on a typical day, once louis was done filming, there had always been a certain comfort in staying behind in his trailer for a while. partly to wind down after long hours on set, but mostly because he liked spending time with the people he worked with. bonding with co-stars mattered to him, especially when certain scenes demanded trust, or at least some level of closeness. that was how he worked, anyway. lately, though, the second they wrapped for the day, or at least wrapped him, he had become the first person out of the building, keys already in hand as he made the drive back from sussex to london. the reason for that had become painfully simple over the last month. sadie.. and even if he wasn't proud of it, the more he thought about her, the more obvious it became that whatever this was had long since grown past friendship. at first, he'd felt almost ashamed of it. it wasn't like he had offered her a place to stay while she worked in london only to suddenly develop feelings strong enough to potentially ruin the friendship between them. that had never been the intention.. at least.. but it happened anyway. and now he found himself overthinking every little thing because of it. he knew he had to be careful with how he approached it all, because the last thing he wanted was for her to think this had only happened because they were suddenly living in close proximity to each other. though.. maybe, now that he really thought about it, that was part of the reason. and that had to be normal, right?
so after arriving home that late afternoon, kicking off his shoes and tossing his keys onto the console table by the door, louis called the usual "i'm home, dear," into the house. half the time he wasn't even sure if sadie was there, but somehow he always hoped she would be. the two of them ended up spending the evening exactly how they usually did lately; ordering take-out, talking for hours, updating each other on every little thing that had happened throughout the day. or, well.. mostly sadie talking while louis sat there nodding along, completely submitted to the way she lit up whenever she got excited about something. honestly, fuck if it wasn't the most enchanting thing he'd ever listened to, hearing her ramble on about moments of her day that probably didn't even matter all that much to anyone else. it wasn't until she finally said goodnight and disappeared into her room that silence settled over the living room again. louis stayed stretched out on the couch, one arm thrown over the backrest and his feet resting on the coffee table while some random gaming show played in the background. the television filled the room with noise he wasn't actually listening to, because his mind had already wandered somewhere else completely. or rather, to someone else. that bloody redhead had his thoughts in an absolute clusterfuck lately. even something as small as her perfume still lingering faintly in the air was enough to completely throw him off. he knew, realistically, that he probably shouldn't say anything. for the sake of their friendship more than anything else. wasn't that the point of being someone's friend? not ruining it because you got bloody feelings involved? and even if he did decide to tell her, he hated the idea of sounding like some cliché bloke who accidentally fell in love with his girl best friend after living together for too long. because part of him still wanted to be that safe place for her. someone she could always rely on, no matter what. a quiet breath left his lips as he shifted slightly on the couch, only to feel something poke against the back of his thigh. frowning, he reached between the cushions and the denim of his jeans before pulling out what looked like one of sadie's bobby pins. his eyes narrowed slightly as he held it up in front of him, staring at it like it had personally arrived to ruin his life further. no time like the present, right? or at least that was the impulsive thought running through his head as he pushed himself off the couch and started towards the staircase.
as soon as he stood in front of her bedroom door, he bit down on the inside of his cheek, hesitating for a second, though it only lasted a second. then he reached for the handle and slowly pushed the door open, only to be met with darkness. "sadie?" he whispered toward the bed as he stepped inside, gently closing the door behind him. "you awake?" his voice stayed low as he moved further in, but when she didn't respond, he crossed the room instead, eyes landing on her shape beneath the duvet. carefully, he sat down on the edge of the bed, hand already lifting as if to brush through her hair and wake her gently-- when a sudden, almost demonic gasp broke the silence, followed by a sharp slap to his shoulder. his eyes shot up. "bloody hell, woman," he hissed, rubbing the sore spot as his fingers massaged the pain away. he rolled his shoulder a few times as if to check if the pain had reduced before looking back down at her, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "to be fair, i did ask if you were awake." he shifted, lying down beside her on his side, one hand tucked under the pillow while the other reached out to gently tug a few strands of hair away from her face. "i have to talk to you.." his voice softened, gaze following suit. "but i'm scared of what i have to say might push you away."