petal [book 1] ❊ l.s.

two - advice

"He told you what?!" Liam exclaimed, horror flashing across his face. Niall was already rolling on the floor, laughing uncontrollably in wheezing gasps.

"It's not funny!" Louis whined, burying his face in his hands. He knew he should've kept Niall out of the loop on this one -- Liam had always been the more practical, reasonable, sympathetic one of his two closest friends, while Niall tended to crack jokes at the most inappropriate times.

Louis had known Liam since grade school, and they had tackled the Chicago business landscape together as soon as they graduated from college. Now, they worked as CEOs of their respective businesses, although they still collaborated closely on a number of deals; any day, Louis would take a worse financial opportunity with Liam, someone he trusted with his life, over a better option with a stranger.

He and Niall, on the other hand, were randomly assigned as roommates in college, and the Irish boy was now almost halfway through his last year of grad school. They had taken a few months to warm up to each other -- Niall was loud and nosy and found things ridiculously funny that didn't even make Louis crack a smile -- but they became partners in crime after Louis broke up with his short-term freshman-year girlfriend and she just wouldn't leave him alone, so Niall had casually informed her that she had turned Louis gay.

And yeah, it wasn't much of a joke anymore (it took until their junior year of college, but Louis finally realized that he actually was super, super gay), but Niall still talked about the shocked look on her face to this day.

"Seriously, Niall," Louis groaned, his voice muffled by his hands hiding his face. The Irish boy was still seizing on the carpet, and his laughter had since turned silent, his mouth hanging open and his eyes squeezed shut. "I don't know how you're finding this situation is funny!"

"I don't think it's funny!" Liam interjected, crossing his arms over his chest as he shot Niall yet another irritated look. "Why would someone say that after an hour of knowing you?"

Niall finally caught his breath, and he sat up, leaning back against the front of the couch, still sitting on the floor. "Oh, fuck, I haven't laughed like that in a long time," he said breathlessly, swiping at his teary eyes.

Liam pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. "That's not true."

"I'm so glad I could provide you with some entertainment," Louis replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Do you need another minute, or can you actually give me some advice now?"

"I'm good, I --" Niall cut himself off with a snort, clapping his hands over his mouth. "I need another minute," he amended, his muffled voice slipping out from between his fingers.

Louis cursed, shaking his head in disbelief. Still, he couldn't hide the amused smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. "I need new friends," he sassed, only partially kidding.

"I haven't done anything!" Liam pointed out. His brow was still furrowed in a mix of confusion and concern, his lips pursed thoughtfully.

Louis could practically see the gears turning inside of his friend's head, and he took a moment to wonder how he had somehow managed to make Liam Payne and Niall Horan, two distinct, polar opposites, actually get along. Not perfectly, by any means, but at least adequately.

"Okay, okay." Niall ran his hands down the fronts of his thighs, smoothing out his wrinkled pants. "I'm ready. Can you tell the story again?"

Louis groaned, huffing in frustration, but he complied. "The short version this time," he said, shooting his Irish friend an annoyed look. "I asked if I could have lunch with him because I thought he was cute, and I'm trying this new 'go with my gut' thing --"