When We Were Young

{[4]}

#Eli#

    "And when I got out there, there was a beautiful little table with candles and that silver tray thing fancy people have-except ours was made of plastic," Darcy explained as she poured her heart out about the romantic night Averon gave her a day ago. I never liked Averon and not just because his name was Averon, but he treated Darcy right and that was what mattered.
    The bar was quiet tonight, not a lot going on. Sam hired a new bar tender to tend while he was gone. Her name was Joleen, Jo as she preferred, and she wasn't half bad. Sam already taught  her what drinks us regulars always took so as soon as we sat down, they were in front of us. She had dark brown hair that went a little past her shoulders, but it was always in a bun with bangs and a few strands flowing out. She'd been here a week and she'd gotten more tips from guys than I've seen in almost any other bar I've been to.
    As much as I tried to be interested in the story Darcy was telling, my mind was elsewhere. Mainly looking for a new hookup tonight, but if my only candidates were 50-year-old Robert who I smoked cigars with only one time-he said I should only have them on special occasions-and the occasional cigarette in the corner of the bar, and Candy the prostitute who only came to the bar when business was slow on the street next to us where she worked, I'd be stuck with Darce tonight.
    "It was the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me. Ugh, if we get married, I'm having you do my photos," Darcy said, touching my hand. I smiled at her and shook my head at the love struck girl next to me. The bell chimed from behind me and Darcy's eyebrows went up.
    "What?"
    "Not that I'm not loyal, I'm telling you for your sake, because if you don't flirt with that before Candy does, you'll regret it." Darcy nodded to the person who just walked in. I turn my head to see who Jo's greeting.
    "What'll you have?" Jo asked him, him being Louis. What're the chances he'd be here again, and without his little Brit friends this time.
    "Just a beer, thanks love," Louis answers her, positioning his arms on the counter. He automatically looks right over to me and smiles.
    "You two know each other?" Darcy whispers in my ear, barely containing the smile creeping on her face.
    "You know the guy I was talking about in the fancy hotel last week? The one named Louis?" Darce nods and her smile is fully blown-up on her face now.
    When I turn back around, Louis' moved from his seat to the one on the other side of me. "Lovely seeing you here."
    "I'll see you later, Eli," Darcy says from behind me.
    "Wait, where are you going?" I ask as she picks up her jacket and flashes a smile at me and Louis.
    "I'll go talk to Sage or find Averon. Later, babe." She blew a kiss and was out the door. I sat there, watching the door with an open mouth, slightly dumbfounded.
    "Who's Sage and Avery?" Louis asks, taking a swig of the beer Jo sets in front of him.
    "No, it's Averon," I explain. I shift my body away from him so our knees aren't touching anymore.
    "Wait, his name is Averon? What kind of name is that?" Louis' face scrunches weirdly, making me want to chuckle, but I don't.
    I waved my hand at him. "What kind of name is Tomlinson?" I felt no obligation to agree with him, even though I desired to take every chance I could to bash Averon's name.
    Out the corner of my eye, Louis smiles at me. "You remembered." When I don't get what he's saying, he explains, "my last name. You remembered my last name after all this time."
    I looked at him and shrugged. "So?"
    Louis chuckles and looks down at his beer. "Well, it's good to remember your future husbands last name," he joked.
    "In your dreams, Brit." I look ahead at the case of alcohol behind the bar and take a drag off my cigarette. Trying not to show it, I breathe in the wafted smell that penetrates the air. To me, the smell of smoke is like a hug. It's warm and makes you feel at home. It's like when people search for that special someone and when they finally find them, they're scared to let go. Smoke is my special pair of arms that'll never let me go. I'll die in the arms of smoke, literally.
    Louis shrugs and grins at me. "I mean, I haven't dreamt about it that often, but it's definitely something to think about." When I give him a look with furrowed brows and a mouth full of whiskey, he chuckles. "I'm joking, ok. But we did have a good night."
    I swallow and take a deep breath through my nostrils. "Yeah, but that was last week. In my world, that's like a year ago."
    "So that means this is all brand new," Louis smiles and holds the back of my chair, leaning closer.
    "Nope, just means one more night of little Eli going home drunk." I nod at him and give him a pity smile. I know if we keep going like this, little drunk Eli won't be going home alone. And apparently he was thinking the same thing.
    "Can little Eli go home drunk with little drunk Louis?" He asks with a grin on his face.
    "Mm, so you're little?" I ask playfully, trying not to smile while shifting my gaze between his pants and his face.
    Louis' mouth opens to say something but nothing comes out, and I giggle. "Uh, my penis is not fucking little and I can prove it to you again if you'd like me to." I giggle harder and cover my eyes with the hand that holds the cigarette.
    "No, no, that's perfectly okay," I say, calming down from the giggles, waving a hand at him. "I'm sure you're very big, sweetie." I pat his shoulder and start giggling again when he gives me an unamused look. His face tells me he's annoyed with me but his eyes are lit up with happiness.
    We go on for ten minutes, me giving him short answers and teasing him while Louis continues to flirt smoothly, though I won't admit that out loud.
    "So seriously," Louis says, looking at me with soft eyes,"what are my chances of you going out with me.
    I shake my head and make an uh-uh sound while sipping my drink. "No."
    "No as in I don't have a chance or?"
    "No as in no, I don't know why the chicken crossed the road." Louis shook his head and smiled at his hands.
    "So you don't do relationships. Can we be friends at least?"
    "Friends don't sleep together."
    Louis grins cheekily. "So you're saying we'll definitely be sleeping together in the future."
    "No, we are not sleeping together and we are not going to be friends."
    "Friends with benefits then." I cough on my drink and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, almost dropping my cigarette.
    "Do not call us that," I point a finger at him.
    "Why not?" He waves down Jo for another beer while I stare at him like he just asked me to give up a kidney.
    "What're you, twelve?"
    Louis looks down and shrugs. "Actually, I think I may be-"
    "Oook, I think that's enough for tonight," I cut him off, dropping money on the counter and picking up my purse. Louis chuckles as he follows me out the bar.
    "You know, it's gonna be hard to be friends if I don't have your number," Louis says, rocking back and forth on his heels, looking up innocently.
    I raise my eyebrows at him. "Goodnight Louis." I start to turn away when he stops me.
    "Wait, you forgot something." Louis tugs my arm so I'm facing him again. I sigh and wait for him to explain. He just smiles and brings his face closer to mine. When I realize what's happening, I'm not sure how to react. My mind is screaming at me to back away, but my feet refuse to move. Suddenly, Louis' fingers are tilting my chin up and our lips are touching.
~
    "Well, that was fun," Louis says, adjusting himself so one arm lays across his chest and the another behind his head.
    "Shut up." I sit up, holding the sheet on my chest. "This is why I hate being drunk." Louis chuckles. I rub my eyes and look at him. "I hate you."
    "Awe, cmon now, we don't say that to new friends, do we." Louis' face has a playful look and his eyes are dancing with amusement.
    "We're friends, that's it. This," I motioned between us,"is taking advantage of me."
    "Sure, if you say so," Louis chuckles. He knew neither of us thought that.
    "Last time," I warn him, wagging a finger. "Just friends. Feel lucky too, cause I don't make a lot of friends."
    Louis sits up and scoots over so he's next to me. "Oh, I'm feeling very lucky."
    I try to push him over, but it doesn't do much effect. "Just friends, Tomlinson."
    "Just friends, future Mrs. Tomlinson," Louis says before taking my chin again and connecting our lips.
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Yee yee "just friends"
Chapter 4 for my beauts
I don't want it to go too slow but at the same time, I don't want it to go too fast either.
Hope you enjoyed
Xoxoxoxoxo