London Rains

Damn the rain.

Jenny had never been a huge fan of the rains. They ruined your weekend plans, got your favourite dress dirty and put you in a dejected mood. Sometimes, especially in her case, they even got you locked up in your house with your most annoying colleague.

Jenny hated the rains mostly for the last reason.

“Put a bit more salt in there. It’ll add a nice flavour to it,” Louis commented from his spot beside her, like he’d been doing for the last fifteen minutes. For goodness’ sake, she was perfectly able to cook some nice pasta for two.

“I don’t think so. Two teaspoons are enough,” She replied, trying not to sound irritated. But she was kind of glad she failed.

“Not so rough, Jen dearest,” One couldn’t be sure whether he was referring to her tone or her way of stirring. Unfortunately, she was well aware of his subtle ways of taunting her and ‘Jen dearest’ seemed to be his favourite. “We don’t want the pasta pieces to break and get ruined.”

“What’s ruining the pasta is your unwanted advice,” She muttered.

“Sorry?”

“Nothing,” She gave him a nonchalant shrug before turning away from the stove to grab some strawberries. She completely missed the sly smirk that crossed his features behind her back.

“Don’t tell me you’re putting strawberries in the pasta,” He said incredulously.

She bit her lip as something inside her went snap! She didn’t know whether it was because she had had one comment too much or this man in her kitchen didn’t like strawberries in his pasta. Who doesn’t like strawberries in their pasta?

She fixed him with a scrutinising gaze. His eyes held a challenge, he wanted to test how long she could bear him.

She fetched another saucepan and ungracefully emptied half of the semi-cooked pasta in it. She placed it on the adjacent stove, the metals clashing complainingly.

She forced out a breath. “How’s that?”

“Impressive,” He smirked and turned his body towards his pasta, immediately adding extra salt and butter in it.

She threw in the rest of ingredients in her pan, while he rummaged through her fridge. She almost regretted giving him a separate pan when he found a small packet of Sour Patch Kids-which was only there because of Emily-and send her a smirk. But it was the price she had to pay for shutting him up and she really needed some peace of mind.

Next time, she promised herself, she won’t forget any official document at home. And if she did, she would beg of old McCarthy to let someone other than Louis William Tomlinson come to pick them up.

She almost thought he was done annoying her for the day as they silently stood side by side, giving final stirs to their meals. Then, Louis’ arm brushed against hers. Her politeness kicked in and she scooted away to give him enough space to work.

But after his elbow bumped into hers a couple more times, she wasn’t sure it was coincidental. Her head snapped up at him and she narrowed her eyes when he looked at her with his eyebrows raised innocently.

“Are you done?” So he was acting naive now. Annoying little git.

She merely nodded and pulled out two plates from a drawer. She placed one in front of him and served herself in the other one. She took her plate and a glass of water to the little table and sat down. Louis joined her as she got herself a fork and spoon.

They started eating in silence and she was grateful. From her seat, she had a view from the kitchen window. Not that the rain was letting her see beyond her own little garden, but at least she had a more interesting sight than her companion’s face.

With the distracting pitter-patter of the rain, her mind easily drifted away.

Her parents must have reached California about an hour ago. She needed to take a few minutes to make a call. Rachel still hadn’t called her, and Jenny was beginning to think she wouldn’t. Distance was killing it for her again. And oh, it was the 16th. Officially a month since she had last talked to Nick. Or he had talked to her. Whatever.

He didn’t seem to care, so why should she? She hadn’t been the only one in the relationship, but that’s what it had been like for the last few weeks of their time together. Still, she tried not to put all the blame on him like he did to her. They both had been busy, but the difference was she was busy with her job and he...well, he found Ariana.

Someone cleared their throat in the distance. She wondered about the hearing range of human ears.

Someone said her name from somewhere far away. She felt like Austin was calling her home, to Cali.

“Jeanette, can you hear me?” Louis practically shouted in her ear and that seemed to do the trick.

“Huh?” She looked at him, as clueless as if she’d been out for days.

“Where’d you go?” He asked.

“No...nowhere,” She took a big spoonful of her pasta. “What were you saying?”

“I wasn’t.”

“Oh,” Even better.

“You were thinking about something,” He stated it, so she couldn’t avoid the topic.

“Great minds do,” She collected the cheese with her spoon and licked it off.

“How about we keep that sass at bay and have a decent, meaningful conversation?” His offer almost took her by surprise.

“I highly doubt the presence of such ability in you,” It was too good a reply to skip.

“Is that a no?” He raised an eyebrow in challenge, like he was mentally preparing for a battle of sassiness.

“No, it’s not,” She sighed. If he was trying to be nice, she should at least give him a chance. “What do you wanna talk about?”

“What were thinking about?” He sounded sincerely interested. Why though? She had no idea.

“Please, I don’t wanna talk about it,” She shook her head, twirling her spoon.

“But why?” He pushed, not knowing he wouldn’t be getting anywhere.

“For God’s sake, Tomlinson, stop. It’s none of your business, okay?” She spat out and it made him frown.

He sat back in his chair, though his eyes remained intense. “Do you know the entire office knows about your breakup?”

Of course she did, she wasn’t dumb. The day after the incident, her female co-workers had shot her enough pitiful looks to last a lifetime. As if it had been someone’s demise instead of a breakup. There were also a handful of concerned (read over-flirtatious) male colleagues asking her out for lunch so she could ‘let it out.’ By the time the lunch was over, she was so worked up she had almost spat out a rude denial to McCarthy when he dropped by to get a file.

And all she had to do to get this treatment was to spat the news at Rhea in the heat of the moment. If there was something in the world like an award for the most gossip-philic people, her office would win it every year.

“I know. So?” She crossed her arms with an attitude.

“So talk about it! Get it out of your system. Being gloomy and crying yourself to sleep isn’t gonna help, y’know.”

Jenny didn’t cry herself to sleep. She hadn’t even cried that night. She didn’t feel any major heartbreak after her split with Nick, and she surely didn’t feel even a hint of pain a month on.

“What...Who told you I’ve been crying?” She frowned deeply. A part of her also wondered why he would bring it up now, when the topic was loosing its interest among their colleagues.

“Doesn’t matter-” He started, but she cut him.

“I don’t cry myself to sleep, Louis. Whatever bullshit you’ve been listening to in the office, it ain’t true,” She clarified.

He was silent for a moment, watching her skeptically. He decided he didn’t believe her, “You’ve got bags under your eyes.”

She pressed the base of her palms to her eyes. She didn’t get those bags because she had been crying herself to sleep. She got them because she hardly ever seemed to get a good night’s sleep. She also suspected she was going to need a pair of glasses soon.

“It’s not because-” She realised how muffled her voice sounded, so she brought her hands down to her lap. “It’s not that. The breakup is past, I only think so much about it now.”

He scoffed, maintaining eye contact. She rolled her eyes and got up to put the dishes away.

“I hope you’re not lying to yourself, Jen dearest,” Louis spoke from behind her as she washed her hands. She quickly moved aside and he washed his own.

“I’m over it, and the office needs to be too,” She said sternly, closing the topic.


Louis headed out to her living room, mumbling something about a show he needed to catch on. Jenny hung back and took the opportunity to call her mum.

“Hey sweetie,” Her mum’s voice brought a smile to her face that didn’t falter once during their fifteen minute long conversation.

Their flight to Cali had been smooth. Little Emily was overjoyed to have her grandparents back. She could clearly picture her mother in the kitchen with Cara, her father and Austin watching soccer on the TV, while Emily played on the carpet in front of them. She missed them all. It was a pity she was given this big project now.

The call ended and her heavy sigh was drowned out in a thunder. She looked around her kitchen vacantly before noises from the living room reminded her she had a guest. She decided she’d better go and see what that little peasant was up to.

The TV played some show loudly and Louis slouched smugly on the couch. But what ticked her off were his feet that were propped up on her table. The nerve!

She stormed over to him and slapped his shin. “Off!”

“Ow!” His legs retreated a little, but that was it. “What?”

“Get your dirty feet off my table. Now!” She said in her most intimidating voice. But it was Louis Stubborn Tomlinson she was dealing with.

“But why? I’m sure you do it all the time,” He countered and she couldn’t reply at once because he was right.

“Well, that’s my table! I can do whatever I want. You are not allowed to do that!” She shoved his leg with her knee. Louis gave her a dirty look but obliged.

“You’re not being fair,” He grumbled as he sat up more decently.

“Whatever,” She cared more about her table than being fair to him. The show caught her attention. “Sesame Street, really?”

“Sesame Street, really. Now if you’re done bothering me,” He gestured for her to move aside so he could watch.

“I ain’t going anywhere and we aren’t watching this,” She plopped down beside him and tried to snatch the remote out of his hand. But he was quicker. He held the remote out of her reach.

“If you’re making me sit like this, I’m making you watch this,” He stretched his hand farther away when she tried again.

“Yeah? Try me,” She stood up to reach the remote, but he got up too and backed away.

“Don’t mess with me, Jenny,” He held the remote behind his back and stared circling the couch. It was silly, this little tussle for the remote, but neither of them was in the right state of mind to consider it.

“You’re messing with me, Tomlinson. Just give the damn remote,” She held out her hand as if he would give in so easily.

“How about a no?” He looked like he was enjoying it all and it pissed her off further. By now, they had circled the couch once and were standing at their starting positions.

“Christ, Louis!” She tried to reach behind him. Louis immediately stepped back, but his leg hit the edge of the couch and he lost his balance. He reached out to grab something with his free hand and his fingers wrapped around her upper arm. Their eyes widened as gravity took over.

In an epic moment, they fell. Her brain registered pain on her mouth. Then she realised why: her lips had crashed straight onto Louis’.

But his lips started to move slowly against hers and the pain subsided. Her mind went blank for a few seconds before she subconsciously responded to him by mimicking his actions.

Louis Tomlinson was kissing her. And she was kissing him back, as if she’d meant to do it all along.

A few beats later, he grew more eager. She faintly heard a thud of something falling on the floor and then felt one of his hands gently gripping the back of her neck, his fingers tangling with her hair.

Louis wrapped an arm around her waist, helping her to place her legs on either side of him. He straightened a bit himself, trying not to break the kiss.

When her senses came back to her, she found her hands on his chest. She let one of them travel up to his neck, feeling the soft fabric of his shirt beneath her palm. Her fingers touched his silky brown hair and she couldn’t help but want to feel more of it.

As he kissed her, and as she laid on him, she noticed a lot of things simultaneously.

One, she’d missed being kissed. Or any affectionate touches for that matter. At one point, she had been afraid she might altogether forget what it felt like to be held.

Two, he was fit. Like really fit. She could feel the taut muscles of his arm around her waist and his sculpted torso underneath her own. It might or might not have made her a bit jealous.

And, he was an amazing kisser. Even the over-the-top praises she had to hear about him in the office didn’t do his skill justice. The kiss had intensified quickly. He had his tongue in her mouth, dancing with her own.

Louis pulled back, out of breath. His movement made her open her eyes and she found his already fixed on her. She had never realised his blue eyes were dashed with green, they were incredibly beautiful up close. The intimacy of their positions and the heat of his gaze brought a swarm of butterflies in her stomach.

Jenny also had a chance to notice how they were sprawled. She was sort of sitting on his lap, but her legs bore most of her weight. Hers wasn’t the most comfortable position for a kiss that good, but Louis had it worse. He was pushed into the corner of the couch at a weird angle, his neck and spine must be straining.

He decided to change that. He lifted her up slightly and shifted under her so he was properly lying down with the low armrest supporting his head. She adjusted herself to his new position, placing her elbows near his shoulders to keep her up.

Louis put her hair behind her ear and got a tender hold of her neck, pulling her back to him. She didn’t resist a bit. Her lips crashed onto his once again, but she made sure it was gentle enough so it hurt neither of them.

They kissed like nobody’s business. She couldn’t understand why he was kissing her like this. He had never shown any signs of being interested in her, except maybe for teasing purposes. Then again, why was she kissing him like this? She was certain he was her least favourite person in the world.

She refused to believe she was so desperate that she’d jump at the first chance she got. She had herself under control and she was proud of that. Maybe the reason was him. The reason he’d been kissing was too tempting.

Louis had more accessibility now and he seemed determined to use it to the fullest. His hand was travelling up and down her side at speeds that synchronised with his kisses. His fingers gently massaged her scalp, increasing her level of comfort substantially.

His lips left a trail of kisses across her jaw, and down her neck. She didn’t know how he managed it, being under her, but he did it well. His patterns of kissing, sucking and licking her skin earned him a well-deserved moan from her.

Though she was loving them down on her neck-and she hated to admit that-she felt the need to have those lips against hers. So, she tugged at his hair, tilting his head up slightly and took what she wanted.

His hand glided down her back, coming to rest at her hip. He squeezed, lightly at first, then slightly harder. He had found her secret turn-on and it immediately made her smile into his kiss. Sensing the same, he gave another playful squeeze and she had to let out the small giggle that erupted in her throat.

They were easily out for minutes, though neither of them realised it. Jenny didn’t-couldn’t-think about anything else. The witty mockery from all of their past banters didn’t cross her mind, nor did the fact that she’ll have to face him again in the near future. He had her stuck in the erotic present with him.

Suddenly, Louis thrust his bulge at just the right place and she gasped. He captured her lips again, greed evident in his actions. As much as she loved how uncomfortable a seat his lap had grown, she was rational. It was getting out of her hand and she didn’t like it one bit.

She gave him one last sweet kiss and pulled back. She looked down at his confused face from an arm’s distance.

“Jen,” He whispered pleadingly, his gaze shifting down to her red, swollen lips.

“Louis, no,” She shook her head, slowly climbing off him. He sighed and sat up too.

So now they were both sitting with a few feet between them.Their breaths were coming heavily, and his bulge was still prominent, not helping them to move on from what just happened.

Jenny was stiff as a board, rubbing her palms on her thighs. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Louis bend down and pick up the remote from the floor. He fumbled with it for some time before using it to flip through the channels. He stopped at some random channel.

By the looks of it, they were watching a movie now. An idea struck her.

“I...I’ll get some popcorns,” She mumbled and he nodded. She fled.

In the kitchen, she grabbed the edge of the platform and hung her head, shaking it again and again. Part of her chanted, forget it, it was a mistake. But her other part couldn’t feel anything other than the ghost of his lips on hers, on her neck, and of his hands on her hip and in her hair.

She straightened, inhaling and exhaling deeply. She needed something to occupy her, to distract her. She found a packet of popcorns and placed it in the microwave. Crossing her arms, she watched as the packet puffed up.

In a moment of weakness, she replayed everything in her mind. Her breathing hitched and she gulped. It might have been a mistake, but it was good. It was too good and so was Louis Tomlinson.

The oven beeped and she was almost startled. Gulping again, she took out the packet, opened and emptied it in a bowl. She took a few moments just standing there with the bowl in hand, collecting her nerves.

She walked back to the couch, sat down and placed the bowl between them. They were both silent. Their hands didn’t even brush as they picked up popcorns, like they were taking special care not to. Jenny preferred it this way.

The bowl was empty in no time. She picked it up and placed it on the table. After all, couches weren’t safe for glass bowls.

As soon as she did that, Louis bolded shifted near her and propped his legs on the table again. She raised an eyebrow at him and his eyes flicked to her. Leaning forward slightly, he snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her to his side.

Maybe she was loosing it. Maybe it was the much welcomed warmth of his body. Or maybe it was because of the feeling of his hand on her again that she decided to go with the moment. Tucking her legs under her, she let her head fall back on his shoulder and placed her hand on his chest, her fingertips roaming on his shirt. She realised she didn’t have a problem with any of this.

She wasn’t really watching the movie. She was thinking about all the times the women in her office gushed about the man beside her. She felt a sense of superiority over them, because what they daydreamed about, she had experienced. They blushed when he addressed them. They swooned when he passed by. But from now on, she couldn’t blame them for being pathetic, because now she might be swooning along with them.

“Jen?” He said in a low voice, like he was about to tell her a secret. When she looked up at him, he was watching her and smiling lightly. He leaned in and kissed her lips sweetly.

She kissed him back instantly, though she was afraid it might get heated again. But he pulled back soon.

“Thanks,” He whispered.

“What...What for?” She was sure it wasn’t for letting him kiss her.

“For not throwing me out in the storm and...everything else. That was the best evening I’ve had in a while.”

She felt herself smirk. “Oh.”

“Louis?” After a moment, it was her turn to call him. He turned his head to look at her and she pecked his lips. They couldn’t seem to be getting enough of it. “You’re welcome.”

He smiled wider that she’d ever seen him smile and turned back to the movie neither of them was interested in.

Jenny’s eyes flicked to the big windows behind him. She smiled, grateful, at the horrendous downpour.

Notes

This is my absolute favourite because, well, its Louis! What about you? What do you think happens next?