Just Hold On // L.T. ✓

8

~It's not over 'til it's all been said,

‪It's not over 'til your dying breath~

In Louis' depressed state, he could not deny alcohol. Therefore, he went out with Luke to get some drinks at a dingy New York bar on a Friday night. Luke was wearing black jeans, a black top, just all black, really, and the look was feeding Louis' imagination.

"I'll pay." Luke said, when he noticed the beer in Louis' hand. "Get some shots, loosen up."

Louis smiled, dimples showing, and ordering a shot of tequila. "A bold man."

Louis was oddly quiet, and Luke noticed that, being as bold as to run his own hand through Louis' hair. It was getting quite long. "Don't touch me." Louis said, looking up at the black-haired man with anger in his eyes.

"Calm down. You look cute tonight."

"Don't soothe my ego. I don't trust you."

"You trusted me enough to come get drinks with me." Luke said, giggling and coming closer to Louis. "Did you know that almost no one, outside of you, Simon, Perrie, and Palmer, calls me Luke? To everyone else, I'm just Hot Luke. Do you think I'm hot?"

"This room is pretty steamy." Louis said, tugging at his collar.

Luke groaned in frustration. "Well, you're cute."

"So I've been told by my mum."

"Are you British?" Luke asked, fluffing his own hair. "Because I live in London. Born there, raised there."

"Fun. Are you flirting with me?" Louis finally made direct eye contact with Luke, who blushed and looked at the ground. "Does this mean you want to go out on a date tomorrow night? Movie and ice cream?"

"I'm not gay." Luke said abruptly, looking at Louis with no emotion in his face. "And I don't like you."

"Did you invite me here just to ridicule me then? Because I don't get enough of that from Perrie and Palmer? It's high time that I leave. And you better get my tab." Louis walked away from the bar, the bartender looking at Luke with an annoyed look.

Outside, Louis picked up his phone, calling Lottie, whom he knew would be asleep. "Hello." She replied instead, in an irate tone.

"What are you doing awake?" Louis questioned.

"Not sleeping obviously. Doris and Ernest have colds, and we're at dad's and they're sick. He left to get medicine and me and Fizz are watching Frozen with them until he gets back. Why are you calling? What do you want?"

"Just calling to check in. See how everything is going. How's mum? And don't lie." Louis zipped his jacket up, walking down the street. He figured that he'd just walk back to his apartment.

"Not good." Lottie said, and it got quieter as she walked away. A minute later, he knew where she was. In the front closet, behind the shoe rack and under all of the coats. Her favorite hiding spot at dad's. "And I didn't want to tell you about this, but she needs a stem cell transplant. Do you know what that is?"

"Yes, Lottie."

"I'm going to do that. For mom. We have similar antibodies and stuff. The procedure is on June 1st."

"What? What?" Louis said, stopping his walk. "Lottie, you're a teenager."

"Mom needs this, Louis. I just want you to be there. Because, I need you to be there. So does mom. It's so much harder around here without you." Lottie was crying now, and Louis was on the verge of tears as well.

"I'll try my hardest to be there on time, okay? I'll be there. I will be there."

"I have to go, but I love you." Lottie hung up, and Louis immediately called Simon following that.

"Simon, I can't take the money back to New York after the job. Something has come up with my mother."

"Ask Luke or Perrie to do it then." Simon said. "Of course I want you to get home to your family, but you have to finish the job first."

"Of course, Simon." Louis said, silently, still trying to absorb the information. He thought that with treatment, his mum would get better. But she wasn't.

She could die?

Jay could die?