This Road Has Been Putting Miles On My Heart

5

Chapter 5:

It turned out that a little fun over the phone was all Louis and Harry needed to get over their funk. Over the past couple of months, they FaceTimed each other constantly and once, they even had FaceTime sex, resulting in Louis spilling all over the screen and Harry cackling uproariously. It was beautiful. Now, they were stronger than ever.

Zayn and Louis were still not talking, but that was okay. He spent all day talking to Sebastian and all night talking to Harry. It was great. Things were for once falling into place and Louis was more than grateful. He had spent countless nights talking to Harry over the phone until ungodly hours of the morning that it started to show in his work performance. He would come in late and tired, with dark circles under his eyes and wearing his trousers from the day before. Harry wasn't off better, he confessed he had missed his early course exam because he was too tired to get up. They eased off on the calling and texted each other instead, Louis sending him stupid texts and Harry replying with laughing Emojis and lots of LOL's. Louis just thought it was cute.

It was one of those days, where their promise of vowing to FaceTime for one or two hours was broken and they ended up on video chat until three in the morning. Louis woke up at seven am with his hot phone plastered to his cheek, saliva pooling on his arm. He groaned and dragged himself to a hot shower to wake himself up. He was running late so he didn't bother to make himself his usual cup of tea and sped to school, his white button up wrinkled. He smoothed his hands over his hair and took a deep breath before jogging up the steps to the school and rushing into his classroom.

He was five minutes late. Louis inwardly groaned and opened up the door to his classroom, a harried smile on his face. He stood still when Zayn was sitting in his chair, his mouth propped open as if he finished speaking. He clamped it shut and nodded at the students, dog earing the page in Wuthering Heights.

"Off I go then." He pressed his lips to Louis and shrugged past him.

Despite everything, Zayn still looked after him. Louis felt his heart ache for his old friend. Instead of calling out his name and thanking him, he closed the door behind him and sat down. He thumbed the page where Zayn left off and continued reading.

Louis cleared his throat, announcing in his best commentator voice, "He entered, vociferating oaths dreadful to hear; and caught me in the act of stowing his son away in the kitchen cupboard."

They finished the chapter, Louis voicing aloud to write a summer analysis over the bell ringing. The students picked up their books and backpacks while Louis finally took a breath, rolling his neck. The last of his lingering students left, leaving him to a quiet room. He opened up his planner and wrote remember to thank Zayn and closed it shut. At that moment, Sebastian walked in with two cups of tea.

"Hey," he said, voice unusually quiet. He handed the tea over. "I made you some tea."

Louis murmured, "Thanks," and swallowed a mouthful, the hot liquid burning his tongue. He grimaced and set it on top of some rustled papers.

He pressed his fist to his temple, cautiously looking at Sebastian while he sat on top of a desk, cradling his tea like fine china. He sipped, scrunching his face and placing it aside. Louis circled his finger around the porcelain rim, not knowing how to express everything into a few, simple words. It wasn't like him to be speechless around Sebastian. Months after Sebastian avoided Louis like the plague, he was sitting in front of him like an awkward kiss never happened.

"I'm sorry about that night." Louis sneered, remembering how disappointed Sebastian looked after he rejected him. "I never apologized. I feel guilty about the whole thing. Honest, I didn't realize—"