You Ruin Me l.s

- Assumptions -

Louis finished his routine, ignoring the cheers, and almost ran off stage, nearly falling down the stairs. As soon as his feet touched backstage ground, he crumbled. He literally fell to the floor and broke into weak sobs. No one was meant to find out. He didn't expect anyone to come around here from his Uni. What an idiot. And of ALL people, it just had to be Harry. He's probably disgusted with him right now.

"Hey, hey Lou-lou, what's wrong? What happened? Did someone get too rough out there?" Zayn ran over worried.

Louis sniffled and shook his head.

"What happened?" Zayn sat on the floor next to the crying boy and wrapped his muscular arms around him.

Louis wiped his eyes and tried to control his breathing, "he, Ha-, someone..." Louis couldn't make a sentence because of his hiccupping and sobbing.

"Hey, hey, shh, calm down. Breathe. Breathe, Lou, breathe. In and out, Lou," Zayn assisted.

Louis took deep breaths in and out until he was settled enough to form words.

"Someone from uni is here and it's that guy, the one I ran into, he's here, and he recognised me. I'm totally fucked. He probably thinks I'm disgusting now. He's all rich and stuff and then here I am, a poor kid who has to work two jobs, including being a stripper!"

"Well...fuck. I was so sure that this place was so shitty that no one from your Uni would come here. But, hey if he thought strippers were disgusting, why would he be here?"

"That's true...but I still didn't want anyone to find out. What if he tells people? Or he gets a photo somehow and spreads it around. I can't deal with that," Louis starts to hyperventilate.

Zayn notices straight away and intervenes, "Hey, hey c'mon breathe."

Louis breathes deeply in and out.

"It'll be ok. There's no way he could find you disgusting. He is at a gay strip-club, and him finding you – the type of person he came to watch – disgusting would make him a hypocrite. Ok, love? You're fine. Everything's fine," Zayn reasoned.

Louis nodded slowly, making sense of Zayn's words.

"Also, you should of prepared yourself for the possibility of someone finding out," Zayn added sadly.

"I thought I did, but apparently not for him. Out of all people, why did it have to be him?" Louis whined.

"I don't know, Lou. I mean, you literally ran into each other, he just happened to drive past you whilst you were in need of assistance, and out of all the clubs around here, he comes to this one. Maybe this is fate."

"I don't believe in that shit, Zee."

"Well maybe you should start because there is something happening here."

"Was it fate to have my dad kick my mum and I out of the house, onto the streets after mum lost her job, leaving us homeless for me to have no choice but to leave so mum didn't have to take care of me as well as my sisters, and work two jobs to pay my uni tuition and my rent just so I can become somewhat successful and get my mum out of the awful and cramped flat she's living in, and into a proper house that is sized to fit everyone properly? Was fate the cause of that? Did fate think it was a great thing to do to put me here for some reason?" Louis ranted.

"Maybe he is that reason," Zayn replied unsure what else to say.

"Pfft, yeah right. Give me a break."

"Ok, well look there's no reason why he would think any less of you, ok?" Zayn tried to sound as convincing as possible for the sake of his friend.