By now, Louis was positive the entire building could hear them but he didn't care one bit. He was singing some song by his daughters' favourite girl band at the top of his lungs with them and nothing else mattered right now. After he had picked them up from school and they had arrived home and had eaten some late lunch, that they had ordered in while quickly doing their homework together, the girls had suddenly suggested creating their own karaoke bar in the living room and of course, Louis didn't say no. For his day off, this was the perfect way to spend his time with his daughters.

"It's none of your business!" the three of them screamed together and ended their tenth song in a row out of breath.

"How about a slower song next?" Maeva suggested pantingly.

"Good idea, Love. What song do you have in mind?" Louis tried to catch his breath but his lungs weren't cooperating with him.

"Mh, maybe Scars?" Maeva tapped her chin in fake-thoughts.

"What a surprise" Evelina snorted amusedly.

"It's a great song" Maeva pouted adorably.

"It is, so let's do this" Louis searched for the song on his phone before connecting it to the loudspeakers again, pressing play.

Together with his beautiful daughter, Louis started to sing the song and got lost in the poetic lyrics. She was definitely right. It was a very beautiful song but she couldn't know how amazing it really was and that was a good thing. But Louis knew and it was a bit much, which wasn't new to him but he had never sung it out loud before. Somehow, the lyrics hit differently like this.

Allow yourself to work with that pain and fear and watch your worries disappear. There is a reason why you're here.

"Another one?".

"Definitely".

And just like that, they sang three more songs before they fell on the couch exhaustedly but with huge smiles on their faces. With one daughter in each arm, Louis felt at ease and at home. He'd love to stay like this forever and never leave again.

"Dad? Can we go to the park?" Evelina glanced up at him.

"Now? You'd only have an hour before it's dinner time. You have school tomorrow and can't ...".

"I know and I thought about it" Evelina covered his mouth with her tiny hand gently, making him shut his mouth with a smile. "We can prepare some sandwiches and eat at the park".

"Eve ...".

"That sounds great" Maeva's entire face lit up at that idea. "We could go to the playground together. We barely do that".

Swallowing the lump in his throat at her words, Louis pulled them closer into his arms to squeeze them tightly. "When did you two become so smart? Okay, fine. Let's do it".

"Yay! Thank you, Dad!" both girls squealed happily.

"But you have to help me with the sandwiches".

The words had barely left his mouth when the girls jumped up and ran into the kitchen. Shaking his head at their antics fondly, Louis followed them and stopped them from creating a huge mess in his best friend's holy walls. Liam would get a heart attack.

As a team, they prepared the sandwiches in no time and got ready to go out. Before leaving the flat, Louis grabbed two water bottles because he knew his daughters way too good. Overly eager and jittery, they took the elevator down and left the building. The park with the playground wasn't even five minutes away per foot, so they reached their destination fairly quickly. As soon as they set foot on the playground, Maeva and Evelina were gone. Immediately, they sprinted off without so much as a word.

Deciding to just let them be, Louis sat down on a bench and just watched from afar. His girls were old enough that he didn't need to worry or watch them like a hawk anymore. He knew that but he had moments where he forgot and needed to remind himself of this. They were ten years old and could play on their own perfectly fine.

"Louis? Hey, mate". Turning around, Louis was surprised to see Sean and Cody coming over to him together. "Didn't expect to see you here".

"I could say the same" Louis retorted a bit irritated.

"It's quite the story actually" Sean sat down on his right side while Cody took over the space on his left side. "We ran into each other at the supermarket fifteen minutes ago".

"And? He works at a ...".

"I know that but I wasn't done yet" Sean cut him off like a child. "As I said, we met at the supermarket. Apparently, the one he works at, which I didn't know until I recognised him. Anyway, I was about to pay for my stuff when I heard some strange dude verbally harassing an employee. So, I went over there".

"What?" Louis didn't trust his ears, swirling around to Cody. "Are you alright?".

"I am. That's sadly enough not a rarity" Cody assured him. "And Sean was there to tell that guy off".

"You did?".

"Of course. I don't tolerate such behaviour, no matter who you are. Sadly enough, it was someone I once knew. A doctor from the city hospital and he was complaining about Cody closing his cash register even after Cody had explained that he was done with work for the day and wasn't about to make an exception for him. He lost it and tried to ridicule him in front of everyone but I stopped him and told him to get lost. No one deserves to be treated like that" Sean told him what had gone down at the supermarket earlier.

"I hate people like that but I learned to just ignore them and move on with my life because it keeps happening anyway. Our store is the closest to the hospital, after all," Cody shrugged unbothered.

"You shouldn't be used to this" Louis frowned deeply.

"Same goes for you" Cody threw him a meaningful look before checking his phone. "Sorry, lads. But I have to go. Luke and his parents are waiting for me. We're having dinner together".

"Say hello to Luke for me, yeah? And enjoy your time" Louis side-hugged him, leaving his last statement uncommented.

"I will. Bye, guys".

"Bye".

For a moment, silence fell over him and Sean but there was still something Louis needed to get off his chest. "What you did for Cody was ... I ... Thank you, Sean. Not everyone would have ...".

"Everyone should," Sean remarked strongly. "I know most people look away or even agree with that asshole but I couldn't stand by and just watch. His behaviour was wrong. Cody was done for the day and deserved to get home in time. Being a doctor or lawyer or whatever doesn't give you the right to treat others like shit".

"You're the only one, who thinks that way, I'm afraid, Sean" Louis muttered under his breath, knowing he sounded defeated.

"What do you mean?" Sean frowned in confusion but Louis chose to stay silent. He had said enough. "What did Cody mean before he left? Are you also used to people treating you like that?".

"It's unavoidable sometimes. After all, I work at a restaurant and people can be right dicks to staff they deem unworthy of respect. I had my fair share of bad moments with ... people" Louis let him know guarded. He wasn't sure how much he could tell Sean.

For a moment, Sean only watched him with an unreadable look on his face but then his face morphed into sympathy and realisation. "Were those people mainly doctors, by any chance?".

"Not solely but I met enough doctors in my life to be fairly and utterly confused why you're so different from all of them" Louis admitted against his better judgement.

"I don't come from money. I grew up modestly and I'm thankful for that. It keeps me grounded, I think. Not only my upbringing but it's part of it. I know many doctors, who grew up rich and those are the worst. They are big-headed and lost their grip on reality. They think everyone should be like them and when someone isn't, they don't understand it. It's foreign to them. They can't see why people would settle for less than becoming a highly-paid doctor and spending their entire lives working. I never wanted that but it was hard for me to remember why I studied medicine in the first place. This world around you can be all-consuming. It's fake and superficial and posh and fancy and impressive but nothing I ever wanted" Sean was trying to find the right words and started rambling along the way.

"I get what you're trying to say and I'm happy I met you. It's nice to see that not all doctors are full of themselves and arrogant. You're not someone to belittle other people" Louis smiled at him.

"There's no reason for me to belittle anyone. Being a doctor does not make me a better person than a taxi driver or a cashier or a nurse or a waiter. We're all people, who are trying to get by and make the best out of this life. I can't know what's going on in someone else's life or why they are the way they are and it's none of my business. My only job is to be kind to people, no matter how much money they make or if they studied anything or if they chose not to. I'm in no position to judge" Sean stated surely and confidently.

"I wish more people would think like you, Sean. Most of the very successful people I met were arrogant assholes, especially doctors and lawyers" Louis sought out his daughters to make sure they were fine while he has been distracted. As far as Louis could tell, they were building something in the sand.

"It's unimaginable to me how those idiots can be such pricks when they're at a restaurant. They're not better just because ...".

"You'd be surprised" Louis interrupted him with a long sigh. "But I encountered most of them at the hospital when I was working there and it left some ...".

"You worked at the hospital?" Sean gaped at him in surprise.

"Yes, for over two years" Louis nodded in confirmation. "When Corona hit I lost my job. Well, technically not really but my former workplace got closed, so I was jobless and needed an income to pay my rent and all my bills. So, Àmbar stepped in and helped me get a job in her department and I'm forever grateful. But so many people don't take that job seriously and I don't get why. It can be so stressful at times and it helps the nurses but they can be such judgemental bitches as well, which I wasn't used to because I only knew kind nurses up until that point. But yeah ...".

"I'm with you on this. I always admired the service people because they endure so much and do everything to make our job or the nurses' jobs easier. If they didn't exist the nurses would have to do their job as well and they don't have the time for that but do they care and appreciate the help? Definitely not all of them" Sean bit the inside of his cheek.

"It's funny when I think back. The head nurses were always nice to me but some of the normal nurses were real beasts and acted as if they were way better than us but they're not. They don't make that much more money than Àmbar does. The difference isn't that big, so it's pathetic to act that way" Louis told him chucklingly.

"Some people need a cold shower and a reality check" Sean grinned at him before becoming serious again. "Was that the reason for your reaction when we all met? I can still remember how your face changed every time someone mentioned that H and I are doctors. You probably thought we'd judge you if we knew ...".

"I hate to admit it but yeah, that was the reason. My mind went to all the bad doctors I knew and I couldn't control my ...".

"It's fine. You don't need to justify yourself to me, Louis" Sean cut him off to take the pressure away. "I completely get it. It must have been quite the shock and your mind was probably going crazy".

"It was, yeah. I thought about how different our worlds are and just couldn't see how we could work out" Louis blurted out without thinking this through. "As friends, you know? How could I possibly be friends with someone like you when I'm simply me?".

"I hope you know that I don't care about your job or income or whatever other things you're worried about. I'm not one of those doctors. I'm your friend and I think you're amazing, Louis. Everyone who has you in their lives is truly lucky" Sean took a hold of his hand, making them lock eyes. "And my friends agree with me".

"I know Niall doesn't care about money. I've known him long and good enough by now to know that he is simply crazy. If you met him you'd never guess that he's that rich" Louis chuckled at the thought of their weird friend. "That gave me hope for you".

"I hope it wasn't in vain" Sean cocked an eyebrow at him.

"It definitely was" Louis winked at him teasingly, breaking the eye contact and feeling how Sean let go of his hand.

"And here I was calling you amazing" Sean huffed dramatically.

"You can't take it back, Seanie" Louis nudged his side lightly.

"Never planned on doing that, even though you're mean to me" Sean pouted exaggeratedly, just like Evelina would.

"That's how I show my love, Sweetie" Louis joked carefreely.

"I hope not to everyone" Sean pulled a funny face at him.

"Definitely not to everyone," Louis thought about Josh for a quick moment and their underlying passive-aggressive behaviour.

"He's a dick" Sean seemed to be able to read his mind.

"Mostly to us. Maybe he has a good reason" Louis tried to be reasonable and not bitchy just because he was jealous.

"He has no valid reason, believe me. He's just like those nurses you mentioned earlier. Full of himself and greedy" Sean bashed Harry's boyfriend without a second thought.

"You really don't like him" Louis stated the obvious for lack of a better response.

"Don't tell me you liked him?" Sean raised a knowing eyebrow.

"Of course not. He was being a pain in the ass and so judgy ...".

"And that for no reason" Sean added disbelievingly.

"He's dating Harry, who's rich and successful and attractive. He has a reason and a pretty good one apparently. You can see on his face that he thinks he hit the jackpot and let's face it. He did" Louis hardly got the words out. It hurt and felt wrong. "He bagged himself a doctor, who's good with kids and is nice enough to consider being with a nurse. Sorry, a charge nurse. And he's being wined and dined properly and taken to all the fancy and expensive places this town has to offer. And pretty soon he'll take him to other ...".

"But that's coming from him, you know that, right?" Sean stopped his embarrassing ranting. "Josh wants all that from ...".

"And Harry is visibly enjoying it, which he should. He's young and rich and can do whatever he wants with his money. Josh is apparently exactly the kind of guy he wanted" Louis needed to end this topic of conversation. He didn't want to think about them.

"Louis, you're w ...".

"Dad? Can you push me, please?" Maeva saved him from his awkward conversation, sitting on a swing.

"No, me first, Dad" Evelina wiggled around on her swing.

Sending Sean an apologetic smile, Louis stood up and went over to his girls. Surprisingly, Sean followed him and grabbed Evelina's swing with a smile. Together, they pushed the swings and made the girls giggle like crazy. Louis loved moments like these. That's why his days off were so precious to him. It meant more time with his daughters and more shared laughter and happy memories.

Accompanied by Sean, they went over to the bench after ten more minutes to eat the sandwiches. Maeva shared one with Sean like the kind angel she was and Louis stored that memory safely in his brain. When it got dark and too late to be awake for the girls, they gathered all their things and left the playground. Together with Sean, they went home, the sun setting behind them.

Àmbar's POV

Leaving the hospital, Àmbar made her way home as quickly as possible, regretting that she had covered for a co-worker, who was being late for their late shift. Sometimes she really needed to learn how to say no more convincingly and not let herself be persuaded but almost every time she got asked if she could stay longer or work an extra weekend shift, she thought about her unit and how it would go down in total flames without any of the regular staff, so she tended to say yes. For the sake of her patients.

Right now, she was deeply regretting it because staying an hour longer was the worst thing ever. Especially because she was on babysitting duty today but still had to take her dog out for a walk. Sprinting home, Àmbar greeted her dog Lucky, grabbed his leash and left the flat again. Taking the slightly longer way through the park, she made her way over to the music school to pick Maeva up from her piano lesson. As far as Àmbar knew, Cody had brought her here after school and now it was Àmbar's turn to bring her home until Louis was done for the day at the restaurant. On Fridays that could take a bit longer than usual because Fridays were busy at the restaurant and leaving at 6 pm sharp was almost impossible.

"Àmbar" Maeva ran right into her arms as soon she came walking out of the classroom door.

"Hey, Sweetheart. How did it go?" Àmbar caressed the back of her head gently. "Are you already a real professional?".

"Not yet but I'm getting there. Miss Davidson said I'm getting better every day and she wants me to perform a solo at the annual presentation" Maeva told her excitedly, her eyes sparkling.

"Really? Wow, that's absolutely amazing, Mae. I'm so proud of you and your dad is gonna cry" Àmbar couldn't believe it.

"I don't want him to cry. I don't like to see him sad" Maeva frowned at the thought of her father crying because of her.

"He won't cry because he's sad. Those will be happy and proud tears, my love. Sometimes positive emotions can make us cry as well" Àmbar explained to her what she had meant.

"So, Dad is gonna cry because he is gonna be proud of me when I tell him about this?" Maeva checked unsurely.

"Yes, but he's always proud of you" Àmbar smiled at her.

"Always?".

"Yes, no matter what you do. Just by being who you are, Mae. Your father is so proud of you and your sister and he loves you more than anything. You know that, right?" Àmbar knelt down to her to be on eye level. Maeva nodded silently, confirming what Àmbar already knew. After all, Louis told his girls daily that he loved them. "Good. So when you tell him about this, don't feel bad when he starts crying. Those are happy tears, okay?".

"Okay, happy tears. Like when Eve won the last championship ...".

"Exactly" Àmbar nodded with a smile. "He was so proud of her and his emotions just came over him like a tidal wave. That's very normal for parents, believe me".

"Why?" Maeva wrinkled her nose adorably.

"Because grown-ups are emotionally a mess, especially parents" Àmbar laughed at her own stupid answer, making Maeva giggle. "Now let's go and get your sister".

With Maeva by her side, they quickly made their way over to the material arts studio close to their school building, where Evelina's karate lesson should be over in a few minutes. Walking inside, they were met with all the other parents and some other siblings or even friends, who were watching the training through a big glass window. The studio had four different rooms for their lessons but they were all connected in the middle by a big cafeteria-like room for parents or visitors. About ten tables with eight chairs each were standing alongside the big glass window thing. A bar, where you could buy food and drinks and candy was in the back and sometimes even unattended when the room wasn't too crowded because only members had access to the studio during the lessons. Without a key, you couldn't get inside, which was quite nice.

After buying some candy for the girls, Maeva and Àmbar headed for the changing room of the girls, waiting outside until Evelina was ready to go home. Only a few minutes later, Evelina came outside and they headed home. On the way, she told both of them about today's training and how a real competition was coming up in a few months, that she wanted to take part in. Àmbar listened to her with a prominent smile on her face and pictured Louis' reaction to all of these amazing news in her head. He would lose his shit for real.

"Home at last" Àmbar announced when they had reached her flat.

"What's that smell?" Evelina sniffed the air like a starving dog.

Unleashing Lucky, Àmbar closed the door behind them and simply followed the two curious girls until she was standing inside her kitchen, seeing her girlfriend Aria preparing some food for them. Maeva and Evelina were leaning on the edge of the hatch area at the end of the kitchen, where they had positioned their dining table because it just made sense. From the corner with the dining table, you could perfectly walk into the living room. Next to it was their big bedroom, a bathroom and their shared third room for creative and arty purposes. All of this was connected by their spacey hallway.

"Is that for us?" Evelina pointed at the pot on the stove.

"Of course, Darling. You two must be exhausted and hungry, so I thought I could cook a bit earlier. How do you feel about an early dinner?" Aria asked them as if she didn't know the answer already.

"Best idea of the day!" both girls exclaimed hyper.

"I agree with them, Love" Àmbar walked over to her and wrapped her arms around Aria's waist, resting her chin on Aria's shoulder.

"Of course, you do. You love to eat at all times" Aria rolled her eyes fondly at her. "And still, you can't cook more than noodles".

"For that, I have you" Àmbar pecked Aria's cheek chastely.

"So, I'm your kitchen slave, huh?" Aria turned around to her, arms crossed over her chest and her eyes holding a silent challenge.

"Mh, definitely. I like the sound of that" Àmbar grabbed her by the waist, bringing them closer together. "Don't you?".

"Oh, you'd like to know that, mh?" Aria cocked an eyebrow at her.

"That's why I asked, Babe" Àmbar grinned teasingly down at her.

"Sometimes I hate you" Aria huffed fakely offended.

"Too bad because I always love you, Becca" Àmbar flicked the tip of her nose, Becca being short for Aria's second name Rebecca.

"You know I love you, Lia. No matter how idiotic you can be" Aria's entire face softened so fast that it made Àmbar go weak in the knees. She loved when Aria called her Lia. It was short for Delia.

"You're not any better than me, Baby" Àmbar rested her forehead on Aria's forehead, smiling like a lovesick fool.

"Never said I was" Aria's lips curved up into a dopey smile.

"You two are so cute" Evelina cooed at them, still leaning in the hatch area and simply watching them as if they were a movie.

"And you look really happy" Maeva added dreamily.

"We are happy" Aria smiled at them, tearing her eyes away from Àmbar for a second. "Very happy, right?".

"Never been so happy in my life" Àmbar kissed her shortly.

"I wanna be that happy someday".

"I want Dad to be that happy".

As soon as Maeva's words registered with all of them, three heads turned towards her, shocked and confused expressions visible. Exchanging a look with her girlfriend, Àmbar left the kitchen and rounded it until she was face to face with Maeva, who kept staring at the floor, fiddling with her thumbs nervously and obviously anxious.

"Mae?" Àmbar touched her shoulder carefully, making her look up at her with teary eyes. "Aw, Baby. No tears, you did nothing wrong".

"I know. It's just ..." Maeva struggled to find words. "I see all of you with your partners and you look so happy. All of you have someone. You have Aria, Luke and Cody have each other, and Zayn obviously likes Liam, who doesn't know he likes Zayn yet. Your new friends all have partners, our mums had each other, and our friends' parents have wives or husbands or girl or boyfriends. Dad has no one and I don't understand why. Why does no one love him?".

Stunned into silence, Àmbar had no idea how to reply. Maeva's words almost made her cry because of how true and genuine and innocent they and her concerns were. She was worried about her father and only wanted him to be happy, to be loved. How did you explain to a ten-year-old girl that it wasn't always that easy?

"Your father has many people, who love him" Àmbar tried to come up with something to ease Maeva's worries. "All of his friends love him and his family loves him, his colleagues adore him. You two love him and that's more than enough. That's all he wants".

"She's right. Your father only needs you and your sister in his life. You are his entire world and as long as you two love him, he will be the happiest man on the planet" Aria backed her up emotionally.

"We will always love him" Evelina rushed out so quickly. "Our Dad is the best dad in the entire world".

"That he is".

"So, don't worry about his happiness. You two are his happiness and his love. His life. You are everything to him. He doesn't need more" Aria joined them in the corner, hugging both of them.

After a very long and very needed hug, they all calmed down and left these heavy emotions rest for the day. A few minutes later, the early dinner was ready and it was absolutely delicious. Evelina and Maeva were obviously famished, eating more than their own weight or at least, it looked like it as much as they devoured.

"I'm surprised we have anything left. Our food monster is slacking" Aria commented on the left-over food on the table.

"I am not!" Evelina huffed offended.

"I expected you to eat way more, Eve. After all, you had football practice and your karate lesson back to back. I don't know how you do it" Aria leaned back in her chair with a full belly.

"It's only the school team. It's nothing" Evelina waved dismissively.

"It's still physical activity, Eve. I feel exhausted only thinking about it. I could never do what you do" Aria praised her impressed.

"Me neither" Maeva threw in nonchalantly.

"But you have musical talent. I can't hold a note" Evelina pointed out matter-of-factly. "You have a great voice".

"It's not that good" Maeva blushed under the compliment.

"It is".

"You both obviously inherited all of your father's talents. It's pretty fascinating to see" Àmbar saw so much of Louis in them.

"Really? He hasn't mentioned anything" Maeva looked puzzled.

"Because he would never call himself talented but he really is. He played football when he was younger for quite some time. And have you heard him sing? Like actually sing? He has the voice of an angel and his piano skills are out of this world, just like his own lyrics. It's impressive" Àmbar let them know proudly.

"He played football?".

"He can sing?".

"Look at what I have done" Àmbar regretted ever mentioning it.

"Tell us more".

And so she did. She told them about the Louis she knew, things that weren't too personal and achievements Louis should be proud of. It didn't come as a surprise to her that Louis barely talked about himself to his daughters. It was so very him not to mention how much they had in common, letting the girls have their own light and never owning up to his own. It was so very Louis, that it hurt.

Like this, the time flew by and it was time for Louis to scare the shit out of them with the doorbell. Fast as lightning, the two girls opened the door for him and dragged him inside, on a mission to make him talk. Throwing Àmbar an evil glare because he just knew this was her fault, he let himself get dragged into the living room for a few minutes. Àmbar watched how shock and surprise but also pure confusion crossed his face when he realised what was going on. The way Louis blushed under his daughters' praise was a sight Àmbar never wanted to forget, so she snapped a sneaky picture.

When the girls got ready to leave, Àmbar took Louis aside for a second, talking to him in a hushed voice. "Louis, I don't how to say this but Maeva broke my heart today".

"What happened?" Louis frowned immediately.

"She asked me why no one loves you," Àmbar told him, seeing his face fall. "Like, why you have no one. She said everyone around them has a partner in some way except for you and she doesn't understand why. She wants you to be loved, Louis".

Fish-mouthing in shock, Louis tried to visibly collect himself. "She said that? Wow, I don't know what to say".

"I know how that feels. I had no idea how to respond. I just told her that we all love you and that they are enough for you because that's the truth, right?" Àmbar recalled her emotional answer.

"The only truth you'll ever find, Am. I only need them to be happy" Louis glanced at his waiting daughters by the door.

"I know and they know but maybe talk to them later about this? I don't know ... She seemed really worried about you and your happiness, Lew" Àmbar gnawed on her bottom lip.

"I will. Thank you for telling me. I love you, Àmbar" Louis hugged her. "Even though I should hate you for exposing me like that".

"I didn't expose you. I only pointed out how similar you three are. They were very eager to learn more. Talk more about yourself. They wanna know everything" Àmbar advised him light-heartedly.

"They're amazing, mh?" Louis smiled fondly.

"They are" Àmbar nudged his side. "Now go and annoy them".

Sending them off, Àmbar felt weirdly off inside. She kinda knew what it was and tried not to think about it but Maeva's words never left her mind. She was so spot on with it in a way. Àmbar knew her friend was happy but he could be happier if he gave it a chance.

Trying to get rid of those thoughts, Àmbar walked back into the kitchen to wash the dishes quickly. Thinking this way was wrong because she knew why Louis was this way, why he kept himself isolated from any potential boyfriend, why he thought he wasn't good enough for a certain doctor and why he had pushed him away from the start and she understood. More than anyone. She knew that feeling too good but she had found love in Aria, against all odds. And deep inside, she wanted Louis to find love as well.

"Stop hurting your head over this, Love. You can't solve the world's problems" Aria snaked her arms around her middle.

"But Louis ...".

"Needs to do this on his own" Aria tightened her grip on her. "He is a grown man and does what he thinks is right for himself. There is not much we can do to help him except for always supporting him. He won't change his mind only because we keep pestering him".

"But we can keep reminding him how important he is, right? He needs to understand that he is a great person" Àmbar dried her hands on a towel, twisting around in Aria's embrace.

"We can try but all our words mean nothing until he realises himself that he deserves all the love he can get. His insecurities are rooted so deeply in his brain that we can't unroot them. He has to do this somehow. All we can do is help and assist" Aria tilted her head aside with a smile. "It worked on you".

"With your help" Àmbar reminded her fondly.

"No, it was mainly you, Love. You finally realised you're worthy to be loved and you were ready to leave your past behind as good as possible. You learned to accept your worth and your talents and skills and realised income doesn't define your worth. It doesn't matter if you studied fucking medicine or graduated just like that. It doesn't bloody matter if you're a lawyer or fashion designer or a genius or just a simple cashier. It doesn't say anything about ...".

Emotionally overwhelmed by the love she felt for Aria, Àmbar just had to kiss her right there. All her words still meant so much to her. All her life, she had struggled to see her own worth because her family life has been difficult and she wasn't really sure what love felt like. She didn't study anything and never had a relationship until she met Aria, who she has been afraid to fall for at first. But somehow being around her had helped without any words needed.

"I love you so much" Àmbar breathed against her lips.

"And I love you" Aria connected their lips again.

In moments like these, Àmbar could never believe her luck. The two of them shouldn't even be able to communicate with each other because they both have their mental 'quirks'. Àmbar was very introverted, to begin with, but then found out way too late that she had autistic traits and social anxiety. Her whole life people had told her she was simply shy but she wasn't. Thank God, she knew now.

Aria, on the other hand, had struggled with a stutter her entire life but it had gotten better around people she felt comfortable around. And around Àmbar it was completely gone. No one could explain it. On top of that, she was the actual shy one out of them. Aria could be so incredibly shy, that Àmbar needed to boost her ego and give her confidence. It was a constant play of give and take every day.

"I don't wanna ruin the mood but Lucky is scratching on the door. I think he needs to pee" Àmbar heard her dog's noises at the door.

"It's his time, to be fair. Too bad" Aria took a step back to leave the kitchen. "I was getting in the mood".

"You were not alone with that, Baby" Àmbar followed her, grabbing her coat. "But we can come back to this later when you explain that kitchen slave title you gave yourself a bit more detailed".

"I brought this on myself, didn't I?" Aria sighed defeatedly.

"Yes, you started that. Now you have to elaborate on that a bit more" Àmbar wiggled her eyebrows funnily. "With examples and ...".

"Oh, you'll get your examples" Aria walked past her, putting the leash on Lucky's collar. "You're gonna regret this".

Feeling a smile growing on her face, Àmbar winked at her before leaving the flat. "I can't wait".  

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We're seeing more and more of Louis' mental 'issues' and why he is so hesitant. What do you think so far?

What are your thoughts on Aria and Àmbar? Did Maeva break your heart as well?

Sorry that I haven't updated in over a week but I was loaded with work and had barely even time to write. I'm at Chapter 21/22 by now and build in some real life experience there and it was a lot. So, yeah. From now I'll try to update a bit more regularly.