red hair and a blue hoodie // ed sheeran

Chapter 10 - Phone Calls and Pizza

ED'S POV:

The water from the pipes was running down my drain. I watched as the soap suds and dirt from a day’s work washed around the plughole and then plunged down. I massaged my ginger hair one last time to be rid of the conditioner and then switched the tap off. I stepped my feet out onto the cold tile floor and flailed my arm around until it came into contact with the towel. I pressed it into my face and felt the droplets absorb instantly. I ran it over my skin from my chest and arms to all the way to my feet. I was cold as soon as the towel left my body.

I made a quick grab for the sink where my sloppy joe and track pants waited for me. I quickly throw the shirt over my head and pulled the pants up my legs. I had just started to stand up properly when I heard the familiar tune of my mobile through the flat. I groaned and started thinking who would be calling me at such an absurd hour. I jogged towards the bedroom where my phone waited for me on the bedside table, where I left it since this morning. This morning. When Zo was on my couch.

Stop it Ed.

I picked it up and read the caller ID.

“What do you want Styles?” I asked accusingly and jokingly. I heard him laugh on the other side of the phone.

“Liam chuck me the – Oh hey Sheeran! How’s it going man?” He sounded extremely cheerful.

“You called me at,” I pulled my phone away from my ear and glanced at the time, “eleven twenty-seven at night to ask me ‘how’s it going?” I quizzed. I heard more laughing. He was definitely chilling with the boys.

“Well I was actually going to – Damnit Louis! Stop tickling me! I’m trying to talk to Ed about tomorrow!” There were muffled sounds in the background followed by more laughing.

“Hey Eddy!” Louis called from a distance into the phone.

“Sorry about that.” Harry was back at the phone. “Erhm what was I saying...? Oh yeah! I was going to ask you if you wanted to come out to dinner with me and the lad’s tomorrow night. I kind of have a date that is a fan and wanted to meet the boys. She is really beautiful Ed. I would love it if you were there too.” He sounded almost… desperate..

“Where were you thinking of going?” I fell down on my bed and started to get situated in the sheets. The cold was starting to hit me. 

“Well we could either tackle the paparazzi or we could just stick to our apartment and order pizza?”

“Mmm pizza… Who doesn’t like pizza?” I heard him mumble his agreement. Then it hit me. “Hey do you think I could bring a… date too?”

“Oooooo Eddy! Who is she?” His cheekiness was back.

“Well… it’s kind of hard to explain. But she is rather intriguing to say the least. I like her.” Just at the thought of Zo, I could feel my cheeks warming.

“Well if you like her, then I don’t see why she can’t come. So I shall see you two love birds here at around… let’s say… six-ish?” I heard some shouting in the background. “Liam! No Disney! Put on Fast and Furious or something… Niall! Save me some chips! … I gotta go man. I’ll see you tomorrow yeah?” The laughing was just getting louder. I knew this conversation wouldn’t last; not with all the boys in the same room; drunk most likely.

“Yeah I’ll see you then Hazza. Bye.”

It took me less than a second to tap the red end button at the bottom of my screen and throw the phone to the end of the bed. I heard it clatter to the ground signifying that I had missed my goal aim. I wasn’t looking forward to that in the morning. I fell back into the pillows and hissed at myself when I discovered that my hair was still wet. I shook it out and slipped out of the bed, heading to the bathroom to grab a towel for my pillow.

I picked up the one I had dumped previously on the floor and started scrubbing it against my scalp in an attempt to dry my red hair. I went to throw it into the basket but I caught a glimpse of a person. Pale skin cheeks. The same pale skin cheeks that Zo had rested her torn hand on. The same pale skin that Zo had kissed. Full pink lips. The same full pink lips that desperately wanted to connect with Zo’s. The same full pink lips that promised Zo that I would never hurt or judge her. Curious blue eyes. The same curious blue eyes that connected with Zo’s jade green ones. The same curious blue eyes that watched her while she swayed along to her iPod in Starbucks.

I snapped my vision away. I didn’t want to look at that. I threw my towel in the corner of the room and headed back to the bedroom. I padded down the halls and listened to the voices from above and below leak through the walls. It had to be midnight by now. I didn’t bother checking though. I just slid under the covers and waited for sleep to swallow me whole and spit me out into my memories.

“My head hurts.”

“Reality is too painful.”

“You nearly sat on me.”

“I’m still in my clothes from yesterday.”

“Zo, Zo Erikson.”

“Let’s save that tale for another day.”

“There. Now no one will know it’s you.”

“If it didn’t have heaters, I would have turned on my heel and left.”

“Did you just take a picture of me?”

“Can I read your palms?”

“Notice how it is wavy?”

“It means that you have a short attention span.”

 “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“If... If you want to… When we go back to the flat I could tell you how… how I got the scars…”

 “Are you comfortable?”

“Leave me alone to die.”

“Try that again and see what happens.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I shouldn’t have touched you with my hands.”

“It... It was my dad.”

“The one in the middle is from a cigarette.”

“The one at the bottom of my hand is from a kitchen blade.”

“Ed please…” 

I awoke bolt upright, breathing heavy. I glanced at the alarm clock that sat beside my bed and found three glowing digits – 4:36 AM. I calmed down my breathing and got up and decided to get me some water. I was too worked up to sleep straight away. I padded down the hall to the kitchen, collected a cup from the cupboard and walked over to the faucet and turned it on to release the streak of water. I raised it to my lips and took a gulp. What was this girl doing to me?