Louis' POV
"Pass the breadsticks please," Lauren looked up from her salad to the basket of bread that was in front of her, then to me.
"So you're talking to me?" she whispered.
"Niall? Can you hand me the breadsticks?" I snapped Niall out of his conversation with Amalia. He frowned but did what I asked.
Lauren's face fell and I immediately felt terrible for doing what I had done. She pushed her chair backward, and I watched as her slender body twisted through the maze of tables towards the bathroom. I shook my feelings of guilt away as I pictured her and Liam making out. Sickening.
I turned my attention back to the table to see Amalia staring at me, "You jerk!" She threw her napkin on the table and followed after her younger sister.
Once Amalia was gone Niall slapped me across the table.
"What the hell was that for?" I narrowed my eyes.
"Oh shut up Louis," the harshness in his voice caught me off guard. Niall Horan was never mean. "I could have made a fist. Then you and Liam would have matching faces."
I sank my teeth into the side of my cheek.
"Why the hell are you being sucha... sucha...I don't even know!"
I cocked my eyebrow in anticipation for him to continue.
"Leave her alone Louis! She didn't do anything to you!"
"What so you are just going to defend her?"
"Louis Tomlinson, she didn't do anything wrong."
I shook my head, "Naw, she just made out with Liam."
"Let me see. You've made out with Hannah and Eleanor. Should I just walk around acting like a jerk towards you?" His silky blue eyes were on fire.
I stared back at him, with no answer.
"Maybe if you would stop being such a jerk and you talked to her, you would understand the situation better!"
"Cause you understand it? What did Liam tell you? Hm? Because I don't really care to hear an explanation. If she wants to be all lovey-dovey with Liam then she can go for it! But I'm not gonna sit here and just watch!"
"LOUIS THEY ARE OVER! Not only are they over, but Char is miserable, Liam is miserable, and Lauren is miserable, probably crying her eyes out because her best friend is acting like a complete douche. So you tell me what's wrong with that picture!"
I shrugged, "They shouldn't have got it on if they couldn't handle the consequences."
"You are sucha jerk," Niall's voice was low. He pushed back from the table and followed the same path the two girls had taken to the restroom area.
"Well then," I smiled at Zayn who's eyes just shot through me telling me that I better shape up or something bad was going to happen.
"I'm just gonna go?" I suggested. He nodded approvingly. Leave it to Zayn to remain calm, not say a word, and still know how to fix the situation. "Okay then, bye."
I grabbed my car keys and jacket and headed into the cool October air. The dark hid my identity which was good, because I wasn't actually supposed to walk around without security. I unlocked the car door and slid into the driver's seat. I closed the door and revved the engine. Turning on the heat so I wouldn't freeze, I leaned my head against the steering wheel and closed my eyes. The image of Lauren walking away burned into my mind.
Her long tan legs stumbling in a hurry.
Her short shorts hugging her waist, making her look even more delicate that she already was.
Her cream colored top that brought out the sparkles in her eyes that were there even when she was angry.
Everything about her was perfect. Thinking about her made me feel ill. I didn't know how much longer I could hold onto my anger at her. She was just so hard to be angry at, and when I do find it in me to snap at her, the reaction on her face kills everything inside of me.
I felt numb. I was so angry at her, yet I was so impossibly in love with her I didn't know what to do. The contradicting feelings were driving me crazy, and I didn't know which feeling was going to win.
Lauren's POV
I pushed the women's room door open and made my way to the stall. Once inside I closed the door and sank to the floor. The water works were back.
It seemed like all I had done was cry and feel like I was going to collapse. The constant agony that Louis' bitter attitude was putting me in was just too much.
"Lauren?" my sister's voice echoed off the tile walls. "Lauren, are you in here?"
I stood up shakily and opened the door, only to be immediately pulled into a giant hug.
"Oh Lauren," she whispered into my hair. "It's okay." Her hand ran along my shoulder blades as my tears dampened her top.
"I... c-c-can't be-believe he-he did th-that," I sobbed.
"Oh sweets, neither can I."
Amalia was the only other person, besides my mom apparently and Liam, who knew I liked Louis.
"Shush now, it's going to be okay."
"No it's not," I bawled. "I can't take it. I just can't."
"Sweetie stop crying. I can't understand you." She pulled me to the bench that was pushed up against the wall. I sat down and palmed my face.
"I can't do it Amalia. I can't be around him when he's like this!"
"It's Louis. He won't be able to stay mad for more than a few days." She pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. "You know that. And once all is forgotten you will have something to hold against him. It will be fine Lo."
I wasn't so sure. Louis never got mad, but the few times I'd seen him mad; he stayed mad and didn't forget it. He wasn't joking, because I could see the fire in his eyes.
I jumped when there was a knock on the bathroom door. Amalia got up to see who was there.
"He left," Niall murmured. "I kinda snapped at him and well things got a little heated. I stormed away. Zayn must have said something because as I walked over here to cool off, I saw him get up and leave." Niall's eyes made contact with my own through the slight crack of the door. "Can I talk to her?" Niall whispered in Amalia's ear. Although it was a whisper, I still heard it.
Since there was no one else in the bathroom, Amalia nodded. She swung the door completely open and let Niall pass by. She stepped out leaving us alone.
Once the door had shut, I lifted my head from my hands and looked straight into his sky blue eyes. "Come here," he motioned for me to get up. I stood up and the nineteen year old pulled me into a tight embrace.
"Don't let him get to you Laruen. Please promise you won't!"
"He already has," my words were muffled by his hoodie.
"Don't you say that!" He pushed me back keeping his hands on my shoulders. "Don't let him do this! Don't let him control you! Show him you are stronger than that!"
I sighed, pulling away from him. "I am strong," I said weakly, "But when it comes to Louis I'm not."
"I've noticed." He smiled weakly at me.
"What do you mean?" My stomach flipped. Did he know? How did he know?
"I had this suspicion... so I decided to see if your sister knew anything. She's very bad at keeping secrets."
"UGH!" I groaned, throwing my head back in frustration. "But is it really that obvious?"
"Naw," he shook his head. "I just kind of thought maybe you two would get there someday. You still might."
"Don't think so. He hates me."
"Shush your mouth," Niall scolded me. His word choice brought a smile to my lips. "No one could hate you." He pulled me into a headlock dragging me off the bench. "Now come on. Our food is probably ready and I wanna eat it before it gets cold!"
So, as Niall pushed me to the door, I mustered the best smile I could and emerged with my head held high. I planned on taking Niall's advice. I had to stay strong, otherwise I would lose. And if I lost Louis, I didn't know what I'd do.
Louis' POV
Liam's car was in the driveway.
I had half a mind to turn around and just go back to the hotel, but if we really wanted to move in, for good, tomorrow, I needed to finish setting up my room. So, I entered the house with my breath held.
Every time I saw Liam, I half expected him to sock me in the face. I probably deserved it, and if he did it, I would take it like a man. But that wasn't like Liam. He didn't seek revenge. I had gotten away with something that I shouldn't have.
Liam wasn't anywhere on the main floor, not that I was looking for him. I made my way up the stairs only to be greeted by none other than.
"Oh, hey Louis," he smiled.
"Erm hi," I muttered. For Pete's sake, I gave him a nasty shiner and here he is smiling at me. What is wrong with him?
"Are the other boys here?" he peaked around me.
"Nope. Just me. They are still at dinner."
"Oh." He squinted at me. "Why aren't you?"
I shuffled my feet, "I quietly excused myself."
"Mmhm," he hummed not buying it. "Well do you need help with anything?"
I looked sideways into my new room. You couldn't even see the floor. I would have loved to have his help, but I didn't say that to him. "No I think I'm good."
He must have sensed my hesitation. "Well if you change your mind just let me know." He slapped me on the back before passing me and heading downstairs.
Once he was out of ear shot, I sighed. I hated being mad at Liam, but he had used Lauren. He had taken her from me, and that was a reason for staying mad.
I entered the pigsty that was my room and started by making my bed. After pulling the dark blue sheets on, I piled boxes on it so that I could actually walk around. I opened one box and dumped my clothes into my dresser. I opened another box that had a bunch of random stuff in it. One by one I took things out and found them a new home, until I came across one thing that made my heart burn.
It was a picture of me and Lauren and we were covered in mud. The memory swept over me.
About Seventeen Months Earlier
"You better be back in time for the show," Mrs. Sorin called after us.
"We will be!" Harry promised with a wave.
The greatest thing about her being in charge was that she fully believed in us living up to our teenage selves. The four boys ran as fast as they could ahead of me.
"COME ON!" I grabbed Lauren's hand and pulled her from against the wall.
"WOAH!" she tumbled into my arms. I straightened her out and pulled her again, the two of us breaking into a sprint.
"Where are we going?" she panted.
"TO THE BEACH!" Zayn exclaimed over his shoulder. We had a show that night, but the arena was three blocks from the beach and we couldn't resist. In early June, the sun was warm which meant the water would be refreshing.
We twisted and turned through the unfamiliar streets. The farther we ran, the louder the rush of the waves grew.
"There," Niall pointed to a board walk that led straight to the water's edge.
All seven of us took off towards the water. They boys and I stripped off our shirts while running, leaving them behind on the beach. We made a running dive for the lapping water.
Amalia and Lauren paused next to wear we left our shirts. They stripped down to their sports bras and spandex before wading in after us.
After countless hours of riding waves to shore and Marco Polo, we went and dried off in the heat of the mid afternoon. We put our clothes back on and headed back towards the stadium.
Just as we were about to leave the beach, Niall and Amalia called out to the rest of us.
"Giant mud puddle!"
Up ahead of us was a good seven feet stretch of mud.
Being the teenage boys that we are, we ran straight through the mud, but Lauren made an extra effort to go around it.
"Um, no." I wrapped my arms around her waist and lugged her back to the mud pulling her down with me. Keeping my arms wrapped tightly around her, I rolled to my left coating both of us thickly with mud.
"LOUIS WILLIAM TOMLINSON!" she shrieked pushing me away.
"Say cheese!" Amalia stood over us pointing her camera our way. I captured Lauren back in my grasp. Pulling her to my chest I whispered into her ear.
"Smile."
She did and it was a picture perfect moment.
"Cute," Amalia smiled and then went back to Niall.
"You are so dead!" Lauren wiggled away from me grabbing two handfuls of mud. She rubbed one hand through my wet hair and rubbed the other over my mouth.
"You little...!" I pulled her legs out from under her body, causing her to fall on to me. I grabbed my own handful for her hair. Then, I proceeded to rub my mouth over her cheek, wiping the mud from my lips onto her face. Despite the mud, my lips against the warm skin of her cheek lit a fire in my stomach that I constantly struggled to put out.