Enemies with certain advantages - Unbelievers

Part 2 - First game of the season

"Five quid you're gonna burn those," Lottie says, as she leans on the counter next to the stove later that night.

Louis opens his eyes, throwing a glance at the frying pan. And, ah, crap. She's right. He hurriedly pulls the pan off the stove plate with a grimace, eyeing the burgers he attempted to make.

"Shit."

Lottie ticks her head to the side, glancing at the burned meat. "So, what's on your mind then?"

Nothing. A lot. Everything?

"And don't you dare lying to me, Louis William Tomlinson. I know when you lie."

"Just worried about...stuff, you know?" They don't talk about what "stuff" implies. They don't have to.

Lottie smiles sadly at him and then nods at the kitchen drawer where the takeout menus are located. "Should we order in?"

Louis rolls his eyes, but immediately agrees. "That's probably for the best."

He plucks his phone out of this back pocket, feeling another anxious contraction in his chest when he sees the display is still empty.

Lottie takes hold of his arm after turning the stove off and pulls him gently towards the living room. They end up ordering Chinese and they chat lowly as they watch a movie that's running on the tv. Louis tried to stay away from the rice when they finally eat, knowing he hasn't gone for his daily run yet, but it looks too appetising and there's so much in his mind other than the diet he's been keeping the last two months.

He tires not to think and concentrate on the movie, but these nagging thoughts are constantly at the back of his head. He doesn't even know if he's going to make it to the next week at this rate.

He's not even meant to be thinking about Harry thing. Look, it's not even like Louis got mad about what Harry was talking about. It wasn't even true, like, Harry is full of bullshit. Louis was just annoyed with him for being such an idiot and thinking he knows everything. What he said had no impact on Louis whatsoever, and even if it did, it's not as if Louis would let it show. That's thing that had happened afterwards just kind of...happened and there's nothing else to it. Harry's just got weird thing about him and that's it - yes, this is all Harry's fault. Established. Done with. Stashed away and never thought of again.
Great. Fantastic even.

"Do you think you could teach me how to drive, maybe?" Lottie asks, looking at him from her side of the worn leather couch.

"You?" He raises a brow, brought out of trance. "Are you even old enough?"

"Yes," she says, rolling her eyes, but then bites her lip. "I mean I just thought," she tucks a strand of hair behind her hair, "since mum and dad aren't much around, and like, I know you're busy, but perhaps you could teach me?"

Louis thinks his heart is squeezing a bit. "Of course I'll teach you, sis."

☺︎︎☺︎︎

There are many things Louis has thought about these past days. This was not one of them.

After an hour of football training the following Monday (a half hour running drills and a half an hour of playing mini-games that Louis rewarded the boys with, but they didn't seem to particularly enjoy it since their legs were too tired, including murderous stares from Harry), Louis finds himself in the locker room. All the lads are undressing, getting ready to shower and Louis can feel Harry's angry gaze from across the room.

So,like, Louis is not even awkward because there are a bunch of naked dudes surrounding his straight-as-fuck-ass. That's a regular weekday afternoon. It's just that Harry is looking at him and Liam is leaning against the locker they almost got each other off against. And that's weird. It's really weird. He and Harry have gotten off each other. That's...just. Louis doesn't know what he thinks about that. It's strange and a bit creepy and somehow it's all he can think about.