Young & Beautiful

Louis blinks, Niall’s piano playing thickening his skull in his haze.
“Wait, what? Missing?”
“Mmhm.”
“What do you mean ‘missing?’ Like, he’s gone out or…?”
“No, he’s run off somewhere. He does this all the time, though.”
“Run off?”
“Yeah. You know. He’s usually only gone for a couple of days.”
Louis’ jaw quite literally drops. “Days?? I thought you meant for, like, an hour!”
“It’s fine. He’ll turn up,” Zayn says dismissively, squinting his eyes as he dabs white paint onto
the corner of the canvas.
What the actual fuck?
“And if he doesn’t?” Louis inquires, shrill, and even Niall looks up from the piano at this point.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, not breaking his stride, eyebrows just knitting together above his glossy
reddened eyes.
“Nothing,” Louis mumbles, flushing slightly. And Louis never flushes. “I just—“
“You’re worried about him, are you?” Zayn asks, and he straightens as he stares at Louis with the
barest hint of a smile.
“I’ve no reason to worry nor care about his well being, Zayn. I just find it odd that you don’t.
Aren’t you supposed to be his best mates? Can’t you at least try to call him?”
Liam merely shrugs. “He turns off his phone. That is, if he brings it at all.”
Oh wow.
Louis just stares.
“He’s done this as long as I’ve known him,” Liam continues. “He’ll be fine, Lou.” He ends the
sentence with a polite smile, and gets up from his chair before striding over to Louis and taking the
seat beside him. With polished teeth he tilts his head as he admires him, sliding his hands around
his arm. “Now. What should we do today?”
And Louis is sufficiently uncomfortable enough by the topic at hand that he allows the blatant
subject change, and lays his prickling curiosity, and maybe concern, to rest.
“I should study,” he mumbles, and the sound of several piano keys being smashed suddenly mars
the peace of the room.
Three heads turn to Niall who now has his head in his hands in what is quite possibly the most
dramatic pose on earth.
“Tell me we are not going to do homework today,” he warns gruffly, palms pressed into his eyes.
Liam turns to Louis for an answer.