The Styles Brothers

Chapter Ten: -J

I tossed and turned in the large bed, unable to sleep. The high from the strange alcohol hadn't yet completely worn off, and the zing still pulsed through my veins. I lay aboslutely, completely awake.

Sighing, I slipping off the bed and padding silently to the kitchen in my pajamas. Maybe a cup of tea will help, I thought.

It won't, someone thought in reply. I turned around, seeing a disheveled James exiting his room, in flannel pants and a bare chest. I had to force myself to keep my wandering eyes on his.

"Hey," I said quietly, closing the cupboard, which was completely bare.

"Hey." James sat at the table, tousling his curls.

I watched, amused at the complexity of his so-called hair flip. He would bring both hands to the side of his head, ruffling the curls to a mess, before running his hands lengthwise through the locks to tame the wild ringlets; finally sweeping them carelessly to the side. They fell, ridiculously flawless, around his ears and curling to his jaw. Harry was the same way.

"I can hear you thinking about my hair," James grumbled, not looking at me. He was obviously bitter about something.

"Yes, James, I just love your hair so much," I gushed sarcastically. That cracked him, as he finally met my gaze, one side of his mouth shifting upwards in a hesitant grin.

"What's not to love?" He finally responded.

It was silent for a while, each of us lost in our thoughts. Well, I was lost in mine, and James was probably lost in mine as well.

"What are you thinking about?" I wondered out loud. "I'm not a mind-reader here."

James opened his mouth as if to reply, then closed it. He looked out the darkness behind the glass wall, before finally speaking.

"You."

I felt a heat creeping up my neck, but forced it back down. "Why are you thinking about me?"

"Why not?" He retorted defensively, and I caught a red glint in his eye. Then it was gone.

I breathed out irritably.

"I'm sorry." James' meek apology was almost inaudible. I turned to him, and he was sheepishly smiling, obviously regretting his previous snarky comments.

I smiled back, boldly making my way over to him. He took me into his lap and coddled me like a child, and I leaned my head against his shoulder in content.

"I was thinking about you.. because I wanted to tell you how beautiful you looked tonight," James whispered.

I was instantly glad he couldn't see my face, because I was red as a ripe tomato. "Th-thanks," I stuttered.

"Koi obviously thought so, too," James said, his expression sour and mouth twisted when I peered up.

"What do you have against him?" I pulled away from his shoulder so I could look him in the eye.

"Nothing," James said quickly, averting his gaze. I grabbed his chin and pulled his face back so I could glare at him.

"Tell me," I prompted.

"It's because.. It's because.." James stuttered, the first time I had ever witnessed him stumble.

I stared at him blankly, waiting for his long-sought response. He looked helplessly at me with large, conflicted green eyes. And then he kissed me.

I kissed him back, the feeling of it more enjoyable than Koi's a thousand times over. His eyelashes fluttered against my cheekbones, his curls brushing my own copper ones. His kiss made me feel like the only girl in the universe.

He pulled away from me quickly, his gaze suddenly hard. "This is wrong. I'm sorry."

He set me on my feet before I could say a word, then vanished into thin air. I was left alone with nothing but  warm cheeks and cold lips.

<><><>

The next day, my alarm woke me up. I flipped onto my back, staring at the ceiling. My mind instantly went back to last night.

The confessions. The kiss. The sudden hesitance.

I sighed. This was too confusing to handle so early in the morning. After a quick shower, I put my hair up and walked down the hallway into the kitchen. James was nowhere in sight, he must have left for school already, and Harry was splayed on the couch, yawning.

"Hi there," I said, chuckling lightly as I remembered his drunken actions from the previous night. Harry gave me a quick but emotionless smile as he nodded off into the pillows.

I waltzed into the kitchen to grab some water when I noticed a pink travel mug sitting on the counter. I hesitantly sniffed it. Passionfruit tea.

As I lifted the mug to take a sip, I saw a piece of paper was stuck to the bottom. I carefully peeled it off, reading the note there:

-J

I smiled, taking a sip of the warm, fruity tea. How had James known this was my favorite? Maybe he was trying to make up for the curt exit he'd made last night. I'll interrogate him later, I thought, as I called to Harry who looked deceased laying on the couch.

"Awake there, Harry?"

"Huh? Yeah." He pried himself off the cushions and came to stand by me, still groggy. I held out my elbow in a posh manner, raising an eyebrow.

He smirked at me, before literally whisking us to school.