The Girl Next Door

Brain-Washed

He twitched. I opened my eyes just in time to see him pulling back.

He coughed and looked back at the stars and city, his hands still shaking, “It really is beautiful up here.”

I wanted to ask him what the actual hell has just happened, but I let it go.

“It is,” I muttered to my chin.

The next day he was gone. He left a note saying he had to go to LA for some show or whatever. He was careful enough not to mention anything from last night. It’s probably for the best. As they say, never mix business and pleasure. If you could call a spontaneous kiss under a starry sky a pleasure, that is.

I decided to forget. Hopefully, he will too. 

I went back home. No point of being in a beach house alone.

The next month and a half flashed by my eyes. They say that when you have fun, time goes quickly. They’re right. Every day, I’d wake up and go to the beach before the crowd. I spent every moment I could with Ana and Johanna and Ellie. I’ve missed them so bad it hurt. Eventually, I’d remember dad, but I didn’t want it to ruin my vacation, so I’d push it to the back of my mind. There was no sign of Charlie. Except that, things were back to normal.

I caught myself in one moment, thinking has last year ever even happened. I felt frozen in time, the scars on my heart not healing, not growing. This is my Neverland.

But all good things come to an end.

I got up really early and went to the beach. The sun was shyly rising on my left and the waves were crashing against the sand shore. The morning sky was gloomy and the wind was cold. Even here, the summer was slowly fading. 

I packed up my suitcase and said goodbye to my cousins in under half an hour. It took me longer to say goodbye to my friends.

I waited on the side of the street for the cab to pick me up. Ana, Johanna, Ellie and Jake were taking turns hugging me.

“Watch out, sis,” Jake said, tightly hugging me. “I’ll miss you.”

“Jake. Can’t. Uhm—breathe,” I gasped. He loosened his grasp. “Thank you.” He kissed me on the cheek and handed me over to Ana.

“Carter!” she tackled me so hard it made me miss Jake’s killer hug.

“I’m going to London, not a warzone,” I managed.

“Still… It’s weird here without you. Anyway, say hello to that gorgeous boyfriend of yours.”

“Who, Harry? He’s far from gorgeous. You should see him without a shirt.”

“I wish,” she muttered.

I now realised how long haven’t I thought about Harry.

I hugged Ana one more time. The taxi came. Jake helped me with my stuff. I closed the trunk. My gran and uncle gave me one last strangling hug.

Just as I opened the door to get into the taxi, I saw a pair of blue eyes looking at me from the far. He was getting closer with every second. Now this scene looked exactly like last year’s.

Déjà vu couldn’t feel this real, could it?

“Coming?” the cabby’s voice shook me up.

“Sure,” I muttered and got in the cab, my eyes still locked on Charlie. He didn’t say anything, he just put on a poker face and hoped no one would notice him. But the look in his eyes was the same as last years’: please don’t go.

But I did.

After a pretty long, made-me-rethink-my-life choices flight, Chris and mom picked me up at the airport. As soon as I stepped inside my house, my phone rang.

“Carter! Finally! Where have you been?” Richard’s annoying voice squawked on the other line.

“I was in—p”

“Never mind. I hope you’re ready to pack.”

“Why?”

“Why? Why is the sky blue?” he muttered, “Because you’re sort of moving in with Harry. Ring a bell?”

“I just came back—”

“I don’t care! You haven’t been seen with Harry in over a month, people are starting to doubt.” 

They should, I thought.

“Anyway,” he continued, “You better be ready around noon tomorrow. And be sure to brag and tweet and write and Instagram and Tumblr and whatnot about it. See you tomorrow,” he hung up. I cursed and put the phone in my pocket.

“What’s wrong?” mom appeared behind me, her facial expression worried. Then I remembered I haven’t told her anything about my moving house. Harry telling her I was moving in with him was one of those rare things I was actually looking forward to.

He’ll so pay for this.

I sighed, “Mom, I don’t know how you’ll react, but you better sit down.” I avoided her eyes.

“You’re pregnant! I knew that Mick Jagger boyfriend of yours would—”

“MOM, no! Don’t worry, I’m far from pregnant, but…” So we sat down on the couch and I told her how Harry’s an old-school guy and does everything by the book. I wasn’t so sure whether that’s true, but I doubt my mom would handle the Harry Styles who pays a girl to pretend she’s dating him just so his actual cougar girlfriend could come and go to use him whenever she likes. That made me realize how naïve he actually was.

“So, you’re telling me that you’re moving out of my house on a one-day notice?”

I knitted my eyebrows, “Kind of.”

“Then why are we here? You should go pack yourself up.”

“Uhm… Thank you?”

“At least you won’t be far away.”

“You make it sound like it’s a bad thing.”

“It is. Now, run along and go pack up. I want you out of my house by lunchtime tomorrow.” I saluted and ran upstairs.

I grabbed the same cardboard boxes from my first move and put the same clothes inside. I didn’t even have to pack that much because a good part of my things were still wrapped up in boxes, stocked in the corner of my room. In under two hours my entire life was packed and ready to move in with Popstar.