You saved me from myself

Chapter Eleven

"You didn't tell Marcel?" Louis groaned. "He's going to murder me when he finds out."

"If he finds out," Harry pointed out.

Louis gave him an 'are you serious?' type of look. "Of course he'll find out. It's Marcel."

"Well—Fine." Harry said, putting a hand lightly on Louis' shoulder, stopping him. "But it sure as hell was worth it, wasn't it?"

Louis looked at where they were. They had stopped on the trail around the park, just by a frozen pond, the last rays of sun bouncing of it, making it glow. There were tracks in the ice, as if someone had ice skated across it earlier that day. The branches of the surrounding trees were hanging heavy with fresh snow, making the scene look lie it was taken straight out of a Christmas card.

Louis put his glove covered hand over Harry's on his shoulder. "It's... Really pretty."

"Worth Marcel's potential rage?" Harry teased.

Louis snorted. "Yeah."

...

Niall wrung his hands nervously as he stood outside the café. A million doubts had been spinning in his head since he had left the rehab to go home and make himself presentable. What if Liam stood him up? Or worse, only saw this as a friend-date? But did you invite new friends on a one-on-one coffee? Maybe you did, should he start asking his friends—

"Hey, Niall."

Niall's head snapped up from where it had been leaned towards the pavement at the snow. There stood Liam, in all his handsome glory.

"I'm so sorry I'm a bit late, we had a little bit of an emergency at the home just before I was about to leave."

"Oh no, everything's ok?" Niall asked as Liam pushed the door to the café open for him, letting the warm cinnamon roll-scent engulf them.

"It will be, and it's not Louis. Don't worry." Liam smiled kindly. "What are you feeling like? Me myself is thinking the pecan pie. They make it to die for here. Or if that's not your jam, the caramel fudge cake is good, too."

Niall smiled up at him, standing a little closer than strictly necessary in the small coffee shop. "I'll have what you're having." He said.

When they had gotten their orders, an extra-large caramel fudge cake to share and two lattes, they sat down in two armchairs by the window with a small round table between them.

"So, who is Niall, exactly?" Liam asked after a moments silence.

"Who am I?" Niall leaned back in his chair with his steaming cup between his hands. "That's a hard question."

Liam shrugged. "Not really. What's something that represent you?"

"I don't know, really. I have the trivial facts, like I have a mother and a brother. And Louis, who is almost like a brother."

"What happened to your father?" Liam asked carefully.

"Died, three years ago." Niall said.

"Oh, I apologize."

"No don't," Niall waved his hand in dismissal. "He was getting old, it was cancer that took him out. But he lived a long and happy life, he wasn't sad to go. Just sad to leave us behind, but not to go."

"That's... Very beautiful." Liam said quietly.

Niall nodded, taking a sip of his drink.

"What else is there to know about Niall, then?" Liam asked. "Any hobbies, hidden talents?"

"I can hold my breath for almost ten minutes."

Liam almost choked on his drink. "What? In one go?"

Niall nodded again.

"That's insane." Liam laughed. "How did you even learn that?"

"I was often put in the corner as a kid for misbehaving, and I used to make the time go faster by practicing while I counted the seconds on my fingers." Niall laughed, too. "I felt that if I would be stuck there for the next thirty minutes or whatever, I might as well do something useful."

"Smart kid," Liam nodded.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment, eating of the cake while snow covered the pavement outside.

"How long have you known Louis?" Liam asked.

"Oh, about two years now." Niall said, putting down his fork. "We used to work the same restaurant."

"Really? Do you still work there or...?"

"No, I quit shortly after Louis, uh—Lost the job." Niall explained.

"Why—"
"They found out about his... Issue," Niall said. "And they felt as if he was a liability, so they fired him. Not on fair grounds if you ask me, but hey."

"I see," Liam nodded. "So what are you doing now?"

"I'm a uni freshman at the moment, studying criminal justice."

"That's cool, like FBI type stuff?"

Niall laughed. "Not quite, but sure."

Then it hit Liam like a ton of bricks.

"Wait—Did you say you're a freshman?"

"Yeah, why?"

"How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?" Liam was not sure he wanted to know.

"I'm nineteen." Niall was studying him carefully for his reaction.

Some colour seemed to seep from Liam's features.

"Niall, I'm twenty-eight."

"So?"

"What do you mean 'so'? I'm almost a decade older than you."

"I kinda find that a little hot, if I'm being completely honest." Niall tried in vain to hide his smile behind his mug.

"Really?"

"I don't mind if you don't." Niall gave him an inquiring look.

"I... Don't." He said finally.

"Good," Niall smiled satisfactorily, taking another bite of cake.

Liam looked at him with a look of mingled fond and amusement.

"What?"

"Nothing you just—" He stood up and leaned across the table with a napkin in his hand. "cream, on your cheek." He explained as he wiped it away.

Niall cursed himself for thinking that he wished Liam had removed the cream with his lips instead.

...

The afternoon had been very pleasant, Louis thought as they headed back through the snow towards the home. He had opened up to Harry about his backstory, and how he had landed himself here. Harry had been a good listener, saying all the right things and doing everything just right. He had even kissed him on the cheek. Louis felt as if he was a thirteen-year-old stereotypical schoolgirl with a crush, all giddy and excited.

When they opened the door to re-enter the warm and toasty home however, he felt all but excited.

"Nice walk?"

Marcel stood leaned against the wall opposite, looking very unimpressed.

"I—" Louis tried.

"No talking, my office if you please." And he turned and walked away.

Shit.