The Connotations of Home

Chapter 1

September 5th, 8:00 am.

Louis

Time goes extremely slow when you're somewhere you don't want to be.

Despite the perfect air circulation, incredible lighting and shining wooden beams standing tall in each corner of his temporary bedroom, Louis couldn't wait to be back home.

"Louis!" Jack call from the hallway outside his door, his voice reverberating down the hall.

Louis was only half-awake, still adjusting to the bright light seeping through his window. The weather was still surprisingly warm, given that summer had slipped away and autumn was slowly nearing.

The bright glow of the late morning sun was blocked by thick curtains reaching down to the floor, the ends brushing against the plush carpet. A slither of sunlight shone through the tiny gap, peeking ever so slightly into the barely lit bedroom.

"Yeah?" Louis called back, his voice gruff from sleep.

"You coming to breakfast at that place down the street? The rest of us are heading there now, if you wanna come."

Louis considered his options. Breakfast with those lads usually consisted of seeking out hot girls and bragging about how hammered they were the previous night.

Breakfast here alone would consist of peace, birds chirping and the beautiful woodland view outside. The choice was basically decided for him.

"I'm just gonna stay here, you go ahead."

A quiet lodge with no interruptions seemed like the best option, rather than sitting at a sticky table with some mediocre eggs on toast and somewhat fresh orange juice that tasted a tad too much like beer.

He flung one leg off the side of his bed, whipping the duvet cover away from his body in one swift motion. He rubbed his hands over his face in an attempt to wake himself up a bit more.

He stretched his arms up high and lifted himself up onto his tip toes, his back and shoulder muscles cracking pleasurably as he did so. The carpet was so soft on his bare feet, so the cold wooden floor of the kitchen was a shock to his system when he set foot into it.

The lodge they were staying at was absolutely stunning, but when you put five rowdy, fun-loving lads in their late teens and early 20s in there, it won't stay looking stunning for very long.

One large window wall made up one side of the large open space, a long oak table placed conveniently between the sofa and kitchen while also getting a beautiful view of the scenery outside.

Mahogany wooden pillars held up the high ceiling at each corner of the room, and a comfy, round leather couch sat facing an extraordinarily large flat screen TV. If there was one thing Louis was going to miss, it would be that TV.
Possibly more than his mates, but he decided to discard that thought.

Louis pulled out a light grey mug with a rose gold pattern on it from one of the top shelves in the kitchen and flicked the kettle on with his spare hand.

The kitchen was open plan and absolutely huge, along with the rest of the lodge, which didn't really feel very home-y to Louis. That could also be due to the fact that there was mess literally everywhere he stepped (none of it being his own, of course. He wasn't an animal).

Although his beautiful, unreasonably large bedroom was all great and fun, he missed his tiny, cozy room. He missed banging on the wall that he shared with his next door neighbour Harry, shouting at him to shut up and pretending to hate when he played on his piano just so he could get a reaction from him.