coffee stains ; larry stylinson

chapter two

"....and then i was like 'fuck off, you obtuse son of a bitch' and he was like...louis, are you even listening?"

louis snapped back into the present. he'd fallen asleep at 5 a.m. and had woken up again at 7 a.m. and if it wasn't for the triple shot espresso he had in his hand at the moment, he'd probably be a heap on the floor. 

eleanor, his best friend, gazed at him worriedly while biting her lip. louis turned and smiled warily at her. 

"yeah i'm listening, i'm sorry, el," louis assured her. eleanor did not look convinced.

"louis, i'm worried for you. you're zoning out constantly, your dark bags dominate half of your face and your eyes are as red as a tomato. you're not on drugs, are you? honestly, louis, if that's the case-"

"i'm fine," louis cut in, "i'm perfectly okay. it's just my usual habit of-"

"-doing nothing the whole day and procrastinating the entire night. i should've known."

louis looked down and eleanor sighed and then ruffled his hair. normally, louis would have found this appalling but since he barely fixed his hair this morning, and since today was not really a normal day, he didn't mind it and actually kind of enjoyed it.

"you know what? we're not doing the history project today. i'll tell miss parkinson my dad died and i was out of town the whole weekend. not that i have a dad to begin with or i would care if that piece of shit died, but certain situations require certain measures and you," she said jabbing a finger into louis' chest, "are going home and actually sleeping, for once, and should i see you have done otherwise, i will personally tie you onto a bed and watch you till you fall asleep."

louis gaped at her as she got up with a flourish and whisked away to class. he took a drag of coffee out of thermos, thinking of how he'd even be alive without her. with a shake of his head, louis gathered his things and proceeded towards the library while silently thanking the universe for making eleanor his bestfriend.

. . . . .

louis took a walk through the park with his coffee in hand. 

the sun was beginning to set. it cast it's orange-pink glow on the world around him, bronzing everything to a dull gold. a light breeze blew, rustling the crisp brown leaves that lay on the pavement and they circled around the ankles of the oncoming people, like a small halo. the london air blew, alive in his hair, the ever-present smell of dampness carried through the atmosphere. here, in the swinging city, louis felt alive and could feel his stress slipping away, even if temporarily.

as louis walked onwards, he couldn't help but marvel at the society he lived amongst. there were all sorts of people around him. all with different backgrounds and families and pasts. girls wearing short dresses and giggling behind their hair. old people wistfully thinking of their past life. gay boys with piercings making out behind trees. homeless kids just wanting to be loved. teenagers sitting on the rocky pavement, wondering when their life had gotten so fucked up. ever since louis was a boy, he made up a little game and tried to think of a backstory of all the people he'd ever meet. a mystery, all of them. 

so lost by his own thoughts, he momentarily forgot there were actual people walking all around them. distracted and not looking up before walking, he collided into a very solid someone, spilling his beloved all over their chest.

oh, god damn you.

a/n: so here is where it all begins, folks. get your popcorn ready. you have been forewarned

keep your head up, love <3 

all the love, tay x