louis was holding onto him, as if he'd disappear like him, like a fine elated air would turn into a mournful one, even though in reality, the air was more for a mournful one. He didn't know for how long they had been holding onto each other, with Liam gently helping him back to open his heart, to let people in, when his phone rang in his pocket. He tried to sit up straight, along with Liam, who was chuckling at how much of a mess Louis looked right now.
Louis took out his phone, to notice that the chief of SIS calling him, he knew it must be something important because, he had only talked to the chief when either he wanted Louis to be a part of a project or he wanted to congratulate him over a successful project.
Louis rubbed his eyes, cleared his throat and picked up the phone, while standing up from the couch, so that if the chief had some project to discuss, he could walk away from Liam.
"Morning, sir." Louis spoke up in a professional cheery voice, as if his morning had been the best, like he hadn't just been trying to stop a breakdown, which made Liam's heart clench thinking how many times Louis would've put up this voice for him or his mom, barring his feelings. Liam knew this was professional and important but he also knew he would have been this way, even if it were someone else.
"Good morning, Mr. Tomlinson." The chief said from the other end.
"How may I help you, sir?" Louis asked, straight to point, knowing well to not waste anyone's time.
"I do need a help from you, Mr. Tomlinson. It's actually related to working for an agency, a great one actually-" He was cut off by Louis sighing and replying "I'm sorry, Mr. Smith. But I can't work for an agency."
Mr. Smith replied calmly, with a hint of dissapproval in voice, trying to convince Louis "I get it Mr. Tomlinson,but it would have been an amazing opportunity for you, as well as the agency because, they need someone trustworthy and already trained. And I reckon you're the best in business right now. Also it's an agency based in London, and since according to what you told me last time, you live around there."
"Sir, I'd have definitely agreed to it, if it had an independent mission. I won't ask you what the mission is since you can't tell me. But you could give me the details of the agency I might think about it. I'd like to apologise but I won't get into another mission for a while now most probably, since I have someone staying with me and I can't risk their life." Louis tried to turn down the mission politely, glancing at Liam, who was staring at Louis, but seemed to have zoned out.
"It's alright, Mr. Tomlinson. I'll ask my assistant to send you the details, but I'd like if you could help with the mission, since it is one of those missions, which according to me you're dauntless enough for." The chief again made a failed attempt at convincing Louis to get on with this mission.
"Alright, thanks sir." Louis said trying to end the call because it felt awkward with having a serious conversation on the phone, when your best friend is staring at you with an amazingly dumb expression.
They ended the call and Louis turned to Liam with questioning eyes. Liam yet continued to stare. Louis cleared his throat, trying to bring Liam back from his thoughts. Liam looked up to meet Louis' eyes and looked at him with a much more dumb expression, if that were possible. Louis chortled at that and asked him what was the matter. Liam simply shrugged it off saying that he was planning out his next day, and trying to remember things he is supposed to complete. Although both of them knew well, that he had been lying, yet Louis simply acted to believe it.
♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎
Liam ordered lunch for both of them, while Louis was setting up Liam's room. Liam went into his room to find Louis had done an amazing job with setting up, he had actually even put books in the shelves of Liam's genre. During lunch both of them decided to watch the Friends rerun on the T.V. since both of them paid absolutely no attention on the screen in front of them or rather even the food.
Louis had been thinking about the mission for which the chief of M16 had called him for. While Liam was getting flashbacks of the times Louis and Liam used to go to double dates in high school. He remembered how Louis used to be such a sap for him. And how whenever Zayn did the same with Liam, Louis would make fun of them. How Louis used to smile like sunshine whenever he met him. He was pulled out of his thoughts by his phone ringing, Louis also looked at the phone noticing then that Liam also had not touched his food. They noticed that it was Zayn calling, Louis being quicker than Liam due to his trainings, picked up the phone and answered it while running from a furious looking Liam.
"Hey, cupcake." Zayn said, not knowing who had answered the phone.
"Aww, you're such a sap Zee." Louis said while chuckling.
"Oh, wait Louis? Hi, since you picked up, I guess my cupcake is with you. Can I talk to him, please?" Zayn replied from the other end, unbothered by being called a sap for what seemed like, the millionth time from Louis.
"Hey, c'mon Zee, you get to talk to your boy over the phone, whenever you want, come over to my place. You'll get to meet Payno and-" Louis was cut off in the middle of the sentence by Liam snatching his phone from Louis.
Louis whined. Liam stood up straight and started walking towards the couch with a cute smile on his face, talking to Zayn, and about how he'd love if Zayn could come over.
Louis stood up and acted to wipe imaginary dust from his sweatpants, and then going back to his untouched food, trying hard to eavesdrop on Liam's conversation.
Liam beamed up when Zayn agreed to missing work and coming over. Louis smiled thinking about getting to meet Zayn personally after long. When Liam continued to talk for another half hour, Louis frowned on noticing the food Liam had paid no attention to yet. He yelled at Liam, loud enough for Zayn to hear that his lunch was cold now. And he's pretty sure Zayn hung up after persuading Liam to have his lunch, and they'll talk later.
Liam came back to couch skipping and smiling. Louis smiled at Liam and went to put his dishes. Louis' phone dinged when he went to refrigerator to get some water, he unlocked his screen to see a message from Zayn asking or more like confirming Louis' address. Louis confirmed him, and went back to living room to tell Liam that Zayn would be over in some time.
A/N: I'm sorry I forgot to update😭😭. Vote and comment if you liked it. Feel free to correct me, since I did not edit again.Idk what else to write. BYE-
Word count- 2758
Date- 28 August, 2021
-Jade
🦋✨💕🧚♀️
🎱🕷️🖤🧷
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