500 Days Of Louis (1/4)
Title: 500 Days Of Louis (1/4)
Rating: R
Length:5, 122
Fandom: One Direction
Characters: Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Niall Horan,
Ships: Liam/Louis
Notes: This is basically just a 500 Days of Summer!au for louam.
Summary: This is a story of boy meets boy. But first off, you should know, this isn't a love story.
This is a story of boy meets boy. When Liam Payne, an average, plain, soft-looking boy met Louis Tomlinson, his entire life changed. Everything he knew around him was forgotten and he could only see life through Louis. Nothing would ever be the same after him, or before him. It was as if time stopped completely and all other thoughts seemed to vanish from his mind. Nothing else seemed to matter and no one could get Liam out of his trance. It was as if he was under Louis’ spell. But first off, you should know, this isn’t a love story.
Louis didn’t believe in love, he was bitter at love. It was all just make believe, something that people thought they had a hold on and actually understood. To him, love was like running through smoke, you could smell it, and it would run through you, but you’d never really touch it or feel it. His father had left his mother, his best friend, one bitter February day just last year. He could still remember holding onto his younger sister while she cried into his shirt, begging his father not to leave as he stormed out of the house, vowing to never come back. He didn’t. And Louis could remember his mother saying how his father was ‘the one’ and how they were made for each other. They weren’t.
Liam has always been a strong believer in ‘the one’. He had always believed that someone would come along and sweep him off of his feet and change everything as he knew it. Life would stop for that person and everything would fall into place so perfectly. His heart would beat so fast around that person, and that person would be all he could think about. He believed in love, he believed that nothing was better than love. He had been told since he was very young that he would meet his soul mate one day. And he was convinced when he saw Louis Tomlinson that he was, in fact, the one. He met Louis January eighth.
Day 290
Harry sped down the street, ignoring stoplights and stop signs, weaving in and out of traffic. It was 11:30 on a Tuesday night and here he was speeding, risking his life, car, and his license, to get to Liam as quickly as he could. The pedal was practically pushed to the floor as he scanned his eyes out the windshield, looking anxiously for police. His mother had tried to stop him from leaving, saying it was too late to be going out on a school night. Harry waved his had in defiance insisting that Liam had needed him. And now, as every single car that he passed by blew their horn furiously at him, he wished he’d taken his mother’s heed.
He did a shit job at parallel parking, the front of his car completely on the sidewalk as he hastily locked the doors and dashed up the steps. He pressed the doorbell, waiting for a buzz that signaled his admittance. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him as he sprinted up the stairs, ignoring the sweat that was collecting on his brow. He flung open the door so see Niall and Zayn, sitting on the couch and looking up at him nervously.
“Oh, thank God,” Zayn sighed, closing his eyes and looking relieved.
“Where is he?” Harry asked without another word, looking around trying to find his elder brother.
Niall pointed towards the kitchen and Harry rushed inside, seeing Liam sitting at the kitchen table with his head hung low, a half empty bottle of vodka clutched loosely in his hand. He hiccupped and looked up at Harry with a sullen smile. Harry frowned at him, knowing that Liam wasn’t really supposed to be drinking at all. And he knew that Liam had known that as well. He let out an exasperated sigh and snatched the vodka out of Liam’s hand, and, despite his protests, drained the rest of it into the kitchen sink. He pulled Liam up by the wrist and led him into the living room.
They all sat around Liam and he refused to look up, his sunken brown eyes fixated on something across the room. He looked horrible, stubble beginning to form along his chin, his eyes encircled by heavy bags, his clothes were stained, and he smelled a bit. Harry had never seen his brother like this over anyone; it wasn’t like Liam to get this way. He threw a worried glance at Niall and Zayn; they merely shrugged their shoulders in return, unable to be any sort of comfort to their best friend.
“What the hell happened to you?” Harry demanded, tapping Liam slightly on the cheek, trying to get his attention.
“Things were going so well,” Liam began his voice faint and morose. “Then… just like that.”
He could remember it so vividly; just a few hours ago he had received a text from Louis saying they should meet at the local café. His head was spinning, Louis had seemed so distant from him lately, and he hoped that maybe this would be his grand apology. Louis always liked to do things like this whenever he was being rubbish, he would always take Liam out someplace and shower him with food and presents and, lastly, Liam’s personal favorite, his kisses. He had gotten dressed up in something not too fancy and not too casual, straightened his hair and made it look nearly perfect.
He was practically bouncing in his seat when Louis entered the café, five minutes late, but there, nonetheless. He smiled and waved enthusiastically; Louis removed his sunglasses and smiled weakly, sauntering slowly over to the table and sliding into the booth across from Liam. They chatted for a little about nothing in particular, and Liam’s stomach dropped at how it sounded so much like how they were before they began seeing each other. The awkward small talk to build a wall, and Liam had thought that wall was finally broken.
“I think we should stop seeing each other.” Louis was firm, and Liam tried to detect some type of wavering in his voice but he just couldn’t. That was what hurt him the most. That Louis could be so calm about this ending, that Louis was so quick to just let him go.
“What?” Liam sputtered, trying to get a grip.
“I’m just not happy,” Louis admitted, shrugging his shoulders.
“What are you talking about, Lou, how are you not-“
“You’re happy?” Louis inquired surprisingly. “How, all we ever do is argue?”
“Well that’s not true!” Liam said, puffing out his lower lip and sinking back into the booth. He looked like a child, and he felt like one.
The woman came out with their food - her name was Lisa - and she gave him a nurturing smile as she set his plate of pancakes down in front of him. He wondered what she thought of him in that moment, pouting like a little child, Louis cutting into his pancakes with an almost cheerful look on his face. He wondered what he thought about them and then he realized that there was no them. There was never a them, it was always just Liam hopelessly pining for Louis to love him.
“I’m so glad we did this,” Louis spewed jovially between mouthfuls of food. “This is really nice that we can get together like this.”
Liam didn’t say anything; he sat there with the same stony faced expression, arms still folded and eyes blinking rapidly to fight back the tears that threatened to leak out. Louis was too busy with his food to notice Liam’s discomfort and distress and that truly killed Liam; he didn’t understand how this was something so hard for Louis to stomach.
Louis finally looked up, his brows furrowed and he asked worriedly, “Liam…what’s wrong? Are you alright-“
Liam just rolled his eyes and slid out of the booth, storming angrily out of the café. He stopped momentarily at Louis, who yelled out that he was still his best friend, and those words stung more than if Louis would have just left him well enough alone.
“Well, I mean,” Zayn began a bit carelessly, “You know what they say: Plenty of fish in the river or something like that, right?”
Niall winced and shook his head at the ridiculous cliché. “Mm, no mate.”
“What, that’s what they say isn’t-“
“No,” Liam muttered darkly, looking up with a glare. “This is different; this isn’t just any other guy. This is Louis.”
“What makes him so special?” Harry shot at him, a bit harshly.
“He’s just…” Liam shook his head. “I can’t explain him, he’s just… Louis.”
“But you’ll find someone else,” Niall said.
Zayn nodded in agreement. “Someone better.”
“You’ll get over it,” Harry concluded.
“No,” Liam said, his voice disturbingly calm. “I don’t want to get over him. I want to get him back.”
Day 1
It was a regular day at the office for Liam; he had just gotten back from the holidays, spending it with his mum and sisters and Harry as usual. It was blistering cold outside and Niall greeted him happily at the front door, chatting about how he had met some really cute girl on holiday in Italy, holding a coffee for him. Liam and Niall had been best friends for nearly three years now, as long as they had both been working there, and since then he’d made his own little group with Zayn and Niall. Niall made work a bit more bearable each day by causing Liam to erupt into a fit of laughter at the computer parallel from his best mate.
Liam hated his job, and he wasn’t even sure exactly how it had all started either. He had gone to school to be an architect, and he was one of the best in his class. Somehow he’d just lost all motivation after school and barely managed to even keep his apartment. However, his mother had known his boss, Tim, for several years, and Liam got in right away. He made a decent income, and he was one of the most highly ranked employees. I mean, as high up as you could get, making slogans for greeting cards. But he worked with people he liked and usually enjoyed his work day (again, as much as you could making slogans for greeting cards).
It was just another regular day of sitting in another meeting, trying to come up with new cards saying the same thing, just the words mixed around a little bit. But, suddenly, Liam lost sight of what they were talking about when he saw him. A flash of red followed by white, and he looked up and saw one of the most beautiful men he had ever set eyes upon. His soft blue eyes spoke volumes, his honeyed brown hair stuck out from his forehead as he bent over and whispered something into Tim’s ear.
Tim nodded and then as he began to walk away Tim began, “Ah, wait. You guys, this is Louis, Louis Tomlinson. He’s my new assistant and he came all the way from… where was it again, lad?”
“Doncaster,” Louis responded, his voice smooth and silky, and Liam felt his eyes widen.
“All the way from Doncaster, that’s right.” Tim nodded eagerly. “And we’ll all make him feel very welcome, won’t we gang?”
Everyone nodded and replied their agreements in monotonous unison. But Liam could hardly breathe, his eyes on Louis as he walked out of the room. Louis didn’t even notice him, but Liam could honestly care less. Niall was trying desperately to grasp Liam’s attention from across the table, but Liam was transfixed. Liam was in love.
Day 3
“I heard he was a total douche,” Niall said suddenly one day, interrupting Liam’s never-ending gaze from Louis.
Liam quickly averted his gaze towards Niall. “What?”
“Yeah, like, Sheila tried to talk to him in the copy room the other day and he totally just blew her off.” Niall shrugged, his tone almost dismissive.
“Well, Shelia’s a bit of a twat as it is,” Liam started, his annoyance growing.
Louis had to be perfect - no, Louis was perfect, And Liam wasn’t about to let Niall get in the way of any chance he had with Louis. But the painful reality of it was, maybe, possibly, Louis wasn’t even interested in men. But, looking at his mannerisms and attire, Liam began to question this more and more. He didn’t want to stereotype, though, because he knew that he didn’t exactly ‘fit the bill’ of being a homosexual. But that didn’t make him any less gay, he had told Niall countless times as he would drunkenly tried to pick him a girl at the bar.
But perhaps Liam should just give up while he was ahead; the furthest he had gotten was making a millisecond of eye contact with Louis. Everyone else seemed so casual in going up and talking to him. But Liam was so intimidated by him, although Louis was always friendly, he never seemed to get too close. Conversations never appeared to last too long before Louis would indicate with his thumb that he needed to get back to his work space. Liam thought he knew Louis by now, but Louis was just another mystery waiting to be solved.
Day 4
Liam walked into the elevator, his headphones blasting. It was a ‘Smiths’ kind of a day, he thought, rainy and slow. His sister had gotten him into the Smiths - he usually wasn’t into that kind of music, but something about them was so calming, so addicting. And it was at that exact moment, of course, that Louis stepped in the elevator with him. He focused on his music, trying so hard to keep calm and not show that he was shaking and practically panting with his nerves.
He was so focused on breathing that he didn’t even notice Louis speak to him. It was only when he saw Louis moving his hands that he looked over and saw Louis indicating at his headphones. Quickly, he tugged them off of his ears, hanging them around his neck.
“Sorry?” Liam indicated for Louis to repeat himself.
“The Smiths,” Louis pointed at Liam’s headphones once more, the little sliver of a smile etched across his cheeks. “I love The Smiths.”
“No way,” Liam replied with a chuckle.
“Yeah.” Louis nodded and then he began to sing. It was probably the most beautiful thing that Liam had ever heard. “To die by your side is such a heavenly way to die - Love ‘em.”
And then the bell rang and, without saying another word, Louis walked out of the elevator. It was that brief contact that had Liam’s ears practically ringing. He fell back against the wall of the elevator as if he’d just been punched, and then he realized that maybe he was right about Louis. He knew that it seemed silly but he had probably only encountered one or two Smiths fans in his life, and that was his older sister and Niall. The fact that the man he was crushing over for the past week liked them had to mean something, didn’t it?
Day 8
It was a typical obnoxious office party. Niall was already drunk on too many glasses of very cheap, but this was just Liam’s guess, champagne. He cringed as he watched Niall flirt with fellow workers and get rejected in almost every single humiliating way. He saw Louis standing there by himself, looking on at all the guests and never really saying anything. People passed and nodded at him, and he grinned and returned the favor. His face fell each time they passed him, and he had his hands stuck in his pockets, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. Liam took in a deep breath and picked up two glasses of the champagne and walked over to Louis. Each step of his foot caused his head to pound.
“Hi,” Liam blurted as he approached Louis, maybe a bit too loudly, as Louis jumped when he saw him. “I saw you standing alone and I thought I’d-“ Liam indicated at the second glass he was holding in his hand.
“Oh, Smiths,” Louis nodded, seeming to remember Liam. He took the glass from him. “Thanks, by the way.”
“It’s Liam, in case you didn’t know,” Liam told him, trying to keep his voice cheerful but not too excited.
“Hi, Liam.” Louis smiled warmly at him. “I’m Louis, as you probably already know.”
“So, where are you from again?” Liam asked him after a very long awkward silence.
“Doncaster,” Louis answered, his voice sounding distant this time, and Liam worried he was pestering him.
“What made you decide to come to London?” Liam asked, trying to keep the conversation flowing.
Louis scrunched his nose in thought and Liam almost blushed. “I’m not really sure, to be honest. Boredom, I guess? I just got sick of the same-old, and I thought it seemed more fun here.”
Liam couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh yeah, this is the most fun you’re gonna have in your whole life.”
Louis laughed along with him. “Yeah, it’s definitely something different.”
“I didn’t really want to work here anyway,” Liam confessed. “I really wanted to be an architect.”
“An architect, really?” Louis’ voice rose in genuine interest and Liam again had to bite his lip to keep from smiling too wide.
“Yeah, I, erm, went to school for it and everything.” Liam scratched at the back of his head.
“What are you doing here then?” Louis asked a bit judgmentally as he sipped at his champagne.
And Liam’s knees grew week and he stuttered out an answer, “I, uh, I dunno really. My mum actually knows Tim; she’s known him for a while. So it was just kind of going to be a filler job until I got an actual architecture job.”
“So how long have you been working here then?” Louis queried.
Liam was a bit embarrassed, because he knew that Louis was challenging him, and he shuffled his feet before replying coyly, “About three years now.”
“No places hiring that close, ‘eh?” Louis teased.
They continued to talk like this for about an hour or so, but nothing Liam said seemed to break Louis’ wall. He just gave short, casual replies, and always redirected the question back at Liam. Liam felt selfish for taking up the whole conversation, but it seemed to keep Louis’ attention far more than talking about anything else. He walked Louis to his desk and showed him a drawing of a building he had done. Louis marveled at them, holding them up to the light, his mouth lifting into an almost proud smile.
“These are really, really good, Liam,” Louis complimented him, and he seemed so genuine Liam had to fight back from hugging him.
After Louis had gone home, Liam sat at his desk until he heard the sound of the vacuum cleaner. He was drawing again, a building that he had given up on about six months ago. Somehow, Louis was all the inspiration he needed to get back into it. Louis had truly made him feel that anything was possible.
Day 154
“I think I’m in love with Louis,” Liam told Zayn one day, his voice thick with adoration.
Zayn sighed. “Not this again, mate.”
“No, really,” Liam continued.
He sighed as he rambled on; he honestly sounded happier than Zayn had seen him in a long time.
Liam said, “I love his eyes, the way they crinkle at the edges when he smiles. I love his hair and how it always smells fresh, he smells so clean, and it’s always so soft. I love the little patch of chest hair he’s got; I think it’s quite cute, actually. I love his collar bones, the way they just kind of stick out. I love his cute little knobby knees, and how they look when he dangles his legs in the air. I guess I just love Louis for who he is, really.”
Day 11
“Yeah, but like,” Liam rambled excitedly, as Harry rolled his eyes for the third time, “who else likes the Smiths?”
“Woah,” Harry interrupted him, holding up his hand and propping his feet up on the table. “I’m gonna stop you right there, special snowflake.”
“What, it’s true!” Liam argued. “I mean, Ruth and Niall are the only people I can really think of and, with Niall, it’s just because I made him.”
“Do you know what would happen if I fell in love with every single girl that liked the same music that I did?” Harry mocked condescendingly. “I’d be getting a lot of pussy.”
“Mouth, Harold!” their mother yelled from the sitting room.
“Oh, come off it, mum!” Harry yelled back, rolling his eyes again and stuffing his mouth with another cookie that she’d made.
“Are we gonna have to go upstairs again?” Liam sighed.
Harry shook his head, “No, she’s just being… whatever. She’s been like this ever since you all moved out, really. It’s just me. I don’t get it, man, I’m nearly eighteen.”
“You’re a girl, not yet a woman,” Liam teased with a smirk.
“Oh, well, at least I’m not in love with someone I’ve barely even spoken to!” Harry retorted.
“I am not in love with him,” Liam replied bashfully.
“Sod off,” Harry countered. “Your face is beet red.”
“But I mean, really, it can’t just be a coincidence. What if it’s fate or something?” Liam pondered, his eyes growing wide with excitement at the thought.
Harry looked at him with contempt. “Liam, are you a child? It’s just a band-“
“Well, it means something to me,” Liam snapped.
Harry gave him more askance looks before responding tersely, “I mean, what else have you got in common, really?”
“I don’t know, actually.” Liam sagged in defeat. “He wouldn’t really tell me about himself.”
“What do you mean wouldn’t?” Harry pressed.
“He just… wanted to keep talking about me.” Liam shrugged. “I guess he’s just a private person.”
“Well, you aren’t,” Harry replied evenly. “You’re an open book.”
“You’re a shit brother, you know that?”
Harry pretended to be offended. “What? Because I actually make you face reality rather than feeding you all of this ‘love’ crap? I swear to God, sometimes I feel like I’ve got three sisters.”
“Well, did I mention he likes the Smiths?” Liam repeated again with a sly grin, and Harry threw the whole plate of cookies in his direction.
Day 22
“Well, that’s it,” Liam huffed. “Things are off with Louis.”
Zayn shot him a confused look. “Were things ever really on, Li?”
“Well,” Liam shifted uncomfortably, “not exactly. But if they ever were, it’s safe to say, never again.”
“Why, what happened?” Niall asked.
“I talked to him in the elevator today…”
He could remember it so clearly. Louis walked in, tight pants, burgundy jumper. He looked fit in just about anything he wore and it was always so surprising to Liam just how good he could look. He sucked in his breath, struggling, once more, to remain calm, trying so hard not to say anything stupid, and Louis just stood there, not saying a single word. Liam willed himself to not be the first to speak.
“How was your weekend?” Liam blurted before he could even pull his thoughts together.
“It was gooood,” Louis replied with a smirk, slight inclination in his tone.
“Yeah, and?” Zayn pressed, squinting his eyes.
“That means he probably fucked someone!” Liam replied indignantly as if the answer were obvious.
“But that could mean anything!” Zayn rolled his eyes.
“You know what, though,” Niall added, leering at Liam. “I heard that he was gay.”
“Who from?” Liam demanded.
“Him.”
Liam’s eyes widened and he whispered in shock, “Oh, Niall, you didn’t-“
“Oh, no!” Niall rejected quickly, waving his hand. “We were just in the bathroom having a piss with each other, and I guess he must have thought I thought he was looking at my cock or whatever, and was like ‘even though I’m gay, I promise I’m not looking at your dick’. So that was good enough for me.”
“But, Liam, don’t be an idiot.” Zayn shook his head. “That could honestly mean anything.”
“Well, I mean, he’s new to town and all. What if he met someone at the gym or something?” Liam questioned.
“Well, who the fuck cares?” Zayn retorted. “You’re not exactly involved romantically are you? So far you’ve only spoken to one another about three times. That doesn’t mean a damn thing.”
And, even though Liam knew Zayn was right, that he needed to move on and stop being such an idiot, he just couldn’t. Absolutely nothing could make him forget Louis. Louis didn’t just simply come into your life for no reason, there was always a reason, he could just tell.
Day 27
“Hey, wanna hang out tomorrow night?” Niall asked, leaning over the edge of his desk onto Liam’s.
“Can’t,” Liam replied simply, not looking away from his computer screen.
“But it’s an office party,” Niall pleaded. “The whole office will be there.”
“I don’t care.”
“No, you’re not listening,” Niall snapped. “The whole office will be there…”
Day 28
The bar was loud and noisy and filled with smoke. Niall was already on his way to getting hammered and singing really awful, generic songs on the karaoke machine. Liam and Louis watched at the bar, laughing at him, and pretended that they really didn’t know him. Louis asked if Niall always got like this, to which Liam bit his lip and nodded, embarrassed, but also a little proud. He loved Niall, he loved how goofy he was, but at the same time Niall was a little shit.
“Lou,” Niall yelled into the microphone. “Lou, get up here please.”
Louis threw back another shot before raising his eyebrows at Liam and marching up to the stage. He wasn’t sure of what song was going to come on, and closed his eyes a little as “Look After You” by The Fray began to play. Liam sat there, his hand shaking as Louis began, a bit shaky at first, but after people began to cheer he became more confident. Liam had never heard anything so beautiful in his life and his eyes widened as he felt a hand clap his shoulder. He glanced to see Niall grinning widely at his face; he smelled strongly of alcohol and Liam winced at the terrible odor emitting from his mouth.
“He’s really good, Li,” Niall slurred.
They all sat at a table after the singing was over, drinking beers and laughing at Niall’s drunken behavior. Niall was hammering away about this really cute girl that he’d met about an hour ago that had to leave. Louis and Liam exchanged glances, and Liam liked to pretend that they actually meant something.
“What about you, though, mate,” Niall garbled at Louis. “You got a boyfriend?”
Louis let out a little chuckle, “Uh, no.”
“Oh, why not?” Niall was inquisitional.
“I just don’t like relationships, really,” Louis shrugged. “They’re messy and people’s feelings get hurt.”
“So, have you ever had a boyfriend?” Liam asked, and he realized that maybe his tone sounded a little too hopeful.
“Of course,” Louis responded with a wide smile. “I’m not Pentecostal or whatever, I just don’t… believe in love, really.”
Niall let out a loud laugh, and Liam gave Louis a quizzical look and said, “What how do you not? It’s not like the Easter bunny, it’s love.”
“Love is just a fantasy.” Louis was dismissive. “I’ve never been in love; I don’t really think that I ever plan to be.”
“But why not?” Liam pushed.
“Well, I mean,” Louis began. “Most marriages end in divorce, anyway. My parents are divorced, and it’s just… there’s no sense in putting labels on everything. Gay, straight, whatever, why does it matter? We’re all human beings.”
When Niall was far too drunk to even be able to walk, Louis helped Liam get him a cab, before he got in, however, he began to spill his loud mouth. He stumbled into Louis and gave him a hug, to which Liam was surprised that he returned with warmth. He thanked Niall a lot for the fun night, insisting after he asked for the fifth time that he really did have a great time.
“Oh, hey, Lou,” Niall shouted from the taxi back seat as Liam help him get in. “Liam really likes you.”
“Yeah, that’s okay mate,” Liam tried not to shout as he practically pushes Niall into the back seat, slamming the door.
His heart is pounding and he doesn’t know if he can turn and face Louis. He prays that Louis didn’t hear what Niall had to say but, as he cautiously turned his head, he saw that Louis was looking at him inquisitively. He never wanted Louis to have to find out this way, he wanted it to be more special, more worthwhile, but he was in constant fear of Louis’ response.
“Is that true?” Louis asked finally.
Liam closed his eyes and decided to play his whole dumb routine. “What?”
“You like me?”
“Yeah, yeah of course I like you,” Liam nodded. “I mean we’re friends aren’t we?”
“No,” and Liam swears he saw the redness begin to flush Louis’s face, “I mean…do you like me?”
Liam sighed in defeat, what other way could he say it? “Yeah, I do like you.”
Louis nodded, and for the first time, Liam could see that his words weren’t already formulated and on the tip of his tongue. He had thrown Louis for a loop, and he loved it.
“I think you’re really interesting,” Louis replied finally.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re really interesting too,” Liam felt lame saying it, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say.
They look at each other for a few seconds, or maybe even a few days, so it seemed, and Louis just peered into Liam’s whole soul. Liam was frightened because it was as if Louis was really starting to see him. They were so close to each other that Liam could feel Louis’ body warmth, he wanted to reach out and grab him, and Louis’ eyes were almost begging for him to.
“Well,” Louis cleared his throat. “I should be scootin’. This was fun, though. We need to do it again.”
“Yeah,” was all Liam could mutter.
Louis spun around on his heel, leaving Liam completely teased and dumbfounded.
Rating: R
Length:5, 122
Fandom: One Direction
Characters: Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Niall Horan,
Ships: Liam/Louis
Notes: This is basically just a 500 Days of Summer!au for louam.
Summary: This is a story of boy meets boy. But first off, you should know, this isn't a love story.
This is a story of boy meets boy. When Liam Payne, an average, plain, soft-looking boy met Louis Tomlinson, his entire life changed. Everything he knew around him was forgotten and he could only see life through Louis. Nothing would ever be the same after him, or before him. It was as if time stopped completely and all other thoughts seemed to vanish from his mind. Nothing else seemed to matter and no one could get Liam out of his trance. It was as if he was under Louis’ spell. But first off, you should know, this isn’t a love story.
Louis didn’t believe in love, he was bitter at love. It was all just make believe, something that people thought they had a hold on and actually understood. To him, love was like running through smoke, you could smell it, and it would run through you, but you’d never really touch it or feel it. His father had left his mother, his best friend, one bitter February day just last year. He could still remember holding onto his younger sister while she cried into his shirt, begging his father not to leave as he stormed out of the house, vowing to never come back. He didn’t. And Louis could remember his mother saying how his father was ‘the one’ and how they were made for each other. They weren’t.
Liam has always been a strong believer in ‘the one’. He had always believed that someone would come along and sweep him off of his feet and change everything as he knew it. Life would stop for that person and everything would fall into place so perfectly. His heart would beat so fast around that person, and that person would be all he could think about. He believed in love, he believed that nothing was better than love. He had been told since he was very young that he would meet his soul mate one day. And he was convinced when he saw Louis Tomlinson that he was, in fact, the one. He met Louis January eighth.
Day 290
Harry sped down the street, ignoring stoplights and stop signs, weaving in and out of traffic. It was 11:30 on a Tuesday night and here he was speeding, risking his life, car, and his license, to get to Liam as quickly as he could. The pedal was practically pushed to the floor as he scanned his eyes out the windshield, looking anxiously for police. His mother had tried to stop him from leaving, saying it was too late to be going out on a school night. Harry waved his had in defiance insisting that Liam had needed him. And now, as every single car that he passed by blew their horn furiously at him, he wished he’d taken his mother’s heed.
He did a shit job at parallel parking, the front of his car completely on the sidewalk as he hastily locked the doors and dashed up the steps. He pressed the doorbell, waiting for a buzz that signaled his admittance. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him as he sprinted up the stairs, ignoring the sweat that was collecting on his brow. He flung open the door so see Niall and Zayn, sitting on the couch and looking up at him nervously.
“Oh, thank God,” Zayn sighed, closing his eyes and looking relieved.
“Where is he?” Harry asked without another word, looking around trying to find his elder brother.
Niall pointed towards the kitchen and Harry rushed inside, seeing Liam sitting at the kitchen table with his head hung low, a half empty bottle of vodka clutched loosely in his hand. He hiccupped and looked up at Harry with a sullen smile. Harry frowned at him, knowing that Liam wasn’t really supposed to be drinking at all. And he knew that Liam had known that as well. He let out an exasperated sigh and snatched the vodka out of Liam’s hand, and, despite his protests, drained the rest of it into the kitchen sink. He pulled Liam up by the wrist and led him into the living room.
They all sat around Liam and he refused to look up, his sunken brown eyes fixated on something across the room. He looked horrible, stubble beginning to form along his chin, his eyes encircled by heavy bags, his clothes were stained, and he smelled a bit. Harry had never seen his brother like this over anyone; it wasn’t like Liam to get this way. He threw a worried glance at Niall and Zayn; they merely shrugged their shoulders in return, unable to be any sort of comfort to their best friend.
“What the hell happened to you?” Harry demanded, tapping Liam slightly on the cheek, trying to get his attention.
“Things were going so well,” Liam began his voice faint and morose. “Then… just like that.”
He could remember it so vividly; just a few hours ago he had received a text from Louis saying they should meet at the local café. His head was spinning, Louis had seemed so distant from him lately, and he hoped that maybe this would be his grand apology. Louis always liked to do things like this whenever he was being rubbish, he would always take Liam out someplace and shower him with food and presents and, lastly, Liam’s personal favorite, his kisses. He had gotten dressed up in something not too fancy and not too casual, straightened his hair and made it look nearly perfect.
He was practically bouncing in his seat when Louis entered the café, five minutes late, but there, nonetheless. He smiled and waved enthusiastically; Louis removed his sunglasses and smiled weakly, sauntering slowly over to the table and sliding into the booth across from Liam. They chatted for a little about nothing in particular, and Liam’s stomach dropped at how it sounded so much like how they were before they began seeing each other. The awkward small talk to build a wall, and Liam had thought that wall was finally broken.
“I think we should stop seeing each other.” Louis was firm, and Liam tried to detect some type of wavering in his voice but he just couldn’t. That was what hurt him the most. That Louis could be so calm about this ending, that Louis was so quick to just let him go.
“What?” Liam sputtered, trying to get a grip.
“I’m just not happy,” Louis admitted, shrugging his shoulders.
“What are you talking about, Lou, how are you not-“
“You’re happy?” Louis inquired surprisingly. “How, all we ever do is argue?”
“Well that’s not true!” Liam said, puffing out his lower lip and sinking back into the booth. He looked like a child, and he felt like one.
The woman came out with their food - her name was Lisa - and she gave him a nurturing smile as she set his plate of pancakes down in front of him. He wondered what she thought of him in that moment, pouting like a little child, Louis cutting into his pancakes with an almost cheerful look on his face. He wondered what he thought about them and then he realized that there was no them. There was never a them, it was always just Liam hopelessly pining for Louis to love him.
“I’m so glad we did this,” Louis spewed jovially between mouthfuls of food. “This is really nice that we can get together like this.”
Liam didn’t say anything; he sat there with the same stony faced expression, arms still folded and eyes blinking rapidly to fight back the tears that threatened to leak out. Louis was too busy with his food to notice Liam’s discomfort and distress and that truly killed Liam; he didn’t understand how this was something so hard for Louis to stomach.
Louis finally looked up, his brows furrowed and he asked worriedly, “Liam…what’s wrong? Are you alright-“
Liam just rolled his eyes and slid out of the booth, storming angrily out of the café. He stopped momentarily at Louis, who yelled out that he was still his best friend, and those words stung more than if Louis would have just left him well enough alone.
“Well, I mean,” Zayn began a bit carelessly, “You know what they say: Plenty of fish in the river or something like that, right?”
Niall winced and shook his head at the ridiculous cliché. “Mm, no mate.”
“What, that’s what they say isn’t-“
“No,” Liam muttered darkly, looking up with a glare. “This is different; this isn’t just any other guy. This is Louis.”
“What makes him so special?” Harry shot at him, a bit harshly.
“He’s just…” Liam shook his head. “I can’t explain him, he’s just… Louis.”
“But you’ll find someone else,” Niall said.
Zayn nodded in agreement. “Someone better.”
“You’ll get over it,” Harry concluded.
“No,” Liam said, his voice disturbingly calm. “I don’t want to get over him. I want to get him back.”
Day 1
It was a regular day at the office for Liam; he had just gotten back from the holidays, spending it with his mum and sisters and Harry as usual. It was blistering cold outside and Niall greeted him happily at the front door, chatting about how he had met some really cute girl on holiday in Italy, holding a coffee for him. Liam and Niall had been best friends for nearly three years now, as long as they had both been working there, and since then he’d made his own little group with Zayn and Niall. Niall made work a bit more bearable each day by causing Liam to erupt into a fit of laughter at the computer parallel from his best mate.
Liam hated his job, and he wasn’t even sure exactly how it had all started either. He had gone to school to be an architect, and he was one of the best in his class. Somehow he’d just lost all motivation after school and barely managed to even keep his apartment. However, his mother had known his boss, Tim, for several years, and Liam got in right away. He made a decent income, and he was one of the most highly ranked employees. I mean, as high up as you could get, making slogans for greeting cards. But he worked with people he liked and usually enjoyed his work day (again, as much as you could making slogans for greeting cards).
It was just another regular day of sitting in another meeting, trying to come up with new cards saying the same thing, just the words mixed around a little bit. But, suddenly, Liam lost sight of what they were talking about when he saw him. A flash of red followed by white, and he looked up and saw one of the most beautiful men he had ever set eyes upon. His soft blue eyes spoke volumes, his honeyed brown hair stuck out from his forehead as he bent over and whispered something into Tim’s ear.
Tim nodded and then as he began to walk away Tim began, “Ah, wait. You guys, this is Louis, Louis Tomlinson. He’s my new assistant and he came all the way from… where was it again, lad?”
“Doncaster,” Louis responded, his voice smooth and silky, and Liam felt his eyes widen.
“All the way from Doncaster, that’s right.” Tim nodded eagerly. “And we’ll all make him feel very welcome, won’t we gang?”
Everyone nodded and replied their agreements in monotonous unison. But Liam could hardly breathe, his eyes on Louis as he walked out of the room. Louis didn’t even notice him, but Liam could honestly care less. Niall was trying desperately to grasp Liam’s attention from across the table, but Liam was transfixed. Liam was in love.
Day 3
“I heard he was a total douche,” Niall said suddenly one day, interrupting Liam’s never-ending gaze from Louis.
Liam quickly averted his gaze towards Niall. “What?”
“Yeah, like, Sheila tried to talk to him in the copy room the other day and he totally just blew her off.” Niall shrugged, his tone almost dismissive.
“Well, Shelia’s a bit of a twat as it is,” Liam started, his annoyance growing.
Louis had to be perfect - no, Louis was perfect, And Liam wasn’t about to let Niall get in the way of any chance he had with Louis. But the painful reality of it was, maybe, possibly, Louis wasn’t even interested in men. But, looking at his mannerisms and attire, Liam began to question this more and more. He didn’t want to stereotype, though, because he knew that he didn’t exactly ‘fit the bill’ of being a homosexual. But that didn’t make him any less gay, he had told Niall countless times as he would drunkenly tried to pick him a girl at the bar.
But perhaps Liam should just give up while he was ahead; the furthest he had gotten was making a millisecond of eye contact with Louis. Everyone else seemed so casual in going up and talking to him. But Liam was so intimidated by him, although Louis was always friendly, he never seemed to get too close. Conversations never appeared to last too long before Louis would indicate with his thumb that he needed to get back to his work space. Liam thought he knew Louis by now, but Louis was just another mystery waiting to be solved.
Day 4
Liam walked into the elevator, his headphones blasting. It was a ‘Smiths’ kind of a day, he thought, rainy and slow. His sister had gotten him into the Smiths - he usually wasn’t into that kind of music, but something about them was so calming, so addicting. And it was at that exact moment, of course, that Louis stepped in the elevator with him. He focused on his music, trying so hard to keep calm and not show that he was shaking and practically panting with his nerves.
He was so focused on breathing that he didn’t even notice Louis speak to him. It was only when he saw Louis moving his hands that he looked over and saw Louis indicating at his headphones. Quickly, he tugged them off of his ears, hanging them around his neck.
“Sorry?” Liam indicated for Louis to repeat himself.
“The Smiths,” Louis pointed at Liam’s headphones once more, the little sliver of a smile etched across his cheeks. “I love The Smiths.”
“No way,” Liam replied with a chuckle.
“Yeah.” Louis nodded and then he began to sing. It was probably the most beautiful thing that Liam had ever heard. “To die by your side is such a heavenly way to die - Love ‘em.”
And then the bell rang and, without saying another word, Louis walked out of the elevator. It was that brief contact that had Liam’s ears practically ringing. He fell back against the wall of the elevator as if he’d just been punched, and then he realized that maybe he was right about Louis. He knew that it seemed silly but he had probably only encountered one or two Smiths fans in his life, and that was his older sister and Niall. The fact that the man he was crushing over for the past week liked them had to mean something, didn’t it?
Day 8
It was a typical obnoxious office party. Niall was already drunk on too many glasses of very cheap, but this was just Liam’s guess, champagne. He cringed as he watched Niall flirt with fellow workers and get rejected in almost every single humiliating way. He saw Louis standing there by himself, looking on at all the guests and never really saying anything. People passed and nodded at him, and he grinned and returned the favor. His face fell each time they passed him, and he had his hands stuck in his pockets, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. Liam took in a deep breath and picked up two glasses of the champagne and walked over to Louis. Each step of his foot caused his head to pound.
“Hi,” Liam blurted as he approached Louis, maybe a bit too loudly, as Louis jumped when he saw him. “I saw you standing alone and I thought I’d-“ Liam indicated at the second glass he was holding in his hand.
“Oh, Smiths,” Louis nodded, seeming to remember Liam. He took the glass from him. “Thanks, by the way.”
“It’s Liam, in case you didn’t know,” Liam told him, trying to keep his voice cheerful but not too excited.
“Hi, Liam.” Louis smiled warmly at him. “I’m Louis, as you probably already know.”
“So, where are you from again?” Liam asked him after a very long awkward silence.
“Doncaster,” Louis answered, his voice sounding distant this time, and Liam worried he was pestering him.
“What made you decide to come to London?” Liam asked, trying to keep the conversation flowing.
Louis scrunched his nose in thought and Liam almost blushed. “I’m not really sure, to be honest. Boredom, I guess? I just got sick of the same-old, and I thought it seemed more fun here.”
Liam couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh yeah, this is the most fun you’re gonna have in your whole life.”
Louis laughed along with him. “Yeah, it’s definitely something different.”
“I didn’t really want to work here anyway,” Liam confessed. “I really wanted to be an architect.”
“An architect, really?” Louis’ voice rose in genuine interest and Liam again had to bite his lip to keep from smiling too wide.
“Yeah, I, erm, went to school for it and everything.” Liam scratched at the back of his head.
“What are you doing here then?” Louis asked a bit judgmentally as he sipped at his champagne.
And Liam’s knees grew week and he stuttered out an answer, “I, uh, I dunno really. My mum actually knows Tim; she’s known him for a while. So it was just kind of going to be a filler job until I got an actual architecture job.”
“So how long have you been working here then?” Louis queried.
Liam was a bit embarrassed, because he knew that Louis was challenging him, and he shuffled his feet before replying coyly, “About three years now.”
“No places hiring that close, ‘eh?” Louis teased.
They continued to talk like this for about an hour or so, but nothing Liam said seemed to break Louis’ wall. He just gave short, casual replies, and always redirected the question back at Liam. Liam felt selfish for taking up the whole conversation, but it seemed to keep Louis’ attention far more than talking about anything else. He walked Louis to his desk and showed him a drawing of a building he had done. Louis marveled at them, holding them up to the light, his mouth lifting into an almost proud smile.
“These are really, really good, Liam,” Louis complimented him, and he seemed so genuine Liam had to fight back from hugging him.
After Louis had gone home, Liam sat at his desk until he heard the sound of the vacuum cleaner. He was drawing again, a building that he had given up on about six months ago. Somehow, Louis was all the inspiration he needed to get back into it. Louis had truly made him feel that anything was possible.
Day 154
“I think I’m in love with Louis,” Liam told Zayn one day, his voice thick with adoration.
Zayn sighed. “Not this again, mate.”
“No, really,” Liam continued.
He sighed as he rambled on; he honestly sounded happier than Zayn had seen him in a long time.
Liam said, “I love his eyes, the way they crinkle at the edges when he smiles. I love his hair and how it always smells fresh, he smells so clean, and it’s always so soft. I love the little patch of chest hair he’s got; I think it’s quite cute, actually. I love his collar bones, the way they just kind of stick out. I love his cute little knobby knees, and how they look when he dangles his legs in the air. I guess I just love Louis for who he is, really.”
Day 11
“Yeah, but like,” Liam rambled excitedly, as Harry rolled his eyes for the third time, “who else likes the Smiths?”
“Woah,” Harry interrupted him, holding up his hand and propping his feet up on the table. “I’m gonna stop you right there, special snowflake.”
“What, it’s true!” Liam argued. “I mean, Ruth and Niall are the only people I can really think of and, with Niall, it’s just because I made him.”
“Do you know what would happen if I fell in love with every single girl that liked the same music that I did?” Harry mocked condescendingly. “I’d be getting a lot of pussy.”
“Mouth, Harold!” their mother yelled from the sitting room.
“Oh, come off it, mum!” Harry yelled back, rolling his eyes again and stuffing his mouth with another cookie that she’d made.
“Are we gonna have to go upstairs again?” Liam sighed.
Harry shook his head, “No, she’s just being… whatever. She’s been like this ever since you all moved out, really. It’s just me. I don’t get it, man, I’m nearly eighteen.”
“You’re a girl, not yet a woman,” Liam teased with a smirk.
“Oh, well, at least I’m not in love with someone I’ve barely even spoken to!” Harry retorted.
“I am not in love with him,” Liam replied bashfully.
“Sod off,” Harry countered. “Your face is beet red.”
“But I mean, really, it can’t just be a coincidence. What if it’s fate or something?” Liam pondered, his eyes growing wide with excitement at the thought.
Harry looked at him with contempt. “Liam, are you a child? It’s just a band-“
“Well, it means something to me,” Liam snapped.
Harry gave him more askance looks before responding tersely, “I mean, what else have you got in common, really?”
“I don’t know, actually.” Liam sagged in defeat. “He wouldn’t really tell me about himself.”
“What do you mean wouldn’t?” Harry pressed.
“He just… wanted to keep talking about me.” Liam shrugged. “I guess he’s just a private person.”
“Well, you aren’t,” Harry replied evenly. “You’re an open book.”
“You’re a shit brother, you know that?”
Harry pretended to be offended. “What? Because I actually make you face reality rather than feeding you all of this ‘love’ crap? I swear to God, sometimes I feel like I’ve got three sisters.”
“Well, did I mention he likes the Smiths?” Liam repeated again with a sly grin, and Harry threw the whole plate of cookies in his direction.
Day 22
“Well, that’s it,” Liam huffed. “Things are off with Louis.”
Zayn shot him a confused look. “Were things ever really on, Li?”
“Well,” Liam shifted uncomfortably, “not exactly. But if they ever were, it’s safe to say, never again.”
“Why, what happened?” Niall asked.
“I talked to him in the elevator today…”
He could remember it so clearly. Louis walked in, tight pants, burgundy jumper. He looked fit in just about anything he wore and it was always so surprising to Liam just how good he could look. He sucked in his breath, struggling, once more, to remain calm, trying so hard not to say anything stupid, and Louis just stood there, not saying a single word. Liam willed himself to not be the first to speak.
“How was your weekend?” Liam blurted before he could even pull his thoughts together.
“It was gooood,” Louis replied with a smirk, slight inclination in his tone.
“Yeah, and?” Zayn pressed, squinting his eyes.
“That means he probably fucked someone!” Liam replied indignantly as if the answer were obvious.
“But that could mean anything!” Zayn rolled his eyes.
“You know what, though,” Niall added, leering at Liam. “I heard that he was gay.”
“Who from?” Liam demanded.
“Him.”
Liam’s eyes widened and he whispered in shock, “Oh, Niall, you didn’t-“
“Oh, no!” Niall rejected quickly, waving his hand. “We were just in the bathroom having a piss with each other, and I guess he must have thought I thought he was looking at my cock or whatever, and was like ‘even though I’m gay, I promise I’m not looking at your dick’. So that was good enough for me.”
“But, Liam, don’t be an idiot.” Zayn shook his head. “That could honestly mean anything.”
“Well, I mean, he’s new to town and all. What if he met someone at the gym or something?” Liam questioned.
“Well, who the fuck cares?” Zayn retorted. “You’re not exactly involved romantically are you? So far you’ve only spoken to one another about three times. That doesn’t mean a damn thing.”
And, even though Liam knew Zayn was right, that he needed to move on and stop being such an idiot, he just couldn’t. Absolutely nothing could make him forget Louis. Louis didn’t just simply come into your life for no reason, there was always a reason, he could just tell.
Day 27
“Hey, wanna hang out tomorrow night?” Niall asked, leaning over the edge of his desk onto Liam’s.
“Can’t,” Liam replied simply, not looking away from his computer screen.
“But it’s an office party,” Niall pleaded. “The whole office will be there.”
“I don’t care.”
“No, you’re not listening,” Niall snapped. “The whole office will be there…”
Day 28
The bar was loud and noisy and filled with smoke. Niall was already on his way to getting hammered and singing really awful, generic songs on the karaoke machine. Liam and Louis watched at the bar, laughing at him, and pretended that they really didn’t know him. Louis asked if Niall always got like this, to which Liam bit his lip and nodded, embarrassed, but also a little proud. He loved Niall, he loved how goofy he was, but at the same time Niall was a little shit.
“Lou,” Niall yelled into the microphone. “Lou, get up here please.”
Louis threw back another shot before raising his eyebrows at Liam and marching up to the stage. He wasn’t sure of what song was going to come on, and closed his eyes a little as “Look After You” by The Fray began to play. Liam sat there, his hand shaking as Louis began, a bit shaky at first, but after people began to cheer he became more confident. Liam had never heard anything so beautiful in his life and his eyes widened as he felt a hand clap his shoulder. He glanced to see Niall grinning widely at his face; he smelled strongly of alcohol and Liam winced at the terrible odor emitting from his mouth.
“He’s really good, Li,” Niall slurred.
They all sat at a table after the singing was over, drinking beers and laughing at Niall’s drunken behavior. Niall was hammering away about this really cute girl that he’d met about an hour ago that had to leave. Louis and Liam exchanged glances, and Liam liked to pretend that they actually meant something.
“What about you, though, mate,” Niall garbled at Louis. “You got a boyfriend?”
Louis let out a little chuckle, “Uh, no.”
“Oh, why not?” Niall was inquisitional.
“I just don’t like relationships, really,” Louis shrugged. “They’re messy and people’s feelings get hurt.”
“So, have you ever had a boyfriend?” Liam asked, and he realized that maybe his tone sounded a little too hopeful.
“Of course,” Louis responded with a wide smile. “I’m not Pentecostal or whatever, I just don’t… believe in love, really.”
Niall let out a loud laugh, and Liam gave Louis a quizzical look and said, “What how do you not? It’s not like the Easter bunny, it’s love.”
“Love is just a fantasy.” Louis was dismissive. “I’ve never been in love; I don’t really think that I ever plan to be.”
“But why not?” Liam pushed.
“Well, I mean,” Louis began. “Most marriages end in divorce, anyway. My parents are divorced, and it’s just… there’s no sense in putting labels on everything. Gay, straight, whatever, why does it matter? We’re all human beings.”
When Niall was far too drunk to even be able to walk, Louis helped Liam get him a cab, before he got in, however, he began to spill his loud mouth. He stumbled into Louis and gave him a hug, to which Liam was surprised that he returned with warmth. He thanked Niall a lot for the fun night, insisting after he asked for the fifth time that he really did have a great time.
“Oh, hey, Lou,” Niall shouted from the taxi back seat as Liam help him get in. “Liam really likes you.”
“Yeah, that’s okay mate,” Liam tried not to shout as he practically pushes Niall into the back seat, slamming the door.
His heart is pounding and he doesn’t know if he can turn and face Louis. He prays that Louis didn’t hear what Niall had to say but, as he cautiously turned his head, he saw that Louis was looking at him inquisitively. He never wanted Louis to have to find out this way, he wanted it to be more special, more worthwhile, but he was in constant fear of Louis’ response.
“Is that true?” Louis asked finally.
Liam closed his eyes and decided to play his whole dumb routine. “What?”
“You like me?”
“Yeah, yeah of course I like you,” Liam nodded. “I mean we’re friends aren’t we?”
“No,” and Liam swears he saw the redness begin to flush Louis’s face, “I mean…do you like me?”
Liam sighed in defeat, what other way could he say it? “Yeah, I do like you.”
Louis nodded, and for the first time, Liam could see that his words weren’t already formulated and on the tip of his tongue. He had thrown Louis for a loop, and he loved it.
“I think you’re really interesting,” Louis replied finally.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re really interesting too,” Liam felt lame saying it, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say.
They look at each other for a few seconds, or maybe even a few days, so it seemed, and Louis just peered into Liam’s whole soul. Liam was frightened because it was as if Louis was really starting to see him. They were so close to each other that Liam could feel Louis’ body warmth, he wanted to reach out and grab him, and Louis’ eyes were almost begging for him to.
“Well,” Louis cleared his throat. “I should be scootin’. This was fun, though. We need to do it again.”
“Yeah,” was all Liam could mutter.
Louis spun around on his heel, leaving Liam completely teased and dumbfounded.