International Love. ✈ z.h.

fourteen ~ ❝seduction.❞ ✈

Louis' POV

Busy with work was the last thing I expected my lazy ass to be doing, but I had a tendency to surprise others, including myself. I wasn't much of a hard worker, but as I grew older and realized that it was the very thing that made the world go around, I had to get started somewhere. I was thankful that both Niall and Lily had managed to snag me a job here by talking to the manager, and I was grateful that it was with the two of them that I got to work with.

I was filing the menus and counting the cash at the register when a familiar figure made his way towards one of the many empty tables around the diner, feeling my heart beat faster when I recognized it to be Liam. His brows were furrowed as he pretended to be reading the menu, his puffed out lips still as adorable as they were since high school. I was a little pissed with him; after I brought up our kiss he looked like he'd seen a ghost and just...ran out of the store.

Had our kiss really been that bad?

Obviously he remembered it just as much as I did, but maybe our perception of it was different than we remembered. He was the jock football player and I was the drama nerd; you'd never think we'd be enclosed in the locker rooms at the same time, and you'd certainly never think that Liam James Payne would ask the drama nerd for a kiss. I was more than happy to do so, having one of the largest crushes on the man than I'd ever had on anybody else in my entire life.

And if I remembered correctly, our kiss had gotten pretty steamy pretty fast, with his hands on my waist and mine entangled in his wet hair. If he didn't have that towel on things probably would've gotten frisky pretty fast, but he pulled away all of a sudden, and for the rest of the school year he acted as if I hadn't existed. I acted like it didn't hurt, but on the inside I was absolutely heart broken; yet I promised myself that I would never ever forget that kiss.

Here I was reliving it, staring at Liam as I bit my lip and watched him do the same as his eyes traveled around the diner. We finally met eyes, his never leaving mine until I was the one to look away, clearing my throat and walking over to him with my notepad in hand as he looked up towards me.

"Are you ready to order?" He simply continued to stare, making me feel anxious as I tapped my foot against the floor and brought a hand out to rest on the back of his chair. "What?"

"Your glasses are gone; they were cute." I felt the heat rise to my cheeks as I felt flustered, picking up my hand and standing straight and away from him as I placed my pen against the paper. Who did he think he was coming in here, and thinking that I'd fall for the same kindness that I fell for back in high school? I'm not the same person that I was, and he should know better as I wordlessly scribbled down his order and left to go hand it to the kitchen.

Idiot.

+

Shrugging out of my apron from work I gladly took my things and waved goodbye to everyone, appreciating the fact that I had the early shift so I could spend the rest of my day away from work. The rest of my day doing nothing, to be exact. As I walked down the street, I couldn't help but wrap my arms around myself at the chilly breeze. It was a little colder in L.A. than it usually was, and if I'd noticed the alley earlier I probably would've crossed the street.

But I didn't, and I felt a strong grip on my wrist tug me into the alleyway as I let out the most high pitched scream that even dogs could hear it from miles away. I beat whoever my assailant was, my eyes screwed shut as I screamed and fought until I was sure somebody heard. But the person covered my mouth, and I did what anybody else would've done. I licked the inside of his palm, cringing at the salty taste but feeling relief and annoyance flood my body when the voice I heard sounded a lot like Liam.