Young & Beautiful

ight?—“so I think I’ll just stay back after all.”
With a shrug, Niall made some parting pleasantries before dismissing himself anyway. Which is
one good thing about the lad—he has a strong mind and he does what he wants, accompanied by
others or not. (But that’s the only good thing.)
Louis was so grateful for the unexpected peace that he almost actually kissed the floors. All right.
He might have actually done it, shame be gone.
But, as the time passed, instead of soaking up the much-needed Louis Time as was planned…he
found himself to be bored. Very bored.
It was with horror that Louis began suspecting that, within the few short hours he had known
Niall Horan, he had almost begun to enjoy the lad’s conversation. He was, after all, a people
person, Irish socialites or not.
But this socialite was an over-indulged child with a penchant for cigars, golf, beer and whiskey,
and guitar. Oh, and piano. Let’s not forget that piano. And it was that damn piano that so intrigued
Louis. That led him to sit down almost cautiously on the bench in the still apartment and pluck the
keys with a tentative curiosity that is normally quite foreign to Louis Tomlinson.
It was when Louis was just beginning to feel comfortable with that intimidating ebony beast that
Niall happened to return.
“You’re playing!” he announced happily upon entry, toeing off his shoes and clomping toward
Louis, who shot out off the bench like a spring.
“I’m not. I fell onto it. Obviously.” Louis scowled for good measure.
But Niall brushed the sentence aside, taking a seat at the bench, cologne and sweat invading
Louis’ firm bubble of personal space. “Sit down. I’ll teach you.”
Instinctively, Louis wanted to protest. But as he once again heard the flicker of colored notes fill
the space of their elaborately overcompensating flat, Louis took his seat beside Niall, and reasoned
that he could always deny this incident later.
And that was how Niall gave Louis his first piano lesson. Sort of.
After a lot of repetition, gibberish, and flustered mistakes, Louis huffed with a, “This is so much
harder than it looks,” and pushed himself away from the keys, crossing his arms in stubborn
protest.
“Not really,” Niall replied with all the ease of one who’s been trained since birth.
Louis glared. “Well of course you’d say that! You’ve been playing since you were a fetus.”
“I’m fairly certain there was no piano in my mother’s womb.”
“Oh? You didn’t have one delivered?”
Niall burst into laughter.
And since that very first day of getting-to-know-you’s and sensory overloads, it’s been a
continuous trial of Louis’ patience vs. Niall’s vivacity.
And two straight days of Niall Horan’s voice.