Extraordinary

Chapter 52: Let's Start

Let me tell you guys, having One Direction sing the happy birthday song to you is probably one of the most awesome experiences I’ll ever have. They really made my 21st birthday an unforgettable one at that. I couldn’t believe the fact that they dropped everything after they got back just to help out Chloe and to celebrate it with me.  

Chloe really took the time on the cake she made for me. I could tell she put a lot of detail in it. It was circular, coated in vanilla frosting and drizzles of melted caramel dripping down the side. She even had the ability to print ‘Happy Birthday Lola!’ on the cake in careful handwriting and surround the letters with almond and pecan pieces. The first bite I took was incredibly sweet and melted in my mouth, the savory flavor of the shredded carrot pieces coinciding with the caramel and cake. It was delicious; there couldn’t possibly be any cake from my past years’ birthdays that topped the one that I was devouring right now.

We were back to being scattered about in my living room, everyone on their second slice of cake. (Thankfully Chloe made it large enough for us all to have seconds)  All the boys really seemed to enjoy it too; Niall scarfed his first slice down in about 20 seconds (Which nobody was surprised about).  They all complimented Chloe on her baking skills too, and I could tell by the look on her face she felt truly honored. It was so nice to have a friend to do all of this for me, especially for my birthday.

Then again, she did kind of whip the X Factor thing out of nowhere. So I guess the awesome cake made up for that.

As we all made general conversation, I kept that on my mind at all time, debating whether to go through it or not.  Maybe I could just take a chance and do it. Then again, it doesn’t look like I have a choice. And I feel as though if I just backed out, I would regret it and make myself feel like a complete coward for not doing it. I’ll never know if I try.

Overall, it was a generally nice evening. I joined in on their conversation and laughed at their various tour stories. From what I hear, the fans are getting crazier these days, throwing things on stage and having some interesting sayings on the signs they bring. As we all got more tired and exhausted by the second, the boys and Chloe called it a night, leaving Louis and I alone in my flat. It was amazing how time flew by so fast with us just talking. This was probably one of the first nights where I felt like I could actually fall asleep without having any trouble.  

“Did you have a good birthday?” Louis asks, pulling me closer to him and the duvet over my back, giving me a sense of warmth. I nod and lay my head on his chest. The feeling of having him next to me in my bed again made me feel safer, protected, and loved. I insisted that he stay the night, and of course he didn’t argue about it. The flat was completely pitch black and the rain was getting harder against the windows.

“I’m so glad you’re back,” I whisper, snuggling deeper into his side.

“Me too, I missed you way too much,” He replies. “We better get to sleep,”

“Training tomorrow?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

“Of course,” He says, already sounding excited yet still tired. I couldn’t sleep yet; I was wide awake with all these various thoughts running through my head.

“Do you actually think I can make it on the X Factor?” I ask after a few moments of silence, turning on my side. He turns his head to face me and smiles.  

“I think that if you practice really hard, broaden your music horizons a little, and want it bad enough, You could make it,” I could tell that he was being completely honest, and I’m glad he did.

“Do you-“ I sigh. “Do you think you could help me? I’m new at all of this and you’ve been through it all,” He nods slowly.

“We’ll all help you,” He says, closing his eyes. Louis was completely exhausted and could barely keep his eyes open anymore, so I stopped with the questions. Instead, I snuggled into his side and let his arm drape around me as we both fell asleep.