The Ring {L.S}

Chapter 2: A Keeper

It wasn't until about five o'clock that Louis started to feel the pain in his heels from his double. His callused feet rubbed against the non-slip shoes he laced up at 8:30 this morning and he was in serious pain. The hostesses knew that he was taking cover tonight, so they knew to stop seating him at 7:30 so he had the chance to finish serving before having to stand in the doorway and collect money. He couldn't wait to hang out with the guys again, listen to their stories and laugh with them like the old days. Niall was disappointed that he wouldn't be cocktailing with him tonight, but he knew he could always visit Louis in the doorway during his downtime if he wanted.

The restaurant was of a decent size. The massive bar in the middle surrounded by the dining area, the lounge, and the dance floor area packed a lot of guests into the doors. The outside seating and banquet areas were just as big by themselves. There were two banquets tonight, both with over 50 people in them, and that is why there were so many bouncers scheduled on a Sunday night. In the middle of college town, the bar got rowdy every now and then. The servers loved when it was busy, but it was hard work.

"Lou, how come Zayn always picks you to take cover? It's not even your job anymore," one of the hostesses said in a tone that indicated that she was not happy about this at all, "it's not fair that he always asks you."

Louis just shrugged his shoulders in annoyance at this question. The hostesses didn't understand that at 5:00 in the middle of a dinner rush wasn't the best time to have these conversations, nor did he really care to entertain the conversations at all. His feet hurt, he burnt his hand on a plate of fries that sat under the heat lamp for too long, and he just wanted this part of his night to be over.

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At 8:46 his last table paid their bill and left. It wasn't the best night in terms of money, but every night is a gamble when you're a server.

Louis slipped into the men's room in the back by the banquet halls and quickly changed his clothes into something more presentable for the front door. At most bars - pretty girls in clothes one size too tight and 4 inches too low worked the doors with the bouncers, so Louis liked to be able to catch an eye every now and then while he was out there too.

He left on his black skinny jeans that he wore while serving, and chucked a red t-shirt over his head knowing that there was a possibility that he would be cold tonight when the door would open. It didn't seem to matter to him, he wanted to look his best tonight. After lacing up his red converse that he let his little sister paint on (she wanted to be an artist and he wanted her to know that he believed in her), he stepped out of the stall and looked at his own pale face in the mirror. He messed with his gelled hair a bit and sprayed himself with a cologne that Zayn and Liam bought him for his 19th birthday. Louis buried his head into his phone and texted Niall from the bathroom even though he was on the other side of the bar. It was something that they did that confused everyone, but it was their thing.

"Pissed I won't be out there with you tonight, mate. Zayn here yet?"

He waited a few minutes only to be startled by the vibration in his back pocket - "Lou, it's 9:13, he's waiting for you. He knows you're in the bathroom - see you out there mate" In typical Louis fashion, his face turned red thinking about all the things Zayn could be picturing as to why he was in the bathroom for so long. As soon as Louis reached to pull the door handle back he was being pushed back into the sinks by an opening door. "Oops," the taller man with long brown curls said slowly. Louis recognized him from the previous night and began to flush red all over again. He wore the shirt that Liam gave him and black chelsea boots. The shirt was tight around his biceps and with one quick stretch his belly would be exposed underneath his navel. Louis wondered about what that might look like when he realized he was staring for a few too many seconds.

"Hi," was all he was able to come out with, and the other man laughed a low laugh that Louis was infatuated by. They walked by each other through the doorway and Louis looked back to be sure the door was shut completely before he started on a nervous jog to the bar where he hoped Zayn would still be waiting for him.

In his black jeans and basic bar quarter zip Zayn stood next to the host stand with three Red Bulls in his hands and smiled up at the flustered Louis coming his way. Interested, Louis leaned over and grabbed one of the soft drinks from him. "Polo Black, nice." Zayn said right before Louis cracked open the can. Smiling shyly, he nodded. "I figured we'll start cover at 9:20 once Harry gets out of the bathroom, he had to go so bad he ran right by me before I could give him his," as he held one of the Red Bulls a little higher to show Louis that he meant the drink. "It's only his first time here, I hope he found it before he wet himself or worse, someone else."

Louis gave him a light laugh thinking about being almost trampled by the tall man, who he now knows as Harry, in the bathroom. It all made sense now.

Coming through his revelation, he began to set up the register and ID machine in the doorway for he and Harry when Zayn came through the doors. "Hold up Lou, Harry is here. Please show him how to set up out here while I grab him a quarter zip - speaking of, Lou where is your jacket? You know it gets cold out here." Louis turned toward Zayn and gave him the typical teeth-clenched 'please stop' look before saying "I should be fine, but yeah, no worries I'll show him."

"I did bring my jacket if you need one later in the night," Harry said without missing a beat. Zayn and Louis both smiled before Zayn left them alone in the doorway.

This was the first time Louis had been nervous about a new hire in a really long time. This bar was his turf, so the newcomers were the ones who should've been nervous. He grabbed the plug to the ID machine and plugged it in, "It's real simple really, just plug it in and it should pull up the application itself. The drawer starts at $300 but I'll be handling the money. All you have to do is make sure the ID is real, and if you're not super sure, that's what the machine is for," he said as he tapped the black case that held the computer that crushed so many young teens dreams of getting into this bar.

"Alright, works for me. Louis right? With the gold mustang? Sick car by the way," Louis wondered how Harry knew what kind of car he drove, but his thoughts were quickly interrupted by the first group of girls to come in for the night.

"Aw, there's a cover? Even for pretty girls?" Louis scoffed and scrunched his nose at their comments and fired back, "sorry sweetcheeks, doesn't work that way here. Five dollars each please."

Harry smirked and asked for their IDs one by one, when one of the girls in tight ripped jeans and a hot pink crop top said, "oh, a new bouncer. I wonder if he's as good as the others." Harry's jaw quite literally dropped on the floor and Louis reached over to shut it for him placing his thumb underneath his smooth jaw to be sure that it was locked close. Once Louis removed his hand from Harry's face, Harry entertained the group by responding. "Sorry ladies, I promise I'm not your type - and quite honestly you're not mine either."

Louis' bright blue eyes grew wide at this comment, as did the girls in front of them. "Enjoy your night ladies, tip well." Harry said as he opened the door for them. Louis was completely confused at this point. No one else in this bar was openly gay, never mind a bouncer being openly gay. He wasn't even sure if he was being honest or just trying to get the girls to leave him alone. It seemed like time stopped in the time between the girls going into the bar and Zayn coming back with a quarter zip for Harry.

"How'd he do with his first group, Lou? A keeper?" Louis was still in his own head when he registered Zayn's question. Harry took the jacket from Zayn and when he lifted his arms to pull it over his head, his shirt ran up his pale belly and exposed his happy trail to Louis quickly before his arms came back down. With a gulp and a head full of confusion, Louis looked to Zayn and nodded.

"Very good, yeah. Definitely a keeper."