twenty-one:
Larry knew he was wrong, there was no denying it, he had fucked up big time and if Laurent chose not to forgive him, he wouldn't even blame him. He should have told him about Idris or more importantly that he had a daughter but why didn't he? He had thought of telling him so many times, even when Laurent had seen Latifah's picture on his phone and when he had seen Laurent put down the picture frame in his house, he had wanted to sit Laurent down and explain everything to him but why didn't he? Had he been scared of Laurent's reaction? Had he been embarrassed to tell his lover he had a child from an out of frustration one night stand? This was all taking a big toll on him and to say he had the slightest idea on how to fix it was a lie.
He needed help, he needed advice. He couldn't loose Laurent, there was no way he could live without Laurent. He had to act really quick. So, he dashed for his phone that was lying on the couch and quickly dialled Marcus' number.
After the fourth ring, Marcus picked up.
"Marcus, bro, I need you help," Larry rushed out, not even allowing Marcus to answer a hello.
"My help? Wassup? Everything alright?" Marcus asked.
Larry was pacing back and forth in his small apartment. "No, no. Marcus, he know. He know everything now, and I no know what to do."
"Calm down, Larry. Who knows what?"
"Laurent, he know about my baby and I can no find him anywhere."
"Laurent knows about your daughter?"
Larry nodded and then realised Marcus couldn't see him, "Yes. Annabel bring her over to mami's house today and he was there."
"Wait, you didn't tell him you had a kid?"
Larry bit on his finger nervously, even Marcus was disappointed. "I no have the courage to tell him before, I scared about what he's going to say if he know. And today, he find out everything, Marcus. I no know what to do. Help me."
Marcus sighed over the phone, "Look, Larry, you have to calm yourself down, bro, okay?"
"Okay, okay, I calm. So help me," Larry said, his heart beating at an unusual rate.
"Um, when did he leave? Have you tried calling his phone?"
"Yes, I been calling him, but he no picking. Help me call him, Marcus. Tell him I sorry, please. I know it's all my fault, I so selfish for not telling him about all of these. He's going to think I no trust him, Marcus. He may even think I no love him, but help me tell him it's no true. I so scared right now."
"Be calm, Larry, please. Look, I'll try calling Laurent, even text him if he doesn't pick up but you have to stop freaking out. Laurent is a big boy, he's going to understand once you explain everything to him, okay? This isn't the time for you guys to be quarrelling, Les Twins official debut is in 4 days, you know that right? Take it easy with yourself, okay? I'll uh.. You're at your place right?"
"Yeah," Larry answered, his voice so low.
"I'll be right there okay? Don't go looking for him, Larry. Wait for me."
"Okay, hurry."
"Aiit," Marcus said and hung up.
Larry's leg gave out and he fell to the floor. Laurent was going to understand once he explained everything to him? He hoped Marcus was right, because even from his own point of view, he had hidden a lot from Laurent, and if anything it seemed like he took advantage of Laurent's extreme niceness.
Soon his phone was ringing by his side and he grabbed it. It was Annabel. He groaned at the 5/100 chance of it being Laurent calling hm as he answered the call.
"Yes, Annabel?"
"Larry," Annabel's crying voice came out.
"Annabel, what's wrong? Why you crying?"
"He-he t-took her, Larry."
"Baby, calm down and explain what you mean. Who took who?" Larry's heart was beating in his stomach now.
"Some guy took Latifah. They took my baby, Larry."
"What?! When? How? Who the hell took my daughter?!" Larry yelled.
"He said you know who he is. He said you know him. He had tattoes all over his body and he came with two other foreign looking guys in a white van, and they kept calling him boss. Larry, who is it? Who has our daughter?" Annabel asked as she continued to sob.
"He actually went this far?" Larry mumbled.
"Larry, talk to me! He said he was gonna hurt my baby if you didn't meet him where it all started in 2 hours."
"Calm down, baby. I going to get back our daughter. Just trust me," Larry hung up.
"Why the fuck you have to do this, Idris?! 'Where it all started?' Do he think this is some Mara and Clara shit?"
~
"Look, Laurent, all you have to do is hear him out."
"Like seriously? All I have to do is hear him out? Do you think it's so simple? Do you think I'm ignoring him just because I take pleasure in doin it? Do you have any idea how I feel- how hurt I am?" Laurent said, through the phone.
Marcus rested his head in his hand and sighed, "No, the answer to all of that is no. But, listen Laurent, Larry would never want to hurt you on purpose I promise you that. That dude loves you more than I ever thought. I know all this things are really coming like a blow to you, first Idris and now the whole daughter thingy, but you should know this isn't easy for Larry too."
"It sure was damn easy for him to lie about his past to me."
"Larry didn't lie about anything," Marcus said, feeling the need to defend his best friend. "He just didn't tell you."
"Really? You're going to take his side now?"
"I'm not taking any-"
"Why am I even talking to you? You're his best friend, you must have advised him to continue to lie to me!"
"Oh God! Larry didn't lie, Laurent! Try to understand him, please!"
Laurent didn't want to try and understand. He was, infact, tired of trying to understand. It was starting to be a daily routine for him to try and see reasons with why Larry did this or why he did that, and he didn't want to do it anymore.
"Look, I'm going to hang up now. I can't even deal with this right now."
"I'm not going to stop you from doing whatever it is you want, Laurent, but don't make decisions you're gonna regret. Yeah, Larry made a huge ass mistake but who doesn't? It doesn't mean he should be persecuted for it. All I ask of you is to meet with Larry and hear him out, talk things over and if you still find whatever his reason is to be unworthy, then you can walk away and never look back, and I promise to make sure Larry never bothers you again."
Laurent was silent and for a second Marcus thought he had gone ahead to hang up, but he was still on the call.
Marcus sighed, "He loves you, man, okay? Just give him one chance to explain. I know it's hard for you, but please. Larry's happiness means the world to me, and if you can give that to him then, I ask you to listen to him."
It was Laurent's own turn to sigh. For the love he had for Larry, only for the sake of that love will he give Larry one last chance to justify everything he did.
"Okay."
"Yes!" Marcus chuckled. "That's great."
"But you have to come pick me. I really walked a long distance and I don't even have anything on me, they're al at my mum's."
"No p, man. Just tell me where you are."
Soon, Marcus drove over to pick Laurent up and it turned out to be only a few blocks away from Larry's home.
"Thanks again, man, for doing this. I appreciate," Marcus said to Laurent as they climbed the stairs leading to Larry's room.
Laurent nodded, "I pray his reasons are worth it."
Marcus didn't say anything anymore, he would leave the talking to Larry.
Once they got to Larry's room, Marcus knocked on the door but there was no answer, he tried knocking again and received the same response.
"What? He's not in?" Laurent asked.
"I don't know. I asked him to wait for me," Marcus said as he reached on top the door frame and got out Larry's key. "Where the hell did he go to?"
Marcus unlocked the door and they both walked in. Laurent stood by the door while Marcus checked the little apartment for Larry.
"He's not in," Marcus announced, coming out from the bathroom.
"I kinda figured that already," Laurent rolled his eyes.
Marcus got out his phone and dialled Larry's number, putting it on speaker and after a while Larry answered.
"Marcus," He said, and there was lots of noise were he was. Not music noise or anything but of cars swifting by.
"Larry, where are you? I'm with-"
"He has her, Marcus. Idris took my daughter and I have to get her back."
"Idris kidnapped Latifah?" Marcus asked and Laurent's mouth flew open in shock.
The guts of the bastard.
"Yeah, I have to go to him."
"What?! Larry get your ass back here, you can't go after Idris on your own!"
"What?" Laurent walked up to Marcus.
"Look, Marcus, I on a bike right now, and I can no talk much. But please, you have to promise me to take care of Laurent."
"Take care of who? What the fuck is he talking about?" Laurent asked.
"Are you crazy? You think we're shooting some kind of James Bond movie right now?" Marcus asked irritated. "You just shut your fucking mouth up, get back to your apartment and we figure out what to do."
"I'm sorry, man but this is my fight, okay?"
"Larry, you-"
"Tell Laurent I-" There was a loud crash followed by a scream from Larry.
"Larry! Hello? Larry?!" Marcus kept yelling over and over, as he started to hear screams and honking from over the phone.
Laurent snatched the phone from Marcus. "Larry! Larry fucking answer me!" Laurent yelled. "Larry! God damnit!"
"C'mon. Let's go!" Marcus shouted as they both dashed out of the house.
"Do you know where he is?" Laurent asked running after him.
"I'm going to track his phone," Marcus said.
"Then let's fucking go!" Laurent yelled.
"I know, I'm going!" Marcus yelled back as they got into his car and drove off.
During the 8 minutes ride, Laurent kept shaking in his sit.
"Please, God, let it not be true, let my instincts be wrong. Let my baby be okay, please," He continued to pray.
"H-he's gonna be f-fine, Laurent," Marcus assured him trying to be tough, but the fear in his voice gave him away.
Laurent closed his eyes shut, and continued to hit against the dash board.
"Oh my God!" Marcus said as Laurent looked up. Right before his eyes was the scene that would hunt him for the rest of his life.
A stretcher was being pushed towards an ambulance. It was Larry. Laurent jumped out of the car, and raced towards the stretcher, pushing his way through the crowd that had gathered in the scene.
"Larry! Larry!" He raced towards the stretcher.
A man in a police uniform blocked his way, "Who are you, sir?"
"Please, that's my twin brother," Laurent said looking over the man's shoulder.
"I'm sorry," The man mover away and Laurent went over.
"Larry!" He held unto the stretcher and the sight of Larry brought tears to his eyes. A supposedly white towel which was now blood soaked was placed on his forehead to show he had an injury there, his nose brigde was split, his lips was cut, his right arm was badly scratched and was bleeding profusely, and he kept on groaning. Laurent had never imagined to see so much blood on a person, talk more of it being on the one person he could die for.
"Larry, please, hang in there for me," Laurent sobbed. "I'm so sorry for leaving you."
Larry continued to groan in so much pain, his eyes shut, his lips not moving but Laurent knew he could hear him. "I love you. And I'm going to get your daughter back, I promise." Laurent leaned in and kissed his forehead as he pulled away.
"We're going to take him in now, he's loosing lots of blood," The paramedics told him.
Laurent nodded, "Okay, please take care of him."
Marcus put his arm around his shoulder, and for the first time Laurent saw tears in his eyes. "M-marcus-"
"He's gonna be fine," Marcus whispered, as the tears fell from his eyes. "Larry's gonna be fine, Laurent, okay? Don't cry."
Laurent was pained, he was heart broken, he couldn't believe he had just seen Larry in such state. He had never imagined it in his life, but here he was watching the ambulance pull out of the scene. It was so...unreal. He felt his heart was bleeding, he wished he could take away every pain Larry felt at that moment, like he could exchange bodies with Larry. But he couldn't. His love was in so much pain, a pain caused by that low-lifed psychotic pig. Idris or whatever his name was, was going to get it in a way he never had before. Idris was going to get back what he did to Larry, and Laurent was going to make sure of it, he didn't care if he, Laurent, died in the process.
"Are you going to the hospital?" Marcus asked.
"Uh, you go on ahead. I'll be there," Laurent said.
"You're going somewhere?"
"Just a quick stop somewhere," He said, then added. "Do you have Larry's phone? I need to mKe a quick call with it."
"Yeah," Marcus brought out Larry's phone from his pocket and gave him. "The police officer gave it to me."
Laurent nodded and began to walk away but stopped. He turned around and walked back to Marcus. "Thank you for everything, man. Please take care of Larry."
"Laurent-" Marcus was saying but stopped. He knew Laurent was hurting and for a second, he could almost guess Laurent's motive.
Laurent hugged Marcus, and as Marcus hugged him back, he whispered. "Someone has to pay."
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A/n: So, please, vote and comment! Thanks ✌