Roommates Unraveling

Chapter Three- Introductions

The guys hadn't made much noise in hours and I'd unpacked a good seventy percent of my luggage. I hadn't eaten since the plane journey, and that was nine hours ago. Slipping my feet into my lush, cashmere house slippers, I padded to the kitchen, where I hoped I wouldn't bump into the guys. Sure, I was keen to meet them. But not right now. Not when I looked like this.

The security nodded their heads at me when I walked past, and I gave them a meek nod back. Upstairs, I could hear more laughter and swearing, even a guitar being played. Thankfully, they were busy. I slipped into the kitchen, tearing open a pack of cereal and tipping it into one of their ceramic bowls. I found a spoon and began munching away; glad they had some decent food in this house.

Footsteps began rushing downstairs, inching closer to me. I scoffed more cereal down my throat, wanting to finish eating so I could introduce myself. Four guys piled into the kitchen, forming a straight line at the door. I didn't move, and neither did they. They all looked similar. The first had cropped, light brown hair. The second had dark brown hair. The third had darker, longer hair, and the fourth was blonde. They shifted uncomfortably, unsure what to say.

"Hi," The first guy spoke up. "I'm Liam."

The second introduced himself, "I'm Louis."

"Harry." The guy with dark, shoulder length hair said.

The blonde one spoke next, "I'm Niall."

I stared at them for a while, trying to remember what their names were. Harry cleared his throat. "Oh," I said, snapping out of my daze. "I'm Mia."

"Pleased to meet you." Niall said, and the rest nodded. They walked towards the countertop in unison, all looking immaculately sought after. As if they had hairdressers and stylists at their disposal.

"God, you guys do look as if you belong in a boy band." I said.

They erupted in laughter, slapping each other across the chest in amusement. I didn't quite get the joke. Louis was quick to notice that I wasn't kidding, and I had no idea who they were.

"We are in a 'boy band'." He said, and Liam snorted.

"Oh yeah! Zayn told me about that. You guys sing or something?"

Whatever I had said was clearly amusing, because they were all smirking. Except Louis, he looked as if I'd just slapped him hard across the face, and every bone in his body had broken. "Zayn's a liar." He said, fiddling with his coffee cup. Niall patted him on the back, and turned back to me. "Yeah, we sing."

"But we're not very good at it." Harry smirked.

"Can you sing now?" I asked, and they all stared at me, looking blank. "If you're really in a supposed band, can you prove it?"

"I can show you our platinum records and Grammy's." Harry whispered, his face beaming in amusement, but I was too distracted by his eyes to hear. "One, two, three." Harry said, and they all broke into song, saying how no one could drag them down. They finished, clearly expecting praise, so I clapped my hands a bit. To be honest, they weren't that great.

"Not too bad." I applauded.

"People pay thousands of dollars to hear that shit." Liam laughed, shaking his head.

That obviously wasn't true. "I'm sure they do." I said sarcastically, pouting a little. They all burst into laughter. "You really have no idea?" Louis asked.

"No idea about what?"

He shook his head, grinning. "Nothing."

Clearly, they thought they were the bomb. I hadn't listened to proper music in over a year, and social media was my enemy, but still, I was sure I'd have noticed them if they were well and truly famous.

"So, Mia... What's your story?" Liam asked.

I almost choked on my cereal. The past was not something I talked about. Sure, it haunted me and consumed my inner thoughts everyday. But I would never, ever, talk about it.

"No story," I smiled, delivering the excuse I'd fabricated. "My university was drab. The course sucked. The people were horrible. I wanted a change in scenery. And what better way to mix up your routine than to move state?"

"You came from Florida, right?" Louis asked. I nodded, trying to suppress the nerves inside of me. If my mother had said where I'd lived, what else had she mentioned? How much had she said?

"Well, you're going to love it here. I guarantee." Harry squeezed my hand. I looked up at the guys. They nodded in agreement, beaming.

Maybe Mom was right. Maybe this house was exactly what I needed.

No drama. No stress.

Or so I thought.