out of the blue / n.h

Chapter 71

MELANIE RICHARDS

Thomas has been there with me since last night. He's been really sincere and caring. He letme sleep with him and he borrowed some of Niall's tee. Even though he didn't want to, I insisted him, just so I could sleep with Niall's scent even if he's not Niall. I feel selfish and still devastate over last night. I drive away as soon I see Niall in front of my house. Why would my mom open the door for him?

"You should've listened to him, first. Let him explain, I think you deserve an explanation." Thomas says.

"I know, I just don't want to see him now." I inhale then let the cold air from my mouth escapes. It's really cold and it's snowing. "So, the festival is still like 3 hours away."

"Well, do you want to go to my place?"

"Sure, if you don't mind." I shrug.

"Of course, I don't." He shoots me a warm smile and I can't help but giggle.

"Thomas, thank you. You really are sweet and I love your company, you've been really nice to me." I sigh, turning the wheels to make a turn.

"It's 'kay. You don't deserve any of this, Lenny." He taps my shoulder and I let out a chuckle. I park my car in his driveway. As we get out of the car, he leads me down his house and then I see an old figure with glasses on the bridge of his nose. His grandpa sitting on the couch, reading newspaper. "Grandpa, this is my friend, Lenny." Thomas mentions me and his grandpa shifts his eyes from the newspaper, to me.

"Hi, sir." I reach his hand.

"Call me Bernard." He smiles to me, shaking my hand. He doesn't have the accent like Thomas's. He doesn't even have an accent.

"Come on." Thomas shows me the way to his room. The house is neat and organized and it has so many collection of the late 50s or 40s. There's a photograph of the US army back in the 40s. "That's my grandpa." He informs me before leading me to his room. His room somehow is a guest room. He has a picasso painting which totally not his style. "Yeah, this supposed to be a guest room." He nods.

I sit on the desk chair and take a look at Thomas. Behind him, is some kind of big tube with a pipe along with it. It doesn't belong to him, does it? It looks like a breathing helper thing. I don't know what to call it. "Thomas, what is that?" I ask him, pointing to the grey tube.

"Uh, it's a vacuum cleaner?" He chuckles nervously.

"No, it's not." I chuckle.

"Well, it's been there since I got here. I don't know." He giggles as he taps the spot next to him on the bed. I obey him as I lay myself on the bed. I'm still wearing Niall's 39 sweater from last night. The strong scent is slowly fading and it hurts to know that I might not going to smell it anymore. 

"Hey, don't think of him."

"I don't."

"You keep on sniffing his sweater." He laughs. 

I keep distracting myself from Niall to Thomas. He has been so sweet to me I need to keep focusing on him. He's really a great company and friend. We spend time by talking and making jokes, doing impressions and stuffs and we end up watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians and I swiftly sit up when there's a knock on the door. Someone opens it and peek inside. I gasp as I see that familiar brown haired guy. I cover my mouth with my palm as he sees me in shock.

"Louis?" I call him.

"Lenny, what are you doing here?" Louis gets inside, his eyes are open widely.

"I'm a friend of him. What are you doing in here?"

He looks at me then to Thomas, back and forth, arching his brows together. "Taking care of him." Louis points to Thomas who is burying his face in his palm.

I tilt my head back and look at Thomas who is now lifting his head to Louis with a death glare— some kind of warning, I guess. I look back at Louis. "Like, babysitting or so? I don't get it." I arch my brows as I shake Thomas's arm.

Louis rolls his eyes and paces back and forth in the small room of his, looking frustrated. "No, Lenny. Thomas hasn't told you, has he?" Louis ran his fingers through his hair. "I told you, Thomas, not to be friends with anyone!"

"Told me what? What should I know?" 

He looked back at me and his voice suddenly raises. "That Thomas—"

"Louis! Get out!" Thomas's voice raises drastically and I gape at him because I have never seen his voice so hoarse and loud like this before. Louis finally gets out and slams the door.

"Thomas, calm down. What's really going on?" I hold his arm.

"Nothing, he was just messing with y—"

"Thomas." I demand.

"No, please." He starts to whine.

"Tell me, it's okay." I appease him.

"You don't want to hear it. I swear." He groans.

"I want to hear it, Thomas."