The Girl Next Door

I Go In Ginger Direction

I apologize for the title name being so lame.

Enjoy. 

Well the pub was amazing. It was so amazing, I could only remember 40% of the night. And what I do remember is getting drunk over and over again until finally Perrie called Zayn, worried, and told him to come home. Then we split into two cabs- since there was no way Lou would be driving us anywhere- and went home. I also remember Niall drooling on my shoulder as he slept on me in the taxi and some preppy 80s song playing on the radio. It really was a fun night.

My phone rang. I shifted in bed and tapped the dresser in search for my iPhone.

“Hello,” I said, without even looking at the screen.

“Harry, how are you, lad?”

“Ed? It’s like,” I glanced at the clock in the corner of the screen, “three in the morning.”

Ed cleared his throat. “Sorry, it’s dinnertime over here. How are you?”

“Tired. Hung-over. Head pounding. ”

“Great. Look, I’m going on this like Winter Festival tour in a couple of weeks. Just playing some gigs across Europe and stuff and I was wondering if you’d come along… Like a holiday.”

I groaned. “Hold up, I need to check my calendar.” I had absolutely nothing to do until the New Year unless a few 1DHQ meetings. “Well, it’s an incredibly tight squeeze but I think I’ll manage to spare a week off for my favourite ginger.” He chuckled quietly. “So, where are we going?”

“We start out in Venice and then we go to the Alps, then Paris, then just a few cities on the Adriatic.”

“Sounds fun. Can I be your groupie?”

“Harry—”
“Ed, I love you.”

“Harry—” he tried again. God, I admire his persistence.

“Let’s get married.”

“You’re drunk. Goodbye.”

And just like that he hung up on me.

Three weeks later Ed came to pick me up to go to the airport. 

I was running around my house nervously, double checking my list. When I saw I had everything, I grabbed my two duffle bags and slung them over my shoulders.

As I was locking the door behind me, I heard a familiar female voice calling out.

“Harry!” I turned around and saw Mrs Jones and her husband waiving at me. Carter’s mum and stepdad, I thought, Oh the joy. A lump formed itself in my throat as we slowly approached each other.

“Hello,” I said shyly.

“Harry, how’ve you been doing?”

“I’m fine, thanks. How’s—how’s—”

“She’s good. She moved to Split and got a place of her own, and she goes to UNI with her old friends.”

So basically she forgot I even exist. Which, mind you, I don’t mind.

I smiled briefly at the ground.

“So, you going somewhere?”

“Um, yeah. I and a friend are going on holiday.”

Chris pulled her hand gently as she nervously looked down. You could literally cut the awkwardness with a knife.

Then Ed’s driver’s car pulled up along the curb. I sighed in relief.

“It was good to see you.” We shook hands. “Bye.”

And no, I didn’t say ‘Say hi to Carter for me.’ or ‘Tell Carter I miss her.’ because I simply didn’t care. She walked out of my life when she walked out of my door. But something in the back of my mind said it wasn’t that simple.

I turned my back on them and jogged to Ed who was casually laid back on the hood of the car, hands in pockets.

“Was about time,” he said.

“Carter’s parents.” I explained and got into the car. In the car window I could see Ed form a silent O with his mouth. I rolled my eyes and kicked my back against the back seat.

We drove in silence for a long while with the occasional heavy sigh from me and the typically English rain dripping against the windows.

Finally when we got stuck in traffic on the way out from town, Ed turned towards me.

“Harry, how are you?” I wanted to tell him I’m just peachy keen but I knew better. “And I don’t mean just today. I mean lately. Like present continuous.”

“I am being fine, thank you.”

“And besides missing your girlfriend?”

“She’s not my girlfriend, Sheeran,” I said matter-of-factly, “Never was, never will be.” I crossed my arms on my chest.

“But you want her to be.”

“Once. I once wanted her to be.” I corrected him quickly. “Past tense.” Ed shrugged his shoulders in a yeah-and-I’m-a-llama kind of way.

I tried to forget about her. I really tried. I could even go a day without thinking about her now. But as soon as the night would set in, I’d miss her warmth. And I went to pubs and clubs not because of the party animal I am- okay, not entirely because of that anyway- but because I tried to forget. I’d even forgive. Just to see her again. And it killed me slowly on the inside that she was back home, forgotten about me, and just moving on. I wished I could do like her. I couldn’t.- Present continuous.

“Am I that obvious?” I asked, playing with the ring on my finger that Lou said was too much bling and swag for me- whatever that meant.  

“Mate, it’d be less obvious if you held a flashing neon ‘I’M LOST WITHOUT MY ALMOST GIRLFRIEND’ sign above your head.” I sighed heavily and glanced pass him, to the raindrops sticking against the cars stuck in traffic. “That’s why I invited you here,” He smirked mischievously. “To make things right.”