ILTHY | l.p.

2 | gatekeeping the mess!

CHAPTER TWO
❛ 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀, 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗹𝘆, 𝗶 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗲. ❜
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[ y/n ]

London is so different and far away from home. It's so unfamiliar, no matter how long I stay here. I know I will always feel like a sore eye in between crowds.

"Alright there?" Millie asks, sliding on my side. She hugged my arm and smiled. I look at her, admiration settling in. Millie has and will always be the only sweetest and most thoughtful girl who knew me like the back of her hand. "Yeah," I nod, knowing everything will be alright as long as I have her with me. It's not that I'm dependent; it's just that I don't like the feeling of being alone.

"Then let's go have dinner with my family!"

I lose my smile. "Mills, no..."

"Oh, for crying out loud, Y/N. Yes." Millie tugged on my arm, forcing me to walk with her and cross the street. "Issie is home tonight from college, and she wants to see you."

I have known and loved the Partridge family for so long that I consider them my family too. Liz and James had been nothing but welcoming and kind, accepting me the first time I became friends with their youngest daughter. Issie has always been there too. I always looked up to her and admired her visuals and passion for things.

And then there's the middle child.

If Issie's home, there's a great chance Louis is too.

"I miss her too, Mills. But I really can't today." I try to talk her out of it, my mind already making up different kinds of excuses on how to escape this dinner.

"Is this about Louie?"

Okay, maybe the fact that she knows me too well is sometimes a disadvantage too.

"I don't really care about this weird beef you have with my brother. He isn't even home, I think. Louis is filming for a new film this weekend, and he left yesterday. This dinner is only with mum and dad, and Issie. Don't let me down on this, please, Y/N?"

I harshly gulp down the huge lump in my throat and sigh. "I haven't asked my mom's permission, Mills. And we both know this dinner will end up as a sleepover in your room again."

"So? Your mom loves me. I think she'll even give me permission to kidnap you and bring you with me to some tropical island." Millie smiled, and I knew she was right. Again. "And you're always home. It's nothing new. Even mum is disappointed when I come home every day without you."

"You're making me teary-eyed here," I mumble, genuinely moved by how loved I really was by her family. Millie knew I could never say no to her, and I know it too. So, like usual, and in defeat, I nod slowly. "Fine. But I'm doing this for Issie and Liz."

Millie giggles, and she moves her hand so it holds mine while we both walk to her house. "Don't lie, I know I'm your favorite."

I squeeze her hand because I do know how much Millie Partridge is my favorite person in the whole world.

ⵌ

Sometimes. Millie Partridge is my favorite person sometimes. Because right now, being at this dinner, sitting on the wooden chair, I have cursed her more than a hundred times in my head.

Not only Issie is back. But apparently, Louis is too. He had been excused from filming and came back this evening to see his older sister then will return tomorrow to continue the job.

"I missed this so much! Having dinner with you, Y/N, is so nostalgic, and I love it," Issie says cheerfully and smiles at me. I smiled back, still a bit tense but happy at the same time. I missed Issie just as much.

"We haven't done this for donkey's, haven't we girls?" James laughs. If I were new here, I would have misunderstood what he said, but I've been in this house for as long as I can remember. I knew what he meant. "Oh, but as usual, this is still so unfair. There are four of you beautiful ladies, and it's just me and Louis."

The family chuckled, but Louis stayed quiet. He only looked up from his plate to glance at his father before letting out a small nod and returning to his food. I bite back a frown and nod too, hating it.

I hate how I knew that Louis was actually just as cheerful and adorable as his whole family was. And the fact that he's only like this whenever I'm around.

"I remember when you kids were so eager to share about your days and would bicker to take turns." Liz sweetly places a hand on her husband's arm while reaching for the bottle of wine, pouring over her glass. Only the parents, Issie, and Louis, were allowed to drink tonight. Me and Millie sipped over plain grape juice. It's like wine, just without all the bad stuff. I continue to act like I haven't actually lost consciousness because I drank too much vodka at parties.

"Oh, please, darling. Issie and Louis are barely even kids anymore. We have two babies left," James says back with a wink. While Millie groans and complains about being called a baby, I giggle. Their love is so obvious for each other, and it's adorable. This family is blessed and complete, and even if none of them were perfect, they never gave up on each other.

"Wait! I remember," Issie suddenly says and leaves the table, returning a minute later with a familiar small yellow book. "I brought this with me to college for memories, but since we're complete tonight, why don't we go down memory lane?"

"That's a wonderful idea, sweetheart!" Liz claps her hands excitedly.

I examine the book as it is placed on the table. The overuse of purple glitter and washi tape, contrasting with the bright yellow, was all too familiar. "Is that...?" I gulp, my brows furrowing a little.

"Our fourth scrapbook." Millie finished my sentence for me, gasping. She suddenly turns to me and hits me on the arm. "Blimey, didn't we just talk about that earlier at band practice?"

I whack her hand away and nod, now being reminded by Michael once more of the topic of scrapbooks. Now my happiness from doing these things is ruined by one stupid guy who's so not worth it. Ugh.

"How did you get that?" A deep voice with a heavy accent mumbled through the room. All eyes were on Louis, and finally, I could get a good look at him without acting weird about it. His hair was still as silky and brown as I remember it, but now slightly longer with a mullet. His features are obviously more mature now, but somehow they're all still the same. The same soft eyes with that firm gaze, the same pinkish lips that never smiled at me. Louis does not look happy right now.

To be fair, though, since when is he happy when I'm around? He acts as if I killed every rainbow in his life.

"I found it in your room," Issie answers.

Wait what?

"I know it was in my room," Louis says back. "Why would you take that? It's mine."

"Technically, it's all ours. You're not the only one who made it, Lou. Y/N did most of the job," Millie corrects him. Louis turns to his younger sister and nods, talking nonchalantly, "Hence it is an eye-sore, I know. But we have four of those. That one, I specifically kept."

Did he just insult my masterpiece at seven years old?

"Why does it matter to you anyways?" My best friend grumbles quietly. Louis ignored the question and returned his gaze back at the scrapbook, then at Issie. "Please return it to me?"

"Fine. I'll just get the first one." Issie shrugged, opening the book that's really barely a book.

Okay, maybe it was really an eye-sore. The purple washi tape and other neon glitters do not look good in bright yellow. Plus, the cuts were not even or random. It can't be that bad, though, right? Since even the perfectionist and proper Louis kept it.

Huh, he kept it.

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