a week later

louis pov

i'd managed to keep my feelings for imogen a bit under wraps, or at least, i thought i had. the last few weeks had been a blur of moments with her—quick texts, accidental brushes of hands, and then that damn kiss that lingered in my mind way too long. i couldn't deny that i was getting pulled deeper, but i was keeping it steady, wasn't i?

so tonight, when i decided to stop by lottie's to spend some time with my sisters, i didn't expect them to be ready to ambush me.

"look who's finally shown up," lottie called out as i walked through the door, handing me a drink with a smirk. "so, are you gonna pretend you haven't been a lovesick puppy lately?"

i groaned, taking a sip and rolling my eyes. "you're all too fucking nosy, you know that?"

phoebe and daisy laughed from the couch, both of them leaning forward with that same knowing expression.

"oh, come on," phoebe said, practically beaming. "you and imogen—don't think we haven't noticed. honestly, it's kind of cute seeing you like this."

i shrugged, trying to play it off. "it's not... it's not like that, alright?"

"not like that?" daisy raised an eyebrow, folding her arms. "louis, you've practically been floating since you met her."

"don't be ridiculous," i muttered, though even i could hear the unconvincing tone in my voice.

"then why do you keep texting her all the time?" lottie asked, smirking as she leaned against the counter, looking all too pleased with herself.

"it's just friendly conversation," i replied, probably a bit too defensively.

"friendly, right," phoebe said with a laugh, clearly not buying it. before i could react, she'd lunged forward, grabbing my phone right out of my hand.

"phoebe! give it fucking back!" i reached for it, but she darted back, scrolling through my messages with imogen as daisy and lottie leaned over to get a good look too.

"oh, my god, louis," phoebe said, eyes wide as she read one of our texts. "'maybe we should grab drinks soon, love. i owe you one after the other night.'"

"i was being polite!" i shot back, feeling my face heat up.

"polite?" daisy smirked, her eyebrows raised. "you're practically swooning in these texts."

"yeah," lottie said, grinning. "and what about that time you called her the sweetest person you'd ever met? that sounds a bit more than polite."

"alright, alright, enough," i said, managing to snatch the phone back, shoving it into my pocket before any more of my sisters' nosy eyes could pry further.

"oh, come on, big brother," phoebe teased, crossing her arms. "it's okay to admit you're completely smitten."

"i'm not smitten," i grumbled, knowing they'd never let it go. "just... interested, alright?"

they all exchanged looks, and then daisy shook her head, laughing. "i never thought i'd see the day louis tomlinson got all soft over someone."

"she's just different, okay?" i muttered, scratching the back of my neck. i couldn't deny that being around imogen felt... new. refreshing. it was like she didn't expect anything from me, and for once, i didn't feel like i had to put up any walls.

phoebe's grin widened. "different in the way that you keep texting her back immediately?"

"and smile every time she calls?" daisy added, practically glowing with amusement.

"alright, alright," i muttered, holding my hands up in defeat. "i like her, okay? happy now?"

"oh, we're thrilled," lottie said, giving me a playful shove. "finally, someone's come around who can handle your sarcasm and make you smile like an idiot."

phoebe sighed dreamily, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall. "you know, you deserve to have someone who brings out the best in you, louis."

i felt a pang of warmth at that, but i shrugged it off, rolling my eyes to mask how much her words had actually struck me. "yeah, well, don't go getting all sappy about it."

"we'll leave the sappiness to you and imogen," daisy teased, grinning.