Summer
Seven.
The smell of pancakes filled her nostrils, causing her mind to stir and her nose to twitch. Her brow creased as she shifted out of her half asleep state. Blueberries? She inhaled deeply once more. Her eyes flew open. Yes! Blueberry pancakes! She shot up to a sitting position in her bed.
"Louis, I love you!" Summer called out. His response was muffled; her door was shut, of course. She got out of bed and pulled her door open. "What?"
"I asked what you said," Louis called back down the hall. "How many times do I have to remind you that I can't hear you when your door is shut? Am I your mother, or something?"
Summer chuckled at that and yelled again, "I said I love you, Louis!" Louis chuckled too.
"It's the pancakes, isn't it?" he asked. "Love you too, babe."
Summer grinned and shut her door again. She set to work pulling off her pajamas and underwear, switching into clean clothes for the day. She moved over to her mirror and finger combed through the more unruly bits of her hair. She sprayed a curl refresher into the bits that were less curly, and wrapped them around her finger before pinning them to her head to dry.
After she was done with that she opened her door and made her way to the kitchen. The smell of the blueberry pancakes was starting to make her mouth water, her stomach grumbling it's protest at the fact it was empty.
Louis lifted his head to look at her, over from where he was making the pancakes, and did a double take. He let out a loud whistle and grinned at her. Summer glared, a warning to be careful with the next words to tumble past his lips.
"That's a great look for you, babe," he said with a wink, clearly ignoring her nonverbal warning. Her eyes narrowed further.
"Shut it, Lou," she said as she sat at the table. She lifted up the fork he had placed there for her and pointed it at him. "Or I'll be poking you with this."
Louis scooped the last pancake onto a plate, turned the stove off, and set the pan and spatula in the sink for later. He set a plate of three pancakes before her before stepping back and raising his hands in defense.
"I'm not the one who chose to wear her hair like that," he said. He grabbed his own plate of pancakes and sat across from her. He poured some syrup over the top, before handing the jar to Summer.
Summer snatched it out of his hands and practically drowned her pancakes in the syrup. The only way to do pancakes, in her opinion. She hated pancakes, but when Louis made them with a smattering of blueberries and allowed her to drench them in syrup, suddenly they were quite appetizing. Louis raised a brow at her; still judging her for it.
"I said shut it, punk," she growled. Louis smiled at the pun, his lip piercing shining in the sunlight. She cut a mouthful of pancake free from the soggy mountain and eyed the piercing. "How on earth have you managed to get away with those?" Her gaze traveled to the piercing in the eyebrow on the opposite side of his face.
Louis shrugged and said, "Customers hardly get to see me. And the ones that do, never complain about me looking 'unfriendly.'" He made air quotes around the last word and then dug into his food.
Summer gave a half smirk at that. Despite his appearance, Louis and 'unfriendly' were just words that didn't fit together at all. He was truly was a nice, helpful young man. He had never done anything to make Summer feel uncomfortable before. Of course he could get away with the piercings.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Summer agreed. She dug into her own pancakes, and the two ate in silence.
It was when Louis was clearing the dishes and washing them that he turned to look at her over his shoulder. There was a look that she barely caught, that told her he knew there was something different about her.
"So," Louis said and cleared his throat. He turned his gaze back to the dishes. "Did you meet a guy, or something?"
Summer choked on air, which shouldn't be possible, but for some reason it was. She gaped at Louis. For some reason she felt guilty about it, furrowing her eyebrows and considering what to tell him.
"No, nope," she lied and winced. He wasn't looking at her, so she felt she could get away with it for now.
"Oh, alright," Louis said. His tone of voice changed, subtly but she caught it. "So, since we both have the night off, you wanna do something together later?"
"Louis, I love you!" Summer called out. His response was muffled; her door was shut, of course. She got out of bed and pulled her door open. "What?"
"I asked what you said," Louis called back down the hall. "How many times do I have to remind you that I can't hear you when your door is shut? Am I your mother, or something?"
Summer chuckled at that and yelled again, "I said I love you, Louis!" Louis chuckled too.
"It's the pancakes, isn't it?" he asked. "Love you too, babe."
Summer grinned and shut her door again. She set to work pulling off her pajamas and underwear, switching into clean clothes for the day. She moved over to her mirror and finger combed through the more unruly bits of her hair. She sprayed a curl refresher into the bits that were less curly, and wrapped them around her finger before pinning them to her head to dry.
After she was done with that she opened her door and made her way to the kitchen. The smell of the blueberry pancakes was starting to make her mouth water, her stomach grumbling it's protest at the fact it was empty.
Louis lifted his head to look at her, over from where he was making the pancakes, and did a double take. He let out a loud whistle and grinned at her. Summer glared, a warning to be careful with the next words to tumble past his lips.
"That's a great look for you, babe," he said with a wink, clearly ignoring her nonverbal warning. Her eyes narrowed further.
"Shut it, Lou," she said as she sat at the table. She lifted up the fork he had placed there for her and pointed it at him. "Or I'll be poking you with this."
Louis scooped the last pancake onto a plate, turned the stove off, and set the pan and spatula in the sink for later. He set a plate of three pancakes before her before stepping back and raising his hands in defense.
"I'm not the one who chose to wear her hair like that," he said. He grabbed his own plate of pancakes and sat across from her. He poured some syrup over the top, before handing the jar to Summer.
Summer snatched it out of his hands and practically drowned her pancakes in the syrup. The only way to do pancakes, in her opinion. She hated pancakes, but when Louis made them with a smattering of blueberries and allowed her to drench them in syrup, suddenly they were quite appetizing. Louis raised a brow at her; still judging her for it.
"I said shut it, punk," she growled. Louis smiled at the pun, his lip piercing shining in the sunlight. She cut a mouthful of pancake free from the soggy mountain and eyed the piercing. "How on earth have you managed to get away with those?" Her gaze traveled to the piercing in the eyebrow on the opposite side of his face.
Louis shrugged and said, "Customers hardly get to see me. And the ones that do, never complain about me looking 'unfriendly.'" He made air quotes around the last word and then dug into his food.
Summer gave a half smirk at that. Despite his appearance, Louis and 'unfriendly' were just words that didn't fit together at all. He was truly was a nice, helpful young man. He had never done anything to make Summer feel uncomfortable before. Of course he could get away with the piercings.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Summer agreed. She dug into her own pancakes, and the two ate in silence.
It was when Louis was clearing the dishes and washing them that he turned to look at her over his shoulder. There was a look that she barely caught, that told her he knew there was something different about her.
"So," Louis said and cleared his throat. He turned his gaze back to the dishes. "Did you meet a guy, or something?"
Summer choked on air, which shouldn't be possible, but for some reason it was. She gaped at Louis. For some reason she felt guilty about it, furrowing her eyebrows and considering what to tell him.
"No, nope," she lied and winced. He wasn't looking at her, so she felt she could get away with it for now.
"Oh, alright," Louis said. His tone of voice changed, subtly but she caught it. "So, since we both have the night off, you wanna do something together later?"
♠ ♠ ♠
Introducing the other love interest...