falling for your hallelujah // l.s.

four

Day Four: Caramel latte and a homemade peaches and cream cupcake

Louis's taken a risk today, because this one is one he made himself and brought in. He was going to have it for lunch, before remembering that he'd been skipping his lunch at it's designated lunch time to give food to the kid outside; so really, it seemed fitting that he should have it.

"It's a caramel latte today. I hope you like that, because I think they're great. Not that I'd be upset if you didn't like it, because it's not like I'd  stop coming out here. What am I talking about?"

The boy looks up at Louis with his eyes, so wide and bright that Louis wonders he isn't blinded, and takes a small sip.

And there must be a change in winds in the air today, because then he smiles, all soft and warm like sunlight and falling in love, and Louis was right all along. It brightens him, this curve of mouth, scrunching up his eyes and rounding his cheeks. In this moment, Louis thinks he's beautiful, more than beautiful.

By the time the next second has passed over and all this has flown through Louis's mind, the smile has disappeared like the sun has floated behind a blanket of cloud (but Louis knows it was there).

"Did you like it?" Asks Louis, even though he knows the boy (he should probably come up for a nickname for him, or something, but that sounds a lot too difficult) wouldn't have smiled if he didn't.

There's no reply, but Louis is getting used to that.

"I made the cake myself, by the way. In case it's horrible, or something, because I haven't tried one yet and I don't want to poison my roommates. I do sometimes, though, but not today. Cake would be a good way to go, though, if you had to. Died while eating cake. Oh, sorry, I'm probably putting you off. Why don't you push me in the road, or something?"

If Louis was a good reader of eyes, he'd say those of his 'maybe-friend' are laughing.

"How's your friend today?" Asks Han when he comes inside, hairs on his arms raised and slightly (terribly) shivering.

"Do I detect a certain hint of jealousy, my dearest, one and only, truest of all friends?"

She laughs, pressing the button to pour shots of coffee into a cup, back to him.

"Of course, the green eyes monster has his claws firmly inside me."

"Maybe you should see a GP about that. Sounds uncomfortable." Louis tells her, turning to take the order of a woman with three kids.

As seems to be typical with family groups, they all try to order the same thing, being in this case; one large coffee (for the mother, he hopes), one medium coffee and two hot chocolates. What Louis loves about this coffee shop is that there's no pre putting of the milk and sugar in, because there's little pots of milk given with the coffee and sachets of sugar on the table. In all honesty, why people expect him to know just the exact size of 'splash of milk' they want, he'll never know.

"It's very serious. It involves wanting a friendship with you. I need this sorted out as quickly as possible."

"And I thought it was love between us." Louis moans, pressing the button for the hot chocolate and watching the clear glass fill up with liquid brown.

"I'll love you until I find a better replacement." He's told, and if Han thinks that's some kind of placation she's obviously not very skilled at social interaction (not that Louis is either, but at least he knows the rudimentals).

"You could never replace me. You love me too much."

"If that's what helps you sleep at night, Louis."

In fact, what does help Louis sleep at night is two sleeping pills, because insomnia is one demon that can't be killed without some sort of outside interference, and much as Louis would love to think that chewing on honeycomb or whatever else is going to send him off like a weary baby, trial and experience proves otherwise.

"You look awful." Niall tells him that night (he's munching happily on one of the peaches and cream cupcakes that Louis made, and maybe the boy outside wasn't just being polite).

"Yeah, like you haven't slept since Jesus walked the earth." Adds Zayn, sprawling out over the three seater sofa on his front. It's grey with multicolored cushions, because they all brought cushions from home when they moved and didn't think how patchwork it would look (the same goes for their plates, silverware and glasses).

"You're not even Christian." Louis says, raising his hands and trying to leave, which is a lot harder than you'd think when someone's sat on your lap. "God, Niall, I could cradle overweight elephants that weigh less than-"

"Flattery will get you everywhere." Interrupts Niall smoothly, settling back so that Louis's face is smushed into Niall's shirt. It smells like spices, and if Zayn's thinks he's going to order in a takeaway for lunch every day simply because Louis isn't there and he thinks he can get away with it- well, he'd be crafty, and Louis admires it.

"Don't take the Lord's name in vain, Louis." Zayn says serenely, voice muffled by the many cushions, and Louis considers throwing one of his own at Zayn's head.

"Sorry, Pope Zayn. You know I've accepted you as my Lord and Savior."

"Exactly as it should be. Even if, as you pointed out, I'm not Christian. So I'd probably be a terrible Pope. And the Pope can't be your Lord and Savior, the Lord and Savior speaks through the Pope. I think."

"I'm so lost." Niall says, settling more comfortably on Louis's lap.

"Oh, fuck off and go to sleep, you shit." Louis grumbles, trying to push a persistent Niall off his lap.

"Mother should've washed your mouth out, Louis." Niall says, and Louis'll be damned if he isn't gleeful.

"Fucker." Is all Louis says, and Niall laughs so hard that he falls right off of him and falls on to his cake, smearing white buttercream over his forehead.

Then it's Louis's turn to laugh.

Later, when it's dark and the shadows and shapes look so much more sinister than what they are in the day, Louis waits for sleep to come with ease. It's reticent in coming forwards, from little wisps to full frontal falling.

Louis thinks of that small flicker of time earlier today, of pink lips and delicate smiles.

Somewhere in that near dreamy sleep, he decides that falling asleep is not the hardest kind of falling.