Shirley Temple

Chapter 10: Old Poems, Old People

"I'm sorry Shirley I've gotta go!" Harry's voice sped through the phone before the call quickly ended. I take the phone away from my ear and frown, the short call time staring back at me. I turn the phone off before it makes me more upset and look out my bedroom window which echoed the city lights.

It had been about 6 months since I left the boys in Malibu and I missed them like crazy. They were off doing their boy band thing while I was still in New York.

New York was, well, New York. It has always been this constant thing in my life. I knew it was a special place, but it didn't become a special place in my heart until the boys were here. Seeing them in my room; looking out my window. They made my home even more than my home. It had their echo all around it. I could see Harry drinking from my coffee cup so clearly as I sit on my bed.

It's not like they weren't there, they just weren't there as much. Even after barely knowing each other for a few days, Harry stayed in touch months after. And it was because thats who Harry was. Making connections with people was just in his blood. And when he came with the boys, that energy of connections brought me closer to the rest of them.

My mom talking on the phone quickly erases my thoughts as I find myself sitting in the same spot I had after the call. I sigh and set my phone on my desk. I walk over to my bookcase and look for a book to read. My eyes brush over the titles, but none of them catch my eye like the one shoved in the corner that I rarely pick up. With its red background and yellow letter and the familiar pages that had once sat in Holmes Chapel. I pick it up and open it up to where the bookmark sat. Written on the bookmark was familiar handwriting.

Don't you read this without me. Signed with an H.

I felt a sad smile before sitting in my bed again and opening to a random poem before the bookmark. I could picture exactly where we read this poem.

"Ooh wotcha readin?" Louis walks up to me sitting in my designated bean bag in their studio. It was day three of me being there.

"Just a book full of poems," I smile at him. "But don't tell Harry I'm reading it without him."

"Don't tell Harry WHAT?" At the sound of his name Harry speeds in and sits next to me, the beanbag making a plop noise. "You wouldn't happen to be reading it without me would ya Shirley?" He giggles. I shrug in response. As I read the title of the poem out loud, Louis sits down, leaning against my bent legs.

"Oi boys get in here!" He calls for the other three who were playing in the other room. They perk up and walk in, taking spots around us. I smile as they do and start reading. It was nice seeing the boys all sit around me and listen to my words. I liked feeling needed, feeling wanted. It was something that was so unfamiliar that I didn't even realize I could feel that way until it happened. And, I could tell they wanted to be there, I could feel Louis' comfort as he leaned against my legs, Harry snuggling into me in the beanbag, Niall laying on the ground, his bright blue eyes occasionally catching mine, Zayn sitting against the wall but had his eyes closed, listening to my words, and Liam sitting in the chair but watching me as I read. They were all there. They were all listening.

I shut the book. The poem, bringing back a feeling that I knew I wouldn't get back in a while and I didn't want to feel it any second longer. Instead of putting the box back on my shelf I shove it in a box under my bed. It's not like I would be forgetting them by keeping it hidden, it just stopped me from feeling homesick for them.

I didn't know it, but it would be a very long time before I opened that book up again. 

A/N: DON'T KILL ME!!  LIFE GOT IN THE WAY UNFORTUNATELY AND I GOT BUSY!!! I'm sorry this is a short one it's kind of a filler to get the party started. But, I'm back!!! I'm gonna be doing a lot of writing so that I don't forget to post during exams!! Also thank you guys for 100 READS ON THIS WTF!!! Thats insane!! I really appreciate it and love y'all so much! Anyways, onto Chapter 11...