"Let me get this right. You lost Liam?"
"No," Louis shakes his head, laughing nervously, "misplaced," he corrects, glancing to the front door hopefully, "I misplaced Liam."
"Is there a difference?" The younger blonde asks, rolling his eyes.
"There's a big difference," Louis answers, rolling his own eyes out of spite, "lost gives the impression that I have no idea where he is-" ("which you don't.") "-but I have a feeling, I just hope its not right. - - I've misplaced Liam."
"And this feeling?" Niall asks, accent thick as he becomes more interested.
"I thought - well feel - that he might have went to Zayn's house. Maybe."
The blonde frowns, shaking his head, "no. Not yet, he wasn't at that stage yet." ("there's stages?") "If anything, he's hooked up wih some random at a bar, and is leaving silently right now."
"Nah," Louis disagrees, "Liam wouldn't do that, he's not like that."
"Perhaps," Niall smiles sadly - knowingly, - and rubs the back of his neck, "what about calls? Has he gotten in touch with you at all?"
Surely Niall knows that's the first thing Louis would check. How little does he think of him?
"Niall, I'm not an idiot, of course he hasn't -" Louis stops, thinks back, and then, "- fuck I'm an idiot."
Niall's about to make a sarcastic comment, - about how he could've told Louis that ages ago, - but decides against it, and instead, says, "where's your phone?" Already heading further into the house before the other can answer.
"Coat pocket, I think," Louis states, stopping at the bannister at the bottom of the stairs as Niall checks through his pockets, pulling out a phone within seconds. "Give," he says, making a grab for the phone, having it yanked out of his reach as Niall swipes the screen, a message cropping up immediately, his eyes glazing over it.
"Should've made a bet, Lou."
"Eh?"
"He's at Zayn's. Got there last night." Niall says, handing over the phone, "apparently he was too tired to come back, so Zayn let him stay the night."
"The little prick," Louis scowls, muttering angrily. "I told you there weren't any stages. Just fucking desperation. Especially when you're as in love as Liam is."
Niall snorts and follows Louis out.
___
A/N Almost a year. Sorry.