Quid Pro Quo

s i x: i like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it

Hi guys!

I'm really sorry this chapter is late I was with my dad all day yesterday for fathers day and just couldn't find time to upload but I hope you enjoy this nonetheless!

Enjoy your week my loves!

Bye!

~

His vision was blurry and inhibitions were low as he finished off the last of his beer. The quality was fairly shitty, but Louis didn't mind; anything to forget. It had been a few days, two at the least, since the kiss but the feeling of Clementine's lips on his still lingered, haunting him.

His regret from telling her they should remain friends was insurmountable and the reason he was sat at a park with Marlon drinking desperately even when he said he would never do so again. Louis knew pain awaited him in the morning, but it was irrelevant compared to the emotional turmoil inside his head. The blonde boy was beside him but, while still buzzed, was drinking significantly less than his friend.

He had skipped tutoring with Clem today to spare his heart, opting to hang out with Marlon the second the last bell rang. He knew she would be mad, but then assumed she would prefer to spend her time with Oliver.

Oliver. Louis wanted to hate him, but he just couldn't. In this moment of heartbreak, the redhead seemed like a better option for Clementine all together.

"Do you..." Louis began. "Do you know how to get a girl to like you?"

"Huh?" Marlon mumbled.

"Like Brody, how did you get her to like you?"

"I don't know, she just kind of did." Marlon chuckled, clapping Louis on the back. "You've got a crush?"

"I-I guess so."

"Well, who is it?"

"....Oliver's girlfriend."

"Ah shit."

"Yeah."

"Essentially, all you've gotta do is be nice to her and subtly flirt."

"I feel like I've been doing that."

"Then keep going. But don't make her cheat with you, Oliver's pitching this week, we don't need him distracted." Marlon whipped out his phone, suddenly gawking at the time which was wildly past midnight.

"Fuck dude," He groaned, shooting up from the bench they were situated on. "My mom's gonna fucking kill me for coming home this late."

"You scared of your mommy?" Louis mocked, drunkenly chuckling.

"When it comes to being grounded." He hit the drunk boys shoulder, trying to force him up. "Can you make it home by yourself?"

"For sure," They did a brief handshake as a goodbye before heading their separate ways. As Louis stomped on the grass, he realized he really had no idea where he was.

And that if his father saw him in such a state, bad things were destined for his future.

~

While absently ambling through the park awhile later, Louis passed a street sign which read 'Jackson' and a memory flashed in his mind.

The day of the kiss when he drove Clementine to her house, he had seen the exact same sign, which meant only one thing,

she was nearby.

Thinking back to before they arrived, he heard her voice in his head, recalling the path to her house clearly.

"Louis, it's a right up here."