In A Twinkling (Larry Stylinson)

December 8 - Wednesday

Part 7 recap...

Louis' last day of work before his vacation was exactly as chaotic as he'd thought it would be and two unlikely conversations had him starting to wonder if maybe there could be more to life than just work.

Traveling by train has always been a favourite of Louis' with the rhythmic motion of the carriage as it gently rocks back and forth and the even speed as it glides along the rails and remains mostly unencumbered. He likes not having to be in control of the forward momentum, no ability to rush, just sitting back and allowing himself to be transported to his destination. It's a degree of peace he is rarely afforded.

The trip is only a few hours with the added time for an Uber to the station in the city and a cab at the other end from the station to his Nan's, but it's enough time to let himself start to relax into his vacation. He'd opted for a train leaving just before lunch, no longer feeling the need to get up early and race around to ensure he maximized his time with his Nan when he's now got almost five weeks ahead of him instead of only one.

The scenery whizzes by in a blur as they leave the confines of the city and the train increases speed, buildings spreading out and transitioning into rolling green hills and farmland. His noise cancelling headphones pump a chilled out playlist of late 90's classics into his ears, which makes him feel like he's stepping back in time as he's propelled towards his childhood home.

He scrolls through his social media feeds, something he rarely has the time or inclination to do. He doesn't post much of anything himself, never really seeing the point when he's got nothing to share. Niall, on the other hand, is what Louis would easily describe as an over-sharer, filling Louis' Instagram feed with a wealth of personal details about his adventures on the golf course and at seemingly every other location he sets foot in, or activity he undertakes, documenting it all for his few hundred followers. In the last 24-hours he's played golf twice, been to a pub for after-work beers, as well as a restaurant for dinner and cafe for breakfast with Liam; it's exhausting just watching his Instagram Stories and seeing the busy life he has.

Louis locks his phone and gazes out of the window. He could have that, he muses. A life chock-full of activities and friends and things to do other than the preplanned beers every few weeks with his best mates and footie once a fortnight. If he wanted to, that is. He's just not entirely sure he does.

The train arrives at his stop before he reaches any kind of conclusion, not that he'd really expected to, but frustratingly he finds that he has more questions than answers swimming in his head as he grabs a cab just outside the station.

The driver isn't chatty with him, which Louis would appreciate if he wasn't currently having to listen to one side of the slightly heated phone conversation the man is having with someone who Louis presumes is his partner. Apparently, it's the window coverings in the sitting room that are at issue. He wants blinds, the person on the other end of the phone wants curtains, and they're each equally emphatic about it. They bicker for almost the entirety of the thirty minute journey with Louis unable to block it out even with Oasis blasting in his ears, and by the time they're turning onto Louis' street and the driver ends the call, they still haven't reached an agreement. Louis accepts the man's sincere apology and waves him off like it's no bother—even though it really kind of was—and gets out of the car with more haste than he normally would.

But as soon as Louis opens the gate and steps onto the path that leads up to his Nan's house all of that is forgotten and he feels a wave of relief wash over him. It's been a few months since he was last here, over the bank holiday weekend at the end of August, but it's always the same; familiar and welcoming, a flood of memories built up over thirty-three years embedded in every sight and sound and square inch.