Chapter 1: Champagne With A Side Of Adultery
The two blonde women sit down at their table, smiling at each other warmly. Their waiter, a short, stout man with a receding hairline, hands both women tattered menus. He speaks with them for a few moments, going over the specials and featured drinks, before retreating into the kitchen.
The woman on the right wearing a bright pink shirt lifts the menu to her face thoughtfully. The one on the left, whose hair is pulled loosely into a French braid, sets her Prada bag on the back of her chair. They sit in silence for a minute or two before one of them starts to make small talk. Perhaps they’re discussing their jobs, apartments, or even new love interests. Whatever the case, Louis sits at the next table down, curiously observing the two women. He studies their facial expressions, hands, and the way their legs cross at seemingly the exact same time. Maybe they’re sisters. They sure look similar. They could also be coworkers, friends, or lovers.
Louis sits in a serene state of mind, watching the blondes interact from a distance. He takes a sip of his champagne, enjoying every bit of the sweet yet sour flavor. He’s here to meet his friend, Stanley. Louis hasn’t spent much quality time with Stanley lately – not since early May. They’re best friends, but with the hectic life Louis leads, sometimes it’s hard to have one-on-one time.
Louis sighs, flicking on his iPhone. He checks the time, purses his lips, and puts the phone in his pocket. Stanley’s fifteen minutes late, but that’s nothing new. Louis remembers a time when Stanley was two hours late for a band rehearsal. Even though that was seven years ago, Stanley’s unpunctuality hasn’t changed.
Louis swallows the rest of his champagne crossly. He drums his fingers on the surface of the mahogany table impatiently, checking the front entrance every couple seconds.
Abruptly Stanley enters the restaurant, shoving his car keys into his sky blue Jack Wills sweatshirt. He scans the tables. Louis raises a hand to catch Stanley’s attention. Stanley sees him, grins, and jogs to the table.
Stanley goes in for a hug. “Hey, man! How have you been?”
“Great, great. You?” Louis says, pulling away.
“Life’s great.” Stanley says, taking a seat. “And I’m sorry about being late. I got lost.” He apologizes quickly before pulling out his phone.
“Don’t worry about it.” Louis says.
Stan enters his passcode and unlocks the phone. “Have you seen the Twitter war yet? Some of your fans are ridiculous.”
Louis grabs his phone too, opening the Twitter app. “No, I haven’t. What’s it about?”
Stan groans and begins typing furiously. “Wow,”
“What?” Louis asks.
“Just go to my account and read the recent tweets. A bunch of girls are accusing me of being homophobic and other bullshit.” Stanley seethes.
Louis goes on Stan’s twitter feed, scrolling through the tweets. “Hm.”
“Check out this one,” Stanley says with evident disgust. “It says, ‘Larry is real and the fact that you’re ignoring it proves how much of a homophobic prick you are’.”
Louis scoffs. “Seriously?”
Stanley nods. “Just read some of them. It’s out of control.”
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I Shall Imagine Life
FanficWhen is cheating okay? Is there ever such a thing as a “justifiable affair”? Louis Tomlinson and Eleanor Calder seem to be asking themselves these questions a lot lately. As they both develop confusing, complicated relationships with other people...
