"Was it important?" Louis asked, his eyes holding no amount of judgement.
I came up with a lie on the spot. "Yeah, family problems." To emphasize my annoyance, I rolled my eyes and sighed. "I have to leave soon."
Louis watched me, disappointment clear in his eyes. I wasn't sure if he believed my lie. Probably not, 'family problems' was an excuse many people used to get away. Shit, I should try this 'think before talk' thing.
"Okay," he replied in defeat. The sad look in his eyes nearly made me call Harry and tell him to go to hell.
The lower half of Louis' body was covered with a blanket. He sat upright, his abs clearly visible. My eyes flickered to his tattoo yet again. "It Is What It Is." Five simple words with a strong meaning. As I met Louis' eyes, I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be in an actual relationship with him. He would probably take me out on cute dates and cuddle with me while I complain about college. My parents would love him and he might even get along with Adrian. Will there ever be more between us? Louis was everything you wished for in a guy: he was sweet, charming, caring, lovely, nice and simply perfect.
Was I falling in love?
"Zoey?" Louis spoke up, smiling at me, clearly amused by my blatant staring.
I tried to appear unaffected. "Yes?"
"I asked if someone's going to get you?"
"Yep." I texted Harry the address a few minutes ago and told him to wait outside. There was no need for him to run into Louis now. Or ever, for that matter.
I was reluctant to go but again, my will didn't count. Harry better had a good explanation or I'd go all Sharkeisha on him.
I checked my phone the same second Louis started talking. "What..." He stopped. I looked up, wanting him to continue. When he didn't, I pushed a bit. "What...? What were you about to say?"
"Never mind, it seems silly now," he answered, his cheeks slightly blushed.
"Tell me," I demanded, face all serious.
He sighed. "What do you think about going on a real date? Like, I could take you out somewhere. I just... It's stupid, I know. Just forget it," he said, avoiding my eyes.
I sat down on the bed next to him and placed a hand under his chin to lift it up. "It's not. I would love it," I told him, meaning every word.
He smiled again, his teeth showing. His smile was genuine and beautiful, I immediately smiled along.
My phone vibrated in my hands. It was Harry, telling me he was waiting outside.
"I have to go," I told Louis and leaned down to place a kiss on his soft lips. His hands stroked my cheeks and our kiss lingered longer than a normal goodbye-kiss.
I stood up, packed my things and left the room. Louis watched me the whole time and right before I closed the door to his room, I looked back at this beautiful boy who was still naked under the blanket. I threw him another kiss and left. My heart felt heavier.
I collected my bag from the living room and took my time to get downstairs. I hated when someone ruined my plans.
A chilly breeze greeted me outside and I shivered. Harry had parked his car right in front of the apartment and I stepped right in, not bothering to knock or anything.
"The plan was to..." Harry began.
"Hello to you to," I sarcastically retarded.
"Hi. So, the plan was to bring you back home but I thought about it and decided we're going to my place," he declared, confidence clear in his voice.
"No," I said without reconsidering his words.
"No?"
"No. You're going to explain what the fuck happened and then you're going to drive me either back to my car or to my house," I said without hesitation.
"I can't," was all he answered.
"You can't what? Explain everything or drive me back home or to my car? You surely don't expect me to just go to your apartment. You basically called me and said that I'm not safe and that I-"
"Ok, ok, I'm going to drive you home. You should be safe there," he interrupted me.
"Why wasn't I safe at-" I was about to say 'Louis' but stopped myself in the last second, "my friend's?"
"They followed me and saw us talking at Starbucks. They recognized you." His eyes held a glint of danger.
"Who?"
"I can't tell you."
"Why?"
"Why do you always have so many questions?"
Was he serious? "Excuse me? You just-"
Harry stopped me before I even started my rant. "Ok, I get it. I can't tell you anything about it because it's not safe for you to know. Just trust me when I say that I do my best to keep you safe."
His words made me laugh. He turned around in confusion. "What's so funny?"
"Why should I trust you?" I asked.
"Name one reason why you shouldn't," he fired back.
"I don't really know you," I said, a smug grin on my lips.
Harry sighed. "I can't tell you who they are, just that they followed you to your friend's apartment."
"Oh my gosh, is he safe?" I asked without thinking.
"Yes. They know that ... he has no connection to me," Harry assured me.
I let out a deep breath. At least I seemed to be the only one who was dragged into this mess.
Harry didn't say anything else and I didn't ask any more questions. He wouldn't have answered them anyway.
The silence in the car was killing me. I could hear the car's engine and other cars driving by. Although it was already dark outside, there was still the usual buzz of the city's evening in the air. People were walking outside, meeting friends, going on dates or going home. Many cars were on the streets but the traffic was smooth.
I watched people going on with their lives, oblivious of others around them. If you stepped back and watched life unfold in front of you, you were able to see the small pieces that made life. The moments that really counted.
After two minutes, I had enough of watching people and closed my eyes, my head against the pane.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked, his voice softer than usually.
I nodded and opened my eyes to find him looking at me before returning his focus back on the street. He was a careful driver although he went a bit over the speed limit.
The change of plans forced me to think about how to get the car back. And what to tell my parents when they came home and found me in bed, the car not outside.
The only way to save my ass was to get up early in the morning, take the bus and get the car back before anyone noticed.
Hopefully Phoebe and Adrian would be occupied.
I stared at the boy that caused all these troubles. He still wore the same things as before. I noticed his eyes constantly flicking to the rear view mirrors as if he were afraid of being followed.
They followed me, he had said. Who had followed him? What did they want?
How did I fit into all of this?
When I first met Harry, I didn't like him. After spending some time with him, I came around and found out he was actually a nice guy. Then he scared me and I first promised myself to unravel his secrets but then I just wasn't so sure anymore.
Now I thought I should stay away from him, more than ever.
Honestly, if Adrian hadn't brought his friends along, I would have never met him. Theresa would have never fallen in love with Niall – I still had to talk to her about him – and we wouldn't have all those group meet-ups. I knew Adrian for quite some time now and never had I run into one of his friends. Phoebe seemed to know them but then again, she was his girlfriend after all. Didn't partners met the friends?
I had met his friends.
I shook my head, trying to clear my head of any thoughts of him.
We were driving for far too long. "Where are we going?"
"I make a detour, just to be sure," Harry explained.
I nodded in understanding. But I still had a few questions left. "Why couldn't you just tell me to drive home? Or why couldn't I just stay at my friend's?"
"Not done with your questions yet, huh?" Harry asked with amusement in his voice.
I rolled my eyes but his gaze was fixed on the street.
"Well, it's safer this way."
I didn't bother with a response for that.
Stay away from him, my subconscious told me. I had to agree with her. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be in any trouble now.
I tried to shift my thoughts to something better, like chocolate. Or Paris. Or a beauty day with Lisa. We basically had one yesterday but you could never get enough.
"What made you become a prep school teacher?" I asked out of nowhere. Had I already asked that question? I couldn't remember.
Harry smiled. "I just love children."
"Where are you from?"
This time, Harry let out a little laugh. "What do you think?"
"I don't know, you have a faint accent, I just can't place it anywhere," I honestly told him.
"I'm from England."
"No way. Your accent is not that strong," I fired back.
"I moved to America when I was little. Guess I never really lost the accent," he shrugged.
That actually made sense.
"What made you move to America?" I asked.
"My parents." His lips turned up in an amused grin.
Fair point. A little kid probably wouldn't move on his own.
"Do you often go to England?"
"Yes, I visit my grandparents every summer," he said, still smiling. The thought of England probably made him happy.
I have never been far from home. My ultimate destination was Paris, of course.
"But then you don't really have a summer," I replied.
He looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"Isn't it always raining in England?"
Harry started laughing which made me feel a bit naïve. So apparently I was wrong. "That's a cliché. The problem about the British Weather is that you never know when it'll rain. One minute, the sun is shining. The next, it's raining cats and dogs." He was still amused.
"Oh," was all I could manage to answer.
"Do you have any siblings?" I was running out of questions for small talk.
Harry took a few seconds to answer which was weird. He knew if he had any siblings, right? I hoped I hadn't brought back any unwelcomed bad family memories.
His smile disappeared and he kept his eyes on the street. "Yes. A sister. Gemma," he said, his voice so soft, it was just a whisper.
"Are you okay?" I asked, slightly worried.
He nodded but still averted my eyes.
I decided not to push it and focused on my nails instead. The paint was still in a good condition and I had to admit, the woman had done an amazing job.
"We're here." Harry's voice brought me back to reality. I looked out of the window straight at our house.
I reached for the doorknob but Harry stopped me. "Zoey. I just want you to know that I'll do anything in my power to get you out of this mess. And I'm sorry you got entangled in the first place. If you notice anything out of place, tell me." His green eyes pierced right through me and I couldn't look away.
His words finally reached my mind and I nodded. "Stay safe," I told him, meaning it. "And don't hesitate to call me if you need someone to talk to."
Why the hell did I just say that?
I quickly stepped out of the car before my mouth could say something else without connecting to my brain.
I walked up the stairs to our front porch without looking back. Once I turned the key and stepped inside, I closed the door and went directly into my bathroom, getting ready for the night.
I was beyond pissed. The evening hasn't turned out how I imagined it would. However, there was nothing to change about that now. All I could hope for was that the future held better things for me.
I changed into my pajamas and removed the make-up. Afterwards, I brushed my teeth. I wished they were whiter but I wasn't a celebrity. Only they seemed to have really white teeth.
I got rid of my earrings. I didn't like sleeping with them or with any jewelry at all.
It was still too early to sleep so I stayed on tumblr for at least another hour. My last thought, before I fell asleep, was a scenario of the group meeting tomorrow.
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