EDITED
Title of chapter from: World of Our Own by Westlife
PICTURE: Louis
-Felicity .x
~*~
Chapter Sixteen: What Am I Doing Without You?
Emily:
When the airplane landed, we all made our way to baggage claim in silence. Eleanor took a detour to the bathroom, and I sat down on a nearby seat. Louis came around and slid into the seat beside me.
"Hey." He smiled awkwardly.
"Hi."
There was an uncomfortable silence until Louis' hesitant voice broke it.
"You think things will ever be the same between us?" Our eyes met.
"I want them to be."
"Me too," He mumbled drowsily and slipped his hand over mine on the armrest.
We hailed a taxi. Eleanor muttered a goodbye to us and walked off in the other direction, where her friend was collecting her. Louis watched her leave with an indiscernible look on his face.
Louis climbed in beside me in the taxi, my handbag between us. He relayed his address to the driver and he sped off. I watched London fly by in a blur of colour. There was a tangible tension hanging in the air. I had a decided a while before Paris that I'd spend the rest of the break in the flat I still owned in London. I didn't sell it when I went to LA and I still had the keys.
My phone rang, breaking the silence. I reached into my handbag pulled it out, but I noticed a silver glint on the seat beside Louis. I figured it fell out of his pocket and reached down for it. My fingers closed around a cold chain. Curiously, I retrieved it and in my hand sat a long silver chain with a silver E dangling from it.
My heart thudded painfully.
"Happy anniversary," a soft voice purred in my ear. We were sat in Nando's and I was waiting for our order to come.
"You said that to me already, baby," I murmured, enjoying his warm breath on my neck. His lips went down to kiss my sweet spot. I bit my lip.
"I know."
Something cold snaked around my neck. I looked down to see a silver necklace with a sparkling L charm hanging from the chain.
He finally entered my line of vision and pulled down his shirt so his neck was exposed.
A matching silver chain with an E hung around his neck.
"Shop assistant insisted I got two," He mumbled. My stomach started fluttering. There was a strain over my heart that nearly made me want to double over.
"I love you," I whispered so quietly that he could barely hear.
"You don't think it's stupid?"
"I think you're stupid, you amazing idiot," I giggled, hand going to clasp my necklace.
"I lov-"
"Shush, food's here."
"Hello?" I choked into the phone, surreptitiously sneaking the necklace into my pocket.
"Emily!" It was Niall and he sounded hyped up on caffeine. "Emily! I can't reach Louis, so I guess I'll just tell you. One Direction are nominated for a Brit!"
I let rip a delighted shriek, leading the taxi driver to swerve and curse in Arabic.
"Brit! Brit!" I yelped between a series of unintelligible shrieks. "You're nominated for a Brit!"
"Oh my God!" Louis reached over the handbag to hug me. It was only after he pulled back that he realised what he was doing.
LOUIS:
"Er..." I muttered.
"Yep..."
After a few minutes silence, I said, "I'm sorry you didn't get a Brit nomination."
"No, it's okay."
"I have an idea I've been waiting to talk to you about," I said. She raised her eyebrows. "How about a collaboration album? You can collaborate with One Direction too; it shouldn't be too hard to get other artists! It would sell like hotcakes."
"I like that!" Her eyes lit up in excitement. "I'll speak to Rayna about it."
"And Emily?" I inhaled deeply. "Will you...come with me to the Brits?"
I froze. "Pardon?"
"A – as friends, of course."
The taxi pulled over to the side of her apartment block.
"You know, as a...er, celebration of our friendship."
She looked irritated now. Grabbing her bags, she stalked up to the door of the building. Just before she reached it she whirled around.
"Great! It's finally official! We're friends!"
"No, I didn't mean it like that, I meant-"
"Come on, Louis! You know I think of us as more than just -"
The realisation of what she was about to say cut herself off, slapping her hand to her mouth and dropping the bags onto the driveway.
"More than just what?" I questioned, heart thudding. She shook her head frantically.
"I don't know, I gotta go!"
She shoved the keys into the door and pushed into the lobby.
"No, Emily, wait a second! Please!"
I stumbled out of the taxi and ran after her, grabbing the door before it closed. It took a second to remember which apartment was hers, but eventually I found it. I knocked on the door, but heard nothing. Resting my head against the cold wood for a minute, I let all my thoughts sink into the mahogany. My hand slipped into my pocket, seeking out the cold chain of the necklace.
It wasn't there.
Panicking a little, I wondered if I'd dropped it in the airport. I hurried back down to the taxi to see if I'd accidentally packed it in my suitcase. I rummaged and fumbled around in it, but it wasn't there.
"Oh God."
I began to panic. If that fell out somewhere I would never get it back. Buying a new one just wouldn't be the same at all. I needed that necklace.
"Oh Jesus," my voice cracked as I tore apart my suitcase.
"What are you looking for?"