LUCIFER » SIMON MINTER

Chapter 18

We were all called to go to the Sidemen house the next day to celebrate. Ed was invited too, and so were the other sidemen that didn't live there. I didn't know what we would be doing, but I heard that there would be a couple of drinks. It wasn't even in the evening, either, making it just a little meet up.

'Hey, Lu!' Ed seemed very happy to see me as he came up to me from behind, making me jump as he planted his big hands on my shoulders. I already had a glass of champagne in my hand, so I was trying to be careful not to spill it. I turned around to face him. His wild ginger hair was untamed and his green eyes seemed darker than they were a couple of days ago.

'Hi, what's up?' I asked him.

'Nothing much, just talking to the model who's on the cover of the teen magazine.' He laughed. 'My model,' He then added, to which I frowned.

'What do you mean, 'my model'?'

'I mean like, I took the picture of you.' He laughed again awkwardly. Thankfully, Tobi called everyone around to make a toast before things got too awkward between Ed and I. Everyone turned around to listen to what he was going to say, and a thick sheet of silence fell upon us.

'Okay guys, I'd just like to make a toast to celebrate having two amazing friends; an amazing gamer and an amazing photographer, both of which are also amazingly good looking and are now on the front cover of a teen magazine. To Lu and Simon!' He raised his glass of champagne in the air, and everyone joined in.

'And to Ed for his photography!' Freya and Sarah shouted as everyone was already taking a sip of their drink, so everyone nodded.

Soon enough, I could see Simon's tall figure pushing his way through the little crowd standing in his living room so he could get to me. 'Hey,' He smiled down at me and rested a hand on my back when he finally reached me. 'Congrats,' He said.

'Congrats to you too,' I smiled back up at him and clinked my glass to his. We took sips from our drinks at the same time, and from the corner of my eye I could see Freya and Sarah staring at us intently. I looked at them and gave them a weak smile to tell them it was alright, to which they nodded and went back to the conversation they were having.

'Did you buy all your Christmas presents yet?' Simon asked, making small talk. I looked up in thought for a second.

'I think so. I mean, I think I have something for everyone.' I told him. 'Why, do you not?' I asked him. I knew the guilty look he was giving me, and when I asked him, he burst out laughing, shaking his head.

'Of course I don't, Christmas is next week.' He told me.

'Exactly! You only have a couple of days left to get everyone something!' I laughed, shocked.

'I'll be fine, one week is plenty of time.' He replied and rolled his eyes goofily. 'Anyways, how is uni going?' He asked. I crinkled my nose at his question. Not much has changed in two months and he knows it.

'It's going pretty well. I mean, it's a lot of work, but I quite enjoy it because I study something that I like and that I'm good at.' I told him with a true grin.

'Is living with Freya and Sarah not too distracting?' He joked and I giggled with him, shaking my head.

'No, they're like, my favourite people in the world and I can't imagine living on my own without them now.' I said honestly.

'That's good then.' He said and I nodded again, trying to fight the awkwardness that was creeping into our conversation.

'How about we all get our copies of the magazine out and get it signed by them?' JJ's loud voice boomed throughout the entire room, and obviously everyone had heard him. For a brief moment I forgot that the magazine launched today, and that all of them were able to get their hands on it before coming here. Simon and I were pushed to the middle of the room, where JJ was standing at the coffee table with his magazine and a sharpie in hand.