"You're kidding, right?" I say, staring at the singer who shakes his head in response. "You're joking with me...Right?"
"Unfortunately, I'm not," Harry Styles says, no trace of teasing in his voice.
"Does that even make sense?" I ask, starting to pace about the room. "I mean, one, you're Harry Styles. And two, this is a huge ass ship yet there's not even one open room for one of us?"
Maybe I can share a room with my mother and her --- Oh, hell no. You do think of some crazy things, Elaine.
A body blocks my path, my steps coming to an abrupt halt before I bump into the tall figure. I look up to see Harry Styles' face looking down at me, his expression filling with contrite.
"I know it sounds bad," he speaks with a quiet, calm voice.
"Bad is not the right word."
"Fine." He takes a moment to find the appropriate word, looking up in the air as if to find it. "Fallacious .." He waits for my okay and I raise one of my eyebrows, telling him he doesn't need my approval for his word choices. "But no one is going to find out."
"Oh yeah? How so? Because clearly you're not someone followed by the paparazzi all the time."
"I'm planning to stay in the room the whole weekend anyway. The captain won't tell anyone. You can enjoy your vacation like normal. I'll just be in the room when you sleep and when you wake up."
"Oh, yeah. That's totally normal. Waking up and sleeping in the same room as Harry Styles is totally normal."
The corners of his lips tug into an amused smile as he laughs under his breath at my sarcasm. For a moment, I almost want to join him but hold it in successfully.
"I'm just a human," he says. "You're saying it as if I'm some alien or something and kind of hurts my feelings."
"I'm sorry," I say, and he chuckles again.
"Why aren't you leaving the room?" I ask. That wondrous smile of his fades for a brief moment, but quickly returns as he walks away from me to the window. It's almost dark outside now.
"I'm here to work," he answers.
"Work?"
"Yeah, you know, I do have a job. And as an entertainer, we have jobs to-," he gestures his hand in a circular motion, coming up with another appropriate description. "Entertain."
Entertain?
"I don't get you."
"You don't have to," he retorts with a smile, his lips pressed into an innocent line as he shrugs his shoulders.
He hides his hands behind his back as he pads over to one of the two sofas. Those long legs of his actually don't look too thin when he's wearing a pair of reasonably baggy grey sweatpants. Only now am I noticing the Green Bay Packers logo printed on one of the legs.
It slipped my mind that he's a Packer fan.
I guess that's one thing we have in common.
"I get the bed," I firmly state as I walk faster than usual to the king sized mattress. Once I pass him, the confused singer watches me in beguilement as I zoom to claim the bed, not having finished the task of sitting down yet.
"If that's what you want," he remarks. Such an odd remark too. I expected a little more competition for the bed. His gentleman-like conduct can really be questionable at times.
Crawling to the head of the bed, I take and throw him one of the many pillows and the thin white sheet underneath the blanket. After catching them both, I detect from the corner of my eyes him rolling his, a smug grin on his lips, finding hilarity in my immaturity. I don't know why I'm not irritated by it. Usually I would be. That he's laughing at me, I find it odd that it doesn't bother me.
I'm actually kind of giddy.
Giddy's not the word for it ...
I'm content that he can comfortably laugh with someone like me around.
...
Since I'm rooming with a boy...
A boy? Why does that sound wrong?
Let's start that again.
Since I'm rooming with a man...
That still doesn't sound right.
Since I have a roommate for the next several days, I bring in the entire suitcase of mine in the bathroom with me as I shower so I don't have to change out there with another pair of eyes in the room.
It's quite ironic how tiny the bathroom is compared to the large room on the other side of the door. It's so stuffy in here with me and my suitcase which is a reasonable size.
After my shower, I throw on two layers of clothing ...
Yes, that's right. Two layers. Two shirts, a long and short sleeved one, a pair of shorts and sleeping trousers, and two pairs of socks. Tonight happens to be Christmas themed socks.
One reason I wear layers is because I always sleep in layers. It gets cold. And two, well, you know, just in case ... something happens.
You never truly know the mind of a grown man--Er, roommate.
I purposely took longer than usual in the bathroom washing and rinsing my hair in slow-mo, brushing my teeth twice, rinsing it with some mint mouthwash three times, and dancing to some of T-Swift's 1989 tunes, for one specific reason - not to have to converse with Harry Styles.
At least not tonight. I just want to get some rest.
Exiting the bathroom, I cautiously pull on the doorknob, taking a peek out of the tiny crack. When I spot him lying on the couch, eyes closed, I tip toe in a scurry to the bed, throwing the covers right over me as soon as I lay down.
"Took you long enough," Harry Styles' deep British voice muffles from a distance away.
"A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do."
For a long second, it's silent. Nothing but the sound of my hushed breaths.
"Good night." I hear him mumble sleepily.
Caught by surprise and a narrow sense of conflict, I don't know whether to say it back. I've never said good night to anyone before. Over text, a few times to Marco, maybe, but out loud, with my speaking voice, it's a totally different ballgame. I can't even remember the last time I said it.
There's that feeling again. It's welling right in the middle of my chest.
I don't know why it's there. I don't know why I feel it. I don't know why I don't like it. I don't like feeling bad for someone. Not even for myself. That's the worst kind - to feel bad for oneself. It's as though it's my fault for something I didn't even do.
Shaking off the unfamiliar feeling of guilt, I turn off the light switch of the two lamps by the bedside and close my eyes, hoping to get some rest.
I glance behind me, over at him every once in a while, not knowing why I have the urge to steal glances at him. His legs are dangling off the end of the couch. His lanky figure does look a little off balance when he's laying there, like a giant trying to find a comfortable position on a dog-sized bed.
He's probably used to sleeping on high quality beds all the time. I wouldn't be surprised if he has ten thousand brand name sheets as well. Probably all of which have rarely ever been used.
...
In the middle of the night, I wake up shifting in many different positions before I realize how freezing it is. Pulling the duvet over my shoulders and staying in a fetal position, rubbing my limbs back and forth doesn't even help.
I check my phone under my pillow to see what time it is but when I turn it on, I see a text from my mother.
"The captain just announced that the heating system is down for a few hours. Stay warm, darling!"
Perfect. I lethargically put my phone back, and bury my face into the pillow, grunting at how inconvenient this is.
Shivering, I cup my hands over my mouth and blow puffs of warm air repeatedly. I think for a long moment ... If I'm already this cold, how is he coping with the thin sheet he has?
Looking over my shoulder, I hiss a 'psst' sound to get his attention. When he replies with a moan, I take it as though he's heard me.
"Are you still alive over there?" I ask, loud enough just so that he can hear me.
"I'm fine," he murmurs back. I can hear him shifting in the sofa, and I get up from the bed in search of another blanket for him.
I don't know why I'm suddenly so concerned about his well-being, but I already have the bed. I don't want to feel any more liable than I already do.
The closet is empty. That's the only place for extra sheets. There are towels but that's not going to do any good.
"What are you doing?" Harry Styles mumbles from the couch. He sits up, scanning the room for me. His eyes are closed almost in small slits, squinting from the dim lighting in the room. I stop my scavenging and walk to the side of the couch, looking down at a man with crazy looking hair.
"I'm trying to find you another blanket," I tell him.
"I told you I'm fine," he insists, but I know he's purposely trying to act all tough and all masculine. That's what guys do.
I huff out a breath of defeat and give in to the only other solution. It's been prying in the back of my head, and it was the last possible resolve I wanted to implement.
"Come sleep on the bed," I say, waking him up in an instant. His alert eyes dart to mine as his eyebrows knit together in confusion.
"What?"
"I'm not going to repeat myself," I assert.
His gaze falls to the floor, contemplating my offer.
"Are you wearing two layers of clothing?"
"That's irrelevant," I say in a rushed voice, causing him to chuckle.
"No, that's very umm, kind of you but I'll just stay where I am."
"And what, freeze to death?"
"It's not that cold."
"You're shivering," I point out his trembling leg. He stops shaking it, giving me a guilt-ridden glower and I laugh a little inside at how innocent he looks right now. He's probably slept with girls before. Why should I be any different? "If you don't sleep on the bed, I won't be able to sleep. And if you die, I don't want to be responsible for you."
He deliberates it for a few seconds before looking up at me, giving me a slight nod that dodders his disheveled curls. Although I would usually find the idea of sleeping next to Harry Styles completely unbefitting, I guess this can be an exception.
Once I lay on my side of the bed, I build a wall of pillows to separate us, insuring the set boundaries. Harry Styles doesn't even think twice about it as he slips into his side and pulls the thick duvet over himself. I feel the bed fluctuate beneath me, and hear him gently mumble under his breath, "Good night, Elaine."
"Good night," I reply, smiling to myself.
Elaine's starting to feel something ... Hmmmm ... This trip is going to be a major turning point in the story so pay attention to detail!
Vote and comment your predictions! <33 I might just update again this week if you do! (Most likely on Friday/Saturday since I have a speech on Wed. And projects due and such. And don't even remind me about finals ... Ugh. Can't wait til it's winter break! Mine starts on the 17th! Technically, the 10th. How about yours (if you have one)? (: love you guys!