Devil in Your Smile

Chapter 49, Old Ghost, New Regrets

hello!!! Saturday update anyone? 

--------------------------

LOUIS POV

I walk around the store, basket in hand thanks to Harry practically shoving it into my hands, along with the ripped piece of paper he handed me, the other half of the list I'm guessing he made. I know I annoyed him on the ride here, maybe too much, but he still didn't tell me anything about him apparently having long hair. I know I could just ask Zayn, but pestering Harry is funnier, and it passed the time. But, it was not worth dealing with shopping alone, and Harry had practically sprinted in the opposite direction after slapping the grocery list against my chest. I could go find him, maybe bother him a bit more, but the store is fairly empty and all the items on the list are in the same section, so I decide to handle it on my own. After finding everything on the list, plus a few snacks that sound appealing to me, I start to aimlessly walk around, keeping an eye out for Harry as I go. I'm stopped by a tug on my pants, and I look down to see a little girl holding onto my pants. She's holding a very worn-in stuffed animal that looks like it could be a monkey, and her eyes are filled with tears, looking around with a scared look on her face. I bend down, reaching her height before I speak, making sure to keep my voice low and calm so that I don't spook her. "Hi Love, I'm Louis. Are you lost?" She nods, still looking down the aisle as she says, "Can't find Mommy." I nod, scanning the aisle with her and trying to listen for any rushed voices. When I don't hear any near us, I look at her and say, "Let's go find her alright? Can I carry you hun?"

After getting a nod from the girl, I scoop her up and place her on my hip, shifting her a bit to make sure she stays before grabbing my basket and carrying both down the aisle. As I walk, I try to distract her by asking, "What's your name?" She looks at me for a second before wiping her face with her stuffed monkey and saying, "Erin, but Mommy calls me Eri-Berry." I smile at her and ask her what her stuffed animals name is, just to try to calm her, and soon I'm learning that it is a Monkey and its name is BoBo. I walk down yet another aisle, only coming across one person who doesn't even look up, so I ask her another question. "Okay Eri-Berry. What's your Mumma's name?" She has to think about it, but eventually her small voice says, "Mommy's name is Alyson!" I nod, looking down another empty row of food as I ask another question. "What's Mummy look like?" She describes a lady with brown hair before going into details that wouldn't help, so I just look for a frantic brown haired lady. Finally, I come to the dairy aisle, and there is a brown haired woman who looks quite shaken, and she's standing talking to Harry and some other woman. She's holding Harry's arm, shaking a bit as she tries to explain something, but she stops when she sees me and the child in my arms.

3RD PERSON POV

Erin wiggles out of Louis' hold, running to her mom and slamming against the woman's legs. He makes eye contact with Harry for a few seconds before the woman addresses him, thanking him profusely and insisting on buying his groceries. Louis turns her down, telling her that it was no problem and even going as far as complimenting her parenting. The lady, Alyson, is sheepish as she tells Louis that Erin hasn't ever gotten lost before, and Louis tells her about him running away from his mom at least once a month in the shops as a child. He tells Erin that it was nice meeting her, and Harry watches on as Louis interacts with the child. Something stirs inside of him, the same feeling that he got when he watched Louis with Eli and Luca, something warm and mellow, and it's comforting. After a few minutes, the mother and daughter leave, and Harry grabs his last items from the frozen section of the store before turning to Louis and asking him if he's ready. After getting a nod in response, they walk together towards the cashier's stations to pay.