Chapter Text
Louis didn't know how this happened.
Everything was fine. He has worked in the stock market for 5 years, and he was excellent and successful at what he does. Suddenly shit went down and he was certainly not ready to accept that this was his fault.
It was just a normal day in the office. Everyone was in a hustle when suddenly Zayn got a phone call from the bank.
Flashback
"Hey Louis, I just got a phone call from the bank. They said that a loan had been sanctioned?" Zayn asked.
"Yes, we are buying the MEN and STEEL company." He replied from his desk, too busy on his laptop to look up.
"WHAT!?" Liam screamed from the background. "Why?"
"Relax guys, it's just a small loan."
"How small?"
"Like around 1-2 million dollars"
Liam and zayn made eye contact and looked at Louis. He spinned his chair and gave them an exhausted look.
"Guys, the MEN and STEEL company has been dead for many years now. We will invest our client's money on it so that its stock value goes up. And once the stock value goes up, double the profit." Louis was really confident about this but he also knew it was a big risk.
"Louis it's not our kind of work, why are we putting this loan on our heads-" Zayn tried to speak.
"Z relax, its okay to take risks sometimes"
five days later,
"I am not responsible for this crash Mr. Charles and pls don't raise your voice at me. What happened when you made 150% profit last year with us?"
Mr. Charles on the other side of the phone kept screaming at him.
The market crashed and their deal was canceled and everyone in the office was running here and there. The office was a total chaos. They lost the money.
"Fine, I don't need you to do business. I'll survive this alone." Louis practically screamed and cut the phone call.
"Louis" Liam called him. "The market has crashed. It happened too fast. It's over man. It's fucking over" Liam kept telling him that but he was just not ready to listen.
"The bank called," Zayn said.
"Yeah we will pay their loan soon." Louis replied, still not accepting what just happened.
"Why did you even do that in the first place Louis?" Zayn said in disappointment, not meeting his eye to him.
"Listen, everyone knew that I took this loan." Louis said this pointing to each member in the office.
"That's a fucking lie. All you did was take our signatures for 1 million dollars and then went away and took a 12 million dollar loan." Zayn stated. Everyone in the office looked shocked.
"What?" Stan screamed.
"Yes, if that company had done well was I the only one who was going to share all the profit? Huh? We all are equal partners. If I would have said that it was a 12millon loan would any of you approve of it?" Louis started rambling. "All of you have a small mind. Do you think it's that easy to build up an office this big? How would I know that the market would crash?"
"So you cheated on us. You could have at least told us that you took such a big loan Lou" Zayn said finally meeting eyes with Louis. "You were always in a hurry to reach the top right? You always wanted to come first in every fucking race. Well Louis guess what, WE don't want to come first. And WE were a team. I have been nothing but supportive to you." Zayn had tears in his eyes.
"What do you guys want me to do?!!" He screamed. "SHUT THIS COMPANY DOWN, SELL THIS FUCKING OFFICE??"
"Louis please" Liam trying to calm Louis."just calm down for a second."
"YOU ARE ALL FUCKING DUMB. I WANNA SEE HOW LONG WILL YOU BE ABLE TO SURVIVE WITHOUT ME. SO GO ON AND SHOW ME ."
Zayn attacked Louis in rage, hands on his neck against the wall and said, "WHERE WILL WE GO? HOW ARE WE GOING TO PAY FOR THE LOAN THAT YOU TOOK?"
Liam and other staff members pull Zayn's body away from Louis while Zayn keeps repeating that how are they going to pay for the loan and how he betrayed all of them. "Babe, please calm down" Liam trying to calm Zayn down in his arms.
"YOU'RE JUST AN ARROGANT SON OF A BITCH" Zayn screamed. "Where will we go after this? Even your dad left you Louis. You left your sisters. You were neither a good friend or a good son nor a good brother. What did you earn after all these years? Money? Respect? Guess what, You don't even have that today."
Flashback ends
Its been 2 days since that happened but that last line that Zayn said kept pricking him. He is homeless now, the bank confiscated his apartment, so he haven't been home since then, still in his suit. he had a small amount of money left but it's at the apartment and certainly had no friends right now. He got out of the train and saw the time. It was fucking 1 am and in the cold of San Francisco, he had no idea where he was going. He just wanted to die at that moment. He was never suicidal but he has been depressed for far too long and he doesn't have it in him anymore. He had no reason to live. He was just a disappointment. He knew that what Zayn said was actually true but he was just too arrogant to accept that. Maybe he deserved what happened to him. He had no one in his life right now and he knows that all of this is because of him. He was alone in this cruel world. again. and it's his fault.
He kept walking in the streets of San Francisco with nowhere to go. Christmas was near. He used to love Christmas, as he thinks of the Christmas spirit his mind wanders off to his family. He misses his mom. At times like this he always thinks what would she do, how would she tell Louis at times like this to make him feel better, he needs her words to feel alive again. He thinks about his sisters, how they are doing. He lost touch with them when he left Doncaster. he's been closed off with them after he lost the most important person in his life. He couldn't be the big brother that his sisters deserved.
He keeps walking until he realizes he's close to the Golden gate bridge. Halfway through the bridge he just stops and looks at the water. His phone was ringing in his pocket so he just threw the phone in the water. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts.
He kept looking at the water just thinking how everything would be okay if he just died right here right now in this cold water. everything would be okay without him being a scourge in the lives of his close ones. It's not like he has anyone in his life right now that would miss him. He had at least two people that he could always count on after he left home but after today he lost them too.
He just had too much sadness inside of him, he was tired of feeling like this. He had no one to hold on to. so without thinking about anything else he just decided that he wanted to die from the bridge.
Without giving it another thought, he stood on the railing of the bridge and all the things that happened kept playing in his mind like some tragic movie. He could see the handline for tomorrow's news, "Young man took his life from the Golden gate bridge after he lost everything"
Maybe Liam and Zayn will be kind enough to have a funeral for him, he doubts anyone wants to attend it. No one really liked Louis at the office.
He closed his eyes and was about to jump when he heard a voice saying, "Should I push you"?
Louis jumped back a little in terror. He looked to his right. There was a man sitting on the railing with a vodka bottle in his hand. How did he not notice him sitting there? He had long brown beautiful chocolate curls which were flying around because of the wind. He certainly looked beautiful in that moonlight.
"Should I push you?" the man asked again when he got no answer from him. "You are just standing there for too long man." Louis was about to say something when he started talking again, "Actually no, then it would be murder. No no, we don't want that. So please continue. Jump" and then he took a long sip of his vodka.
Louis still didn't say anything and ignored him. He does not care for the drunk man right now. He just looked forward and was about to jump once again. Until the man started talking. Again.
"You know when you want to do something like this, you shouldn't overthink. Just fucking do it. Pinnnnng psssshhh" making weird noise from his mouth like something dropping in the water.
"Are you a suicide consultant?" Louis spoke and was irritated by this curly head man. He didn't have it in him to deal with this right now and just wanted to get this over with.
"It's common sense man" the curly replied.
Louis looked away. Took a deep breath. Closed his eyes. Out of all the people he could've met, he met a drunk man. He decided to try to jump again. Yet his 3rd attempt also failed when curly just started talking again.
"You know I talk a lot when I get drunk" And then he started giggling. "But like in real life I'm really quite and shy, ateast to the people who aren't close to me"
He started giggling again. He put his hand on his face and said "Omg this is real life" and started laughing like a maniac.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, shhhh. Concentrate. I'm quiet. please continue." He said and put a finger on his mouth. Louis gave him the best death stare he could until the man looked away.
He tried to get some distance from curly but he started talking again,"You know, when I was young. Like really small. I didn't like to drink medicine at all. I mean no toddler does. So my mom used to tell me that 'just close your eyes and count 1 2 3 and just do it'." And he looked at Louis.
Louis just kept staring at him with anger.
"So try that"
He drank the last sip of his vodka. He dropped the bottle."Okayyyyyyyy. So I'm also done." and stood there beside Louis.
And Louis just stared at him and was just too deep into his thoughts to ask why this beautiful man was standing beside him and trying to die with him. Maybe he was as lonely as him. Maybe he doesn't have anyone in his life to miss him either.
"One" ,curly started counting. Louis stared ahead.
"Two" they both closed their eyes.
"Three"
As they were about to jump a loud horn and a light flashed towards them from the water.
"GET OFF THE BRIDGE. NOW."
They both opened their eyes and saw the coast guard screaming at them. The coast guard started talking to someone on the walkie. They knew if they stayed their for too long, they would be in a lot of trouble.
They both got off the bridge in panic, looked at each other and thought the same thing. They decided it's better to go separate ways then to get arrested. So they went in opposite directions.
Louis kept walking to the other side of the bridge until he saw a car coming at full speed towards him. Suddenly without thinking he stepped in front of that car.