Look away (BxB) [COMPLETE]

Twenty-two: Dating

Louis Carter folded the shirts and put them on the shelves in the store. He sorted them largest to smallest sizes and placed them on the shelves accordingly. The department store didn't close until 8 pm and then the staff had to clean and lock up. Sometimes his boss would let him leave earlier but other times he'd have to stay late. The thick, warm air inside the store was suffocating and truly horrible.

"Hey! Carter!" His coworker called. Her voice caught Louis right as he was putting another shirt on the shelf and he shrieked when he heard her. The startled shriek caused him to drop the shirt and he wiggles down to his knees to pick it back up. They were achy.

"Yes?" He stuttered as Theresa came around the corner. Her black hair was in a tight yet fluffy bun on her head.

"It's 6:30..." She mumbled. When Louis didn't answer and remained on the floor by the shirt he dropped she rolled her eyes. "It's time for your break..." she muttered.

Louis gave her a thankful nod and carefully stood up. His beaten body wiggled slightly when he walked, making him whimper as his head ached. A faint nausea grew within him as he put a hand on his bloated stomach. Bran had really managed to stuff him full.

The break room was small considering how large the department store was. With one small kitchen, two couches and a dining table, the break room looked like something out of a half-assed nightmare. No matter how many times Louis entered the room, he always felt dazed and disoriented in it. It was no bigger than an eighth of a basketball field. But then again Louis had never actually seen a basketball field, he was just going off of what he'd seen in pictures and movies.

Louis wandered over to his locker and got his bag out. The heavy feeling of the strap on his shoulder ached slightly as it cut into the skin where he knew that he had been bruised by Kyle. He down by the dining table and pulled his laptop out in front of him. He only had a fifteen-minute break but that was plenty of time for him to finish his English assignment. Louis was a fast worker, after all. The words easily slipped from his brain to his fingers as he let them dance over the laptop's keys, typing sentence after sentence like a machine running on autopilot. Homework and essays were never hard for Louis. His mind worked fast and effectively. To most people, extra work outside of school would be a pain. But to Louis, it was a way of escape. As soon as Louis had something to work on he could let everything else slip away. Just like a bee, he focused on the task and refused to get distracted. "Go all in or go home." One of the quotes Louis could truly relate to.

...
Brannon nervously rolled his thumbs. Faki had given every member of the staff the evening off and the house was uncomfortably quiet. Quiet enough for Brannon to hear his own heartbeat as he pressed his ear against his pillow. The pounding sound wouldn't go away no matter how hard he tried to block the noise which just annoyed him further as he tried to rest. Football practice had been cancelled that day so Bran has absolutely nothing to do. He was so close to the weekend, so close to having his boy stay by his side. The only thing he needed was for the next day to come. Tomorrow was Friday, football practice after school, then Louis for the weekend.

His phone buzzed on his nightstand. Brannon groaned. He did not want to talk to anyone. But as the thought of Louis entered his mind he slowly and hesitantly reached for his phone. If Louis was calling, he didn't mind, but if someone else did, he promised himself that he wouldn't answer. With a nervous sigh, Bran flipped his phone over to see Eddie's name on the screen. Disappointment. Debating whether or not to pick up or leave it, Bran held his phone tightly as the buzzing continued. So annoying... he thought to himself as he finally pressed the phone against his ear and answered.

"What do you want?" He growled.

"Gee... someone's in a bad mood..." Eddie mumbled. Bran stayed silent, waiting for Eddie to explain himself for his late-night call since he knew that Brannon hated to be bothered after eight o'clock. Not because he went to bed, but because he was always grumpy and isolated himself after every school day. Too many social interactions.