How it started™ | Ashton Irwin Fanfic

Chapter 18

# Cliff's POV #

I woke up in a dark room and could hear strong rain beating down on the window to my left. I tried to remember the night before: I was playing cards with some of the boys and then maybe Liam, maybe Zayn lifted me into bed.

Every so often, the rain outside would stop. It would come back after about thirty second intervals and shower for about three minutes. Between one of the quiet intervals, I heard Zayn snoring lightly beside me.

I pulled the covers off my body, revealing that I was in a loose shirt of Zayn's and grey sweatpants. They smelled nice, like a musky cologne that was familiar.

I felt around to my right and located my phone on the glass sideboard that was in between the two beds in the room. I opened my phone, turned down the brightness as I was being blinded, and checked the time when I regained my eyesight. The bar at the top of my screen read 11.47am. We must have been up late, as I usually got up earlier.

There was vague noises coming from the kitchen. I decided to answer to them and got up out of bed quietly trying not to disturb Zayn. I reached the door silently.

Louis was in the kitchen sipping coffee and reading the The New York Times.

"Hey Lou." I yawned, walking over to the sink and filling the kettle for a cup of tea.

"Hey C. You sleep okay?" He asked, yawning evidently.

"Yeah. You?" Louis nodded.

"Alright I suppose. I feel like someone's dropped a brick on my head." I scratched my hair, fixing my bun.

"You want an aspirin?" Lou asked. I nodded, clambering into a stool at the counter. Lou reached to the back of a cupboard and took out a box of tablets and handed me a pill. I swallowed it with water.

"It says here that snow is expected today. What degree is it?" He asked, pointing at a column in the paper.

"Thirty three." I answered, checking on my phone.

"That's roasting."

"Oh right, it's like one degree in your language. It's one degree Centigrade, thirty three Fahrenheit. " I laughed. Louis and I had bonded over the differences of England and America; I thought it was freezing cold when the guys said it was 30 degrees and the guys thought it was roasting hot when I said it was 30 degrees.

"Well, I guess it will snow then. Does it snow often?" Louis asked.

"A bit. In winter, I guess, most years." I shrugged. For most winters, I would be in England, transferring there because my dad and the X Factor. 2010 was the last time I was in England for the winter and last year it hadn't snowed in New York, so honestly, I didn't know.

Louis changed the subject to last nights Man United game, which I had no interest in, not the whole game of soccor, I loved soccor, but wasn't too rocked on Man U. I supported Derby, like Niall and it was what we most bonded on when we met. Niall was an avid Rams fan, and I was too. Simon used to take me to every game when we were in England.

"United won the game last night! Yes!" He hollered.

"So?" I asked, sipping my tea.

"So, we're up in the Champions League silly! And I won a few quid in the bookies!" He grinned. I giggled at how much of a big kid he was.

"How much?" I asked.

"Two hundred quid." Louis shrugged. "I should have put on more."

"Are you upset? Most people would be delighted with two hundred dollars in their pocket. You just shake it off as if it were nothing." I scoffed.