I woke up the next morning with a sore neck, sprawled out across the guest bed, not even under the covers. I stretched a little, trying to relieve the kink in my neck, and spotted Louis' little duffle bag sitting in the corner of the room. The clothes he's been wearing the day before were throw on the bag. So he must have been in there since I'd fallen asleep.
I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes and letting everything from yesterday come back to me. I had come into the room Louis had been given, ready to wait for him and confess that I had actually started to like him. I remembered my fight with Max and groaned a little, wishing I just hadn't even bothered to go see him. Then maybe I wouldn't have realized my feelings for Louis after all.
Things would be a lot less complicated if I didn't.
But just thinking about the fact that he was here somewhere, in my house, made butterflies swarm around in my stomach. Unwanted butterflies. I cursed myself for letting this happen. Of course I had to fall for a boy I would never in a million years get to keep. How was I supposed to pretend to be dating him and write an article about it, when just being near him - or thinking about being near him - made my heart beat faster in my chest.
I forced myself to get up and tiptoed down the hallway towards my old room. I peeked around the corner and saw Louis wrapped up in my pink zebra print bed spread, his head rested on a sparkly pillow. I couldn't help but laugh a little - that was for decoration. I always used to remove it before bed, or else I'd be washing sparkles out of my hair for a week.
Seeing Louis now made me nervous. I had been naive and hasty yesterday, wanting to confess all my feelings to him right away. I needed to come to terms with this and figure out a way to stop liking him, or at least a strategy to be able to push my feelings aside and get the job done. Then I could leave, and forget all about Louis. He would be out of my life for good.
I closed the door behind me and padded down the stairs to the kitchen, where I found my step dad drinking coffee and reading the paper. I smiled to myself, because it almost felt like I was back in high school again. I assumed my mom would be out tending to the garden - both of them were teachers and got to enjoy the whole summer off together.
"G'morning," he said, lifting his cup in my direction before he took
a sip.
"Good morning," I responded as I headed to the fridge and pulled out the bowl of fresh fruit my mother always had cut up. Fresh fruit was something as a poor student and intern I could never afford, so I happily scooped up a big bowl and a large glass of chocolate milk. Then I went and sat across from my step-father and he handed me the sections of the paper he was done with, just like he always did.
This feeling of familiarity was so different from the one I'd experienced yesterday in Max's living room. This was comforting... it was home.
"It's good to have you back," he said as if reading my mind.
"It's good to be back. I just wish it could be for longer," I sighed, popping a strawberry into my mouth.
"Stella!" My name was called as I could hear the pitter patter of small feet coming down the stairs. I turned to look over my shoulder and saw Lily coming into the room, wearing a t-shirt with all five boys faces on it. I saw the t-shirt almost everyday while touring with them - but it was different on my own sister. It seemed weird, because to me they were so normal.
"Hey, Lily-Lu," I grinned as she sat down besides us. "I like your shirt," I commented.
She looked down on it then grinned. "Isn't it amazayn?" She asked, clearly emphasizing the Zayn part. "Do you think Louis will like it?"
