Upon waking up I called Zak who sounded somewhat distracted and let him know we’d be heading back home to dress up for dinner. His mood picked up immediately at the implication of going out. For that, I was grateful.
Harry drove us over to Louis’ studio flat which didn’t disappoint me in the least. It was incredibly tasteful and well-kept until I saw his bedroom door open to reveal the wreck that I assumed to be his bed and what was left of the floor. Vaguely I recalled Harry mentioning that they were polar opposites in the kitchen and in the whole flat altogether when they lived across town. We practically had to tear Zak from the building, promising him we’d see Louis in a mere hour but needed to look nice first. Lou waved goodbye and shut the door to get himself pretty as well. We were dropped off at the flat and told we’d be picked up by a big car in an hour’s time. Harry pecked me on the cheek and winked at Zak before driving away.
About 50 minutes of that hour were spent on Zak and I breezing through full on manicures, pedicures, facials, plucking, shaving, moisturizing and choosing outfits. The last five were spent on perfecting the looks. The ends of my hair were curled and left in a high loose pony tail, leaving strands out. Zak had chosen a strapless maroon topped dress with a mauve lace skirt and my darker shade of nude heels with minimal gold bangles and earrings. My makeup was natural for my face but striking kohls were set around my eyes to bring out the gold flecks in my brown eyes. I chose Zak’s outfit in return. He put on his light denim Oxford shirt with the sleeves rolled up, white chino shorts, boat shoes and the Rollex for a finishing touch. His hair was gelled upwards, the way it so rarely did. We looked wonderful. Our mutual stare-down of appreciation was rudely interrupted by a knock at the door. We ran to answer it once our keys and my bag were in hand. Our guys stood leaning in the door frame as handsome as ever. Louis wore khaki shorts, white Ked-like tennies and a dark blue printed button down short-sleeved shirt. He grabbed Zak’s hand telling him he was looking “absolutely fetching.” I was thrown into a fit of giggles at the terminology, much to Zak’s embarrassment. Louis pursed his lips and finished, “uhm, hot then.” I just smiled back at him before turning to Harry. He had on dark jeans, black Converse and a burgundy button-down shirt hanging open to reveal a white tee underneath. As I locked up the house with my right hand he took my left in his own and whispered, “You are lovely” in my ear. It sent a shiver down my spine.
Down on the curb a familiar looking black car awaited us. As our dates opened the door we were greeted by two more familiar things- one Niall Horan and Liam Payne! Zak and I grinned as we embraced the two guys and squeezed into the car next to them. Niall wore a huge grin, navy polo and khakis wrapped into white “trainers” as he referred to his tennis shoes. Liam sat clad in a blue plaid button-down, jeans and white Converse with a friendly smile. It never ceased to amaze me that all of the boys had entirely perfect hair. Thinking of perfect anything brought me to the realization that we were missing someone. “Where’s Zayn?” I asked no one in particular. Niall practically screeched, “WITH HIS MIRROR!” Liam cleared his throat and explained that the fifth member of One Direction was spending any time he could with his girlfriend Perrie. Speaking of girlfriends, this too brought me to a much delayed thought. From what I’d read in the tabloids Liam was in a serious relationship with a girl but he hadn’t mentioned her once since we’d met. I tucked that away for a moment when the two of us were alone. For the time being we all chatted away about the restaurant. We were going out for hibachi which was indeed one of my favorites. Not only do you get to eat fresh and delicious food but it’s also prepared in front of you. Entertainment plus a full tummy equals one happy crowd- about as happy as Niall would be with a piece of toast.
The night went by flawlessly. Each of us was pelted with morsels of shrimp or chicken by our chef. True to belief, Niall caught the most of them and even picked one piece off the ground. That did gross me out a little but to each his own, right? By a shared glance with Zak I could see he shared my concerns. Harry really tried to catch food but most of it simply smacked him in the eyeballs and fell to the floor. Louis was more concerned with moving himself around for the best probability rather than trusting the chef to throw properly. Liam, Zak and I simply let it be what it would be. I think we could all agree that our meals would be filling enough without the added treats from the “show.” We caused quite a bit of a ruckus and caught the attention of a nearby table where a family was seated. The teenaged girl in the center chair’s eyes opened wide and she whispered to her parents. Soon after a man who I assumed to be her father politely asked if the boys would mind singing happy birthday to his daughter Fiona. He said he’d understand if they were unable to but it’d mean the world to her. The four singers quickly obliged and walked over for a smooth rendition of the birthday song and a small hugging and photo session. I wondered absently if the girl would feel slighted only meeting 4/5 of the band.
After dinner we were dropped off at Harry’s house and the other two boys continued on to Liam’s parent’s house for the time being. Louis, Harry, Zak and I headed back to the flat for some relaxing. I prepared some herbal tea for us and we curled up on the couch to take in a Disney film- how else could we end Zak’s perfect day? Peter Pan was chosen and we watched in comfortable silence aside from Zak and Louis’ frequent bursts of excitement. When the movie was over I needed a good stretch so I suggested Harry and I take a night walk. I grabbed my jacket and we left the other pair to figure out their next hour or so alone.
Harry held my hand and rubbed circles into the crevice between my thumb and index finger. We walked through the park and around a few blocks, not aimlessly but without an end goal. We just wanted to be together. “This is really hard on Zak. He just swooped in here and now he has to swoop back out. It’s just not that easy though.” I sniffled a little. Harry’s hand squeezed mine as he responded, “I haven’t seen Lou so happy in a while. He was acting so blokey just a few weeks ago, you know? If he fancies Zak half as much as I do you he’ll be in for a shock tomorrow.” Inadvertently, Harry had just admitted he had serious feelings for me. My heart fluttered as I took in this new bit of information.
The remainder of our walk was interrupted by brief hugging and light kisses but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
When we returned to my flat Zak and Louis were red-faced with hands held and tea untouched. Hmm.. Someone else had been “snogging” too. Louis announced that he and Harry should leave but that they’d see us in the morning to see Zak off. He wrapped his arms around Zak and gave him a kiss I was sort of embarrassed to have witnessed. I pecked Louis on the cheek and kissed Harry lightly on the lips as a goodbye.
Zak and I collapsed on the bed in our clothes without a care and just cried. It was cathartic in a way. No words, just hugging and crying. It was, quite honestly, a beautiful example of our friendship. I don’t think we needed words to understand what today meant. “I love you.” These were the only words I spoke before turning the light off and nodding off to sleep.
More tears ensued through our morning packing but we mustered through it. I knew he was feeling horrible about saying goodbye to what seemed like home. I wasn’t looking forward to when I had to do the same thing, but at least for now, I wasn’t the one under duress. Harry showed up around 9 AM to pick us up for the airport. I honestly don’t remember what we all wore. My thoughts were elsewhere. The ride was almost entirely silent. Zak’s lone but large suitcase was checked in record time and we anxiously awaited his flight in the terminal with the company of some Starbucks coffees and muffins. I had told Zak earlier that it was okay to say a more thorough goodbye to Louis because I’d always be around so it wasn’t my hand who gripped his. Harry shook his hand firmly with a smile and thanked him for being around. I hugged Zak goodbye when his flight was announced and asked him to call me immediately upon his arrival. He nodded that he would and said his goodbyes to Louis while Harry pulled me in tight. As Zak walked away I felt an awkward hollow space growing within me.
