Impulse

Chapter 34

"Louis!" Comes a deafeningly familiar voice from outside, a heavy fist banging on the door. "Louis William Tomlinson, if you don't open this door I will fucking climb through the window!"

Chest pounding, Louis fails to monitor his heartbeat. "Damn it, Niall."

*NARRATOR'S POV*

Louis looks up at Edward as he scrambles off the bed on his way to answer the door. He could answer it all in the same amount of guilt that he can have if he ignored it. He won't ignore his best friend.

"Petal." Edward grabs Louis by his waist and their faces end up millimetres apart. "Pants. Now."

Blushing at his indecency, Louis chooses a random pair of sweat pants to tug on under his newly gifted and customised white T-shirt. Harry simply crawls back to lie against the pillows, a new cigarette between his lips and one knee bent in the air.

Louis twisted the door handle and immediately everything that is tranquil about a hotel room is ripped apart by Niall's outrage. "Where the Hell- Louis, you're dead."

Edward finds it hilarious that someone else takes the time to deliver such threats. Of course he keeps his back to them and observes everything that's happening on the street.

Niall walks in first with Louis screwing his mouth shut upon seeing two other males follow him in. He recognises Liam and sighs heavily at the disapproval evident in his frown, then this other lad with quiffed hair and defined cheekbones. Where did he come from?

"Hey, Niall." Louis sheepishly greets his friend with the storm in his bright eyes glaring daggers into his soul.

"Don't you dare." Niall kept his voice soft but tone deadly, cornering Louis in the doorway. "What the Hell is wrong with you?"

"How'd you find me?" Louis instead asks, genuinely curious as he fidgets with the hem of his shirt.

"What are you doing worlds away from home?!" Niall spits, face flushing with anger. He even looks taller. "You have a job you haven't been to and an apartment that's abandoned. A father that's in a coma and me who's fucking pissed at you. Why the actual fuck are you in another county, Louis?"

"Niall." Louis says calmly, not wanting to lose his nerve at any of those reminders. "I'm off work which they know. I'm updated on my dad's condition. I'm not going back to that apartment even if I was in Middleston."

"And me? You didn't give a shit to tell me you were taking a bloody road trip somewhere with those two." Niall jerks his thumb in the general direction of whatever's behind him.

"You would have objected and I would have went anyway." Louis tries to loosen some of the tension.

Niall looks at the ground as he thinks, rubbing his temple. "Fine. Yeah. You're right."

"Exactly." Louis opens his arms and Niall relaxes into them, a well-earned hug for them both. "Are we good now?"

"No. Fuck you." Niall doesn't sound half as harsh as he ought to. "You left me."

"And now you found me with not one but two boyfriends. You're welcome." Louis cheekily pats Niall's back twice before withdrawing.

"Shut up." Niall grumbles as he pulls away, but the extra pink tint in undeniable.

"Why don't you stay for the rest of the weekend?" Louis proposes. "We were planning on going back tomorrow- well, today."

"I'll have to." His friend shrugs and yawns. "The next flight is today in a couple hours."

"You flew here?" Louis briefly glances over Niall's shoulder at the awkward non-interaction between officer and criminal. "All three of you?"

"Yeah, Lou. I was worried. Liam also um- found out something he wants to tell you." Niall sniffs and Louis nods solemnly, easily catching the drift of what he meant.