Louis and I chose to not tell anyone about the break in. Given that nothing was taken of his, it wasn't something the media needed to be talking about all over the internet. But the fact that the only thing taken was my book, we decided not even the cops should be alerted. When I saw that book in the library, I knew it was worth something. If we reported it, the police would ask where I got it from. No way would they believe that some French lady just handed it to me for free. For all I know, she could've been just getting rid of the evidence that she took it herself. Either way, it was best to just forget about it. The book wasn't mine in the first place; I could survive without it.
But the real question was: why would someone take it? It's not like they could turn it in for money; the police would catch them in an instant. Also, how did this person even know that I had it? I haven't been waving it around and even if I was, could they tell that it was priceless?
"Em, stop worrying. We're almost to New York." my eyes opened quickly at the whispering voice that filled my right ear. I turned and saw that we were still on the plane and it was now morning. The robbery had been weeks ago and, as if it never happened, our group was back together for the American leg of the One Direction tour. Just like the police and the media, we had chosen not to tell the boys and Marlee. We figured they wouldn't care much, except for who it could've been, which even the police have trouble figuring out.
I took out my phone from my back pocket and set my headphones back in my ears, quietly playing The Killers. Of course, I only got through three or four songs when we were instructed to put our electronics away and prepare for landing. "So what's your opinion on New York?" I asked Louis. He smirked and thought for some time. "Lots of people, good shopping, good food, lots of people, oh and cold." he said and I laughed. "Well I'm excited, either way." I smiled and he agreed, slowly grabbing my hand and bringing it up to his cheek where he held it through the landing.
Arriving in New York we were greeted with a blanket of white covering the tall buildings of the city. Growing up in England, I was used to snow and most would think I was tired of it. But actually I loved it, probably more every year. It was cold and wet and made for trouble on the highway, but it was also great for snowball fights, Christmas, and cuddling next to a fire with hot chocolate. Okay, the last one was kind of lame.. but you get my point.
The terminal was full of teenage girls screaming for the boys, but also with plenty of security guards to keep them a good distance away. The boys did their thing and waved while Marlee and I tried to keep walking without loosing the boys completely. All of a sudden, I heard someone yelling my name. No, I'm not bragging about my fame, but I did perk up a bit when I heard that.
Too bad it was just my dumbass best friend.
"Jemmie? What are you doing here?" I yelled at her over the crowd of girls. "Just trying to figure out if the fangirl life is for me." she shrugged and smiled at me. Marlee and I both laughed as we got one of the security guards to let her through to us. "So how's New York been treating you?" I asked her as we walked out of the terminal, the boys following as slow as ever. "Great. School's been good and I've made the occasional friend."
"No boys?" I asked her, surprised with my own best friend. "Oh there have been boys, but none worth speaking of." I took that and learned that I would have to help her with that later. But for now, all she seemed to want to talk about was my around the world journey. I told her of Paris, Italy, the premiere, Australia, Canada, and Spain as those would really be the only ones she'd get interest from. As I told her the stories, Marlee helped me add stuff in, including her engagement. When I reached just a few weeks ago when we went to Canada, I realized that it had been months since I had seen her and just a few more months until I'd be back at home for good.
"So, are you still going to go back to Stanford?" she asked me when we got to the car. I had almost forgotten about Stanford. Is that bad? I mean, Stanford was my dream before Louis came back. I dropped everything for him, and although it was probably worth it, what exactly was I supposed to do when it ended? If Stanford didn't want me, I'd be stuck at home again as Louis went back to London. Either way, we'd be apart. What if things don't work out; what if history repeats, but this time, ends in a breakup? Could I deal with something like that again, especially after I've fought so hard for him.
"Hello, Emma, you there?" Marlee's hand waved in front of me and I snapped back into reality as I realized the boys had arrived and were waiting for me to get in the car. I blushed and hopped in, sitting myself next to Marlee and Jemmie. "But to answer your question, I'm not really sure. I might transfer." "Transfer? I thought Stanford was your dream school? What school could possibly be better?" Jemmie shouted dramatically and I felt most of the eyes in the car on me. "Well I was thinking Cambridge. They have good programs and it's closer to home." I said hesitantly. I admit that I have thought about Cambridge, but I had never, ever, imagined picking it over Stanford until now.
"It's also closer to a certain somebody.." Harry smirked and raised his eyebrows down from the passenger seat up front. I rolled my eyes as the boys started joking about me and Louis and blah, blah, blah. Of course I had considered Cambridge because of him, but they were taking it to a new level. Apparently 'I can't go a night without Louis' love'. Yeah... no, sorry Liam.
"So, what should we do today? Maybe some sight seeing?" Zayn suggested. "That sounds fun. But we should probably go to the hotel first." Marlee shivered, obviously cold in her small leather jacket and jeans. Everyone laughed and teased Marlee, which made me happy because they finally stopped teasing me. We arrived at the hotel in little time and brought our many bags into the warm lobby. The many rooms we had were on the top floor and apparently had a great view of the city. "Why don't you come up with us, Jem? As long as you don't mind waiting like ten minutes." Louis invited her and she slowly joined us in the cramped elevator. It took a while, but we finally got to the top floor. Smirks and giggles were exchanged as our large group watched Louis and I walk to our room at the end of the hall. He shook his head and smiled to himself as he opened the door, but quickly wiped it away when he looked back up and helped me with the bags. I set them down at the foot of the bed quickly and walked over to the window. Indeed, our room had a spectacular view. Down below us was Central Park, covered in white snow. Behind that was the city skyline, grey and dull during the day but obviously something that could come alive during the night.
"You ready love?" Louis asked and I realized I had been staring outside for quite sometime. Watching small objects fall from the sky, I once again became mesmerized as I tried to figure out if it was snowing or raining. "Uh, just let me get my coat." I backed away slowly and bent down to my suitcase where my big fluffy cream-colored coat sat atop. I slipped it on slowly, still looking out the window. It's just snow, Emma. Why can't you stop looking at it?
I felt Louis' hand on my shoulder and convinced my mind I'd figure it out much quicker if I just went out with everyone else. We walked out of the room, hand in hand, and met up with everyone else in the lobby downstairs. Jemmie had already been telling every one of the great places to go, and it seemed as if they had the itinerary already set up.
"Are you guys ready to experience Christmas in New York?" Jemmie asked everyone and suddenly, all the lights of the lobby popped out at me. How had the time gone by so quickly? I had noticed the snow, but the fact that it was Christmas? I could barely believe it had already come.
We walked out as a large group and although we had three or four guards with us, girls were still pretty much attacking the boys. I saw them laughing it all off, but on the inside anyone could tell that they just wanted to the fans to go away. Finally, most of them did and we were actually able to move to the next block. Instead of walking through the New York streets, Jemmie took us through Central Park, which was much more beautiful inside of it rather than over it. By now I had noticed that it was definitely snowing, and although it was cold, I enjoyed the feeling of the cold flakes hitting my cheeks softly as they melted away.
"Emma! Don't you just think New York is beautiful! Come on, lets go shopping or something. I've heard that there are tons of bridal shops around here!" Marlee jumped on me and I just about screamed she scared me so much. Seconds later as I recovered myself, Marlee pulled me away from Louis and off to the side as we continued to walk through the park. "Let's ditch these boys, you get Jemmie." she whispered and let go of me, going over to where Niall and Harry were walking. I was a bit confused, but went up to Jemmie and told her Marlee wanted us to ditch the boys. Of course, she was a bit worried at first, but went with it and the second we got to the end of the park, the three of us darted in the opposite direction of the boys and sprinted down the street. We heard them yelling in the background, but of course that just made us giggle and run a bit faster.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Marlee, face it, we're lost." I sighed as Marlee tried to find Radio City for the fifth time today. It was getting dark and we had done plenty of things, but of course Miss Marlee wasn't satisfied. Jemmie and I stood in front of the Empire State Building, freezing our butts off, as Marlee tried to figure out exactly where we were going.
"Let's just call the guys." Jemmie suggested and Marlee groaned. "No, this is fun! They have to find us, and I want to go to Radio City. There's a Christmas production there tonight and I figured we could all go." she smiled and I let out my own groan. "I'd much rather just go snuggle up in that warm cozy bed, Marlee."
"Fine, I'll call Niall. Hold on, party poopers." she said, taking out her phone and standing up against the building. I sighed as I once again felt a cold rush of air seep through my failing winter coat. Trying to fight it, I paced back and forth on the sidewalk in an attempt to warm myself up. I was starting to feel a bit warmer when of course the classic Emma came out and I bumped into someone.
"Emma!? Thank goodness! We thought you guys were lost in New York for the night!" Zayn held onto my shoulders and made sure I didn't fall over. "Yeah, this was all Marlee's idea FYI. Sorry. Where is everyone else?" I asked and waved Jemmie and Marlee over. "Just around the corner, they stopped for hot chocolate since it was getting kind of cold. Why don't we get you girls some as well, you look quite cold." Zayn noticed me shivering and I nodded quickly as I practically ran towards the coffee shop at the corner.
I saw the four boys inside with the warm cups in each of their hands, laughing with each other. Zayn opened the door and a bell chimed, making all of the boys look our way. "Look who I found!" Zayn smiled and the boys got up from their chairs and came over to us.
"Hey love, thanks for ditching us." Louis chuckled and took a sip of his drink. "Yeah, s-sorry." I shivered and desperately stared at the warm drink. "Here, have this. You need it more than me." he handed the drink to me and I instantly felt the warmth come to my fingers. Taking a long gulp, I treasured the warm liquid running down my throat and smiled, making Louis laugh again.
"Now, how about we ditch these guys and do something fun?" he whispered. I looked up and gave him a questioning look, but he simply smirked at me and grabbed my free hand. Suddenly, I was being whisked out of the coffee shop and back out into cold New York. However, I was much warmer now with Louis' hand warming up my own.
We walked for quite some time and finally Louis stopped in the middle of a walkway where a bunch of people were walking through. He suddenly turned down a street and I found both of us standing at Rockefeller Plaza. The large Christmas tree was directly in front of us and my mouth was agape as I started at all of it's twinkling lights. "Wow." I said and Louis smiled, nodding his head. "Pretty cool. But here's the fun part." Louis started walking again and although I couldn't keep my eyes away from the tree, I followed him. Down a few flights of stairs, we both met at the base of the tree where right in front of us was an ice rink.
"Oh no Louis, I don't- I don't know how." I backed away slowly, but he grabbed my gently and pulled me back. "I don't either, so this should be interesting." he smiled and walked up to the vendor renting out skates. He grabbed a pair in his size and a pair in mine, lacing up his own as I put mine on to my best ability. Finally we were both ready to skate, even though we both knew I would refuse to get onto that ice.
Louis pulled me up from the bench we both sat upon and did his best to walk us over to the ice rink, even with me pulling in the opposite direction. I probably looked like a little kid begging her mum for the doll on isle two of the toy store, but I didn't really care. I was not going to embarrass myself in front of all these people.
Sadly for me, Louis was very strong; stronger than me. Before I could even pull back, we were both on the ice as we grasped onto the edges of the wall. "It's not that bad babe, watch." he slowly let go of the wall and skated away about three feet. I watched him get all cocky, doing his best to avoid passing skaters as he rounded the second part of the rink. But of course, as all cocky moments go for Louis, he lost his balance and fell right on his bum. I giggled as he tried to get up, but realizing that he could use some help, I guided myself with the wall and made my way over to him. I extended a hand and he took it, getting back up and grabbing onto the wall a few inches from me. "Well, I guess I won't be a part of the Olympics anytime soon." he joked and I threw my head back, laughing.
"I think you're quite good, actually." I smiled down at the sleek ice under us. "Well thank you. But I guess if you don't want to do this, we can go." he slowly moved down the rink, using the wall as I guide and finally reaching the gate. I followed behind him slowly and finally we were both back on the gravel floor with our own shoes. It was a waste of money, but we both agreed it was fun to try.
Before we went back to the hotel, we stopped right in front of the tree once again. Looking up from this angle, it looked as tall as the Empire State building. How could a tree even grow this big? And the twinkly lights that covered it were so beautiful; it was literally the image of Christmas in New York City. "Christmas in New York, should be fun, yeah?" Louis finally spoke.
"I think so. Especially with you." I blushed and looked over at Louis as he continued to stare up at the tree. "Louis," I started, waiting for him to look at me. When he finally did, I took a breath and closed my eyes. Now was the time; I could feel it. I was absolutely sure of what I was doing and honestly, not even Marlee could talk me out of it, though I doubt she'd ever want to.
"I think I love you." I said slowly, still not opening my eyes. Louis sat there in silence for a moment and I refused to look back at him. Instead I focused back on the tree. Maybe this was a mistake. Finally he sighed and I could feel tears briming in my eyes. Since when had I become so sappy?
"Emma, don't force it." he slowly touched my cheek and I opened my eyes back up to see him looking at me with concern. This boy: the boy who had waited for me for so long was now telling me that the love I had just confessed may not be real. He still believed that I was forcing it. He didn't believe that I loved him. And yet; that only made me realize that he was wrong in this moment, but right in all the rest.
"No, Louis. I really do. I'm sure of it. I've fallen in love with you." I cried out and slowly moved my face closer to his and took in a long breath of the cold winter air. As if on cue, Louis kissed me softly. Maybe he accepted it; maybe he didn't. I had no freaking clue what he was thinking. All I could think about was what was happening. It's Chrismtas, we're in New York city, under a fifty gazillion foot tree, I just admitted my love to him, and now we were kissing. I think I am inspiring Nickolas Sparks' next book, as much as I hate cheesy romance. But I love Louis, and I'm not afraid anymore. I have him and being vulnerable isn't a worry anymore; Louis would protect me in the darkest nights.
(A/N: Oh my Gosh this is soooo BAD! I apologize, but I had to update. I had absolutely no ideas for this chapter, and as you can see, it is a mess. The ending wasn't even supposed to happen this soon, but it did and now I guess they love each other. Hopefully i can get my shit together by the next chapter, because things need to get picking up. See, there are only about fifteen chapters left. Yeah, I'm sad too. I love this story, but the climax is coming and from that the story will ultimately be over. I hope you guys have enjoyed it as much as I have and I really hope you'll read my next story as well. But for now please enjoy Emma, Louis, Marlee, etc. This story may be a bit cliche, but it's fun to write and hopefully fun to read. Let me know your opinions and I'll hopefully have something better planned for next week... until next time. -Katie.)