~*~ Louis ~*~
It’s the first day of November, and Liam has Louis cornered in his office before the bar opens. They had been open for Halloween on a day they are normally closed, so by all rights, he should close the bar today. Everyone could use the rest after the craziness of the Halloween Madness event. Instead, Louis opts to open for their regular times to satisfy his insatiable need to stay busy. Liam sitting in front of him, an unyielding expression on his face, was not part of the plan.
“I’m not leaving until you tell me what happened when you were gone at the end of September. You haven’t been the same, and last night, you were beyond worked up and agitated.” Liam taps his foot on the floor expectantly.
Louis motions his hand in the air, brushing off Liam’s concern. “It’s nothing. I’m sorry I’ve been off. I’ll be fine soon.”
Liam crosses his arms and sits back in the chair, making himself comfortable and showing no signs of budging. “Nope. Not good enough. Talk to me. We’re kind of friends, right? Not just boss and employee. The only way I know how to describe you right now is sad, and I want to help however I can.”
Louis sighs knowing he’s running out of excuses for his behavior lately. “There’s nothing you can do, mate. I need to get through some personal things going on.”
“I can listen,” Liam suggests. “I know you have Zayn, but I’d like to think I can help, too. I want to.”
Louis stares at him for a long time. Liam’s eyes hold his, steadfast and unwavering. “Fine. I’ll tell you about what happened while I was gone. I’m not ready to tell you about my past, so it may not make much sense; but I’ll fill in what I can.”
Liam relaxes and accepts the offering. “Whatever you want to share, I’m listening.”
Louis begins talking and unloads everything from that weekend in September with Harry. He had thought retelling it would be easier after all this time, but it still wrenches him apart inside as he relives every minute, every detail fresh in his mind. He still craves Harry in every way, and it’s not lessening in the slightest no matter what he does to forget.
“Harry? The guy that night that knew your real name?” Liam questions as he begins putting the jagged pieces of information together.
Louis nods. “That’s the one.”
“And you fell in love with him.” Liam states as fact, no question to his words.
“Shit! Why does everyone keep saying that?”
Liam shrugs. “Probably because it’s true. I saw him here last night. I saw how you looked at him; and I definitely heard you tell that one slutty guy that Harry is yours.”
“I’m not in love with him,” Louis mutters petulantly.
Liam quirks his brow in disbelief. “Is that so? Are you absolutely sure about that?”
Louis scrubs over his face with his hands, stopping to finger at one of the lip rings in the corner of his mouth. “I’m not in love with him,” he says quietly. Taking a deep breath, he continues, “but I could get there. It wouldn’t take much.”
“What are you going to do about it?” Liam asks softly, thankfully not calling Louis out on his words.
“Nothing,” Louis declares with a flick of his hand. “It goes back to the stuff I don’t want to talk about. Someday, maybe if you stay around long enough, you will understand, but for now, you have to trust me. It’s better for Harry this way.”
