{unedited}
T H I R T Y
"And you're sure you can't come?" I ask for the millionth time.
Zayn is practically shoving me out of the flat, both of our huge suitcases is in his hands. I follow him out, the phone shoved against my ear whilst I listen to Hugo tell me again that his agent had found him some huge film audition.
"Ok, ok. I'll see you when we get back home, yeah? Ok. Good luck, babe." I end the call and huff in annoyance, ducking into the backseat of a black cab.
"Hugo's not coming?" Zayn asks once the cab begins moving.
"Nope," I reply, crossing my legs. "He has an audition or something."
"Well that's good, now you and I can just have more time together." Zayn brushes his shoulder against mine, flashing me his best appeasing smile. At my lack of response he squeezes my hand and kisses the top of my head. "He is not going to Niall you, Elouise."
"Niall me? When did Niall become a verb?"
"When it perfectly described your exact fears."
"And what would those be, pray tell?"
"That Hugo is staying home to bed his agent and might break up with you to focus on his acting career."
"That's not even--"
"Elouise, please. You can pull that tough shit with Calinda and Mark but not me. It's ok to worry, but he's not Niall, and it's not fair to put that on him before he's even screwed up."
I cross my arms, knowing Zayn is right. I still can't help the panicky feeling in my stomach that makes me want to call Hugo right now and call all of it off. "I hate it when you're right," I grumble.
"Trust me, I know the feeling."
"At least we're going to spend the whole week mooching off Mark."
"Actually, I paid for our hotel room in Greece, so you're the moocher." I lay my head down on his shoulder, tucking my legs underneath me. I watch the London cityscape whizz by outside the cab window, the sun slowly crawling up over the roofs of brick and mortar buildings older than the dirt in New York City.
Once inside the train station, Zayn and I stop for coffee. I miss New York coffee, I miss my favorite coffee shops in Greenwich village. Zayn shoves a muffin into my hand before steering me towards another platform. It isn't long before I see the tall, skinny form of Mark beside a petite brunette. Katherine and Harry are sitting on the bench behind them, beside Calinda and Liam.
Mark hugs me first, smiling brightly. "She's very nervous about meeting you, so be nice." He whispers in my ear and slap his arm, breaking away to hug the shy girl beside him.
"Whatever he's told you about me, don't believe him." I tell her. "It's so nice to meet you," I add and she breaks into a dazzling smile, hugging me back.
"Where's Hugo, El?" Katherine asks as she stands up, one hand on her slightly protruding belly.
"He couldn't make it, he had an important audition."
"Probably a good thing," Harry mutters to Mark, his averted from my face as I hug Katherine and pretend not to have heard him. I'll ask him about his aversion to my new boyfriend later, when he's had a glass of wine and isn't so uppity.
"Well, we've got about twenty minutes until our train leaves, should we go ahead and head to the platform?" Calinda asks Mark, a sharp edge to her voice that makes me widen my eyes at her.
"Well," Mark murmurs, his eyes sliding from her face to mine, "yes. Let's go."
Calinda huffs and Liam takes her hand, grabbing their suitcase with the other. Calinda squeezes my hand as they pass me, the rest of the group speeding toward the platform. Zayn and I are the only ones left beside the bench, our suitcases at our feet.
"Are you just as confused as I am?" I ask, turning to look at him.
"If we run out of here now we could get home in time to catch the new episode of The Great British Bake Off."
"It's tempting. How bad do you think Mark would kill us?"
"Probably will a sharpened tooth brush end, that way it's slow and painful."
"And we haven't yet gotten to visit Hawaii or been invited to a celebrity wedding."
Zayn sighs thoughtfully, "and I think Mark is friends with Prince Harry."
"We better go, just in case Mark can get two extra tickets to the royal wedding." I tell him, picking up my suitcase.
"Yeah, but we'll complain the whole time."
"Aw, I love complaining with you."
We burst into giggles worthy of school children, then start sprinting after the group.
***
Our train compartment is first class, of course, as only Mark would have it. It is large and spacious, with large leather couches that wrap around large tables covered in glossy wood. I plop down on one of the couches beside Katherine, who looks ready to take a nap.
"Ah, finally. I'm knackered," she murmurs, rubbing her belly.
"Me too. This is so comfortable."
"Glad you like it," Mark says, tapping my knee as he passes me. He, and everyone else, is still acting weird, but I really don't want to know why.
"So what's on the agenda tonight, Mark?" Harry asks after sitting beside Katherine, his arm reaching over her shoulders to rest his fingers on my shoulder. I smile at him, noticing how Katherine is already asleep against his chest.
"Well, I was thinking we'd probably just have a quiet night in since we're travelling most of the day. Robert, the chef, is amazing, so I'm having him make a great meal for us tonight."
"That sounds wonderful. I can't wait to see the yacht," I murmur, my eyes feeling heavy.
"You can't fall asleep too," Harry pouts, pinching my shoulder. I stick my tongue out at him, before I close my eyes.
"I'm tired, still. I think it's from all the times I used to not sleep because I'd be dealing with Niall." I snort, but I can feel everyone in the room stiffen. I keep my eyes closed, worried I made it awkward. I sometimes forget that I rarely speak of him aloud, though my thoughts find themselves settled on him often.
Katherine, who is surprisingly not actually asleep, breaks the silence, saying, "Geez, El, out of all the times I tried to get you to spill on your sex life and now you're ready to talk?"
I laugh beside her, thankful she was able to diffuse the tension. I keep my eyes closed and curl my arms around my knees, ready for a nap.
***
The southern coast of France speeds past our window, the jagged cliffs suddenly giving way to a brilliant blue sea, making Zayn's eyes light up as he leans over my lap and presses his face against the window, watching little ink-dot yachts trek across the small coast.
"God it's beautiful here," Zayn says and I nod, watching the scene behind the window beside him. I watch the small, honest town below us, imagining what a life here would be like. Slow and easy with the fresh sea air in your lungs every day. What would it be like to not be followed around every day, to go to sleep with the crash of waves outside your window?
Our taxi winds down the main road at a slow pace, drawing closer to the center of town. As we reach the bottom of the hillside, we are lead into the middle of the town, which is a few streets of brightly colored buildings, their order seemingly random. We push through narrow streets, the taxi almost brushing against the walls of the buildings, making me grab Zayn's arm nervously. After navigating a maze of alleyways and side-streets, we pull into another main road, this time crossing an old stone bridge that sends us directly into the marina.
Our taxi driver helps us with our bags as Zayn pays him, then we're directed towards the end of the dock, where Mark's yacht looms over all the other boats. It is an impressive three stories, with the main deck and pool on top. Calinda and Katherine are already lounging beside the pool, waving to Zayn and I as we make our way down the dock.
"If I ever find out how much money Mark actually makes, I think I might be sick." Zayn pouts, his eyes full of admiration.
"Aw, your poor, poor fool." I laugh, patting his shoulder. "Come on, I want to blind everyone with my Edward Cullen legs."
"Well, that's a new one," Zayn chuckles, grabbing my bag from my hands as we head up the plank and onto the back deck.
"A new what?"
"Term to describe your pale legs So far you've referred to them as ghostly, chalky, and the color you imagine Betty White's ass to be."
I giggle, sneaking a look at his devilish smile. "There's hardly ever any sunshine in London, so they're probably going to stun a few people!"
"You're so stupid," he groans but smiles.
We throw our bags into the room Mark tell us is ours, which consists of two queen sized beds beside each other. Then Zayn heads into the bathroom to put on his bathing suit, and I put on mine, a black bikini that I've had for ages.
We emerge from our room and onto the pool deck, Calinda and Katherine still bobbing in the water. Mark kisses my cheek as he steps into view and then announces that we'll be leaving in a few moments. His girlfriend, Jane, ducks out behind him, catching his arm and stabilizing herself.
"Uh, what about--"
Mark gives her a look that makes Zayn and I exchange glances, another bizarre interaction. He waves his hand, as if swatting an invisible an invisible bee, then flashes us all a charming smile. "Later, darling, he'll be here later."
"Who?" I ask.
"Just an old friend," Mark says vaguely, grinning again. I roll my eyes, meeting Zayn's gaze again.
"Okay, well I'm going to get in the pool now." I said, leaving Mark beside Jane and Zayn and plopping into the water beside Katherine.
As the water rushes over my head, I try to clear out all the weird looks, the weird comments from memory. I promise myself, with the water swirling around my ears, that when I come up, everything bad will be gone. Everything will be happy, the days will be endless sunshine and white cotton clouds.
Then I come up from the water, and Harry's holding Zayn back while Calinda's running towards me, Katherine's arm already on my shoulder. I laugh first, wondering stupidly if there's been a fight over who gets to use the shower first. Then Katherine's shoulder moves, and the target of Zayn's air-punches becomes clear, and I wish I was right back down at the bottom of the pool.
"What the actual fuck?" I blurt, frozen in the water.
"Hello, Elouise, it's been a while." His voice is more Irish than ever, and the lightness of it makes me want to vomit.
"Niall?" I ask, the sun bright in my eyes, momentarily blurring his face. Calinda's arm is wrapped around my shoulders now, and she pulls me into her side, protectively. Zayn has stopped moving now, though Harry is still holding onto him.
The sun is stinging my eyes, the wind is too loud in my ears. The white cotton clouds look menacing. The only place that looks safe is the bottom of the pool, so I take a deep breath and dive under water again.
***
before you ask, she's not drowning herself lol.
we're back baby! little dramatic welcome back, i'll have to say, but what else would niall horan have? what do you guys think of niall being BACK?
im gonna save this rest of this drama for the next chapter. i am officially done with school and exams!!!!!
thank you all for your kind words and comments. i am so grateful to all of you. i have other things in store for when corporate affairs is over, but we still have a few dramatic affairs until thats over. (:
love you longtime friends,
mads xoxo