Copyright © zylgnagnaba 2013
“Ugh! I give up!” I grunt and push myself away from the counter, dropping the whisk on the bowl half-filled with cake dough. I’ve been trying so hard to mix the dough evenly, but still there are little flours that persist to clump together. “Just tell me if you need something, and I’ll get it for you. I just can’t do it anymore.” I tell Harry while shaking my head hopelessly.
He only laughs at me while shaking his head in mock-pity. He grabs the mixing bowl after he just put the baking pan on top of the counter and finishes the job for me.
“You sure you’re not a rich spoiled brat?” He asks and my heart quickly jumps at his words. I would always hate being called a spoiled brat. I watch him carefully as he grabs the measuring cup and pours flavouring liquid in the bowl, and he glances at me. I am not even sure what my expression was, but I felt slight aching in my chest. “I mean, you don’t know how to do the laundry, can’t even cook…” He rambles on, reaching to each ingredients in front of him and mix it with the dough, “And… you don’t know how to drive a car.”
“I am not a rich spoiled brat!” I yell at him which is more than necessary and he quickly snaps his head at me in sheer shock. I sounded like a defensive criminal and I immediately imagine slapping myself for reacting like that. “I mean…” I start again with a more calm tone this time, “I am not like that… I don’t know stuff because I was focused in school,” I look down in front of myself while fidgeting my fingers. I walk forward for my stomach to lean on the counter, and I look at him again.
“Oh,” He says while nodding at me and arching his brows in the process.
“And I don’t know how to drive because I left home before I can even enrol for driving lessons,” I tell him, and I concentrate my sight on his task. I actually want to learn how to bake, but my hand and eye coordination is so poor I could actually make a hard hollow block instead of a delightful pudding. “Will you teach me how to drive anyway?” I ask him to avoid the previous subject. The bright smile that I am trying to display towards him seems to affect him as he smiles back at me.
His smile completely wears off suddenly and he shakes his head, “No can do, Valerie.” I haven’t even realized how engaged he has turned into with baking, and I snap my head up after his words echoed in my head.
I widen my eyes for a while and it turns into frown once I realize what he just said, “Why not?” I murmur.
“I can’t let you drive around the city once you finally learned how to. It’s much too dangerous,” Okay he sounds more like my father when he says that, only that it’s not as annoying as my father’s.
I chuckle at his concern. He can’t be serious about this. He has to teach me how to drive a freaking car. I’m so fed up taking cabs, and I feel so jealous about Eleanor who can go around with her own car – that Louis gave her on her 21st birthday and I am so damn envy because right now Harry’s making it impossible for me.
“I am serious,” He sighs looking at me and I eventually stop laughing. My smile fades into thin air once I behold his indeed serious face.
“What?” I huff and lean my elbows on the counter, “But Harry, I need to learn how to drive a car eventually… I couldn’t just depend on you or Eleanor… and sometimes, it’s hard finding a cab; especially if it’s rush hour.” I say frowning at him.
I see him sigh again and I actually think he will reconsider but he stands firmly and look at me with reprimanding eyes, “No, Valerie. End of discussion.”
Well wow, he’s slowly turning to be a motherly figure towards me right now. Instead of reverence, I just giggle dismissively at him, “Fine then. I’ll just ask El,” I defy him and fold my arms upon my chest.
“No, Val. If you want me to get this cake done before the party, you won’t push this discussion any further. You’re not doing that,” He scolds me and I tremble a bit. The first time he was like this was more than six months ago—the first time we met and get started with the pretend relationship.
I choose to yield because I don’t want to go back to the cold relationship we had at the beginning, and so I let him finish the cake without mentioning my desire to learn how to drive a car again. Although I know I can’t force the subject today, I know I am going to do it soon. I just can’t give up on something just because he doesn’t allow me to.
He seemed to be satisfied at my silence as a smirk grows on his face moments later. I watch him carefully as he’s now pouring the dough on the baking pan and flatten the mass with a spatula, and not even asking any help from me. Well, he’s better doing it without me. It will just be a disaster if I would intrude.
“Anyway…” He breaks the silence by speaking up while he loads the baking pan inside the oven. “Who’s G.V. Epperson?” I quickly snap at the mention of the last name. He bends down to the level of the oven, setting the timer and adjusting the temperature when he glances at me and fix his eyes back to the machine.
“What?” I frown at him although he’s not facing me. I gulp inconspicuously, fiddling my fingers by the counter. He stands up across me after making sure the oven works okay, and he stares at me as if I’m the most fascinating sight he’s ever seen. It’s awkward.
“Well, I was cleaning the bedroom the other day and I kind of found your book sitting on the drawer. I open the first page and there’s that signature, G.V. Epperson.” He informs me matter-of-factly and I mentally cringe at the second mention of the name. He decides to sit on a stool and leans his elbows on the counter, copying my gesture.
“Uhm…” I tip my head up and think for a minute, squint my eyes rummaging some ideas inside my brain – which I hope he thinks I am just trying to remember something. I look at him again and start to speak again, “That’s the first owner of the book. I bought The Little Women in a garage sale back home.”
“Oh no,” He shakes his head, narrowing his brows and my lips slightly parted at the instance, “The title of the book I saw is not The Little Women, it was Mansfield Park I guess.” He presses his lips in a tight line, his index finger tapping on his lips as if he is pondering about something. “Yeah, I guess that’s it. Why? How many books did you buy at this garage sale?”
“Quite a few,” I refuse to meet his gaze and I look at the kitchen doorway, ready to leave already. “This certain Epperson has a very good taste in the book she reads, I must say,” I add nodding at my statement and drag my sight to him this time.
“I can tell,” He arches his brow and nods, convinced at my story.
*******
Niall and I slowly proceed to the little stage we made at the lounge. He’s carrying his guitar with him and he casually sits on a stool; I on the other hand stand next to him quite nervous but mostly excited at the same time. I notice the anticipating smiles from the rest of the boys that gather around the long couch with Eleanor, Perrie, and Sophia. Zayn has a camera in front of him to record our performance, and then I hear Harry babble, “I am the one who styled her!” and he chuckles proudly.
From the moment we entered Liam’s flat, we all have been laughing at my childish get-up that Harry forcefully done with me. My hair is pulled up in pigtails – I enjoy swirling them around and hit my face once in a while. I am also in a denim overalls and a red shirt underneath, with a rabbit slippers on my feet. I don’t know what came across our heads that we decided making me look like a kindergarten.
Told you, they’d love it. I recall him saying and I chuckle at the latest memory.
“Okay,” I start through a deep sigh and pick a hairbrush to act like a microphone. I scan their faces and they are all smiling, Harry with the widest one and Liam a bit puzzled. “So this is my and Niall’s gift for you, Liam…” I focus my eyes at him and he smiles that I also reply with one. Niall starts to strum his guitar softly backing me up while I continue speaking, “This took us a lot of time, blood and sweat practicing just to make this song perfect for you. Probably like three minutes ago?” I furrow my brows as I burst a sigh creating a sound of a fart and they laugh, but I remain serious. They stop as I continue, “Oh, and Niall composed this song especially for Liam and he asked me personally to sing this on your birthday,” They laugh again because they know I am joking. They heard me sing before and it was probably the most awful sound they have heard in their entire lives.
“Liam…” I utter his name softly, dramatic in a way. “You’ve gotten older throughout the years…” They look at me sincerely, “… so this year… shouldn’t be a bother.” I finish off and they all burst out laughing, especially Niall who can’t stop tapping his guitar much too intensely and almost fall down from his seat for cracking up so much.
“What the heck, Valerie?!” Zayn yells at me through a laughing fit, trying his hardest to keep the camera steady.
“I thought it was some serious shit!” Louis laughs, rubbing his stomach while Eleanor tries to hold him down because he’s rolling around the couch.
Perrie and Sophia are also cracking up in their seats, trying to keep their selves collected but they fail miserably.
“Okay, okay…” Liam redeems himself from his giggles. He waves his hands at the other people, “You guys stop already…” He tries to be serious but he only snickers again, “I really want to hear this song, okay?”
“Fine, fine… Okay, you guys stop now.” Harry backs Liam up but he only throws himself to the back of the couch and laugh again like a retard.
Few seconds later, they finally stop laughing but their grins are still plastered on their faces when I tell Niall to start strumming again.
“Okay, guys… This song that Niall and I work on together conveys a lot of meaning. So I hope the lyrics of this song will reach to the very core of your hearts.” I tell them dramatically again and they smile brightly at my words.
Niall hits the chords of the intro of the song, softly and slowly. I draw the microphone – the hairbrush—closer to my lips and close my eyes.
“Seems like everybody’s got a price,” I sing the first few words and they snap into the realization that it wasn’t our original composition and then again, they crack up. I don’t mind their laughter and I only continue; driven to finish this song with a bang!
“I wonder how they sleep at night. When the sale comes first and the truth comes second. Just stop for a minute and smile.” My voice is terrible but I don’t mind. It adds to the striking effect of the performance.
“Why is everybody so serious? Acting so damn mysterious? Got your shades on your eyes and your heels so high that you can't even have a good time.” I close my eyes once in a while as if my voice is the most melodious sound everyone could hear inside the lounge. Well technically, it is because like I said before, my singing voice is all over the place, pitchy, flat and out of tune – very melodious.
“Everybody look to their left (yeah). Everybody look to their right Can you feel that (yeah). We're paying with love tonight?” This time they sing along with me and clap their hands, enjoying the performance.
Niall starts to strum faster as we have practiced it, making the chorus a fast beat one. I carelessly start dancing to the tune, my hand swiping around in the air as if I’m a disk jockey.
“It's not about the money, money, money. We don't need your money, money, money. We just wanna make the world dance, forget about the price tag. Ain't about the (uh) cha-ching cha-ching. Ain't about the (yeah) ba-bling ba-bling. Wanna make the world dance, forget about the price tag…”
We continue playing the rest of the song until end, and everyone cheers for us with a standing ovation.
Niall stand with me and I grab his hand, raising our entwined hands above us and we bow together.
“Thank you! Thank you!” I say theatrically, patting my chest and fake-crying. “Thank you so much,” I wipe a fake tear under my eyes and wave my hand in them just like a beauty queen, and I swing in my position from side to side.
“Yay!” Louis chants, “And the best extemporaneous speaking award goes to…” He, Liam and Harry drum their hands on their laps with a drumroll sound. Louis grabs the thin lampshade from the side table and quickly stands beside me, “Valerie Scott!” They all cheer loudly and I excitedly hold the award – lampshade.
I gape my mouth in a fake disbelief expression and act like crying, “OMG! I can’t believe it!” and so I start with the acceptance speech, “I have tweeted about this for years now, and you know how badly I want this award, and finally, I got in my hands. I can’t believe I am holding this right now,” I look at the stuff in my hand like it’s the most precious thing in the world I could’ve hold, “Well I just want to thank my fans who supported me all the way, my friends, my family…” I look at Harry this time and he’s grinning at me, along with the others in the lounge, “… I also want to thank the guy who inspired me to sing this song, who definitely knows who he is because to whom else would I dedicate this lovely award except for my boyfriend, Harry Styles, baby… because now, I got one of these.” I copy Taylor’s speech from the VMA – only I altered many words – and imitate her gestures during that.
“Thank you so much!” I finish off with a cheery sound and everyone joins the merriment with me. Harry stands on his feet and joins me on the little stage and we kiss passionately, completely aware that everything’s caught on Zayn’s camera. And oh, later will be uploaded to youtube. How’s that sound for a payback?
*******
Hey yah! I hope you enjoy this chapter…
Thank you guys for the support you are giving me by reading my book. It really means a lot to me. And of course I am so thankful for some of you who are sharing this story to your friends—helping me to get a lot of reads. Seriously, I really appreciate you guys doing that. Aww! It’s the sweetest thing ever. Thank youuu xx
I love you guys.
I think the next update is on Sunday so please stick with me.
Love,
Glyz <3
PS: Lovely kaylanmartin14 actually it was LIAM (from chapter 6). Here’s your dedication because of your comments. xx