(Wow I always think I reply to this and I don’t— then like four years pass and I feel bad. Sorry for the (major) delay!)
Lou hesitantly pulled out his phone, sifting through his contacts. She obviously wasn’t there, so she’d knock instead of call, most likely. Or she would just contact Matt. Either way, he didn’t want to be a part of the opening conversation.
He carefully text Jay back.
hey. I need to talk to you. when will you be back?
(lmao you're fine)
Jay blinked when his phone dinged, pulling it out.
well, I think I'm free for lunch in an hour or two, but then we have plans for the afternoon.
He texted back, chewing on his lip and hoping this wasn't a breakup. Because…yeah, they hadn't been a thing for long, but…he was kind of starting to fall for the Frenchman, and didn't want to lose him.
Lou has to bite back a larger profanity than the ones that had been profusely running through his mind.
ok. tell me when you can and where you’ll be, when you know it.
alright. Is everything ok?
Jay chewed on his lip again, glancing over at Marcos for a moment, then down at his phone again. The other male was busy reading a display, not paying any attention to Jay.
If you'd rather call and talk rn i think i can get away with it?
Lou locked his jaw, taking off his glasses and gnawing on one of the ear pieces. With the other hand he replied:
I’d rather tell you in person. It’s nothing bad— well, kind of— but you don’t need to worry. Or maybe you do. I don’t know. I’ll explain when I can.
i don't understand.
Jay frowned a little, letting out a breath and trying to understand what was going on. He rubbed his face with a hand, chewing on his lip as he waited for another reply from Lou.
Lou sighed, continuing his pacing and trying to calm himself down. He slipped his glasses back on in order to see the text, then glanced at Bean and back to the phone.
in all honesty, I don’t either. Just don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to you when I can
alright. I'll message you at lunch time, then?
He followed Marcos, gaze still locked on the phone as he waited anxiously for a response from Lou.
sounds good.
Lou closed out his phone and chucked it onto the couch, looking over at Bean with tired eyes.
“What could she possibly want from me,” he growled, throwing up a hand. “She sucked me dry of everything while she was here. She’s not even from France! Why is she here?”
Bean gave no response, and Lou let himself bask in the silence.
Jay put his phone back in his pocket and headed over to Marcos, trying to put aside his worry about what was going to happen. He had no idea what Lou was going to tell him, and he was worried.
Lou was extremely close to just telling Jay what was happening over the phone, but… well… it had to do with his… “ability.” He never wanted anything to do with that on his record, even over a phone call. If it was monitored, he was game-over. He preferred to speak about that privately with people he trusted face to face, rather than have it be over a regulated electronic.
(do we wanna timeskip?)
(Sure)
(alright. To lunch? And do you want to do it or should I?)
(Doesn’t matter, I can do it if you want. And yeah, I’d say to lunch)
(alright! Idc which of us does it either)
(Okie dokie, then I can :)
Louis sat outside the restaurant next to the museum, tapping his foot nervously. He hadn’t brought Bean, which was unusual, and he was dressed different than his normal style. He had tugged over a leather jacket and boots, both of which weren’t his so they looked a little baggier. He had on sunglasses, not his normal glasses, so he squinted around, looking for any sign of Jay.
(alright!)
Jay arrived at the restaurant, and eventually identified Lou. He sat down near him. "Lou? What's going on?" he asked slowly, unsure why the other was wearing all these different clothes instead of his normal clothes.
“So, uh,” he muttered quietly, taking off his sunglasses. He had to admit, his heart fluttered at seeing Jay. It hadn’t been long, at all, but… he had missed him.
“We have an issue,” he began, still sort of squinting. “My… ex is in town. But it’s more serious than that. She… well… she played me like a game. I thought I could trust her with the fact that I’m a… time traveler… but after we broke up she started using it as blackmail and leverage. I’m worried that now that she’s in town, she’s going to… manipulate me again. Or do something psycho. I just wanted to brief you on that… because I don’t want her to know I’m seeing you.”
Jay chewed on his lip. "Oh." He replied softly. "I…what can I do to help?" He asked, raising his eyebrows at Lou and wishing he knew what to do or say about this.
“Literally just act like you don’t know me,” he explained. “It’s about the only thing you can do? I guess? I… I don’t really know. If you have advice on it, let it fly.”
He sighed, fiddling with his sunglasses. “Matt said she was looking for me, and no doubt she’s checked my apartment by now. I’m just glad I got out of there. It may seem like I’m being dramatic, but… she’s kind of insane.”
"Alright. I get it. I've had…bad exes too. Not with the time travel part, but one guy…" He shook his head a little, pushing away memories. "Let's just say it wasn't pleasant."
“Yeah…,” Lou muttered, wincing slightly. Suddenly, his phone started to ring.
He glanced down to the number, seeing Matt’s name pop up on screen. Lou glanced to Jay for a moment, mouthed “one second,” and answered.
“Hello?” he asked into the speaker.
“Amigo, Kay’s at the venue. Stopped me backstage. Said she just wanted to talk. I told her ‘no se donde estas.’ Do not think she bought it.” the other voice sounded.
“Well if you see her around, tell her I’m out of town?” Lou asked. “Maybe she’ll take it.”
“Rodger that, hijo. Hasta luego.”
“Yeah, later.”
Lou slipped his phone back in his pocket, taking a long sigh.
Jay ran his fingers through his hair, looking at Lou. "Do you want something to eat?" He asked slowly, trying to change the subject off or this. He didn't want to make Lou talk more if he didn't want to.
Lou gave a small laugh, flicking his eyes back up to Jay.
“Sure,” he said, voice much lighter now. “Sorry I dragged you away just to dump a whole bunch of stuff on you… This probably wasn’t the evening you had in mind.”
Jay nodded a little bit. "It's fine. And it's not quite evening yet. What do you want to eat?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“No clue. Maybe something that will fill me up more than just tea,” he mumbled. His head throbbed and if he held up a hand, he didn’t doubt it would shake. “What about you?”
Jay nodded a little bit. "I'm just going to get a sandwich. Would you like one?" he bit his lip a little bit.
“Sure, I’ll take it,” he said tiredly. “Also.. Jay?”
He looked back up to the man, giving a diminutive smile.
“Thanks for just being kinda rad,” he mumbled. “And dealing with my weird self.”
Jay smiled. "Yeah, no problem." he replied, and then headed to the counter. He came back with a pair of sandwiches, setting on in front of Lou.