London Bridges

Chapter 22: Redeem or Condemn

"To be honest, mate, I don't know if I am okay with it," Louis says, his voice traveling out from under the truck he's working on.  "He was in such a bad place when I met him, and they made him that way.  How am I supposed to sit with my mouth shut and watch him go back?"

"How are you supposed to stop him?" Bax answers with his own question.  "Its the honorable thing to do, to step up for your family.  You cant fault him for that."

"I don't fault him, not in the slightest," Louis clarifies.  "I know my hands are tied in this, but you didn't know him then.  He's quiet now, reserved, but he was just down right broken before.  He's made so much progress, I don't want him going backwards out of a misplaced sense of loyalty."

"Well is that what he says it is?" Bax asks, trying the ignition when Louis rolls out from under the truck.  "He's doing it out of loyalty?"

Louis grabs a rag when the vehicle roars to life, futilely scrubbing at the grease on his hands. 

"He says he wants a shot at the business on his own terms."

"Well then theres your answer," Bax says.  "Trying to talk him out of it wouldn't be protecting him, it would be holding him back."

Once Payne Sr. hits the two week mark, everything moves extremely fast.  Still unconscious but in stable condition, he is moved to a long term care facility.  Louis's flat becomes a makeshift office as lawyers and executives come and go, each one with more paperwork for Liam to sign.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Louis asks, sipping his tea as he watches Liam go through a large stack of paper at the kitchen table.

"I'm sure I have to try," Liam answers, his eyes never leaving the work in front of him.

"Right, well I'm off to bed, work in the morning and such."

When Liam doesn't answer Louis lets out a huff of breath and goes to rinse his cup in the sink.

Its been difficult, to say the least.  Liam gets so caught up in his work sometimes that they can go an entire day without saying more than ten words to each other.  After the semester, Louis thinks he should be used to it by now, but somehow this is different.  He understood Liam submerging himself in his studies.  He doesn't understand this; and for the life of him, he can't articulate why he's so dead set against it.

"Babe, wait," Liam calls out as Louis heads to their bedroom.

Louis pauses without turning around, and the next thing he feels is Liam pulling him into his chest.  The sweet, tangy smell of Liam's cologne mixed with his own citrus body wash almost makes him cry.

"Look, I know this is hard for you. You didn't sign on for this, and its not what you want.  I know I'm asking a lot here, but I need this."

"It's alright, Li, I'll adjust," Louis says, but his voice is tight and it makes Liam sad.

"Its not alright.  I hate seeing you hurt and knowing I'm the cause of it.  I've sprung this on you without an explanation.  I don't even know if I can explain it properly, but will you let me try?"

Louis pulls away, clearing the lump in his throat.

"Okay," he says, plopping on the floor right where he stood.  "Try to explain."

Liam takes a deep breath, running a hand through his hair.  He sits across from Louis, ignoring how odd they would look if anyone were to see, sitting on the floor in the middle of their hallway.

"When I walked away, I was walking away from my father, not the business."

"You told me you never wanted it," Louis says, reminding him of a rooftop conversation from long ago.