Marcel's POV
"I can't," I said and I noticed that Louis' expression fell. I smirked. "I have to get my stuff first." My smirk faded into a smile when he smiled up at me. His face lit up like a six-year-old on Christmas morning. I was close enough to see little freckles on his cheeks. His smile was beautiful. His face would scrunch up and make little crinkles by his eyes appear.
"You got me, Styles." He smirked and licked his lips. I laughed and looked down at my shoes, I could feel a blush coming up when he said my last name. "I'll be in the front. Don't take too long, my patience is very thin."
I smiled. "Bossy, too." His smirk faded into a smile.
I turned around and bend down to pick up my backpack. I heard Louis clear his throat so I turned my upper body to see him. He was looking to the side and kind of breathing hard.
I slung my backpack over my shoulder and straighten up. "I won't take long."
He looked back at me and I could see his eyes had gotten a little darker. "O-okay."
I walked into the building and headed to my locker. I opened it and took out my jacket and umbrella. I put my umbrella in my backpack and made my way to the front. I didn't even have to search for his car. He was parked right in front of the school with the door to the passenger side opened. I chuckled and got in. I closed the door and faced him.
"Seatbelt."
"Why does everyone tell me to put on my seatbelt?!" He asked and I laughed.
"Because you need to put on your seatbelt," I said and he rolled his eyes but obliged. He turned on the radio and started driving.
"So, I heard you travelled a lot before moving here," Louis said and turned down the radio to hear my answer.
"Yeah, I moved here from Chicago. I was there for a year and a half. The longest I've ever stayed somewhere." I replied honestly and he nodded.
"Why did you move a lot?"
I hesitated. "Family issues." I wasn't lying. I moved a lot because of my crazy father.
"What was your favourite place to live in?" He asked and I thought about it.
"I think LA. No, definitely Canada. I had some...trouble in LA." I said, memories flooding my brain.
"How long did you live there?" He took a U-turn and made a sharp right turn immediately. "In L.A." He specified as he slowed down to a stop before driving again.
"About ten months. I think so? No, that was New York. I lived in L.A. for four months." I said and he made a left turn and parked.
"I'm getting confused. Explain it to me when we get our ice cream." He said and I laughed as we got out.
The outside of the store was pretty nice. The name of the store was in big blue letters on the top. There were three tables for people to sit. There were little baskets filled with paper napkins placed in the centre of each table. Louis opened the door for me and little bells jingled. The store was pretty empty, except for an elderly couple. The walls were very colourful, actually, the whole store was colourful. The walls were hot pink with the menu items scattered around. The tiled floor was so shiny that I could see my reflection. White tables, paired with white chairs, were spaced out around the store. Over to my right, there was a big counter with a little space saved for the display of ice cream flavours. There was a TV in the corner and another one in the corner across from it. It had some music videos playing, but the volume was so low it sounded like rasping voices whispering.
Louis and I walk up the cashier and the lady gave us a once over. I felt slightly uncomfortable and moved closer to Louis.
The lady ignored me and turned to Louis. "What would you want today, sweetie?" She was American.
I was close enough to Louis to feel him cringe a little. "Um, I will have the mint chocolate chip, please?"
I looked at her and saw that her name tag was pinned to her shirt.
Tessa
I shook all the memories of her out of my head. This isn't her. They just have the same name. And they just happen to look similar, but it wasn't her.
She had straight brown hair with blue eyes. She had a red top, under the pink apron she was wearing, with blue wasted jeans.
"Marce?" Louis turned to me and I had to grab onto the counter. If the nickname wasn't enough, the look he was giving me, killed me. His icy blue eyes piercing into mine had me almost falling. The bright lights hitting his face perfectly, making little shadows under his eyes.
I swallowed a lump and turned back to Tessa. "Um, just a vanilla one, please." I hoped my voice didn't sound as wrecked as I thought it did. I saw Louis smirk out of the corner of my eye.
"That'll be £13.47," Tessa said. Both Louis and I pulled out our wallets.
"Louis, I'm paying," I said and I took out my card.
"No. I invited so I'm paying, Marce." He said and a small shiver went through my body as he said the nickname again.
"You drove. Let me pay." I argued and was about to give my card to Tessa when Louis grabbed my wrist.
His voice soft but firm. "Marcel, I'm paying, okay?" It wasn't a question.
I just nodded because I didn't trust my voice. His touch was soft and delicate. The warmth of his touch travelled through me and sent millions of sparks through my body. I frowned when he let go to grab the ice creams. A pinch of jealousy hit me when I saw that Tessa made sure to brush hands with Louis. But that all went away when Louis gave me my ice cream and our hands touched.
I found myself looking at Tessa and smirking at her. I turned around and saw Louis sitting at one of the tables in the corner. I sat down across from him and just admired him a little bit. His tongue did little kitten licks at the base of the ice cream, then licked all around. His nose getting a little bit of it. I grabbed my napkin and cleaned his nose. He smiled and I smiled right back.
A little blush formed on his cheeks and he looked down. "So, explain to me how you ended up in Doncaster."
I licked at my ice cream, hesitating. Did I want to tell him? I had just met him and everyone said he was bad news. But then again, he's been funny, sweet and gentle with me, throwing all those rumours about him away. And I already felt like I could trust him and I felt safe with him. Like, I could be myself.
I took in a deep breath and started explaining. "When I was 12 my dad and I got into an argument and I ran away. For a couple of months, I was alone in the street. A couple of months later I was living with Charlie in Wolverhampton." I paused so he could process what I've just said. He made a gesture for me to continue. "When I was 13 I started working and I got enough money to move out of there. I flew to New York and had a pretty good life for eight months. Something happened and I had to move to L.A." I paused again to eat some of my ice cream.
"It was a...good four months before I had to move to Canada. I had just turned 15 so I couldn't work in many places. I did have some jobs, though. I stayed with a friend but I couldn't stay long there. I got into some trouble and I had to leave." He raised his eyebrows in surprise but gestured for me to keep going. "I was 16 when I moved to Chicago. Almost two years of staying in a complex and working with very annoying people, I decided to move back to London. I looked for Charlie and when I found him he said he was staying in Doncaster." I paused to take a breath and lick at my ice cream that was slowly melting. I licked up all the ice cream threatening to go down my hand.
"So I moved to Doncaster and found a great deal on this flat that's only a couple of blocks away from school." I finished and Louis stared at me with wide eyes. His ice cream was melting, too, slightly pooling at his hand. He noticed it and poked his tongue out, licking his hand
I had to look away and lick at my own ice cream, ignoring the slight tightness in my jeans.
"Wait."
I looked at him in confusion.
"If you were 16 when you moved to Chicago and stayed for almost two years, that would make you 17." He stated and I nodded.
"Are you supposed to be in year 12?"
I laughed. "Although I travelled a lot, I took online classes. I learned a bunch of stuff pretty quick. When I was in New York, I attended a real school. The principal moved me a year ahead because I was, and I quote, "Exceeding in academic level." I licked more at my ice cream and a little at my hand, melted ice cream pooling there.
"So you're 17?" He asked.
I nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to be 18 on February 1st."
"Wow."
"Yeah,." I said agreeing and looked down.
"It must've been a hell of an argument you and your father had." He said and I scoffed, still not looking at him.
That's an understatement.
(Flashback)
"Get back here, you little cunt!" My father yelled.
He was on the phone and I had gotten thirsty. So I went to grab something to drink, but he saw me. I immediately regretted it when I saw his eyes get darker and get full of rage. I started running to my room but he was faster. He grabbed me by my shirt and pushed me against the wall. I groaned in pain as he slammed me against the wall again.
"What have I told you?! Don't come out of your room unless I say so!" He yelled and I whimpered.
"I-I'm s-sorry." I stuttered and he smirked evilly.
"You don't want to end up like your whore of a mother, do you?" He asked and I felt tears starting to pile up in the corners of my eyes.
I shook my head. "N-no."
"Good." He said and let go of me. I fell on my bum and he cackled before walking away.
I just sat there, crying. Crying because of what happened to my mum. Crying because he was the reason my mum was no longer here. Crying because I hadn't told the police because I was too afraid. Crying because I let him get away with it. Crying because it was my fault she was dead.
(End of Flashback)
"Marce? You okay?" I heard Louis say, bringing me out of my thoughts.
"Yeah, sorry. Zoned out." I said and he nodded but I could still see the concern in his eyes.
"I was asking you if you like living in Doncaster so far."
"Oh, it's great. I've made a lot of friends. Niall, actually, lives in the same building as me." I ate some of my cone and looked up to see that Louis was already done with his. "Niall is great. He's shown me around and we've had some great laughs back at mine." I said and noticed his eyes become darker.
His tongue flicked out to lick his lips. "So, you like Niall?" Did he say that with a tone of...jealousy? Possessiveness? No, probably just my imagination.
"What? No. Niall is just a good friend, an annoying good friend. Plus, I think he likes Amy." I said and Louis relaxed, his eyes went back to his normal ocean blue colour.
"Does he know you're gay?" He asked, cautiously.
"Yeah, he knows. He took it pretty well."
"Well, that's good. That you have a supportive friend.
"Yeah, it is. So, what about you? Any annoying friends?" I asked and quickly finished my ice cream.
"Yes! I don't know if you've heard of them, Liam and Zayn?" I nodded and he continued. "Well, they're very annoying. They're always trying to get me to go to parties." I chuckled a little at that. "And the most annoying they do is when they act all cute and in love in front of me, but then are oblivious to the fact that they like each other."
His eyes widened when he realized what he said. "Oh my God. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. Zayn is going to kill me." He muttered and I laughed. He looked at me. "Why are you laughing?! I'm serious! Zayn will kill me and Liam will help hide my body. Oh god. They'll never find my body."
I laughed a little more and grabbed his hand. "Louis. I won't tell anyone. I promise." I readjusted our hands so that our pinkies were interlocked. "Plus, I wouldn't want you to die."
Louis looked at our joined hands and blushed. He let go of my hand and looked down at the floor, still blushing. He cleared his throat and looked back at me, the blush was still fairly there, highlighting his sharp cheekbones. "Thanks. I don't want to die, either." He joked which we both laughed at.
"Well, what do you want to do now?" I asked and he shrugged and took out his phone.
"It's barely 2:55. Kids will be getting out of school in twenty minutes." He said and placed his phone on the table.
"We could go back to mine and watch some films?" I suggested.
He grinned and nodded. "Sure. That would be great." He said and we got up.
I cleaned up the little bit of mess we made while Louis threw away the trash. I grabbed a napkin Tessa had given us and saw that she wrote her number on it. I crumpled it up and used it to wipe the table. I handed it to Louis and he threw it away. I grabbed his phone (he had left it on the table) and gave it to him, our hands brushing against each other slightly. This time, I opened the door for him. He smiled and waited for me to walk out too. We walked to his car and got in.
"So where do you live?" Louis asked as he turned the engine on.
I looked around and saw a street sign. We were right across from where Charlie worked at, so we weren't that far from where I live.
"Not far. Just drive and I'll tell which way to go." I said and he nodded. He was about to pull out when I gave him a look and he sighed. He grumbled something that I couldn't catch as he pulled on his seatbelt then started driving.
"Okay in two blocks you're going to make a left turn," I said and he nodded. Silence fell upon us and I didn't like it. I reached out and turned on the radio. A recognizable tune started playing. "I love this song!"
He laughed and glanced at me before turning back to the road. "Sexyback? Really?"
I shrugged. "I lived in the United States. I had to get used to this kind of music."
"Well, be happy I have a satellite radio." He said and I grinned.
"Oh, I am happy!" I said and started taping the console to the tune.
The way Louis was laughing was making me laugh too. His whole face scrunched up and he would glance at me and laugh again. After a couple of minutes of him trying to calm himself down and me telling him where to take turns, we arrived at my place. We got out and walked into the building. I said hello to the guy behind the counter and proceeded to walk to the elevator. Both Louis and I went for the 'up' button, our hands brushing together.
"Sorry." He muttered and looked down.
I pushed the button and looked up, trying to hide the blush that I knew was creeping up to my cheeks. I watched as the arrow progressively went down until it hit '1', and the doors opened. A couple I've seen before exited and I gave them a little nod. Louis and I entered the elevator and the doors closed. I pushed '5' and leaned back on the farthest wall.
"I don't actually live far from here." Louis stated which made me look at him.
"Glad you know your way back," I said but didn't mean to sound so rude.
He just laughed and looked at me. "And I'm the sassy one?"
I smiled and shrugged. "Your sassiness has rubbed on me in just a matter of an hour."
He laughed again and the doors opened. I got off the wall and got out, Louis behind me as I turned to the left and went down the hallway. I grabbed my backpack and took out my keys. I opened the door and Louis walked in first, admiring it. I walked in after and closed the door. I threw my keys on the table which brought Louis' attention to me.
"You have a beautiful flat. It's very..." He paused, thinking for the right word.
"Elegant. It's very elegant. I love the furniture." He said and walked further in. He did a little turn before looking back at me. "Very spacious though."
"Oh, yeah. Umm, I don't like having too much stuff. Just the things that I need." I said and laid my jacket on the table too.
"Well, yeah. You have the basic stuff. You have a big couch, a TV, a table, some plants- hopefully, you won't kill them." He joked and I smiled.
"I'm very good with plants, for your information," I said and he plopped down on the couch.
I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. "Want anything to drink?"
"Uh, sure. Water s'fine." He said and I grabbed two waters. I closed the fridge and walked into the living room. I sat next to Louis and gave him the water.
"Thanks." He said and twisted the cap off and took a long sip.
His lips curled around the hole perfectly as he leaned his head back. I watched as his adams apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed the water. As he was drinking, little droplets of water were coming out of his mouth. I had to resist the urge to just wipe it away with my sleeve. I looked away and drank my water. We closed our waters and placed them on the table in front of us at the same time.
"So, what movies do you want to watch?" I asked and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
"How about 'Grease'? It's my favourite movie." He said and I nodded.
"Yeah, sure. I like that movie too." I said and looked for the remote. "If I could find the control that would be perfect," I muttered to myself as I picked up cushions of the couch until I found it.
I turned on the TV and went to Netflix. While it loaded, Louis decided to take his jacket off. He stretched it out on the couch and now his tattoos were on full display. There were some random ones.
"What's with the paper aeroplane?" I asked and pointed to his tattoo when he looked at me weirdly.
"Oh. It was dare from Liam. It was his birthday and he had gotten the gun and we were playing truth or dare. One thing leads to another, and he was doing his first tattoo on me."
"Oh, I have plenty of those kinds of tattoo's," I said and clicked on the search bar on the TV.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I have the word 'Big' on my big toe." I said and he laughed.
"Okay, I have stupid ones but, Big? Really? Wow." He said while laughing.
"Shut up," I grumbled and threw a pillow at his face then clicked on the movie. Louis got comfortable and pushed his jacket to the side so he wasn't leaning against it.
**
Somewhere in between of watching the movie and getting up to use the loo, my legs found their way on top of Louis' legs. It wasn't awkward though. At one point, I did get hungry. Louis had asked for popcorn so I made him some, I didn't want any though. I got up and went to the kitchen to grab a banana. I turned around and bumped into Louis, who was carrying the crumpled bag of popcorn in his hand.
We fell to the floor, Louis' legs tangled with mine and his hands on either side of my face.
"Oops."
"Hi," I panted and he smiled at my response.
I smiled back and laughed right after, him joining me quickly. We stopped and just stared at each other. His features had gone soft and it seemed as if it was only me and Louis, everything else just melts away. His ocean blue eyes staring into my emerald green ones. I could feel his minty breath on my face, no trace of popcorn, somehow. I could see all the tiny freckles sprawled out on his cheeks. His eyes flickered down to my lips then back to my eyes. He licked his lips and inched closer. I realized I was inching closer, too.
Louis' POV
As I stared at Marcel's emerald eyes everything seemed to stop. His face had gone soft and his features had heightened. His cheeks, that were usually a little pale, were now rosy pink and his pink plump lips were slightly parted, short breathy pants escaping from them. His eyes becoming lighter and had a little hint of desperation- need. His brown locks spread around his face. My eyes flickered down to his lips then back to his eyes. I licked my lips and inched down, he was also inching closer.
As I was about to place my lips on his, my phone went off. Marcel cleared his throat and moved his head to the side. I groaned and untangled my legs and got up. I extended a hand to Marcel and he took it. I pulled him up then walked over to my jacket.
I was about to kiss him, I wanted to kiss him. He wanted to kiss me too, I could see it.
I pulled out my phone angrily and saw it was Lottie. "What do you want Lottie?" I asked, a little rude.
"Louis!" She yelled and I heard something crashing in the background.
My anger washed away and was replaced with worry. "Lottie? What's wrong? Are you okay?" She didn't answer. I just heard some more yelling and crashing.
"Louis! Get here! Now!"
I hung up the phone and quickly put on my jacket. I walked up to Marcel and he saw my state and instantly got concerned.
"Louis, you okay? What's wrong?" He asked and grabbed my arms to steady me.
"I-I'm okay. There's an emergency at my house and I-I need to go." I said quickly and he tightened his grip, I realized I was shaking.
"Hey, hey. It's okay. Just go. I'll clean up here." He said and I nodded. He let go of me and I was about to open the door when I turned back to him.
I grabbed his hand and took out a pen from my pocket. "I had fun. If you want to ditch school again, text me." I wrote my number down quickly and gave him a small smile before leaving. I ran to the elevator and kept pushing the button, wanting it to hurry up.
Finally, the doors opened and I stepped in.
When I got out of the building, I ran over to my car and jumped in. I started the car and drove quickly to my house, not caring that I ran a few red lights and was going over the speed limit.
**
As I walked up the steps I heard more screaming. I quickly inserted the key and opened the door.
The sight in front of me was horrifying. My mum was yelling and throwing stuff around. Daisy and Phoebe were at the top of the stairs, holding onto each other for dear life. While Fizzy and Lottie tried calming my mum down. After I processed what was happening I slammed the door closed, which got everyone's attention.
"Oh looks who's here. The ungrateful son of a bitch." My mum spat and rage surged through me but I kept my cool.
"Mum. You're drunk. Calm down and go to bed." I said and walked closer to her.
"Who the hell are you to tell me what to do? You're no one!" She yelled and I walked closer to her.
"Okay, fine. Just come with me and you can take a nap." I said and approached her carefully. Her eyes flickered down to something and I didn't realize what it was until it was too late. A vase came hurtling towards me. I ducked but not in time. I felt it graze my skin, warm blood trickling down my head to my cheek.
I ignored the pain and grabbed my mum's arms and pinned her to the wall.
"Lottie! Fizzy! Go upstairs and take care of the girls!" I yelled over my shoulder and I heard them go up the stairs then a door slam. I moved my mum towards her room and pushed the door open. We stumbled around her room until she finally plopped down on the bed.
"You...little...go to hell...bastard...die." She muttered but I could only catch some words.
I sighed knowing she wouldn't remember any of this tomorrow. I left her room and started cleaning up the mess in the living room.
"Louis." I heard Daisy whimper behind Fizzy's legs.
"Hey boo. It's okay. Mum was just- just- " I felt blood rush to my head and I fell to the floor.
The last thing I heard was Lottie screaming my name before darkness consumed me.
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A/N:
I'm sorry if there's any grammar or spelling errors. I kind of rushed through the editing part. Its 2:30 a.m. right now, so I apologize for that. I might edit it correctly tomorrow.
Sorry for another cliffhanger, but I hope you enjoyed it💙💚