With A Touch Of Magic (Larry Version)

7. A Favour

Staring out the window, Louis watched the snow fall. Between his bent legs, Alexa was doing the same with an excitedly waging tail, which was odd because as soon as she'd be outside she'd hate the snow because it was too cold for the little miss. After all, it was just frozen water and she hated water with a passion. Petting her head lovingly, he got lost in the beauty of the snowfall. It hadn't snowed for Christmas, so seeing the snow now made Louis feel happy all over although he hated the cold, just like Alexa.

When his phone started ringing, Alexa grumbled unhappily and glared at Louis, making him chuckle. "Sorry, Baby".

Twisting around to get a hold of his phone; and displeasing Alexa with his abrupt movements; Louis answered the call right before it went to voicemail. "Hey, Ari. What's up?".

"There were some issues with the order for Archie's birthday cake. The bakery messed it up and now we don't have a bloody cake. What am I supposed to do? I can't show up empty-handed. He loves cake" Aria wailed on the other end of the line.

"Take a deep breath. We'll find a solution, okay?" Louis tried to calm her down while racking his brain for a way to save this mess.

"But how? Normally, I'd say I bake one myself but I ordered one because I don't have time for baking this year. I'm already late for today's wedding and I actually have one tomorrow as well and I can't ...".

"Breathe, Ari" Louis cut her off before she could talk herself into a panic attack. "You go and do your job and I take care of the cake, okay? I'll find a way".

"Are you sure? Maria isn't in the country, so she can't save our asses this time" Aria sounded unconvinced but calmer.

"Trust me. I'll take care of this" Louis needed to sound confident for her sake. "Now go and be the best wedding photographer out there, yeah?".

"I'll try. Thank you, Louis".

Ending the call, Louis let out a long sigh and looked back out at the snow, hoping to find a solution to this unexpected mess. No bakery would take his order on such short notice. Archie's birthday was in two days. Rubbing his temples, Louis felt his brain overheating. He needed a bloody miracle. He couldn't bake for shit.

And of course, his mind went to the one place he hasn't been to in months, urging him to go there and just ask, maybe beg him to save his arse but the logical part of Louis' brain knew that he wouldn't even talk to him and rightfully so. Louis' paranoia had ruined this over three months ago. He couldn't go back.

Whining lowly, Alexa tore him out of his thoughts. Studying her closely, Louis understood directly and a quick look at his watch confirmed the obvious. She needed to pee. So, he forced himself to stand up from his comfy place in the bay window and got ready for a freezing cold walk. Of course, he could just open the door to the garden but she deserved her long walk and he needed to move his ass as well.

Wrapped up in a thick winter coat, a warm scarf and his boots, Louis put the leash onto Alexa's collar and left the house. Making their way through the falling snow, they both somehow decided not to take their normal route into the nearby woods but to go in the opposite direction towards the park with the frozen lake. They haven't been here for three months either. Louis has been too afraid Alexa might just run away and to the bakery again although she could walk without her leash now. She was still a little devil.

Instinctively, his feet carried him all the way towards the familiar bakery although he hadn't intended to come here. Still hidden from view but close enough to glance inside through the big windows, Louis got a strange feeling of deja-vu. Immediately, he felt transported back to the onetime he had come back here only to see Harry being overly flirty with some guy over the counter. Apparently, Louis had been right and this was his thing, after all.