louis pov

after a while, the coziness of the sofa and the quiet hum of the telly started to fade into the background. imogen stretched beside me, her head still on my shoulder, and glanced up at me.

"do you want to go out for a bit? get some fresh air?" she asked, her voice soft but laced with curiosity.

"sure," i said, grabbing my jacket. "let me guess, you want coffee."

she giggled, nudging my side. "don't pretend you don't know me, tomlinson."

the walk to the café was quiet at first, but it was that easy kind of quiet—the kind where you didn't need to fill the space with words. she slipped her hand into mine at some point, and i didn't let go.

when we got there, i held the door open for her. the place was small, just a hole in the wall kind of spot, but it was perfect. dim lighting, low chatter, and the smell of freshly baked pastries.

as we stood in line, i couldn't help but notice the guy behind the counter watching her a little too closely. he wasn't subtle about it either—his eyes lingered longer than they should have, and his smile was a bit too wide.

"jesus christ," i muttered under my breath, stepping a little closer to her.

"what's wrong?" she asked, looking up at me with those wide, innocent eyes that made my heart clench.

"nothing," i said quickly, shaking my head. "just thinking about what i'm ordering."

she gave me a skeptical look but didn't press it. instead, she ordered her usual, hot chocolate with extra whipped cream, and we found a seat by the window.

but i couldn't stop thinking about that bloke behind the counter. or the way his eyes had lit up when he saw her.

and then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

i needed to make her mine. properly.

the thought had been simmering in the back of my mind for weeks now, but seeing someone else look at her like that brought it to the forefront.

"you okay?" she asked, tilting her head as she took a sip of her drink.

"yeah," i said, forcing a smile. "just thinking."

"about what?"

you, i wanted to say. but i didn't. not yet.

"about how you're probably going to eat all my chips later," i teased instead.

she laughed, her cheeks turning pink. "you're not wrong."

the realization hit me like a bloody freight train. i hadn't planned for it, hadn't even wanted to admit it to myself, but there it was. clear as day.

i was in deep with imogen.

it wasn't just the way she smiled or how she always had something kind to say, even when i was being a sarcastic prick. it was everything—her sweetness, her patience, her ability to make me feel like i wasn't the moody git i sometimes thought i was.

and now, walking back to mine with her after the day we'd had, i couldn't stop noticing every little thing about her. the way her nose scrunched when she laughed, the way she glanced up at me like i hung the bloody moon.

we were on the sofa again, just like earlier, but i couldn't seem to keep my hands to myself. not in a pushy way, but in a way that felt natural. my hand found hers, my fingers tracing absent patterns on her skin.

"you okay?" she asked softly, looking up at me with those big, gentle eyes.

"yeah," i muttered, my voice quieter than usual. "just... thinkin'."

"about?"

i wanted to say "you, obviously,"again. but i couldn't just say that.

"just about how... you're... special," i said instead, the words slipping out before i could stop them.

her cheeks went pink, and she ducked her head. "you're sweet when you want to be, modern day romeo."

"don't get used to it," i teased, but even as i said it, i tightened my grip on her hand.

the truth was, i couldn't stop staring at her. everything about her was so soft, so genuine, and it made me feel things i wasn't entirely ready to unpack. but that didn't stop me from leaning over and tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

"you're beautiful, you know that?" i said, my voice lower than before.

she blinked, clearly surprised, but her lips curved into the smallest smile. "you're not so bad yourself, tomlinson."

"oh, i know," i shot back, grinning. "but thanks for sayin it."

she rolled her eyes but didn't pull away, and for the rest of the night, i found every excuse to touch her, whether it was brushing her hand with mine, resting my arm on the back of the sofa so it was barely touching her shoulders, or just leaning closer than necessary.

i wasn't usually like this, but with her, it felt easy. natural. like i didn't have to second guess anything.

"you're quiet tonight," she said again, tilting her head.

"am i?"

"yeah."

i shrugged, trying to play it cool, but the truth was, i was too busy noticing her to bother saying much. instead, i leaned in, my forehead almost brushing hers.

"you're somethin else, blue," i said again, my voice softer this time.

she smiled, her eyes sparkling. "you've already said that, multiple times actually."

"yeah, well," i muttered, grinning, "you keep proving it."

and as the night went on, i realized i wasn't just falling for her. i'd already fallen, and there was no going back.

ava speaks!!!!
this books things is acc
gonna be "you're something
else" solely because of the fact
i say it toooo much and all my
books have things xxx