The Little Shop

The Bus Drivers

"Why would you give Liam the tea duty?! He could catch any of us easily, Zayn-" Harry is stopped short by the sudden appearance of a hand on his shoulder. His eyes follow the hand to the wrist and then the arm, then shoulder, and finally the grinning smile of Mr. Payne. "I'm rubbish at tea brewing!" Harry says with a pout. He looks at Louis, who rolls his eyes and holds his arms up like a man who has surrendered.

With a wide smile, Harry skips over and pats his chest with both hands. "We all know I would've ended up brewing it no matter who was appointed," Louis says, shaking his head.

"Wow," Sienna breathes as she hangs up her coat. I grin to myself proudly, because it makes me feel accomplished to know that I worked for this, for the things that I have now. "This is your place? Only you live here? It's massive."

"Yeah, it's only us five," Louis says with a shrug. "Marcy has a key though, and she's always just around."

"Marcy? Wait, don't tell me, she works for you?"

Nobody says anything, because Sienna's tone is poisonous. It feels like an insult, like we aren't supposed to have people work for us. She carries AJ over to the sofa and sits down without another word.

Liam clears his throat. "Okay, well, what movie are we in the mood for?"

"Top Gu-" Louis shoots me a look, so I shut my mouth. 

"Something with princesses!" AJ announces.

"Not Cinderella," Harry says. "We've seen that five times in the last few months."

"It's a quality film!" Zayn protests. "Besides, AJ can pick whatever she wants. Inlcuding Cinderella."

"No, I want to watch The Princess and the Frog," AJ says after a moment.

"YES!" I cheer. "Best music out of all the princess movies," I say.

"Jazz fan?" Sienna wonders. This is the first real smile I've seen, so I don't ruin it, instead, I just nod and return the smile. She looks down at the ground.

"Movie snacks?" Louis wonders. "I'll be brewing tea anyway, so, anyone want anything?"

"Cookies! Popcorn! Pretzels!" AJ says.

"Pick one," Liam suggests, grabbing the remote for the telly. "You shouldn't eat too much so soon before bed, because it might give you a bad dream."

"Cookies," AJ decides. I give her a high five, because I'm in the mood for something sweet. Louis nods.

"Well, I can't bake... any chance I could get some help here, Hazza?" Louis says, poking out his bottom lip.

"Fine," Harry chuckles. "But this is for Princess AJ, not you," he clarifies, poking Lou in the ribs as they walk off to the kitchen.

"Princess and the Frog," Zayn says, cuddling up to my right. AJ is to my left, and Sienna is to her left, leaving room for Liam to her left, and room for Harry and Louis to Zayn's right. "One of my favourites."

"What is with you and these princess movies?" I ask.

"I'm a sucker for a happy ending," Zayn shrugs. I laugh and get comfy, kicking off my shoes and slipping my legs onto Zayn's lap. He doesn't protest, but instead cuddles me closer, so I get a pillow to support my back and lean back with my arm over his shoulders. I'm ready for my cookies, but they probably won't be ready for a while.

"Me too," Sienna agrees, referring to Zayn's happy endings comment. Slightly surprised, he looks over at her. Has she suddenly loosened up? Why she being so nice and agreeable? Was there alcohol in the drink she ordered? "Just the notion that everything will find a way of working itself out."