~ Edited ~

*Danielle's POV*

I twiddled with my thumbs as I waited for the arrival of Liam. Things were getting out of hand and I decided that if Charlotte wasn't going to do anything about it, I would. I adjusted myself on the rough surface of the wooden bench. The chilled wind made me cower in my jacket, which I pulled tighter around myself. I kept my head low and my hood up. Now was not the time to be recognized. 

"Hey beautiful. Everything alright?" At the sound of Liam's concerned voice, I lifted my head. He planted a kiss on my cheek and sat me back down on the bench. Earlier, I had called him and asked if we could meet up.

"Liam, I have to talk to you about something." I said, my eyes glued to the various gravel stones on the ground below my feet. I felt Liam tense up next to me and my eyes widened once I realized how that  had sounded. I smacked his arm lightly, making his terrified expression fade away.

"I'm not breaking up with you, Liam!" My voice was filled with bemusement. 

Liam's cheeks inflated with air before he let out a sigh of relief. That's when I noticed the way his cheeks were tinted a rose pink because of the cold biting at them, making him look much like a child.

"Well in that case, I have to tell you something, too." He squeezed my hand in encouragement before continuing. "You go first."

I took a deep breath, contemplating on whether or not to discuss it with him. It wasn't like he would tell anyone and he would only give me advice on what to do.

My eyes met his concerned ones. "I think," I knew I had no right to tell anyone, but this was Liam we were talking about. And what I was about to tell him wasn't something that went in through one ear and out the other, it was a big deal.

"I think Charlotte is in love with Louis." The words came out slowly, as if I was trying to give him time to digest every single one individually. Surprise conquered his features. His lips curled up into a smile, which dropped almost as quickly as it was formed.

"Danielle, what I had to tell you was that... Louis is also in love with Charlotte." 

***

*Charlotte's POV*

I had my back to the bookshelf, a water gun in my hand, prepared for any sign of Louis. By now, I was drenched in water, covered in egg yolk, and stripped of my reputation as the greatest prankster of them all. All by the hands of Louis Tomlinson. What he didn't know was that I wasn't going down that easily.

I took a few steps out from behind the bookshelf, motioning for the girls behind me to stay in place. The boys were no where to be seen nor heard. I heard laughter to my left and froze, pivoting on my heel towards the sound. The laughter died down and a voice I recognized as Louis' shouted the word "attack!" My instincts told me to run-- to hide, but it all happened in a blur. Seven little boys came charging towards me with foam dart guns in hand. I turned around to call for back-up, but the girls were no where in sight. Feeling betrayed, I prepared myself for the blow. 

They crashed into me all at once, knocking me down onto the ground. I fell with a loud thud and grabbed onto my ankle in feigned pain.

Louis appeared from behind the group and gave each and every one of them high-fives, obviously proud of his successful plan. He stopped in front of me and crossed his arms in front of his chest smugly. When he saw my pained expression, he told the boys, who were cheering, to quiet down and threw his toy gun to the ground. Rushing over, he examined my ankle.

His worry-filled eyes met mine.

"Does it hurt?" He asked, an apologetic look washing over his features. I nodded and winced in pain when he put his hand on it. 

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen. Here, let me help you up." Louis held his hand out for me to take. I placed my hand in his, but didn't stand up. Instead, I smirked and gave his arm a hard tug. He fell to the ground next to me and I towered above him. Louis groaned and lifted his head up. Pulling out my water gun, I pointed it to him and he looked confused before his lips curled upwards into a smirk. 

"Well played, McVerry." Louis tried getting up, but I pressed my finger down on the trigger, laughing at how he tried to stop the paint with his hands. The brilliant idea of filling the gun with thinned paint instead of water was mine. Louis groaned and looked down at his white t-shirt, which was now covered in the ugliest color of yellow possible. He threw his head back in defeat so he was laying on the ground.

"Truce?"

I laughed and gave him a hand. "Truce."

***

"You press this button to zoom in and this one is for the flash." I took the camera from Louis' hands and showed him where the buttons were located. He put his hand out for the camera and I let him take it. He brought it up to his eye and faced towards me. Moving closer, he brought it as close to my face as possible and took a shot, nearly blinding me because of the flash. 

"Louis!" I yelled, momentarily blinded by the camera's flash. "That was not funny." I took the camera back at him as toppled over backwards in laughter. He recovered from his fit and sat back up next to me.

"Here, lemme see the picture." He pressed the reel button on top of the camera and it displayed the most recent pictures. The first one was the one Louis had just taken, an extreme close-up of the right side of my face. Laughter spewed out of my mouth at the sight of it. To say it was funny was an understatement and obviously, from the way Louis was chuckling along, he agreed. I tried taking the camera from him, but instead, my finger hit one of the buttons and it flipped to the next most recent picture. Our laughter died down, a silence succumbing the room. 

I blushed, my eyes darting around the room, looking for anything to focus on but the screen. It was a picture from earlier that day, when Louis was forced to hover above me because of the kids sitting on his back. But the kids weren't the ones I was paying attention to. In the picture, Louis and I were both smiling madly, our eyes locked. It looked almost as if we were a couple, something that made my heart cry in yearning.

Louis coughed awkwardly and I looked to see his cheeks flushed pink, too. I took the camera from his now limp hands and turned it off, setting it aside. 

"Charlotte!" The sound of Cody's voice saved me from the awkward silence. Most of the kids had left to go to sleep now, but Cody and Gary were still in the playroom.

I excused myself. "What's up?" I asked once I stepped into the small room. Cody pouted and pointed with his small, pudgy hand to the curtains on the far side of the room. I frowned once I saw they had fallen. I looked around for a chair and when I found one, I carried it to the window. I placed my feet on the chair, struggling to succumb the fear when it began wobbling, and reached up to the curtains.

*Louis' POV*

Charlotte had left after the kids called her. I didn't want it to be awkward between us, but that picture left me wondering. Did I still have feelings for Charlotte? I most certainly had already clarified the fact that Eleanor was the one for me. Then why, when that picture appeared, did I want believe that she actually might have feelings for me? I shook the thoughts out of my head when my phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, I grinned and picked it up.

"Hey, love." I smiled through the phone.

"Hey! Where are you?" Eleanor asked.

"Just out with a friend. What's up?" I asked, deciding that my answer wasn't far from the truth... When it was brought to Eleanor's knowledge that I had lent Charlotte my coat, she wasn't too happy. And I didn't want to take any chances this time.

"Well, I wanted to see you. It is your birthday tomorrow and I want to spend some time with you beforehand." Being herself, Eleanor was unable to hide her excitement. I knew they were planning a surprise party for me, it was something we all did for each other.

"Yeah, of course! I'll pick you up in an hour?" Eleanor agreed and then we talked some more before hanging up. I gathered my things and stood up, following Charlotte into the room she walked into to tell her I had to leave soon. I stepped into the small playroom and two of the little kids ran past me, taking their toys with them. I laughed and my gaze landed on Char, who stood on an unstable chair, her hands clutching some curtains.

*Charlotte's POV*

I held the wrench between my lips and I struggled to reach up and take the other end of the curtains down. My heart skipped a beat when the chair beneath me wobbled, as if it was threatening to throw me off if I didn't heed its warning. Taking a deep breath, I reached back up and tried angling my body just enough so I could reach the corner. I got it at first, but then, the chair I was standing on tilted towards the right, throwing me off balance. I screamed and my arms flew into the air, preparing my body for the fall. My eyes were shut tightly and my heart racing, but the fall never came. Instead, two strong arms wrapped around my waist, holding me tightly. I gasped and my eyes opened one by one, only to see Louis Tomlinson grinning down at me. I tore my gaze from his intense one and looked down to see his arms still around my waist, securing me. 

Louis' hand reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.

 "You've got to stop being so clumsy, Char." He sang, a hint of humor in his voice. My eyes darted around the room, trying to focus on anything but the fact that he was holding me so close. 

I wriggled out of his grasp and took a few steps to the table where my purse was. I scooped it up, along  with the rest of my belongings. "W-we should probably get going now," I spoke without looking back at Louis.

Not long ago, I promised myself that I would not fall any further for this boy. What bothered me was that anything and everything he did pulled at my heart, making my feelings grow stronger with every minute I spent with him by my side.

The thing was that I was tired. I was tired of this feeling, which, unfortunately I had no control over. I was tired of being in love with someone who wasn't mine. And if this was what love felt like, I was tired of love. 

***

So that was that! This chapter had so many Charlotte/Louis (suggestions for ship names???) moments and it's just so cute omg i find them adorable. I hope you liked this and leave your comments and votes!