I've Been Watching You All Night

Chapter 10

Louis woke up the next morning with a crick in his neck and a nagging curiosity for that small boy with the brown curls. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, then went downstairs for breakfast. When he walked into the kitchen, he saw his mum making eggs with Doris on her hip and Ernie wrapped around her right shin. He walked over, picked up the boy, and tossed him in the air a bit, making Jay let out a shriek. "Louis, I told you not to do that anymore. What if you drop him?" Louis just plucked a piece of bacon off of the plate near her and stuck it in his mouth, shrugging.

Jay shook her head and turned back to the stove, making sure the eggs didn't burn. "So, when are you leaving with the twins?" Jay moved the eggs from the pan and onto the plate. "Umm, maybe around 10, before it gets too hot. And then we can get lunch." He tickled Ernie's little tummy. "And get ice cream." Ernie only knew a few words, but he knew ice cream well. He clapped his hands and shouted. "Ow cream, ow cream!" Louis laughed. "Yeah, buddy, ow cream. Yummy ow cream." Jay smiled at the two interacting. She knew that Louis was going to make an incredible dad to her future grandchild or grandchildren.

The rest of the family slowly trickled into the kitchen over the next hour and they were all hungry. Jay served eggs and bacon, but she had everyone get their own toast and juice. The older twins were ecstatic because Dan was taking them to the pool that day for more practice at swimming. Fizzy and Lottie were giggling and wondering out loud if there were going to be any cute people at the mall. Louis immediately went into older brother protective mode.

"No boys. And Lottie, no girls either. You two are too young to be dating. Also, the mall is the worst place to meet people. Wait until school starts. Or, even better, wait until you go off to college." The girls rolled their eyes. "Louis, don't be so overprotective. Mum will be with us the whole time, so it's not like that much can happen to us at the mall." Louis mussed the blonde's hair up and pecked her forehead. "Sorry, love, just trying to be a good big brother." Lottie shrugged. "It's alright, I'm used to it."

"Okay, are my two babies ready to go out on a walk?" The twins looked at their brother, blank looks on their faces. "Umm, I'm gonna take that as a yes. Mum, the stroller is out in the garage, right?" Jay nodded and pecked her babies on their cheeks. "Dan, can you get the stroller, please? Louis, you need to go get the twins dressed and get their bag packed." Louis nodded and picked up the two babies while Dan went out to the garage. The teenager dressed the twins in matching summer outfits. Ernie had on pink shorts and a yellow t-shirt and Doris had on blue shorts and a green t-shirt. Louis felt pretty happy with his fashion skills. He picked up the two kids and carried them back downstairs to sit with the girls while he changed and packed their bag.

Louis packed the twins into the stroller, hung the diaper bag on one of the handles, and they were off. Louis pushed the stroller down the street at a leisurely pace as he looked around at all of the houses. It was a really pretty neighborhood, with lots of old trees and elegant houses. The neighborhood wasn't too posh, though. It's not like it was clean-cut and proper. Every house was unique. Lawns weren't perfectly kept. In fact, most of the lawns were quite messy and overgrown. But Louis loved it. He thought they all looked like the houses he read about in books, and the yards looked like fairy gardens, with flowers and vines everywhere.

Once they reached the end of the street, he turned right onto a road that looked like it had some cute shops on it. He was already breaking a sweat with how hot it was. Maybe he should have taken the kids on this walk in the late afternoon or early evening when it would be cooler. Whatever, they were already on a different street, so it didn't make sense to turn back. He walked them all the way down that street then turned to go back up and see the shops on the other side. At the end of that stretch of road was a big park with lots of trees and a big playground. He got the twins out of the stroller and carried them over to a large sandbox, setting them in the middle and seating himself on the edge.

The twins played for a while but then one of them started whining, which meant they were hungry, so Louis figured now would be the best time to go find a place to eat. He strapped them back into the stroller and set off back down the road to a small sandwich shop he saw earlier. The twins weren't ready for solid food yet but he wanted to be able to sit in an air-conditioned place. He was also getting pretty hungry himself, and he had a craving for a wrap. He left the stroller outside and carried the twins in. A waitress came over and asked him if he needed some high chairs. He said yes and chose a small table in the corner to sit at while the woman grabbed the high chairs for him.

"They're adorable. How old are they?" Louis set the twins in the chairs. "They're 18 months old." The woman smiled and handed him a menu. "I have a 24-month-old at home. You look like a good dad." Louis shook his head. "Oh, no, I'm not their dad. I'm their older brother." The woman put a hand on her chest. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Umm, well, you look like a great big brother, then." The two laughed and she patted Louis on the shoulder. "You pick what you want and I'll be back in a bit to get your order." The woman waved at the twins then walked over to a couple waiting to be seated.

After the waitress came back, Louis ordered a basil chicken wrap and a large iced tea. The waitress left again to put his order in and he grabbed the diaper bag. The teenager pulled out some bottles, some pureed banana for Doris, and some pureed peach for Ernie. He only got out the bottles in case they wouldn't eat their baby food. The twins were getting much better at taking their food, but sometimes they would get fussy about it and only accept formula. He opened the top of the banana puree and scooped out a small spoonful. Then the boy made airplane noises and brought the food up to Doris's mouth. Thankfully, the girl opened her mouth and accepted it. He fed the rest of the banana to Doris then opened the peach.

Louis always had a harder time getting Ernie to eat, so he made train noises for him. Ernie loved trains. The boy opened his mouth and took the food. A little bit dribbled on his chin, but he had no problems eating what went in his mouth. Louis continued feeding his brother until the waitress came back. She set his tea and wrap down, telling him to enjoy before walking away. Louis picked up the wrap and was about to take a bite when he saw someone across the restaurant that made him almost drop food onto his lap. It was the guy that the curly-haired boy was riding yesterday. And he had his arm wrapped around some raven-haired dude that was most definitely not Louis's neighbor.