Chemistry (L.T.)

Chapter 22

Alexia POV

The text from Louis comes out of nowhere. When I first see his name light up my screen, I feel my breath catch and my heart start to beat a little faster.  Then my brain kicks in, what happened last night with Louis was a fluke, I shouldn't be expecting any dramatic change in character traits anytime soon.  When I read it, I think I must be delusional, a thank you and an offer to help work on our project? I must be dreaming. Unless I was in an alternative universe, Louis Tomlinson would not offer to help work on our chemistry project- ever.

I decide not to answer right away.  One-because I was still recovering from the events of last night and desperately needed sometime to think and two-because if it took him this long to offer his participation in our group project, might as well make him wait a bit. 

"Hey Marie wanna go get some coffee?"

I immediately see her head pop up from the book it was nuzzled in on her desk. "Since when does a college student say no to caffeine?" She laughs.  "Just let me pack my backpack and I'll be ready in five". 

I too grab my backpack, shoving my chemistry book and notes in it, along with my reading for my psychology class.   I throw it over my shoulder and as always am amazed at how much a book can weigh. 

Marie and I walk to the campus coffee shop.  It was one of my favorite places to study, with cute round tables with the perfect view of the campus quad.  Although, I hadn't been on campus for long, I already could tell that fall was my favorite season, with the trees changing colors and leaving the view full of colors.  We set our stuff down at a table and head inside to order. 

The friendly face of Zayn greets me inside.  "Hey Alexia and Marie!"

We approach the counter and I peruse the menu for my caffeine fix.  "What can I get you?" Zayn asks.  It was strange to see him in the barista uniform instead of his usual scholarly apparel.  I wonder if his coffee orders come with any philosophical life advice. 

"I'll take a grande vanilla latte, skim milk" Marie states.

"And I think I'll do a venti dirty chai tea latte- with an extra shot of expresso" I say. 

"Rough night?" Zayn laughs at my addition of expresso to my order. 

"You don't even want to know.  Let's just say I played an Uber driver for the night.  Very entertaining, but not the best for my beauty sleep." Zayn chuckles and I know I'll have to fill him in on all the details next time I catch him in the cafeteria. 

"I'll get those ordered for you gals and have them out to you in a few minutes" he says with a soft smile.  Marie and I make our way to our table and I pull out the gigantic chemistry textbook I have to study from for my test later this week.  Oh the joys of being a science major. 

I pull my phone out and look at the text from Louis, contemplating how to respond.  It was no secret that I had been beyond stressed about the Chemistry project, especially considering we were drawing even nearer to midterms and I had yet to have outside of class assistance by my partner.  My partner. The events of last night still spiral through my mind, I know that nothing had happened between Louis and I, but everything suddenly felt different.  Part of me wondered if the arrogant, self-centered Louis was just a front for an inner more sincere Louis.  The Louis I had gotten a glimpse of last night through his drunken thoughts.  But why did I care whether Louis was putting up a front or not? I wasn't partners with him to be friends and I certainly wasn't romantically attracted to him. I had Niall.  Then why did you want him to kiss you last night. The voice inside my head questions.  I ignore it, knowing that obviously that thought had just been the result of me being rudely awoken from my beauty sleep.