ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ғᴏᴜʀᴛᴇᴇɴ
Steal My Girl
"'The only thing that sustains one through life is the consciousness of the immense inferiority of everybody else.'"
"What?"
Louis Tomlinson stared unblinkingly at the girl standing before him, his crystalline eyes shining with the confusion that had become commonplace with the existence of Elora Rayne. She grinned widely, clearly proud of herself for the abrupt greeting she had slapped her guest with.
"It's my new favorite quote," she announced gleefully as she moved aside, allowing Louis to enter her apartment, "I recently picked up Oscar Wilde's short stories that he wrote for his children and it has so many gems."
The older gentleman waited patiently as he followed her into the kitchen where she promptly switched on the kettle, hoping that his mind would follow her words at some point. Unfortunately, Louis was growing rather used to feeling uncultured whenever he spent time with the Elora - and her quirk of that day reinforced those feelings.
"I have so many questions," he finally piped up as she placed two mugs on the counter and busied herself with preparing their tea.
"Well," she explained, "I started reading a collection of short stories written by Oscar Wilde, an amazingly talented man, but these stories were basically his version of bedtime stories - so they teach his children life lessons, as most children stories do. However, because he's Oscar Wilde, they're amazing and they have so many little lines and quotes that I have an insatiable need to share, one of them being my initial quote."
Louis blinked at the mug she had stretched out towards him and took the ceramic into his grasp gingerly, processing her explanation tediously before he took a sip of the beverage and nodded.
"Oh, is she on about those stories again?" a gruff voice grumbled from behind him and Louis nearly jumped in the air. 'Nearly' is purely politeness, he practically joined the Maasai tribe in his shock. Raucous, uncontrollable laughter tumbled out of Elora's mouth until she was gasping for breath as Louis skirted around the kitchen, swearing and wiping the boiling tea off his skin.
Once the chaos had settled and Elora's face was only slightly flushed, Louis turned around nervously, remaining highly confused as to why there was a drowsy, lanky man leaning against the wall of the entryway.
Coughing out a final giggle, she revealed, "Sorry, you kind of messaged me about coming over before I could inform you that my room mate is home. It was a lost cause when I realised that I couldn't kick him out in time for your arrival."
"I resent that you assume you can kick me out of my own home," the anonymous man mumbled, "You're the parasite here."
Louis worried briefly about his disrespectful words before glancing at Elora and seeing her roll her eyes with a fond smirk. She turned her attention to the awkward man and shrugged, "I'm sorry, I would've told you but I spent too long trying to convince him to leave. It obviously didn't work."
Her room mate scoffed before looking at her and whining in complaint that there was no coffee for him. She shook her head and pushed him out of the way with the explanation that some people consume tea.
He gagged and opened the fridge before pouring himself a glass of water and slurping it whilst staring calculatingly at Louis - who hadn't said anything since receiving the fright of his life. Many thoughts circulated his head: Does he know who I am? He looks like he hates me. Are they a thing? No, she said she doesn't have a boyfriend. Does he like her? Does she like him? Will he ever stop staring into my soul?
"It's rude to not introduce your guests, Elora," the oddly intense man jested, "Honestly, your hospitality heritage is sobbing."
"Yeah, well," she began shoving him out of the kitchen, "there's a reason Keira followed my dad's footsteps and not me."
Eventually, with the full use of her body pushed against his broad back, Elora managed to rid the small kitchen of the man who towered over Louis in a way that was annoyingly resemblant of Harry.
"I'm so sorry, Louis," she apologized earnestly, "I promise he genuinely doesn't know who you are."
The somewhat frazzled man couldn't help but laugh, "In any other situation, that would have been somewhat insulting."
Cringing slightly, she started to wipe the spilt tea off the counter and apologized again, "I'm not really sure what to do in these situations. Being discrete about who you are has been one of my main priorities, which has involved me quite literally running away from Simon's questions."
Louis laughed at her words and shook his head before finishing the bare remnants of his tea.
"Elora, it's really fine. I don't care if you, like, tell your friends about me," she grimaced and he rolled his eyes, "I don't expect you to, like, parade me around your home town - you have never given me the impression that you would do that."
"I guess I just don't want to lead you to believe that I'm here for your fame or to boast that I know you," she shrugged, "because that's definitely not it. You've grown to mean a lot to me, Louis, and I don't want to damage that."
He grinned brightly as she blushed, his eyes sparkling like a Disney character, before wrapping her smaller frame in his toned arms. Rocking her slightly as he held her, Louis whispered, "You mean quite a lot to me as well, you know? I don't care if the whole world finds out that you're in my life, I only really care that you stay in it."
Elora let out a soft laugh and vaguely hit his chest, weakly whining, "Stop, you're going to make me sentimental."
An endeared chuckle tumbled out of his lips as he gently released her and washed his mug to busy himself so as to ignore the fluttering warmth in his chest.
"You didn't tell me if there was a reason for your visit," she spoke up as she grabbed the cleaned mug and handed him her own.
"Can I not just visit my dear friend?" he remarked with a cheeky smirk, "Besides, I haven't seen you much over the past couple of days - I missed your South African twang."
Rolling her eyes, she moved him out of the way with a hip manuveour and sauntered over to the large couch.
Following her lead, Louis collapsed onto the furniture so that she could throw her legs over his as he explained, "I think I forgot how hectic releasing an album is. It feels like my life has been swallowed up by meetings, interviews and briefs on where we're going from here and I just, like, I miss spending days with you exploring the city. Which is weird, because we haven't even known each other for a month yet you're like a sanctuary in this swirling vortex of façades and practiced lines."
Smiling sympathetically, Elora encouraged him to continue.
"It's like, as we finish things up I understand more and more why we're going on a hiatus - which I'm sure the other lads appreciate - but understanding why is just really sad because it means I need to acknowledge that I'm too tired to enjoy this stuff anymore. Like, when did I start prefering to spend a day inside doing nothing instead of making music, a passion I have always had?
"And it's so sad because I sit there and watch everyone else gush over their plans for the break and all I can feel is this immense desire for nothing to change. I'm not ready for us to stop but I can't say that since I know that we need to and everyone's excitement is just proof that I'm alone in this feeling."
Louis sighed deeply and looked intensely into her eyes, "Everything is just happening so fast and it feels like there's no time to absorb any of it. It's like, am I not allowed to be sad about this? They expect us to go with the motions and accept the life-morphing events that are occurring without a hitch and it feels so demeaning - like they don't care about our emotional states at all. We all know we can't complain because we asked for this and we already know that we're disappointing so many fans by simply going on hiatus - but you want to whine like a toddler sometimes, you know?"
Rubbing his face harshly before turning away slightly as his flushed skin calmed down, "It's just truly, utterly and undeniably confusing. Every part of myself is at war with each other and I don't know how to navigate any of it. I cannot deny my need for a break but my heart mourns the idea of leaving this behind and then there's this fear that as soon as we're gone, no one will care about us anymore and we'll never have this ever again. Never mind the fact that I don't even know if I want to do my own solo music, it feels like a traitorous idea, you know? I still have this deep love for writing music but I feel so lost in everything that I don't know if I'll even do that. And it's like, do I even need to have a plan? I should be allowed to be a normal 22 year old male but the thought makes me uncomfortable. What even do normal people do?"
He chuckled pitifully, "That sounded so arrogant, I'm so sorry. I just don't know what to do with myself. I don't want to constantly think and talk about these things but it feels like nobody cares enough to listen and that means I bottle it up and now I'm just this vague shadow of a man plagued with worries and fears with no outlet or manner of gaining any relief from all of this."
He swears and wipes at his eyes, "I would normally talk to me mum about all of this but things back home aren't going well either and I can tell that she's exhausted. I'm so worried about her and her health isn't looking too great but I can't be there for her because I'm stuck here pretending that life is a grand ol' party. All of my sisters are too young to deal with any of this and it just emphasises how demandingly lonely I feel."
With a strained voice and a shuddering sob leaving his mouth, he hid his face in his hands, "I'm sorry, you didn't need to hear all of that."
A muffled 'fuck' escaped his lips before he turned to her, "You don't desire my emotional turmoil and complex spirals. Your life is probably hectic enough as it is."
"Hey, no, it's okay, look at me," she grabbed his hand, "I'm here for all your venting, thoughts, emotions - even your tears - if you need me to be. You never need to feel unheard when with me; I'll stay by you doing my best to help in whatever way you need."
Louis rubbed his face and held it, resting his elbows against his knees. His voice was slightly muffled before he turned to her, "We're going to America tomorrow to continue our press and that realization just triggered something within me, I don't know. I just hate when we go to the states because we run around like headless chickens and the idea sickens me. Maybe I'm just too dependent on you and the thought of leaving you for weeks already has me nauseous but I feel so much, like, genuine dread. We'll be there for a while and America always brings a bombardment of interviews and conferences and I'm exhausted by the thought."
The true melancholy in his eyes clenched around Elora's heart as her breath caught, desiring nothing but to comfort the man who appeared so desperately alone. So she did.
Wrapping her arms around his weak frame, she pulled him into her embrace and just held him as his tense body slowly melted into her chunky sweater, lazy-day warmth. With slow rubs on his arm, she reassured him in gentle tones, "You're going to get through this, Louis, you are strong and courageous. It may feel earth-shatteringly overwhelming but you aren't fighting alone; you have such an amazing support system filled with people ready to fight for you. You can count on me to never let you sink - I'll be your dead sea."
Louis looked up within her grasp, confusion shading the azure of his eyes, "What do you mean?"
With a shy grin, she mumbled 'it's a song' as she pulled out her phone and tapped away, swiping across the screen until a tune began to filter out of the speakers. The guitar and folk voice drew his focus and Louis listened attentively to the lyrics, absorbing the story and message as a faint smile flickered on his lips throughout the progression. The words warmed his strained heart and he couldn't help but glance adoringly at the beautiful girl, hoping that she wouldn't notice the heartwrenching vulnerability shining in his gaze.
As the song faded to a close, Elora mumbled, "So, you know, if you ever doubt during the darkness and chaos - you can listen to this song and remember my promise to you."
"You're absolutely amazing."
The pink tainting her ivory cheeks was hidden by the soft strands of chocolate hair lining her face as she grinned widely, genuine beauty radiating warmth over Louis as he reluctantly turned away.
A sigh escaped through his small smile as Louis shifted in her arms until he got comfortable, landing up with his one arm curled along her back and the other holding her close to him as their legs intertwined and she molded herself around him. His head nestled into the curve of her neck and the short strands of silky hair lightly tickled his face as she leisurely scratched his back.
"I haven't felt this comforted in a long time," he whispered, his warm breath dancing over her sweater-covered collarbones, "Tell me something, anything, I just want to listen to your soothing voice."
Elora smiled bashfully as warmth spread through her chest whilst Louis refused to analyse his odd desire.
"I've always wanted to go to Amsterdam. I'm not sure why, I think I've just watched too many movies, but it seems like a cliché and artsy dream - which we both know I embody. I guess the whole 'bicycle and canal' thing can also be accomplished in Florence but I have never been one for heat, which is ironic considering the climate of my home country. Nevermind the fact that I despise exercise so why I want to ride a bicycle alludes me. When you go to Amsterdam next, will you ride a bicycle for me? I realise how unrealistic that is, don't worry, I can already picture you getting trampled."
Louis felt the crushing sorrow steadily ebb away from his soul as he listened intently to the mellifluous rambles of the girl lying below him. The faint chuckles that reverberated through her vibrated in his heart and he clung to the feeling of her serenity - pushing aside his detestation for leaving her despite only knowing her for an oddly short amount of time. He memorized the words she used as she recounted childhood endeavours and spoke of memories cherished with those she had left back home. The incessant need she possessed to give background information to everything she mentioned deeply endeared him and the weakness he felt towards her vaguely scared him but was easily overwhelmed by his inherent need to be in her comforting presence.
After quite a while of resting comfortably against her, the faint tone of her ringing phone filtered its way towards them and she shifted slightly in order to retrieve the device. Once she had it, Louis immediately moved back into their tight cuddle, yearning to never leave her hold.
"Louis," she whispered, "My brother's face-timing me. I can tell him that I can't right now if you'd prefer."
He minutely shook his head and murmured, "I don't mind. I just don't want to move so you'll have to deal with me being in the call."
She laughed lightly and began fiddling with his feathery hair, prompting him to turn to putty within her grasp.
Answering the call, Elora smiled at the sight of her only brother, "Why on earth are you face-timing me?"
"You're right, you look like crap," he jokingly sneered and she laughed at his confidence.
"I don't know why you're being so rude to me, you're the one contacting me," she returned and he shrugged as he ruffled his ebony hair.
"I haven't spoken to you since the album release and the random-as-hell group convo - I wanted to know how you're doing."
Louis couldn't help but chuckle at the mention of that fateful day, finding amusement in the way her hand briefly stopped running through his hair.
Elora rolled her eyes, "You never call to see how I am and don't act like it's any different now that I'm in London."
"Fine, you got me, I was totally calling to ask about Simon."
Just to be obnoxious, she went into a long description of the daily events through which Simon - her roommate - endured. Louis smiled slightly as he listened to their banter, reminding himself to call home and see how the girls were doing. At a comment about Simon's attempts to fulfill the 'big brother' role, Thomas jokingly ranted about the audacity of their common friend to which Louis laughed a little it louder than before and the clueless boy finally took notice.
"Wait, El, do you have someone with you?"
"Ah no, it's no one," she smirked and Louis shifted slightly, mumbling a muffled 'rude'.
"That's so weird! Why would you answer my call with someone currently lying on top of you! I'm so uncomfortable now!"
Elora's laughter tumbled out of her mouth, jolting Louis yet he remained adament to stay in the cozy position despite her moving body. When she settled slightly, she reassured her brother that it wasn't that odd of a situation.
"The least you could do is tell me who it is," Thomas remarked with raised eyebrows, never really being one to be overprotective yet still remained curious.
"Oh, well, Tommo," she smiled mischievously, "Meet your namesake - Tommo."
Her brother looked at her weirdly, automatically assuming that her comment was false and purely an attempt to tease him.
"Yeah, yeah, just because you're in London doesn't mean you'll suddenly befriend famous celebrities," he rolled his eyes.
"Tell that to my flat swarming with A-List popstars. I've already got Ed Sheeran's number and Harry Styles is my secret lover," she grinned and winked as Louis snickered.
"Oh please, Harry Styles is too busy fawning over Louis Tomlinson."
The loudest cackle to ever be heard on this earth burst from Elora's lips as she sprung up and gasped for breath, the spurts of laughter falling uncontrollably as Louis looked at her with a red face - somewhat uncomfortable. It took her a good few moments to quell her giggles before she could lie back down and glance at her embarrassed friend, a grin fighting its way onto her face.
"I have to tell you, Tommo," she smirked, "That was the best thing I've heard all day."
Louis mumbled from behind her phone, still slightly intertwined with her, "Stop taking such delight in my discomfort."
Thomas grinned on her screen before commenting, "I don't actually care who you're with but if you have a boyfriend, I better find out before Kiera."
A warm pink shaded her cheeks as Elora ignored the self-righteous look on Louis' face before she replied, "Don't worry, my plan to own 40 cats and call them all far too complex yet cringey names that I'll definitely forget is already set. I would've started the collection process by now but Simon keeps complaining that he should be enough."
The rest of the call consisted of much more trivial stuff along the lines of her best friend visiting, Elora's absence during Christmas back home and whether or not Thomas is a better sibling than Kiera.
"Okay, I'm going to go now because I'm bored of your face, just remember that I'll be spamming you when you're all alone and I get to eat your Christmas portions."
With a vague wave and rolled eyes, she hung up the call and put her phone down before turning to look at the expectant singer.
"Did you seriously have an entire conversation with your brother whilst I cuddled you and he didn't notice?"
She grinned and shrugged, "He's not very observant."
As Louis adjusted himself to realign their limbs and return to the position of optimum comfortability, Elora suggested a day on the couch watching Netflix and he couldn't help the fondness that seeping from his being as he look at her.
"I'm going to miss you when we're in the states," he admitted, "Even the AMAs will be boring without you there."
She grinned brightly, refusing to look at him and delve into his sentiment, "You know I'll be awake and bored, just call me so that I can remind you that alcohol makes everything better."
With joy in his eyes and chuckles slipping from his lips, Louis brought the beautiful girl closer to him and clung to the feelings she culltivated.
⟨⟨ Song Mention ⟩⟩
Dead Sea by The Lumineers