Roommates // h.s.

Chapter Seventeen

“Ed Sheeran and Girlfriend Spend Romantic Day in Paris” illuminated Arielle’s phone screen. We crowed around it, like the device held our futures rather than held a fabricated news story about Ed’s and my supposed ‘romantic getaway.’

I was draped in his arms, his face frozen in mid-laugh and my lips carved in a permanent “o,” my cheeks a flaming pink. I was mortified by the unflattering angle. Great. A terrible picture of me was now circulating around for the entire world to see.

Ed finally arrived at the table, with Harry in tow, inquiring, “What are you guys looking at?” Harry’s gaze rested upon me for a moment, dark circles prominent under weary eyes, and he pulled out a chair at the table we sat at. The, most likely overpriced, French restaurant was supposed to have “killer food” according to reviews. I didn’t think that we should trust anything that had “killer” and “food” in the same sentence, but Ed insisted it would be alright.

“Apparently, you’re madly in love.”

I smacked Charlie on the arm, silently begging her not to continue. Of course, she didn’t listen. Arielle and her found my debacle oddly entertaining.

“What?” Ed leaned across the table, reaching for Arielle’s phone, which she reluctantly handed over.

“Guys.” I was whining. I could hear it in my own voice. Harry snatched the phone before Ed could scroll through the online buzz. His fingers slowly dragged across the screen, scrolling through multiple pictures of Ed and I at the Eiffel Tower. His brow puckered, placing the phone in Ed’s grip, whom immediately erupted into laughter at the sight of the bolded title.

“Where do people come up with this stuff?” he wondered, handing Arielle her phone.

“You guys look cute,” Charlie cooed. It took all I had in me not to hide under the table in fetus position. Did my cousin want me to die of humiliation?

Harry scoffed.

“What? They do.”

“No, they don’t.”

“Well, I think they’re cute together,” Charlie said, eyes narrowed. She had some sort of resentment against him, I grew to realize, perhaps because she was associated with Niall. Therefore, she made it her mission to disagree with everything he said.

“They’re not dating,” Harry countered, annoyed.

“Are you pouting?” Charlie laughed. His lip, indeed, was slightly jutted out in a pout.

His posture immediately straightened and his lips formed in a hard line. “No,” he snapped.

“It’s only a tabloid mate,” Ed assured, clapping him on the back.

“I know that.”

Ed smirked. “Are you jealous?”

“Why would I be jealous?”

“I don’t know mate. Why do you think you’d be jealous?” His eyes were amused at his friend’s frustration.

“I’m not jealous. I just think you’d make a shit couple.”

How sweet.

“Why?” he prompted.

“Do you like her or something?”

“I think she’s a nice person, yeah,” Ed nodded.

Was I entirely invisible that they were discussing this in front of me? I hid my face behind my menu. Actually, it would have been nice to be invisible at that moment in time. Was hiding under the table still an option?