Under The Willow Tree • Louis Tomlinson

xxiii.

xxiii. wise words

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Mum welcomed me into her home when I walked onto her doorstep. She didn't speak, nor did I. Instead she walked into the kitchen. I smelt pasta. I wondered if she knew I was going to show up or if it was a lucky coincidence that she was cooking my favourite dish. I was sitting in the dining room, watching mum plate up our pasta for two when my phone started vibrating. The caller ID said Louis so I ignored it. I wanted time to think about a few things before I talked to him again.

"For you ma chèrie" Mum smiled as she placed a large plate of pasta in front of me.

"You've been learning French again haven't you?" I chuckled. She had tried to learn French her whole life because she thought it was the most beautiful language in the world.

"That's not important Rose." She sighed, sitting opposite me. "I know you don't like your birthday but standing on my doorstep looking as if the world has ended is not what I expected." She paused for a few moments, "Why are you here anyway?"

"The tour happened to stop in Doncaster on my birthday." I placed my fork into my pasta and stabbed the food a few times until I had a large amount skewered onto it.

"Tour?" She sounded confused.

"Yes mama." I stopped, realising I hadn't talked to her for over two months prior. "The reason why I haven't talked to you in ages is because... Louis is back in my life."

"Really? That's great news! Is that why you are on tour?" Mum had always liked Louis and she had been really disappointed when I lost contact with him.

"Yeah. Louis invited me and for the last month I have been on a big red bus with five annoying boys."

My mum cocked her head. "Then why are you here eating pasta?" She pointed her fork at me and then at my plate.

 I shrugged and ate some of my pasta. After a while I looked back up at mum and asked. "Don't you hate it when people are right?"

Mum looked up at me and shrugged, "Depends on the situation. Sometimes it's a good thing if someone's right because you can learn from your mistake." I sighed and stuck my fork back into my pasta.  "What happened today? I can tell something happened recently."

"He kissed me."

"And that's surprising how?" Mum knew he had kissed me before so her tone wasn't as surprised as it should have been.

"But not like when we were younger. This was more... grownup." I said my words slowly because in the end she was still my mother and I didn't want her to know everything.

"So you kissed him back?" She smiled and laughed a bit.

"You are not helping." I hissed, "But yes. We visited our meadow and it was perfect. We lost track of time and he gave me this pendent." I pointed to the silver heart that rested on my chest. "And then we were hugging and the hug led to a kiss."

"You're making it sound like the end of the world." My mum rolled her eyes and ate a few mouthfuls of pasta.

"To me it is." I sighed, "All I ever wanted is for me and Louis to stay friends for life. I never wanted anything else from him."

"That's not true." Mum whispered after a few moments.

"What?"

"I'm not blind Rose." She chuckled, "I see things. When you were in high school I saw a spark between you and him. Your idiotic boyfriends were proof of that."