Edited by: _Rose
''You can take all your stuff today, since you're already here. I'll have your pay-check being sent to your address as soon as possible.'' I choke into my own saliva and cough till I can finally speak.
''Wait! Missus Alice, just wait. I beg you.'' She stops strolling away and turns slowly towards me, her arms impatiently crossed over her chest in clear annoyance.
''Why are you doing this to me? I had to go for a good reason, I would have never left my workplace for anything in this world.''
''I don't doubt you have your own good reasons, Jade. I'm sorry girl, but you need to grow up and this will surely serve the case.'' She closes her dark eyes and, after a sharp breath, leaves the corridor. I stay behind watching her get away with my future and my hopes.
With nothing else left to say or do, I make my way back to the servant's quarters and gather my things before heading out. I find myself waiting for someone by the gates of the Styles' residence without realizing that no one is going to pick me up. So I take a deep breath and just move a foot after the other with my headphones on and a heavy heart.
It takes me one hour to get to the first bus station and another to finally reach my house. I place the box with my personal effects on the floor, greeting Roy who comes jumping towards me, literally attacking me. In the middle of our little fight though, the doorbell rings and I freeze.
''Who's there?'' I hesitantly ask with my voice trembling.
''It's me, Jade.'' Louis' states with his British thick accent and in a moment the panic turns into rage and I slam the door open feeling every inch of my body burning. I simply stay there, knowing that my silence will strike more than every word I could ever say to him.
''Hi!'' He smiles and crinkles pop by his eyes, I roll mine and lean against the frame arms crossed.
''Can I come in?'' He awkwardly inquires and I notice a drop of sweat at the corner of his temple making its way down. Roy barks loudly and attempts to attack Louis throwing his body forward. I catch him by the collar and force him to the ground gently confining his back with my legs.
''Easy, big boy, easy.'' Roy doesn't tear his eyes away from Louis, instead he shows him his set of long and sharp fangs causing the little boy to panic a bit.
''What is he doing here?'' I advert the authority in his voice and raise an eyebrow to warn him. Louis catches the hint and licks his lips to start again.
''I mean, this is Harry's dog...why are you keeping it?'' Louis scoffs and shakes his head energetically. '' There's no other way to ask it, Jade. Let's pretend I've said it politely, please?'' He falls short and I let him inside, without looking at him or saying a word.
''Jade, I know you're mad at me-'' a mocking laugh escapes my lips but I force it down my throat. Saying I'm mad it's honestly bullshit, I'm so pissed I want to rip his head off.
'' Okay, more than mad. But just, hear me out.'' I open my mouth to fire back, butLouis cuts me off. '' I know I have no right to ask you this, please. I'll be quick. I know you have lost your job.'' My eyes squeeze in pain at the memory and his gaze suddenly softens noticing how bad I feel about it. '' I'm sorry for that, I will make her changing her mind about you, I promise. I'll think of something.''
''I don't want anyone's pity, Louis!'' I spit narrowing my gaze around his feature. ''Especially not yours!'' I specify.
''I'm not pitying you, I know you don't like that.''
''I thought you didn't know me at all? I'm the attention-whore, remember? Not your sweet Jade who cared so much about you to leave her workplace and help you with that car which for the record could have also killed you.'' I neatly bite back and Louis silences for a moment.
''I apologize for those bad words and names I've used. I shouldn't have. I know what happened here yesterday, your mother told me Jade. I just don't understand why you asked Harry to help you when I could have done it instead. There are things you're not telling me and I'm honestly scared because if you feel the need to keep something away from me, it must be a huge thing since you never acted like this towards me..''
''Has it ever crossed that mind of yours that perhaps, if I keep it for myself, it was and it still is, because I believe it's not necessary for you to know about it?'' I measure my words attentively so that I won't give anything away.
''But it's eating you alive, I can see it's bothering your mind even now. I can help you, I've always have Jade.''
''There are burdens that are not meant to be shared with anyone. This is mine and I have no intention to split it with you, especially not after yesterday. I'm sorry and if you came here to be forgiven, you can go. I have no intention to do such thing.'' I clarify stressing the last sentence.
''I am just trying to protect you Jade. Harry is not good for you, he's an asshole and he's just playing around with you. He's gonna break your heart.''
''Like you did? Because I'm still recovering from the attention-whore, that not even Harry ever used.''
'' Oh, you forgave him for calling you names. Why can't you do the same with me?''
I have no answer to that so a weird silence lingers in the room before Louis breaks it again.
''I feel like shit for what I have said to you. It hurt me more than it could ever hurt you, believe me. However, what I can't get over is the fact that you preferred asking for help to a stranger instead of coming to me. It ripped my heart to see that you even lied about it right to my face. I know this doesn't justify the way I've called you, I don't even want to find excuses, I only care about your well-being and I am not interested in anything else. I love you Jade, no betrayal or error will change the fact that I am your brother and you can't take away my chance of humiliating you in front of your children by telling them about the time you fell at the school play dressed as a carrot, turning a boring show into a funny one.''
I laugh. I laugh so hard my eyes fill with tears and just turn around wiping them away. Louis winks at me and opens his arms for me. That took an unexpected turn.
''I'm so sorry'' he whispers kissing my head. ''I promise I won't ever do that Jade. I won't ever do that again to you. Never, ever. I love you so, so much.'' He assures me and I believe him.
'' I love you too."
**
At 1 p.m. Louis receives a call and he is forced to leave so I'm alone again. But my loneliness doesn't last long, since my phones goes off the second Louis shuts the door behind him. I cringe my nose and answer. Probably, it's just Harry being pissed at me for forgetting about him.
''Hello?'' I hear someone saying that clearly is not Harry.
''Hello..'' I awkwardly reply.
''Is this the beautiful girl with blue eyes and wavy brown hair that goes by the name of Jade?'' The voice laughs at the end, and I immediately know by his accent that it's that Irish boy I have met at Louis' friend party.
''How did you even get my number?'' I ask noticing that it's a bit creepy for him to have it since we met just once.
''Oh sweet girl. Don't ever ask a thief to explain his tricks because if he tells you, then he must kill you afterwards. You know, two can keep a secret better if one of them is dead.'' he jokes moving to another subject.
''Let's get to the hot stuff, I meant to call you to make it up for leaving you alone in that crowd of maniacs.'' He pauses for a moment. ''Would you like to go out with me for dinner as my personal date?'' I'm totally taken back by this offer and suddenly feel ashamed, for some sort of reason even guilty, to be talking with him because of Harry. He's the first thing that comes to my mind which startles me, a lot.
''Oh, no Niall. You don't have to invite me just because you feel guilty about that... forget about it.'' I try to save the situation in the most delicate way possible, obviously it doesn't work with Niall. He doesn't get things right away, unluckily for me.
''That was just an excuse, I want you to come with me. You know it's nothing committing, there will be other friends with their girlfriends and I thought it would be nice if I don't show up alone for once. It doesn't have to mean anything Jade, consider it as a normal date between friends of some sort, we won't even go to a restaurant, we will stay at my place and just eat dinner.''
''Are you asking me to pretend to be your girlfriend then, Mr. Irish?'' Niall heartily laughs at my nickname but recovers soon.
''No, of course not. No one will ask you anything, they just need to see I'm with someone. That's why I thought I'd invite you, since you're funny, nice and not too bitchy. You're probably the only girl who has ever talked to me without alluding to money, you probably don't even know I have money.'' He cackles and I roll my eyes.
''I don't know, I'm not really much into that kind of rich stuff.'' I try to refuse once more, however Niall isn't have it.
''Oh Please Jade. I promise it won't be too bad, I promise to be a good date... I won't expect anything from you. Don't leave me alone in the lions cage.'' He begs and I find myself agreeing before I can even realizing it, because Niall, being Niall, takes my desperate sigh as a yes and suddenly hangs up, only having the time to blather something about picking me up at 7:20.
What mess did I put myself into? And mostly, what will Harry think about me going out with another boy? Shall I tell him?
I try to call him but the line goes straight to the voicemail so I just forget about it.