𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐇, imogen alodia in a bar, craving a cigarette but having none, notices a man whose face seems oddly familiar. she asks him for a smoke, and he reveals he's down to his last one. they decide to share it. who is this man?
it turns out...
imogen. she's fucking everywhere. every time i turn around, there she is. first, the cigarette. then the art studio. then again, at the restaurant. and now, i can't even go through a normal fucking day without her crossing my path. it's like the universe is having a laugh at my expense, tossing her into my life like some cruel joke. and i swear, it's starting to piss me off.
it's not like she's a bad person or anything, but she's just so... sweet. so happy, all the damn time. it's like she floats through life on a cloud of positivity, leaving sprinkles of joy behind. makes my teeth ache just thinking about it. she's like one of those people who wake up smiling at the sunrise, and it's enough to make you want to throw something at the wall. it's a bit much, honestly.
i sit back on my couch, glaring at the ceiling like it's personally offended me. why the fuck do i keep running into her? is it a sign? no, i don't believe in signs. fate's not real. there's no deeper meaning to anything, it's just random chance, right?
i pull out my phone and open instagram, feeling the need to distract myself. i shouldn't care, but i do. i'm curious. who the fuck is she? who is this overly optimistic, walking ball of sunshine who keeps showing up in my life?
her instagram is almost annoyingly perfect. only six posts. six. who even does that? and it's all art—beautiful pieces, though, i'll give her that. her paintings have this way of drawing you in, like you're seeing the world through her rose-tinted glasses. and yet, it's like there's this piece of her missing from the picture, a bit of mystery she hasn't shown.
i scroll down, half-expecting to find something—anything—about her life, but there's nothing. no selfies, no random posts about what she's eating for dinner, no captions about how her day's going. just her work. her art. her friends. her. it's maddening.
before i can overthink it, the door to my room bursts open, and phoebe comes flying in, all chaotic energy as usual.
"oi, louis!" she yells, completely ignoring whatever peace i thought i had. but then she stops dead in her tracks, her eyes widening when she catches sight of my phone.
"oh my god," she gasps dramatically, slapping her hand over her mouth. "what the fuck are you doing?"
i quickly lock my phone and toss it onto the couch, but it's too late. she's already seen everything.
"you're stalking her," phoebe says, grinning like she's just caught me in the most scandalous act ever. "oh my god, you're totally stalking her!"
"i'm not fucking stalking anyone," i groan, already regretting not locking the door. "she just keeps showing up. it's weird."
but phoebe's having none of it. her grin only gets wider, and i can practically see the teasing brewing in her mind. "you've got a crush on her! louis has a crush!"
"fuck off," i mutter, leaning back on the couch and closing my eyes. of course, she's not going to let this go.
"this is amazing," she sings, practically bouncing. "louis and imogen, sitting in a tree—k-i-s-s-i-n-g!"
i roll my eyes. "i'm about to shove you off a tree, you little shit."
"oh, come on," she says, laughing. "you're so smitten, i bet just looking at her makes your teeth hurt. she's like sugar wrapped in sunshine, and you hate it, don't you? classic wattpad story."
"yeah, well, maybe i like my life a little less... saccharine," i snap, though even i know i'm full of shit. i can't stop thinking about her, no matter how hard i try. and it's driving me up the fucking wall.
phoebe, meanwhile, is grinning like she's won the lottery. "admit it, lou. you've got a thing for her. it's adorable."
"adorable," i repeat flatly. "that's the last fucking thing this is."
"oh, whatever," she says, rolling her eyes. then, before i can even react, she snatches my phone from the couch and starts tapping away on the screen. "let's just see how adorable this can get."
"phoebe, don't you dare—"
but it's too late. she's already dashed out of the room, cackling like a maniac.
"get back here!" i shout, scrambling after her. we're tearing through the hallway like bloody kids, me cursing every second of it.
i finally tackle her onto the couch, wrestling my phone out of her hands. "what did you do?"
"nothing," she says, but the smirk on her face tells me everything i need to know.
i unlock my phone and open instagram, half-dreading what i'm going to see. sure enough, there it is. she's messaged imogen from my account. fuck.
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imogen blueyalodia 9.4k followers • 6 posts
fancy coming out to a bar with me, pheebs and dais? should be fun
"you're fucking kidding me," i groan, dropping my head into my hands. i can't believe this.
phoebe just laughs, completely unbothered. "oh, come on. it's not like you didn't want to ask her out anyway."
"i didn't want to—" i start, but she cuts me off with a roll of her eyes.
"louis, you can lie to yourself all you want, but you can't lie to me. you like her. and if you're lucky, she might actually like you back. besides, she's nice. someone like you needs a bit of sunshine in their life."
"i don't need sunshine," i grumble, though my mind keeps drifting back to imogen's smile. that ridiculous, overthetop, toogoodtobe true smile. fuck.
phoebe leans over the couch, peering at me with a wicked grin. "you're gonna be the death of me, louis tomlinson. just wait. she's gonna make you soft."
"i don't need that kind of bullshit," i mutter, but i can feel myself smirking. damn it, i shouldn't even entertain the thought. the last thing i need is more complication.
"what are you so afraid of?" phoebe teases, hopping up to her feet and flouncing toward the door like she owns the place. "you're acting like you're scared of a girl with an infectious smile and a sunshine disposition. tragic, honestly."
"i'm not scared," i call after her, though my voice lacks conviction. scared? no. annoyed? absolutely.
as soon as she leaves the room, i pick up my phone again. the message is still there, glaring back at me. shit.
oh well, i think. what's the worst that could happen? it's just a drink. and if i don't like it, i can leave, right?
i sit back, letting out a sigh, wondering why the fuck this girl keeps popping up in my life.
ava speaks!!! the long awaited louis pov has arrived :) how do you feel?
