you are half of me (and I am all for you) - larry stylinson

nine

Their time in California passed quickly. Louis had never been to the state before, and while he didn't necessarily understand all the hype, he enjoyed it very much. It was much more diverse than anyone had ever led him to believe, and the nature part of it was gorgeous. Out of the cities they visited, Sacramento was his favorite.

They visited a diner there for dinner, on the outskirts of the city as they headed north to Oregon. The decor followed the 50's aesthetic, with black and white checkered tiles on the floor and a cherry red and faded teal color scheme. They sat on the shiny retro bar stools and ate a huge meal of cheeseburgers and fries. Louis even shared a mint chocolate milkshake with Harry for dessert, two red straws poking out of the tall crystal glass.

The night was made a little awkward by the fact that a decently attractive man in a nice Armani suit sat down next to Louis with some line about food being the way to the heart, or something. They talked about the city and what they were doing in a 50's diner on the outskirts of it. The man was nice enough, but Louis didn't feel very much elation when he was handed a small slip of paper with a string of numbers and the words "call me" written in fancy cursive.

In terms of performances, they played at two festivals within three days and Harry got so nervous that he actually threw up each time.

Louis was actually, legitimately worried about him. They all agreed performing was fun and one of the best parts about being in a band, and Harry claimed to love it, but it really put him through the ringer. There was just never a good time to talk about it, and whenever Louis found the opportunity, he was brushed off or distracted by Harry's antics and loveliness.

They were in Seattle now, staying at Liam's friend's place. Louis had heard of this friend before, but only vaguely. His name was Zayn and he was very beautiful and very quiet. His apartment was cluttered with countless art projects, and his hands were covered in dried paint and smudged graphite. He also had an extensive comic book collection and almost every superhero movie under the sun, all on DVD.

They all smoked together, and ordered takeout, and by the end of the night Louis was one hundred percent certain Liam and Zayn were in love. Or at the very least, they once had a thing between them. The looks he shared with Harry and Niall showed they were on the same page.

It wasn't until Zayn put a hand on Liam's shoulder and started whispering in his ear that Louis sat bolt upright, screeching, "Niall! Harry! Let's go to the store! Liam and Zayn should stay here. See you guys later!" and he dragged his two bandmates outside.

As soon as the door closed behind them, the met each other's wide stares and Niall spoke for all of them, saying, "Holy fuck, they're in love ."

"Is that the guy Liam was in a long-distance relationship with? They met at a summer internship? And it didn't work out and he got his heart broken? Because I'm... I mean, holy hell," Harry rambled.

"Oh shit, that would make so much sense." Louis covered his face in his hands. "Christ, this is wild. Alright, well, we should give them some space. I wasn't kidding about going to the store."

Liam was a very private person who preferred to listen to other people's problems rather than focus on his own. He was selfless in that way, and Louis loved him for it, but also, this was mind blowing. Louis had no idea.

At the store, they wandered around aimlessly. Louis was in the kid's section, trying on weird disguises just to make Harry laugh. It was working, so obviously it was worth it, even though he looked like the most immature person on earth.

Eventually they wandered over to Niall, who was going through the extensive craft beer selection.

"Do you think they're fucking right now?"