nobody shines the way you do » l.s.

part one

2 Years Ago

The trip from Brooklyn to Manhattan was a short, half-hour subway ride. During that time Louis contemplated what the perfect housewarming gift was. He never had to worry about stuff like this when he was younger, but then again, he never attended housewarming parties back then--or ever, really. That was real grown-up stuff and it was jarring that he'd probably be attending more of these as time went on. So figuring out what to get for parties like this would be helpful.

He tried googling and Buzzfeed suggested kitchen supplies, art decor, or food. He wondered if he had time to stop by a Pottery Barn or Home Goods somewhere. What kind of art decor or kitchen supplies would Niall and Barbara need? Louis should have started shopping weeks ago when he'd gotten the invitation after they moved into their new Midtown apartment. But he'd only moved back into the city three weeks ago himself and hadn't even unpacked yet. He should have probably done that sooner, but he'd been busy trying to get a job and even that was a failure.

In the end, when the train stopped at Rockefeller Center, Louis got off and wandered until he was close to their apartment, running out of options since he was getting late. He looked around their block and eventually entered a liquor store, buying a bottle of wine before heading over. Niall would appreciate wine. If there was anything Louis'd learned about Niall in their seven years of being friends, it was that he loved any kind of alcohol.

On the way there he window-shopped in hopes a better gift might pop up but then ended up stopping in front of a small, second-hand clothing boutique where a mannequin was wearing a dark green parka. A nostalgic smile formed on his lips as he remembered his old one that he wore while trekking around Italy. He'd lost it somewhere on the journey to Switzerland. He'd been so upset then, but now he was smiling at all the memories he had made while wearing it. He bit his lip, contemplating going in and buying the jacket, but decided against it after making a mental note to come back another day.

Louis made his way over to Niall and Barbara's apartment and widened his eyes when he entered the lobby, which was made entirely of marble and complete with a doorman. It was definitely an upgrade from their previous apartment in Astoria, Queens. That place was a tiny studio and always smelled like Chinese Food because of the restaurant directly below their floor.

Louis took the elevator up to the sixth floor and rang their doorbell once he found the right one. Niall opened the door, already half tipsy and flushed. "Louis!" he cried, grinning as he pulled him inside. Louis laughed, falling into the hug and patting Niall's back.

"Hey Ni. Thanks for inviting me over," he replied, pulling back.

"Of course, man. Great to see you again. We have so much to catch up on. Haven't seen you in fucking ages."

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"A while? Fuck you, man. You leave for Europe for, what? Six months and you say it's been a while?" Niall laughed. "Come on. Let me go take you inside and introduce you to everyone. After that, we're taking drinks and having a long chat."

"Anything you want, Ni," Louis grinned, handing Niall the bottle of wine. He had missed Niall so much. He was probably one of his oldest friends, and the two of them never lost touch or drifted like most of his others friends did. Distance or time just never seemed to be an issue, even if they did end up going in different directions after high school.

When he walked further inside, he inspected the place and his eyebrows shot up when he saw how nicely decorated it was. He knew most of this was Barbara's doing since she had whipped Niall since he was a freshman in college. He would live anywhere with her just as long as she was there and happy. It was sweet and made Louis want to gag.