London [Louis Tomlinson]

1: Different

A/N: Hiiiii, welcome to Book 2! Sorry it took so long for me to post :/  There will be a plot twist in here which will be quite shocking, just a warning. I'm so glad to be writing about Louis and Jess again. They're my faves. Hope you enjoy!

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Everything’s a little bit different now, I thought as I panned my eyes around what once was my only bedroom. The bookshelves were empty, the bed stripped bare and any item of decoration had been tucked away in little boxes. It looked like a blank canvas, like it could be made into anything. All traces of personalisation were gone, replaced with bland white walls and clean floors.

            Yeah, everything was a bit different. And not just the state of my bedroom. 

            For one, my parents arrived back from their honeymoon, all lovey-dovey and gross. That was probably the reason I started going out more; to escape them. I met up with all my friends regularly and we caused all sorts of havoc around town, ranging from loitering around the streets at twilight with our cans of Heineken (the chav life chose us), to simply just giggling far too loudly at the back of the bus.

            It was good, the whole spending time with each other before we parted ways for uni. But each time we said goodbye it was like a pang to the chest; a reminder that our days together were limited. So yeah, everything was kind of simultaneously happy and depressing. A strange mix.

            Secondly, university was approaching, and that meant packing my bags and saying goodbye to everyone. I felt in no way prepared for it, and just the thought of abandoning my family, friends, and the place I’d grown accustomed to, seemed completely daunting. I tried to minimalize the amount of time I spent thinking about it, but it didn’t help that I spent a majority of my hours home alone with not much to distract me.

            I left my job, was another thing. With only four days until my train departed to London, I had to eventually give it up. So now I was left home alone all day, with not much to entertain me. It should’ve been great. I mean, when mum and dad where off on their honeymoon, Louis and I had the most amazing time together.

            But there was no Louis. Not anymore.

            I still remember accompanying him to the audition, a mere month ago. It was stupid o’clock in the morning and Jay, Stan, Louis and I were crammed into a small sedan on route to Manchester.

            “You okay there, love?”

            Louis’ voice startled me. I’d been watching the countryside flash by in the window, thinking about university and growing older and life in general. Upon his sudden call my gaze instantly shot to his concerned figure, eyes wide.

            “’m fine.” I mumbled quietly, confused.

            “Alright, ‘s just that I thought you were— you know, and I—“ he gushed, shaking his head slightly and picking at his nails.

            Ever since admitting to him that I had anxiety, Louis was careful around me. He didn’t hover or pester or do anything to make me feel pressured and uncomfortable, just asked if I was okay from time to time. And whenever I’d insist I was fine he’d get all embarrassed and start rapidly apologising, making him incredibly cute.

            “Hey, baby,” I said softly, reaching over and placing my hands over his cheeks, lifting his head up to look at me. He reluctantly met my eyes and I gave him an assuring smile “’s fine, Lou. You don’t have to be sorry.”