When the Clock Strikes 12:00 // L.S.

Chapter Two: Green Eyes

Louis's POV

Damn it.

Out of the many, and I mean many, things I could be doing this evening I had a new job I had to go to. It was last week since I applied online and two months since my mom threw up her hands and told me I needed a job.

"Louis, I get that you have a passion, I really do but you have four younger sisters if you haven't forgotten and I need you living under a different roof if not just for my sanity but for theirs."

Yup, my mom basically kicked me out of the house. She wasn't mad at me though and I had to laugh when I moved almost all my stuff out that day and she began to cry. And though I was sad to leave my little sisters, I agreed it was for the best.

Instead of going to university, I decided to take a year for myself and take only a couple of classes at the community college. Mostly to study photography which is something I'm passionate about but also a music history class just so my brain doesn't totally go to waste during my break.

I wasn't sure how music history would help me but I'm in a band with two of my best friends, Zayn Malik, and Liam Payne who I had met in high school and we did gigs about every week at different clubs and stuff. Yeah, I liked music and I was pretty good at it but I am emotionally attached to my camera.

I had gotten hooked on the art form when my mom got me a disposal camera for my tenth birthday. Most of the pictures had been of my sisters but there were a few I snapped in central park of people in their own element and that was the reason I really liked photography. I loved that you could capture people when they weren't looking, and it would be a completely different person on the other side of the lens. I liked seeing people from a different perspective and discovering what was behind their social mask.

Take my friend Zayn for example. With all his dark hair and defined facial features, he can come off like the kid who would steal your lunch money and then give you a wedgy. But behind his physical features, he's such a goofy softy who cries when he hears Air on the G String by Bach. Yes, Zayn likes classical music. I'm not the biggest fan and our band doesn't play anything like it, but he loves it and it's pretty hilarious.

I felt my phone ring as I made my way through the busy streets of New York on my way to the coffee house. "Talk to me," I said bringing the phone to my ear.

"Lou, where the fuck are you?" Liam's voice asks.

"I'm on my way to that damn job," I say dodging as to not get hit by a little kid and her balloon.

Liam laughed, "What? You actually got the job? I'm surprised with a resume like yours you got that far."

"Shut it," I say but I'm laughing. The last job I had was at a toy store where I'm not going to lie, I was fired. It's not my fault I got distracted by cute girls who walked through the door with a younger sibling and would drop what I was doing to try to impress them with my skills on the kiddie pianos.

"Well, good luck you little shit." He said before hanging up. Liam was like my older brother and after being the only guy in a house full of females, it was refreshing to have him watching over my shoulder, even though I would never admit that to him.

I rounded the corner and saw the small sign that read, Espresso Coffee House and Bakery, Home of the Best Cup of Coffee in New York City.

Funny I've never heard of them before I think as I open the door and step inside.

It was pretty crowded much to my surprise and I looked around for someone who could be the owner of such a place. There was a group of college students in the middle of the shop, cozied up in chairs, and typing feverishly on keyboards. My eyes skimmed the back counter where I saw a curly brown head duck into the back room. That must be a worker off to get the owner I think to myself and stand up a bit straighter. I'm unfortunately pretty short, much to my disliking. But my personality makes up for it...at least that's what Zayn and Liam like to say.