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Louis lights up his cigarette and leans against the tree. He can feel the rough bark against his back and the sweat finally dry on his skin. It was still incredibly hot even though the sun had set a few hours ago already.
The band was on vacation; a couple of free days before continuing with their shows. Louis doesn’t know exactly where they are at the moment to be honest, but he knows it’s somewhere in the south of Italy. They had rented out a beautiful lake house for three days for just the five of them and it had been a blast so far. The weather was fantastic; it was warm enough to lie out in the sun and jump into the water but not ridiculously hot. It had been relaxing and fun and Louis is dreading this is their last night.
The other boys are somewhere inside the house. Harry and Niall had gone to bed early and after watching a late night movie, Zayn and Liam had gone up to their bedrooms as well. For about an hour Louis tried to fall asleep but he couldn’t. He was too excited, to happy to shut everything out yet; so he slipped out of his bed, tiptoed downstairs and walked down the little path from their patio all the way to the lakefront, where he finally came to a rest.
He’s in nothing but shorts and a very loose shirt with its sleeves rolled up. The cool air helps him relax; it was too warm in his bed to comfortably doze off. The light breeze is messing with his hair so he constantly has to swipe it out of his face, trying not to burn himself with his cigarette.
He’s felt so happy these past few days. Being with his best mates, doing what he loves to do, seeing all the fans – it all made him very happy and giggly.
“It probably doesn’t get much better than this, does it?” he whispers to himself with a soft smile on his lips as he overlooks the lake. There were a few other houses remotely scattered across the hills that surround the lake but other than that it was just beautiful trees and flowers. He takes a few steps forward onto the gravel and sand that make up the lakeside. He isn’t wearing any shoes but he doesn’t mind the faint stings here and there. The water is quiet and beautiful and Louis feels as if he’s in a movie with all the lights reflecting on the surface, especially the moon’s.
He notices Niall’s snorkel still sitting on the ground and can’t help but laugh; Niall had almost drowned a few hours earlier, trying to show the others his findings from the bottom of the lake.
“You’re gonna die; I predict it,” Zayn had warned him from his secure spot on a sunbed. “And I won’t be getting anywhere near you in that water, yeah?” But Niall hadn’t drowned and Zayn had earned a beautiful seashell in return; for not wanting to save him that is.
Louis picks up the snorkel and tosses it up the pathway, hoping he’d remember to bring it back up with him in a few. That’s when he sees the light from one of the windows of the house. He frowns a bit; who was already up again? It was definitely some time around 3 in the morning so they should all be asleep.
Then Louis notices a dark figure step out on the balcony facing the water. He can’t tell who it is as he's only seeing the black silhouette against the background light from inside. Intuitively he takes one step back towards the trees again, trying to hide in the shadows. He isn’t feeling like company right now. After a minute or two he dares to walk back towards the water. The lights are turned off again and probably nobody had seen him, it was way too dark down here. Louis takes one last drag from his cigarette before he flicks it away and steps on it. No need to start a bushfire.
“Lou?” a soft whisper suddenly reaches his ear. Louis wishes he still had Niall’s snorkel so he could turn around and throw it at Harry’s face. But he doesn’t and as it turnes out, it isn’t Harry standing there.
“Liam?” Louis wonders in confusion, staring at his friend up on the path. Liam slowly walk down the remaining distance until he’s next to Louis. Once he’s stepped out of the shadows, Louis can see his sleepy face and feels the urge to smile from ear to ear. “Why are you up?”
“It’s so hot, I couldn’t sleep,” Liam murmurs and turns to watch the lake. “What about you?”
“Same,” Louis shrugs. Liam’s eyes are all small and tired and he looks like a little boy; clad in his Batman shirt and some loose boxers. “Go back to bed. I’m sorry if I woke you.”
Liam shakes his head. “It’s fine. I just wanted some fresh air when I saw your cigarette light up. You mind?”
Louis has minded up until now. Something about Liam’s soothing presence feels good and calming and not at all like an interruption of his quiet night. “As long as you shut up.” He sends a grin Liam’s way, but the boy is busy watching the water wash up in front of him.
For a minute there’s silence and they’re both just soaking in the beautiful scenery and quietness of the night. Then Louis wonders if Liam took him seriously again about keeping his mouth shut. You’d think that after all their time together Liam would get Louis’ jokes but sometimes he still doesn’t and then Louis feels like a twat.
Liam’s kneeled down by the lake, picking up stones and letting the water flow over his hands. Louis walks over to him and goes down on his knees too, so they’re both on the same level. He takes his hand and ruffles through Liam’s hair. “That was a joke. You can talk.”
Liam turns to him and smiles softly. “Just wanted to enjoy the night.” His eyes have a certain sparkle that Louis hasn’t noticed before now but all of a sudden he feels his stomach turn upside down. He doesn’t remove his hand from Liam’s hair and Liam doesn’t look away. Louis doesn’t know if it’s the water, the warm summer air or the wine he’d had for dinner but all of a sudden he finds himself pulling Liam in a little closer. He feels a strange connection build up; something more than they already have.
Before he can think more of it, Liam leans forward and presses his lips on his. He just lingers there and Louis embraces it with every fiber of his body. He holds Liam close to him in his arm, not ready to ever end their kiss. His eyes are closed and all of a sudden the air is full of Liam’s scent and warmth.
When they finally pull apart to catch a breath, Louis makes sure their foreheads still touch. He wants to start explaining, find a reason for his sudden action but he can't. Liam just sends him a shy smile and nuzzles his face into the crook of Louis' neck, which pushes him backwards so that they both end up lying on the ground; Liam with his head on Louis’ chest.
“Beautiful night, isn’t it?” Liam whispers and reaches for Louis fingers. He tangles them and pulls Louis’ arm across his own chest. Louis lets him and instead of replying he goes in for another kiss. This time he’s the one enforcing it and he’s less passive than the first time, where he just let it happen. He chews on Liam’s lips and embraces his tongue when he pushes it through Louis’ lips.
“Want to take a swim?” he says when they’re both sitting up.
Liam looks genuinely confused. “Right now?”
Louis puts on a big grin and nods frantically. “Come on, it’ll be fun!” He tugs on Liam’s shirt until Liam gives in and lets him take it off. In return, Liam unbuttons Louis’ shirt while he’s being covered in kisses. Louis twitches his nipple and the next moment he pulls down both of their pants. It takes Liam a second to get over the initial shock but then Louis grabs his hand and drags him into the water with him.
It’s not exactly warm and a rather unpleasant feeling but Louis reckons it’s too late to pull back now, so he fully dives in. They swim out a bit until their feet can't reach the ground anymore and begin dunking each other under water. Louis manages to hold Liam steady for a few seconds but then a hand wraps around his neck and he gets pulled under himself. He manages to draw in a quick breath and then the cold water surrounds his head and blocks out everything else. He squeezes his eyes shut but out of nowhere he feels Liam’s hands in his.
It’s weird being under water and his first impulse is to get back to the surface again but Liam all of a sudden wraps his arms around his body and then Louis feels a hand on the back of his head. He reaches forward and finds Liam’s face, where he gently lays his hand on his cheek. A moment later they’re kissing under water. Even if it wasn't under water, Louis would still consider it as breath-taking. He can't see and his sense are going crazy right now with all the water around him but it's the most intense, good feeling in the world. Kissing Liam Payne.
Before they run out of air, they push themselves off the ground and plunge towards the surface. For a second it’s loud again – the splashing, the heavy breathing; but once they’ve both calmed down and are paddling in the water again it’s quiet around them.
Louis tries to figure out what any of this means and Liam just smiles at him like a happy, little boy.
“Are we going to keep kissing?” Liam suddenly says, with a comparatively serious face. He pushes the water around him, trying to keep his head above the surface and swims closer to Louis.
“Tonight?” Louis asks and feels a glimmer of hope pop up somewhere inside him. He’d love to keep kissing Liam tonight but what if they kept kissing tomorrow? And the day after that? And the day after that?
“Of course tonight,” Liam says. “But I was thinking more like… Keep kissing for a long time. If you want.” He looks a bit shy and just as surprised by all of this as Louis.
Louis reaches for Liam’s hands and pulls him in. It’s hard not to drown while doing so but he wants to support Liam and drapes Liam’s arms around his shoulders so that Liam’s hanging off of him.
“Yes,” he whispers into Liam’s mouth. “Yes to tonight. And yes to every day after that.”
Liam smiles so happily that Louis’ heart could burst. Thankfully he manages to find the ground with his feet, so he puts his hands on Liam’s hips and begins kissing him more passionately and blissfully than before. And definitely, full of love.