Louis' POV:

"I can't believe you made us leave before that guy's gig was over," I whine as the three of us walk back into our flat.

"You're pathetic," Liam scoffs playfully and I flip him off before collapsing onto the living room couch with a dramatic sigh. 

"You don't even know who the lad is," Liam adds as Zayn shut and locks the front door and nodds in agreenace with Liam.

"So?"

"So why are you so interested in him all of a sudden?" Liam folds his arms as if he thought he stumped me with the question.

I roll my eyes. "If you saw a stunning man with looks better than a fucking greek god, wouldn't you want to enjoy their company too?"

Zayn turns to Liam, raising his eyebrows and giving him 'the look'. 

"Yeah, babe, would you?"

"No, of course not," Liam says quickly, "I have Zayn."

"You're whipped," I taunt and Zayn can't help but stifle a laugh of his own, but kisses Liam on the cheek anyways. 

I know Liam is telling the truth though. Zayn and Liam had been together since what feels like the beginning of time and they really have what seems to be the perfect relationship. Its just the right balance between romance and enemy-like tendancies. They can make fun of each other (and they do) and give each other hard times about the randomest things. But in the end, they always know the other one is joking and that they love each other unconditionally. 

I sit up on the sofa and kick my shoes off on the ground. Zayn walks over and sits down beside me with Liam at his heels. Liam stops and stared at us on the sofa. Three people are in a tight fit since it isn't a big sofa; it is more similar to the size of a love seat, which sits two.

"I'm not moving, Payno," I warn and he looks to Zayn for help. 

Zayn shrugs and smiles back, cupping his hand against his mouth and mouthing something to Liam that I can't see. Liam smirked and Zayn lays back, seemingly content with whatever he'd just told his boyfriend.

"So Louis," Liam says slowly, crossing his arms and looking at me with a funny look in his eye, "You're telling me that even if I was to smash Zayn right now while we watched whatever shitty show you put on, you still wouldn't give up your seat? It'd be like a Netflix and Chill type situation, but you're the third wheel on the same sofa as all the action." Liam emphasises the word action and Zayn blushes and smiles before covering his mouth with his hands to suppress his laughing.

I let out a groan at the thought and glare at Zayn whose shoulders are now shaking from the muffled laughter. I'm all too familiar with their PDA and especially their private exchanges. Apparently, London architects don't like putting soundproof walls in suburban flats and I've learned that the hard way. 

"No, you aren't getting me off this sofa," I bluff while trying to maintain a straight and stubborn expression, "This is my seat and you know it."

He walks slowly towards Zayn, exaggerating the swaying of his hips, and Zayn whistles. He stands right in front of Zayn, who sits up on the sofa. Zayn looks as though he's trying to decide whether to look up at Liam's face or to keep his eyes on Liam's crotch that was conveniently at eye-level.

"Well well well, you give me no choice but to strip down and do the dirty right her then, Tommo," He fiddles with his belt, slowly undoing it while staring at me and wiggling his eyebrows.

"Fine!" I yell and abruptly get off of the sofa, migrating to the less comfortable chair on the right. It's a bigger-than-normal chair with huge green cusions that barely squish down under my weight. Liam tucks his belt back into his pants again and sits down where I'd been moments ago, laying his legs over Zayn's legs with a satisfied smirk.

"Later I'd love to take you up on that, though," I hear Zayn whisper and Liam nods, grinning like an idiot.

A horny idiot.

I roll my eyes again and make a mental note to look for something later that could drown out their sounds so I can try to get some sleep tonight.

That was one of the only downsides of sharing a flat with them; they were pretty noisy when they got to it. I'm single and not one for one-night stands and random hookups, so they don't experience any of the sleeping interruptions that I do with them. But don't get me wrong, I'm a freak in bed but I'd prefer to do it with someone I actually care about versus a horny drunk from the bar or something.

"Z, can I have the remote?"

"Sure," He says, momentarily searching for it before finding it wedged between the sofa cushions. He tosses it to me and I catch it with one hand, thankful that I didn't drop it; hand-eye coordination isn't my stong suit.

"You're not going to pick some crusty old show, are you? There's only so much Miami Vice a man can watch and I've just about reached my limit,"

"No, of course not. Today they just released the new episode of Bachelor In Paradise and I need to know what's going on between Hannah and Dylan."

Watching Bachelor Nation shows with Liam and Zayn has become the highlight of the week for all of us. We get super into the shows and invested in the relationships, and gossiping about other people's relationship problems is a fun thing to do. 

Not to mention all the hot guys they put on that show; I don't think they like recruiting unattractive people because maybe it makes for bad tv; that's why all the guys (and the women, but we don't pay much attention to them) look like literal models.

"Oh my god, YES!" Zayn gasps, "I swear if Hannah chooses Blake over Dylan I might scream,"

"Right? That love triangle is so toxic and Dylan should the obvious choice if Hannah would just OPEN HER EYES!" Liam half yells by the end.

I laugh and nod my head in agreement before turning on the tv and navigating through the menu until Chris Harrison's familiar voice played through the speakers.

"Tonight, Chris and Katie are unsure of where the other is in their relationship, Jordan stirs up more drama with Derek, and Hannah is forced to choose between Blake and Dylan. It's all coming up on this week's episode of Bachelor In Paradise."

✰ ✰ ✰ 

Harry's POV:

I finish up the final song in my gig, and smile as a round of applause gets louder. I thank everyone whose come and get off of my little stool to pack up my guitar.

It's my first time playing at this cafe, and I was surprised to see so many people staying long after they'd finished their coffees and croissants just to hear my music. Before this, I'd only performed on occasion at a different cafe a few blocks down but they closed recently so I decided to try out this one instead. 

The old cafe, London Central Coffeehouse, had recently closed after business continued to dwindle when a Starbucks moved in across the street. I'd looked around the city after that for a place to play and when I heard this cafe had a stage and open time slots, I happily took the opportunity. 

Music is one of my favorite hobbies; I'd been told I had a nice voice when I sang in front of my family once, and my mom used to pay for guitar lessons when I was younger so I know how to play. One day, when I performed in front of my first small crowd during college, it was truly a magical feeling to express myself to others through music. Since then, doing small gigs before or after work (with no specific gig schedule) is something I really look forward to.

Besides music, I enjoy most anything involving flowers and plants. I even have a rooftop garden in my house that I tend to myself, with a nice patio and a fireplace nearby. On clear nights, sometimes I go up on the roof and look up at the stars. They're like pieces of art, floating above the ground. Occasionally, I'll invite some of my friends over and we'll all hang out on the roof just because it's rather peaceful and feels like a nice getaway from the noisy city.

Other than that, spending time at the occasional bar or club with one or two of my closest friends seems like a nice way to pass time if they don't come up with a better idea. Despite my calm and relaxed appearance, a little fun here and there never hurts.

I pack up my guitar, placing it gently into the case. The red, fuzzy felt inside hugged the outline of the guitar and prevents it from being damaged when I carried it around. I close the case and buckle the latches before picking it up. Walking off the stage, I'm greeted by the host I saw when I first came into the cafe a few hours ago.

"You sounded great!" She exclaims and flashes a big smile.

"Thank you so much for having me. Its Jennifer, right?" 

"My full name is Jennifer, but I prefer Jen," She nods.

"Well, Jen, I'd love to play here again sometime if you'd have me,"

She looks at me with another smile. I notice her big brown eyes seemed to look past me for a moment, as if lost in throught. Her smile momentalrilily turns into a smirk as if she knows something I don't, which only makes me curious.

"Jen?"

"Oh yeah, sorry, I didn't mean to blank out I was thinking about someone. I would love to have you play again sometime. It's an open stage so you can come whenever and if no one's playing, the stage is all yours."

"Some of the regulars really seemed to like you, and I guarantee they want to see you around again." She adds and gives a small laugh followed by a wink.

I shake it off, confused with what she's trying to hint at, if anything at all. I barely know her, so maybe she winks at everyone, I don't have a clue.

"I'll be sure to be back sometime soon when I have spare time, thank you!" 

And with that, I give her a warm smile before leaving the cafe. If the 'regulars' like me, then I'll be sure they can see more of me in the future.

***

Define rEgUlarS LiKe mE

I realized I was writing in the past tense for ch. 1 (out of habit) so I've changed to present tense for ch. 2 and hopefully I remember to keep writing like that. Remind me if I accidentally switch again!

Thoughts or comments?