Mixed Direction

Chapter Forty: Good Night

{Louis' POV}

What is it to lose something? Do we really ever understand the logistics behind losing something, someone. Losing an object is different to losing a person, definitely different to losing a feeling. The more you care, the more you have to lose. And you're going to lose people in your life, and no matter how much time you spent with them, it will never feel like enough. 

"You ready Boops?" I ask Ellie, tying the final knot on the beanbag toss that I bought Ellie for Christmas. You hang it off a frame and then there's little bean bags to throw into the specific holes that have 'points' if you get them in. 

"Yep!" Ellie smiles and then throws her beanbag at the target. Ellie hits the fabric and it bounces back off. Ellie starts laughing and I toss one, the beanbag going into the fifty points. "No!" Ellie exclaims. 

"Ha- ha! Bet you can't beat me, loser!" I make an 'L' shape on my forehead, turning to Ellie. Ellie growls at me and then throws her second bean bag, the shot sending the soft square flying through the fifty point hole. 

"Yes!" Ellie jumps up in happiness. "Beat that Uncle Lou!" 

We decided to be fair, I would only get to throw two but she gets to through three. After all, she is twenty- seven years younger than me. I toss my final beanbag and it goes through the fifty mark again. Okay, so Ellie has to get fifty or higher to win. 

"Off you go Malik," I nudge her shoulder gently and then Ellie carefully tosses her final beanbag. I watch it glide through the air and slot itself right through the one- hundred hole.

"Nooooo!" I exclaim, falling to my knees as Ellie jumps around, cheering and laughing her head off. I look across at the others who are in the lounge room, clapping for Ellie whilst they laugh at me. 

"You just got beaten by a four- year- old," Harry reminds me and I start laughing myself. I stand up and walk over to the couch, sitting down and taking my son back from Ella, sitting him down into the baby rocker that is on the floor. 

"Dinner!" Zayn calls out and we all get up at the speed of light. I leave Henry in his rocker where I can see him and then help Perrie by grabbing Lillie and placing her into the highchair next to Rosie. I take my seat with Ellie to my right and Jade to my left at the table. 

Zayn and Perrie bring over the roast dinner that they cooked, along with other things that other people added to the meal. Roast meat and roasted vegetables, then there's salad, pasta salad, different dressings, bread, wine to drink, along with juice for people who can't or won't have alcohol, and there's lots more for dessert. 

We thank everyone for the food and then start to eat, lots of different conversations being held and a lot of noise, but happy noise, family noise. We have the normal group here tonight, the two bands plus husbands and wives, and then of course Asha, Zuri, Ellie, Lillie, Rosie and Henry. 

"Are we going to meet up tomorrow still?" Liam asks Jade and Harry. They both nod and we nod in response. We're going to have a small catch up for Jade's birthday, even though we've seen each other today and yesterday, and the day before. But whatever I suppose. 

"When do you start your job, Perrie?" Harry asks her and she shrugs. "Are you even interested in it?" Harry chuckles and we all smile as Perrie looks up. 

"Yes, of course," Perrie replies, laughing slightly. "I'm just not sure when it starts," Perrie adds and I roll my eyes. I am beyond excited for her, she deserves this. An opportunity like this doesn't come often, so if she had even tried to say no, we planned to all force her to say yes, in the nicest possible way.

Letting go doesn't mean giving up, it's more accepting that some things can't be. You should love when you're ready, not when you're lonely, and you should determine what is important before you start letting go, losing, forgetting.