When We Were Young

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Yeyey hiya
There's a mosquito bite on my finger xc
I know the end of last chapter was a bit rushed but I was v tired but I wanted to finish it for you beauts
Hope you lovelies enjoy the chapter
Xoxoxoxoxo
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#Eli#

Louis' leaning against the wall checking his phone when I arrive. His other hand is jammed into his jacket pocket and his foot is pressed against the wall. His hair moves slightly with the wind and from where I am, I can see stubble starting to grow.
He doesn't see me when I approach him so I take his phone and hide it behind my back. Louis immediately freaks out and grabs my hand, taking a sigh of relief when he sees its me.
"Is that any way to greet your guest?" I tease him as he keeps his hand tight over the one of mine that's holding the phone. Louis grins and pulls me closer to him, even as I try to back away from him.
"It's New York, why wouldn't I be worried that someone would steal my cellphone?" Louis explains, still grinning down at me.
"You can let go now," I nod up at him trying to place the phone in his hand, but it's wrapped tight around mine.
"What if I don't want to? What if I want to kiss you instead?" Louis teases, still grinning cheekily.
I suck on my teeth and look up as if I'm considering this. After a second, I shake my head. "Uh-uh, that's not what friends do." Louis' grin fades a small bit but his grip on my hand loosens and I unbend my arm to slip the phone into his pocket.
Louis pats my back and pushes me into the crowd crossing the street. "Cmon, we got a whole day ahead of us."
"I don't have a whole day," I mutter, lighting one being held tight between my lips. When it's lit, I move it to two fingers. "But I suppose I could spare a few hours for little Louis."
Louis held up his hands and gave me a look. "What'd I tell you about calling me little?"
I scrunched my face as if I was legitimately thinking about it. "Don't say it to your face?"
Louis scoffs and nods, looking into the street. "Wow, okay. I see how it is." He wraps an arm around my shoulders which I automatically place back at his side. But instead of getting my hand back, Louis slides my arm up so our hands are locked. He holds our hands against his chest so I'm trapped. I back away from him, hoping he'll let it go, but no such luck. He keeps walking, pulling me along with him.
"How did Sleeping Beauty sleep last night?" He asks when I've given up on getting my hand back. We walked like this for a while, him awkwardly holding my arm and me obliging.
I take a drag from my cigarette and blow the smoke in his face. Louis closes his eyes and waits for it to be over before he looks at me with his big, amused sea green eyes. "I slept well too, although not too well since little Eli was too tired to have a conversation with me."
    Another drag taken and more smoke in his face. This time, he just looks ahead of us. Louis finally lets go of my hand and swings his beside him. I continue to smoke and we just walk.
    "How was work?" He asks after a few minutes. We can never stay silent around each other, even with the rush around us. Or, I suppose he can't stay quiet. I have no problem giving smoke answers or just not at all.
    "How was your work?"
    "I don't have work, you know that." And I did. After the second time of sleeping together after announcing we were just friends, we spent the whole night talking.

"Ok, ok, so," I begin, adjusting the sheet so it covered me. "You said you're in a boy band but how come you're never performing or whatever?"
Louis takes my spare hand-the one not holding the sheet up-and plays with it. "We're on a break."
"Wow, that sounds serious. Are you okay?" I say seriously, touching his forearm. Louis gives me a look and I giggle, readjusting myself.
"We just decided that it was getting a bit tough. It was a little hard, having to just do these things all the time."
    I nodded, staring at him with pity. "Wow, your life is really hard." Louis gave me another look and I smiled innocently. "So when's this break gonna be over?"
    Louis shrugged. "We said a year but new opportunities come up every day."
    I looked around for my purse so I could grab my pack, finding it on the other side of the room. I throw the sheet off myself and go to search the bag.
    "You walk around naked in front of all your friends?" Louis smirks, checking me out.
    A long drag and blowing out smoke without breaking eye contact with him. "I walk around naked in front of Darcy."
    Louis gets up from the bed and walks slowly over to me. I turn my back and look out the full-length window of Louis' hotel room at the other New York skyscrapers. Behind me, I hear sounds of another cigarette being taken out of the pack and being lit. Louis stands next to me and as if on que, we both blow out a trail of smoke at the window, fogging it up so all the lights blur in with the black of the night.
    "Are we even allowed to smoke in here?" Louis asks me, turning his body toward mine. I look at him and raise my eyebrows.
    "Your hotel room," I answer him, striding back to the bed and plopping down, covering myself with a sheet.
    "So will I ever see your photos?" Louis asks, sitting next to me yet not covering himself up.
    "What photos?"
    Louis coughs a bit then answers. "Any photos. You're a photographer so I assume you're always taking photos."
    I shake my head. "No."
    "No, you don't always take photos or no, I can't see your photos." The answer he gets is a face full of smoke. Louis smiles at me with warm eyes. "Alright."

    "Honestly though, I thought I was about to get fired for laughing so much," I admitted, not looking at him.
    "What was do funny?"
    "Well first, one of the bridesmaids was freaking out because her Xanax was starting to wear off. Then I had to watch the four of them literally waddle down the aisle next to the groomsmen. I swear, you should've seen their dresses. They were tighter than Paula Dean's asshole."
    Louis bursts out laughing and gives me a questionable look. "Paula Dean?"
    I shrug and hold my hands up in defense. "It was the first time that came to me."
    For the rest of the story, Louis nods and chuckles at all the funny parts. After I finish, he starts telling me of a time his friend Niall got stuck in an elevator. We completely forgot where we were going and just kept walking. By the time we realized how distracted we got, we were almost an hours walk away from the street corner where we meet.
    Louis checks the time on his phone and gives me a worried look. "We got a bit carried away."
    I start to nod then look around me. "Where are we?"
    "You've never been to this part of town before?" Louis asks me. I shake my head, trying to recognize the area.
    "Well, my hotel is right down the street and I promised the lads I'd meet up with them."
    "Ok, I'll just walk back."
    "It's almost an hour. And god knows where you live since you've never told me so I wouldn't want you to walk all that way for nothing." Louis walks to the edge of the sidewalk and tries to jail down a cab.
    "I'm used to walking, and I can't afford a cab ride that far," I tell him, walking up behind him.
    "Nonsense," Louis smiles at me, guiding me to the back of a cab parked in front of us despite my arguing. When I'm in the back, I see Louis pop his head in the window of the front seat and hand the driver a wad of money. I continue to argue but Louis doesn't let me, and tells the driver to step on it.

#Louis#

    After watching Eli drive off in the taxi, I had the biggest smile on my face. I don't know why, but it always appears after I hang out with Eli. Not two minutes later and my phone pings with a text.
   I hate you, it reads from Eli. I smile like an idiot walking to the crosswalk as I reply to her.
    You love me.
    Another text seconds later. Lies. I can practically see Eli blowing smoke in my face like she always does. The way she lets out the gust of smoke through her small, chapped lips, never breaking eye contact.
    Her lips always seem to be chapped. I've never seen her wear lipstick or lip gloss or whatever it is most women wear. Yet when I kiss her, they're soft and smooth like silk.
    "Hey mate, there ya are," Liam greets me.
    I wipe the grin off my face and nod at them. "What're we doing today?"
    "I'm hungry, we should get lunch," Niall suggests.
    "As always," Harry shakes his head. But even so, we all leave the hotel lobby and start walking in no particular direction. Eventually, we find a burger place and take a booth near the window. When we sit down, I just then remember I was supposed to get Mexican food with Eli. I'll have to make that up to her.
    "Where's your head at, mate?" Niall asks, waving a hand in front of my face.
    "Sorry, what?" I didn't realize I got distracted once again.
    "He's smitten," Harry explains to Niall.
    "I am not," I argue, but the rest aren't convinced.
    "Are you guys sleeping together or what is it you kids call it, hooking up?" Liam teases.
    "We're just friends...who occasionally sleep together."
    "Hey, she may be just friends but you certainly are not, Louis," Harry says before the waitress comes to our table. We order our drinks and the subject is dropped thankfully.
    The only part about their teasing that bothers me is that it's completely true. I do like her more than a friend, and if the drunken nights we have together don't prove that, I don't know what will.
    The other part they're right about that bothers me is the whole 'just friends' situation. She treats everything so casually and I adore her for it, but at the same time, I wish we could be a real couple. Isn't that what friends with benefits is anyway? A couple?
    I know the only way I can win her over is if I tell her how I really feel, but if I do that, it could end our friendship. And I'd be beyond bored if I didn't have Eli around.
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Yada Yada yada
Chapter 6 peeps
It seems like filler chapters, I know but dees filler is important to show how the relationship grows yes yes
They always turn out really long too, I don't know if you guys like that or not
Xoxoxoxoxoxo