Live the Life You've Always Imagined (Larry)

Chapter 8

SEVERAL WEEKS LATER...

ZAYN'S POV

I knocked on the door, waiting for a response. From within I could hear laughter, followed by approaching footsteps. The door was pulled open and I was greeted by my best friend. His head was turned towards the living room, and he was yelling at someone.

"Don't you dare touch that game!" Facing the door, he smiled. "Zayn, didn't know you were coming by," pulling me into the flat, via hug. "We're in the living room," he said, walking in that direction.

Taking off my shoes and hanging up my jacket, I followed the sounds of a scuffle. Entering the living room, I was met with the image of my two friends fighting over a game controller. Louis was practically laying on Niall, trying to wrestle it away, while Niall was curled in on himself, fighting to keep it in his own hands.

"HELP! Get off me!" He cried, attempting to wriggle away from Louis, who was now sitting on his lower back.

"Did you try to use his controller again?" I calmly asked of the man being sat upon.

He craned his head to look at me, an innocent, (mischievous), look on his face. "I would never," at this point, he shook his head, eyes wide, "that would be wrong." He nodded solemnly, affirming his statement.

Using Niall's momentary distraction to his advantage, Louis wretched the controller out of the boy's hand. Jumping up with a victorious cry, he leapt upon the couch. Stretching out his legs and getting comfortable, he once again acknowledged my presence.
"So, whatcha doin' here?" he inquired, as he began to play the video game. "I mean, I wasn't expecting you to drop by, but I'm glad you did." shooting me a sincere smile.

"Tried calling. Since you didn't answer, figured I'd stop by. Haven't really seen you for what now, little over three weeks? " I answered, crossing the room to the well-worn chair sitting in the corner, "It's not like you to be out of touch for so long," and taking a seat.

"We just had lunch together on Wednesday," Louis said, dismissively while causing some sort of explosion in the game. Niall groaned as Louis fist pumped, "Take that!"

With a moment's hesitation, I said, "Louis, the last time we went for lunch was the middle of last month." It came out as more of a question.

"Now that you mention it, Zayn," Niall interjected, pausing the game and looking at Louis, "this is the first time we've all hung out since the night at the club. I saw ya the next day, but not since."

"You're serious?" When neither of us responded, Louis looked at us, eyes wide, disbelief written all over his face. "I know that I get distracted once in awhile, but there's no way that I have been out of touch for that long."

At this point, it was obvious that he was beginning to panic. Eyes wide, hands shaking, even his lip was beginning to quiver. Standing up, I went to sit next to him. Rubbing his back in a calming manner, I exchanged a concerned look with Niall. There was no trace of humor from either one of us.

"What's been keeping you so distracted lately?" Niall gently voiced the question that was on my mind.

Continuing the train of thought, "You can tell us anything. You know we're here for you," I finished.

Setting the controller down, while rearranging himself on the sofa so that he was facing us, Louis fidgeted with his hands. It was a nervous habit he had, and something he seldom did around us. It was further proof that whatever he was about to say was important. Taking a deep breath, he rushed out, "Been doing a bit of writing. I guess that's why I've been distracted lately," his eyes focused on the carpet, while worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

"That's fantastic!" Niall exclaimed, brightening immediately. "What's it about?"

Louis hesitated, obviously uncomfortable. It wasn't a look that I was used to seeing on him and it concerned me. He's usually quite confident. Knowing him as well as I do, this is difficult for him. Niall and I both know how personal Louis' writing is to him. It's an unspoken agreement between us. We don't ask about it.
It's not that we don't care, we do. Quite a lot. Thing is, if we were to question him, he would shut down and not say a word. We've both learned that it's best to wait for Louis to come to us. In his own time and on his own terms.

Picking up on Louis' insecurity, Niall stood up and launched himself at our pensive friend. The sound of the air rushing out of the boy being crushed into the sofa, was almost lost in the sound of the lively Irishman's cackling.

"What the-," Louis sputtered, "get off me you ass!" He was attempting to push Niall off of him, but the boy was practically wrapped around him. One arm slung about his shoulders while he grabbed his face with the other. Niall then proceeded to cover Louis' face with sloppy kisses.

"Awww Looouie," he said, squeezing the aforementioned lads face. "Don't be afraid to tell us anything. We love ya, and we will never judge you. We won't leave you. You're stuck with us. We'll be here for you no matter what," a serious look, rarely seen on his face. "I'm not trying to push you. Neither is Zayn. We just- -We know that you're hurting," at the panicked look from Louis, he continues, "and it's obvious to us because we've been friends for so long. Someone who doesn't know you as well as we do would never think anything was wrong."

At Niall's words, Louis visibly relaxed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was trying to convince himself that it was okay to talk about whatever was bothering him.

"I don't know if I'm ready to tell you guys everything yet. I'm still sorting through ideas," he explained with a sigh, relaxing back into the sofa, hands on his face. "About four or five days after we went out, I was sitting up on the roof, when I felt - I guess - inspired. I can't explain. At this point, I'm not even sure what I'm writing about. It's like, one minute there was nothing, and then, the words are just there. Almost like they've always been a part of me, but I'm just becoming aware of them. It's difficult to explain. Whatever it is, it feels important. Like I'm supposed to write it," he finished quietly.

Silence. I had no idea what to think, let alone what to say. Never before had I seen him this way. Where previously, he was nervous and insecure, now he was speaking passionately. His eyes were full of life, his features animated. This was the Louis that I knew.

I opened my mouth to respond, when Louis' mobile rang. Looking at it in confusion, he showed me the screen. The ID read PRIVATE.

"Hello?" Louis answered hesitantly. After a moment his demeanor changed, "No, I would not like to hear about whatever crap that you're trying to sell me. Now, take this number off of your list and leave me alone," he stated emphatically, hanging up immediately.

"We're in the middle of a serious conversation and you get a call from a telemarketer?" Niall asked, shaking his head, smiling. "Only you, Louis."

We played a few more video games, then decided to order pizza. Shortly after it arrived, while Louis and I were arguing over the last piece, his phone rang once again.

Picking it up, he sassed, "I told you to take my number off your list." His face became serious. A pause, and then, "Who is this?" Yet another silence. Worry consuming his features, "Harry?"

A/N
Thank you to all of you who are reading this. I know that this has been a bit slow, but I wanted you to get to know the characters a bit. I hope you're enjoying this. Feedback would be great, even if there's something you don't like. I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing.

I'm also still looking for someone to help with media for this story. Just message me.

Thanks again!