Cough Syrup[UPDATING VERY SLOW]

Chapter 3 ._.

I tossed my bags on my bed and made my way down to the kitchen. I grabbed a can of coke from the fridge before I plopped tiredly on my couch in front of the TV. Shopping with Zayn had me pooped out. Nonetheless, I smiled as I went over all of the day's events. Sighing contently, I turned the television on and flipped through the channels, ending up watching a Teen Mom marathon for about two hours. Suddenly, there was knock at the door.

I groaned inwardly and dragged myself off the couch. It seemed to take far too much effort. I shuffled to the door and threw it open. My eyebrows rose at the knocker--my best friend, Will. We'd been friends ever since we were little and my family trusted him as if he were our own blood, which he may have well been. We were inseparable. He grinned down at me, smiling through his blonde hair.

"Will?" I asked, surprised at his appearance. I realized that I had so much to tell him. With what's been going on, I may or may not have slightly forgotten his existence.

"Hello, my dear Rosemary. You busy?" he asked, yet maneuvered around me and into the house without waiting for a reply. Typical Will. I shut the door and smiled at him.

I shrugged. "Not really, I was just watching TV."

Will made himself comfy on the couch and I took a seat next to him, sprawling my legs over his lap. He smirked at me in the corner of his eye as he took a swig of my soda.

"Uh, that would be my soda. Get your own," I glared. I snatched it from him, but he'd drunken the last of it. I shook my head, as Will laughed at me.

"Sheesh, someone's a bit grumpy today. What have ya been up to, kiddo?" he asked, turning his blue-eyed gaze to the TV and searching the guide.

I gave him a look, scrunching my nose up at the nickname, but I didn't say anything. I blew out a long breath, the past 48 hours rushing through my head. "Where do I even begin?" I asked, mostly to myself, rubbing my forehead.

Will looked at me then, worry taking over his features. "Is everything okay? Need me to punch someone?" I laughed and shook my head.

"No, everything's fine...it's just..." I trailed off, biting my lip.

He shifted his weight to get a better look at me. "It's just what? You can tell me anything, you know that."

"Yeah, yeah I know, Will. It's been a very...weird two days."

Will cocked an eyebrow. "Weird?"

I swallowed and nodded. "You might not believe me, so just hear me out. Save questions and comments for later." He nodded, urging me to continue. So, I did. I dove into full detail about how I woke up two days ago, ready to meet Young the Giant, did so and managed to sit myself down at the same table as One Direction and have lunch. Then, the small fact I aided Zayn Malik in search of a birthday gift for his lady today. I ended my story with a huff and looked up to see Will's reaction.

Will sat there, deep in thought. He searched my face, but I wasn't sure what he was trying to figure out. Probably if I took some LSD, or something. "If you don't believe me, I have a picture--"

He smiled. "No, babe, I believe you, I do. Just...be careful, okay?"

I looked at him in confusion. "What?"

"To be blunt, Rose, you're probably going to end up gettin' hate." He ran a hand through his hair and looked at me intently. "No doubt some sort of paparazzi saw the two of you together, and it'll be everywhere in no time, if it's not already...You know how crazy fans get, right? Didn't you tell me Niall's cousin get an ass load of shit, because people thought they were dating?"

I gulped, nodding.

"Right. But, please, don't believe a single thing they say to you. They're acting out on jealousy, do not take it personally." A sudden feeling lurched in my stomach. Fear. Will was right. I hadn't ever thought about that, and I hadn't gone on my Twitter in a few days. I didn't really enjoy too much attention, good or bad. My face must've given away my creeping anxiety, because Will suddenly hugged me to his chest in comfort, and I appreciated the familiar warmth. I breathed out slowly and hugged him back.

"Don't worry too much about it, Rose. Just ignore whatever is said. Everything'll be fine. The boys won't be in town much longer. It won't last long." I nodded against him. He kissed the top of my head, before pulling back to take a look at me, smiling sweetly. "Wanna watch a movie? Your pick."

I smiled up at him and nodded, getting up to pick something. I decided on 21 Jump Street, and a few minutes later we were side by side and laughing loudly together. For the first time in 48 hours, I felt normal.

However, something Will said very slightly nagged at the very back of my mind, but I couldn't figure out why. The boys won't be in town much longer.

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I laughed loudly as Will tickled me. The movie had ended and the credits rolled across the screen. His fingers just lightly brushed the bottom of my foot but that sent me off laughing like a hyena. A grin was plastered on his face and his eyes seemed determined.

"Okay, okay--" I began to say but started laughing all over again.

"I can't hear you!" He said tickling me. Will cackled loudly.

"STOP! Stop!" I pleaded, still giggling madly. Finally, after a few more ruthless tickles, I managed to kick him away forcefully, sitting up. I fixed my hair before pouncing on him.

"I'll do it on one condition.... If you clean my room," I offered, holding his arms down, even though he could easily overpower me at any second.

"Um...Fine," He agreed, leaning close to my face.

I pushed him away from me, and got up to get what he wanted. I went upstairs to my brother's

room and grabbed twenty bucks. I came back down to find a shirtless Will.

"Er, Will?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Da hell is wrong with this boy?

" Oh, um...It was hot..," He explained. Will's face turned red. He put his shirt back on, yet I was still confused as to why, just why? I merely shook my head, and handed him the money, refraining from commenting. Then, just as suddenly as he came, he jumped out from the couch, patted my shoulder, and left. Typical Will.

It was a half hour later, when I could no longer fight the sea of boredom, that I opened up my laptop and logged on to Twitter. I braced myself for whatever awaited me. Before I only had about 40 followers, but now I had 400+. I gaped at my screen. Jesus, the fandom really aren't joking when they say directioners are like detectives, if not deadlier. My mention box was flooded with things like,

Are you dating @zaynmalik?

Why were you with him?

Are you guys dating?

I ship you guys so hard!!! omg *creys*

Slut, he's taken

@zaynmalik, EXPLAIN THIS.

I laughed at the haters, but at the same time, I did feel a bit hurt. Who were they to treat me like I was nothing? Call me names? As if that'd make you look any better than me. I sighed and logged off. After showering and slipping into PJS, I curled up in bed, browsing Instagram. This time, my news feed was full of pictures of Zayn and I. A lot of them were nice and normal, but so many were just ridiculous, full of edits and comments. The admins for the 1D pages wrote comments like "She's really pretty, they should date ", "Rumors are she helped Zayn shop", or "I like him better with Perrie". The comments didn't really bother me at all. I decided to tweet about why we were hanging out tomorrow, to clear up any confusion. I tossed my iPod to the end of my bed, flicked off the lamp beside on my bedside table, and fell into a calm sleep.