I Would Swim All The Oceans To See You Smile

Chapter Three

Rachel’s POV

After I finished the laundry, I went to my flat to organize my closet. It was still late August so I wouldn’t need half of my wardrobe until later that year. I put my wellies, my riding boots, and my pea coat at the back of my closet. I could smell the scent of mac and cheese wavering in the air and realized that I had a dinner engagement.

Not bad Rachel, your first week here and you’re already making friends.

I grabbed my keys and walked several feet down the hall to Louis’s flat. I checked the time on my phone, 5:59, perfect timing. I raised my hand to ring the doorbell when the door burst open and Louis exclaimed, “6:00 SHARP! You passed the first test! Gold star for Rach-Rach!”

A beautiful brunette followed. She gave me a warm smile and said,”You must be Rachel! I’m Eleanor. It’s so nice to meet you. Sorry about Lou, he can be a little too friendly at times, but if you ever need anything, he’s the man to call.”

Louis playfully stuck his tongue out at Eleanor and then said, “Well come on in! Don’t just stand there like a stranger!”

I entered their flat and looked around. The decor was extremely chic and looked exactly how a bachelor pad would. The TV was ginormous and had countless gaming systems hooked up to it. There were several couches scattered in the living space. The kitchen was sleek with stainless steel appliances. I glanced at the table which was already set with plate settings, and even a bouquet of sunflowers. Courtesy of Anne I guessed. That being said, the flat wasn’t anything short of a mess, but they are boys after all.

Louis led me toward the dining room and shouted, “Oh HAR, our lovely guest of honor has arrived. Please finish messing with your adorable curly locks and feed us!”

He pulled out a chair for Eleanor to sit, and then he pulled a chair next to her for me to sit at. I smiled at Eleanor and commented, “You have quite the gentleman here.”

She smiled radiantly, rolled her eyes, and responded, “Only about half the time. Just give him a few minutes to settle down.”

Louis took a seat across the table from me next to Eleanor and shouted for Harry again. This time, a voice yelled back, “I’m coming baby in 5…4…3…2…I’M HERE!”

Harry was a little taller than Louis and had a mess of brown curly hair. He, like Louis, had deep green eyes. Truth be told, Harry and Louis were two of the most gorgeous guys I had met. Harry was adorable, and Louis was a stud. Something about Harry looked quite familiar, but I just brushed it off as no big deal.

He grinned and announced, “Today’s menu includes mac and cheese followed by chocolate pudding! My two specialties.” He sat in the seat next to me and introduced himself to me.

“I’m Styles, Harry Styles. I hear you’re new around town.”

“It’s nice to meet you 007. Actually I’ve been here for a whole week, which I recall is longer than you’ve been here!”

“Well ladies and gentlemen, we have a feisty one here! So, let’s eat!”

***

Harry’s POV

Everything Louis had told me about Rachel was right. Her laugh was infectious and she was a babe. More importantly, she had no clue that One Direction exists, which made her perfect friend and maybe even girlfriend material. But I wasn’t willing to rush into anything.

We spent the rest of the night playing Scrabble of all games. Even with the few disputes over the spelling of certain words, like colour and color, the night was fun. It had been a while since Lou and I had a quiet night at home without the paps following us everywhere. When it was time to go, I decided to walk Rachel home.

“I’m getting tired, I think it’s about time I head back to my own flat,” she yawned.

“Well I’ll walk you back!” I blurted out.

“It’s like four feet, silly!”

“Well, I have to make sure that her highness gets home safely!”

I walked her up the hallway, and before she entered the doorway I asked, “Are the three of us still on for tomorrow? You, me, and Lou going down to the grocery store?”

She winked and said, “Great, I look forward to buying carrots with Mr. and Mrs. Styles.”

I was walking down to my place when I realized that going to the grocery tomorrow would mean having to go out in public. For one, the paparazzi were undoubtedly going to photograph us and worse, even if the paps weren’t there, every single magazine in the grocery store would have my face and Louis, Niall, Liam, and Zayn’s faces plastered all over their covers, meaning that Rachel would find out about our fame and popularity. It’s not that I wanted to keep a secret from her, I just wanted to establish a solid friendship before I told her about my true self. And what if she didn’t want to be our friend after discovering that being friends with us would mean giving up a normal life.

What have I gotten myself into?