The Story of Us // L.S

Twenty Four.

Songs for this chapter are:

*What I Go To School For // Busted

*Better Than Words // One Direction

*High Hopes // The Vamps

*Daylight // 5 Seconds of Summer

*

I stared up at my bedroom ceiling recalling the events of the night before.

Louis' soft lips on mine again for the first time in 18 years. The way everything seemed to be right as he kissed me and how I felt 20 again. The feelings he gave me when he was around were so familiar yet so different at the same time. Even though I had been in love with him since the first moment I had met him, it was like I was falling in love with him all over again.

He'd left late last night, after we'd sat on the kitchen floor, tipsy and giggling like school girls at everything. I forgot for those few hours about everything that had happened, everything that he caused. I forgot he left me to raise his daughter. I just felt love again.

I don't remember falling asleep at all. For once, life was better than dreams and fantasy, and I had spent the whole night like this, just staring at the ceiling. The splotches of paint that flecked across it seemed to merge into pictures of Louis or us kissing. Everything just felt right.

*Diiing Dooong*

My doorbell rang and I sighed to myself as I sat up in bed and ran a hand through my scruffy bed hair. My eyes rested on the clock and it said it was 10:03 am. Maybe I had slept after all since I don't remember time passing this quickly.

*Diiing Dooong*

The doorbell rang again and I shifted out of bed and pulled some trackies on before padding over to the door. I pulled it open and saw Isobel stood on the other side, back pack in hand.

"Surprise!" I stared at her dumbfounded and her cheeky grin fell. "Are you not happy to see me?" I blinked at her rapidly and formed my mouth into a smile before opening my arms for her to jump in to. "Of course, I always am." She sprang at me, wrapping her arms round my neck and I breathed in her familiar calming Isobel smell. "I have a week off Uni, and thought we could spend some time together. I realised that I was being selfish focusing on myself with the whole..." she whispered the next word, "Louis...thing, I see that it is hard on you too and I just thought maybe you needed someone." I smiled at her and felt so proud that she was a smart independent woman, and proud of myself for raising her. "I love you Belle."

"I love you too Dad."

She walked away from me and I closed the door behind her before following her into the kitchen. She threw her bag down on to one of the chairs and walked over to sink, filling a glass up with water. She sipped from it delicately before lowering the glass completely. Her eyes focused on something behind me and she flicked them between me and the object. "Did you have someone over yesterday?"

"What? No! Who would I invite?" Her eyebrows knitted together before she started to laugh. "You are a terrible liar!" I laughed nervously with her and watched as she threw the rest of her water down the sink and stood the glass upside down on the counter. She turned to face me again and rested her hands on the counter behind her. "If no-one was here, why are there two glasses out on the table?" I groaned internally and spun round to face the incriminating evidence that I forgot to clean up. "I...well I..."

"Ohhhh is it a fancy man?" I felt her hands run over my shoulders as she danced into a chair and sat herself down. I stuttered and started to nod, feeling a blush creep onto my cheeks. "What's his name? What does he look like? Have you slept together?"

"Belle!"

"What? I want to know everything." She grinned at me and I took a step forward, resting all my weight on the chair in front of me. "I...um.." I could feel my face getting redder and she squealed while clapping. "You liiike hiiim." I gripped the chair tighter and could feel my knuckles going white.

"I'm so happy for you, you haven't dated anyone since Louis and I..." Her words cut off and she started to look at me quizzically. She tilted her head sideways and her stare seemed to bore right through me. "Dad?"

"Mhmm...?"

"Please tell me it's not Louis..."

I stood in silence and let her eyes scan my face. "Dad?"

I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to lie and say no, but I didn't want to hurt her by saying yes. "For God sake Dad, really? After everything?" She stood up so abruptly the chair she was sat on wobbled and toppled over. It echoed around the room as we stared at each other.

"I can't believe this. Why would you let him back in to your life after everything he has done?"

"Belle, it's so complicated and hard to explain. I love him so much and I always have done. That's what love is, forgiving people."

"Do you really think he loves you? Do you walk out on someone you love? Do you leave them to look after your own baby? And then do you come back years later and destroy everything again?" I'd never seen her look so angry before, her face was getting a deeper red and her features were scrunched together.

"I understand you're upset because you want to get to know him. You idolised him your whole life and I let you, this is my mess and my fault. He wants a relationship with you, that's all he wants." She shook her head at me before marching out the room and slamming her bedroom door.