✓ | ✩ louis partridge imagines ✩

charade / l.p.

breakups suck.

you used to think that all those taylor swift songs were simply over-exaggerations. after all, how badly could a guy screw you over that would make you want to shatter his headlights with a golf club outside oheka castle?

that was until you experienced your first heartbreak, and suddenly, spray paint to a windshield didn't seem like such a bad idea anymore. especially, a cheater's windshield. 

two years down the drain with nothing to reminsce on other than the fact that he had ruined everything good for you. all of your favorite songs triggered memories of holding hands in the passenger seat and stolen kisses between stop lights, and they suddenly weren't your favorite anymore.

piles of his shirts that you had once made your own found their home in a box that you refused to open, right next to the vandalized scrap books that you decided to trash. 

they say it gets worse before it gets better, but you weren't really in the mood to wait and see.

so, you took the first invite you were given to go out and get drunk. two months had already passed where you couldn't bring yourself to feel better, so you figured that you would force yourself to forget instead. 

while the logic of things might seem out of whack, you couldn't really be bothered to use your brain power to make decisions when it felt like your heart had been ripped out of you. 

so against your better judgement, you found yourself at some low budget house party. you were already a few shots deep and you had lost your friends, leaving you to dance with strangers while trying to balance the cup of god-knows-what in your hand. 

the music was beyond deafening and the cheap strobe lights were close to blinding, but you couldn't bring yourself to care as the floor shaking bass seemed to function as the battery power for your electric heart. 

you let yourself be twirled around as the girl in front of you gripped your hand and drunkenly swayed along, before some guy tapped her shoulder in what you assumed was the start of a relationship that would only lead to one of them partaking in walk of shame the next morning.

and then as if the universe wanted to play a cruel trick on you the moment your troubled mind was finally at peace, he walked in.

to make matters worse, you leaned your head to the side just in time to see that his hand was intertwined with someone who had just followed through the door. and of course, it was who he cheated on you with. 

he still hadn't noticed your presence as you watched them turn to walk in your direction. so against your better judgement for what felt like the hundreth time that night, you tapped the shoulder of the random boy behind you.

as he turned around, you felt briefly frozen to your spot while you tried to figure out whether or not the universe liked or hated you that night. luck was on your side as much as it wasn't. 

sure, your ex just pulled up to a party with the girl he cheated on you with, but this new kid was hot. 

he was in baggy jeans and a hoodie with a chain resting right below the strings, his brown hair slightly unruly from what you assumed was him constantly running his hands through it. 

his dark eyes reflected the neon lights that were bouncing off the walls, while the shadows of the dark room made his sharp bone structure that much more prominent. 

"hey, uh, can i hel-"

snapping back into reality, you coughed out a few words. 

"look, i know you don't know me, but i need you to do me a solid."

your frantic tone was the beginning of a chain reaction as his features went from confused to concerned. 

"are you okay? is someone bothering you?" he questioned, his hands rising up to your elbows as he held your swaying body steady. 

with a deep breath and enough liquid courage in your body, you stated what you needed. 

"n-no, i'm fine. except, i kind of need you to kiss me."

"sorry, you what?"

"look, i'll explain later but basically, i got cheated on and i need to make an ex jealous," you blurted.

gesturing over your shoulder, the boy looked past your head and made direct eye contact with your ex who was now surely en-route to where you were standing.

"is that him? with the girl?" he quipped, raising a slightly judgemental brow.

"uh, yeah," you stammered. "he cheated on me with her."

"well then," he lowered his voice, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. "let's give 'em a show."

butterflies arose within you as you felt an indescribable magnetic energy pull you towards the gorgeous stranger, while his hands made themselves at home on your waist and the side of your jaw. 

like muscle memory, your hands traveled up and rested on the back of his neck while your fingers found themselves tangled in his hair. 

your body fit more comfortably against his than it ever did with your ex, and you clearly weren't the only person to notice your undeniable chemistry. 

you felt your body roughly shoved into his, someone's shoulder making contact with your back. you and the stranger immediately pulled away, looking up in annoyance at whoever ruined the moment. 

to your suprise, it was none other than the devil himself. 

"you alright, lad?" the stranger quipped, a smug but swollen smirk on his face as you bit back your laughter and hid your face in the stranger's neck. 

"yeah, whatever," you heard the familiar voice grumble, before you felt his presence behind you eventually disappear. 

the two of you immediately burst out in drunken laughter, giddy off the high that only came from human connection. well that, and maybe a few jello shots. 

"did you see his face?" you chuckled. 

"you should've seen the girl with him," he laughed, before contorting his face in mock disgust as he tried to recreate the look the two of you received.

 after another bout of laughter, you realized that the two of you had remained in the same close position, with his hands resting on your waist and your wrists locked behind your neck. 

"you know, it doesn't hurt to keep the charade up," he trailed off. "just in case he looks over here again."

"is that your way of saying you want to kiss me again?" you laughed.

"maybe?"

"can't say no to that." 

and in between kisses, you learned that your knight in shining armor's name was louis. 

***

a/n: SHE'S ALIVE!

y'all i'm so sorry it took forever to get this update to you. this summer's been so wild and i haven't been able to keep up with this book as much as i would have liked. i hope you're all doing well and i'll see you in the next one. 

much love. - lis <3