Midnight Memories

e i g h t e e n

"I've been spending the last eight months thinking all love ever does is break, and burn, and end, but on a Wednesday, in a café, I watched it begin again." - Taylor Swift

For a second, I was rendered speechless. "Mr. Rooney, I think you've come to the wrong girl. Louis has made it clear several times over that he wants nothing to do with me."

"Excuse me for saying so Stella, but I doubt very much that that's true. Despite all his flaws, I will say one thing about Louis. He has a hero complex, especially when it comes to you. Play the damsel in distress, and he won't be able to help himself."

With that, Sloane pushed back his chair and stood up, collecting all his belongings. "Where are you going?" I asked frantically.

"I've been doing my research, Angel. Louis comes to this café every single morning for a cup of coffee. It's the one place the paparazzi can't find him. If i'm correct, he should be here in about thirty seconds." He looked at his watch.

"What?!" I panicked, turning around to look at the door. Sure enough, right as I turned around, a once astoundingly handsome but now exhausted lookng boy walked in, his face obscured by the hood of his Burberry anorak. As it usually did when I saw him, my breath caught in my throat.

"This is my cue to leave. Best of luck, Stella. I'm sure i'll be seeing you very soon."

With a small nod, Sloane slipped out the door, without Louis even noticing. I stayed in my seat, sitting motionless. What was I supposed to do? Walk up to him? Yell out his name? I wasn't quite sure how Rooney expected me to go about this.

I watched as Louis got his coffee, then looked around for a place to sit. I took a deep breath, knowing it was time to make my move. "Louis!" I called, cringing at the disdainful look on his face when he saw me.

For a second, I was scared he would just ignore me and storm out, but he walked over, albeit begrudgingly. "Hey there Stella." He nodded.

"Hey Louis." I mumbled. "How are you?"

"Um, well okay, I guess." He said awkwardly. "You?"

"Mmmm, well I guess i've been better." I admitted. "Would you like to sit?"

He looked like a deer in headlights, but he didn't really have a choice. Every other table in the café was taken. "Why not."

He sat down in the seat where Sloane had been sitting, shrugging off his anorak. "So, well, I guess I should apologize for my behavior last night. I didn't mean to beat up your new bestie." He said sarcastically.

"Ryder is not my new bestie." I protested. "He's friends with Derrick."

"Ah." Louis nodded. "Your new beau. Derrick Vanderbilt. Wow Stel, you're really moving on up. Your parents must be ecstatic."

"We're a match made in heaven, aren't we? That's why he hits me, he thinks we're so fucking perfect together, just like everyone else."

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I wanted to take them back. I hadn't meant to tell that to Louis, I hadn't meant for anyone to know except those who already did.

Louis looked horrified. "He hits you?"

"Louis, you can't tell anyone, okay?" I sighed. "I'm dealing with it."

"Same way I used to, by covering up your bruises with make up, right?" He smirked, but it look pained. "Let me share a little life lesson with you Stella. For every bruise you get on your skin, you get one on the inside too, and those are a lot harder to cover up."

"And you think cocaine is the only way to do that, right? To cover up those bruises you have on the inside?" I blurted, once again.

"Fuck you." He said angrily."You know what, you may never have laid a finger on me, but you left my insides to fucking bleed out."