Good Intentions| Editing

Twenty Two

-edited-

Harry insisted on waking me up at fucking three in the morning so we could fly back to America. I didn't understand why we couldn't fly back tomorrow, but apparently he had a meeting with a business man. On fucking Christmas Day. Ridiculous. 

I got up from the bed in Harry's room and got dressed while Harry went to wake up Louis and his mom. His room was a light grey with posters of bands littering the walls. There was a small desk in the corner collecting dust. I could tell Harry didn't stay here often otherwise he would have gotten a bigger bed. The two of us had to fit in the twin size bed together, but I didn't mind because Harry had his arm wrapped around me the whole night. 

I leave his small room with bags in hand and run into a drowsy Gemma. "Morning," she says heavy-eyed. She was wearing polar bear pajama bottoms and a black cutoff shirt that reached her knees. The shirt looked to be Harry's.

"Morning." I say and follow behind her into the kitchen. Anne was in a robe and slippers making what looked like eggs. Breakfast at three in the morning. Harry had such a devoted mom.

"Well good morning Arabella. Happy Christmas. I'm making eggs and bacon," she wipes her hands on a towel and starts plating the food. "You can never travel on an empty stomach. It leads to moodiness."

"Want some?" Gemma asks me motioning to her coffee.

"Oh, no thanks." I sit down next to her and dive into Anne's delicious food. Harry walks in the kitchen with Louis trailing behind him. Louis's hair was rumpled and he had on grey joggers with a black tee. They dish up their food and sit at the table.

The three a.m. conversation was light. Harry and Louis were cracking more jokes. Gemma and I were rolling our eyes at their childish behavior and talking about her childhood. Anne broke out the baby pictures, which Harry groaned at, and showed me images of Harry in his band, in the bathtub, and one where he had big black glasses with his hair slicked back. Harry turned beat red and hid his face in my shoulder when I saw the last one.

When everyone was done eating, and the dishes were put away, we left. Anne gave me a long hug, while Gemma gave me one of those side arm hugs. "Be good to him." Gemma whispers in my ear. I nod and leave the little cottage that felt like a home I never had.

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When we arrived back at my apartment, I instantly headed for my bed. Jet lag was catching up with me, and so was the lack of sleep. Harry went back to his house, saying he had that Christmas dinner to go to. I slept for a while, but the light streaming through the window woke me. The snow was too white, it made everything brighter. I lay in bed under the warm duvet, not wanting to get up. Mornings suck.

My phone rings from the bedside table and reluctantly, I answer it. The caller brings a smile to my face.

"Hey putz!" I say happily.

"Hey moron! Merry Christmas." My cousin, and best friend, Nicole says. I laugh at the nicknames we gave one another after watching Grumpy Old Men together. Nicole and I spent every minute of high school together. We hung out a lot because she was also my cousin. She was two years older than me, so when she left for college I didn't have anyone else.

"How's your Christmas? Got a man yet?" she says.

"It's fine. I'm still in bed." I say ignoring her other question. Even though she was my best friend, she was a hell of a judger. She scans people head to toe and has an opinion of someone even before she speaks to someone.

"Lazy ass. Listen, me and Noah are gonna come up for New Years. It's been too long since I have seen you." Noah was her newborn child. Nicole has been raising him by herself, ever since her husband divorced her. She said he split because he, "wasn't ready to be a father".