"Sounded like someone had fun last night." The sound of an unfamiliar female voice wakes me.
I roll over onto my back, propping myself up on my elbows, rubbing my eyes with the palm of my hands to adjust to the bright light of the room.
"Would you be quiet, please?" Evie's voice whispered in an almost frustrated shout.
"Oh, he's still here. Let me see then. He must've been good considering you of all people are only just waking up at almost noon." The other voice laughs.
Is that really the time?
I guess I can't say I'm surprised. The sun had begun to rise by the time we both got into bed.
We were up all night talking. And well, a little bit of not talking. And I offered to call a cab, but she was adamant that I stayed.
Which I was quite thankful for because I was exhausted. We both switched out like a light when our heads hit the pillow.
"Would you shh. And so you know, I did not have sex with him last night. What do you take me for?" Evie lets out a short laugh that seems almost awkward.
"Then what exactly was it that was keeping you so occupied when I arrived this morning?" The girl whom I can only assume is the infamous Esme teases.
"It was like trying to talk with a mouth full of toothpaste." Evie responds with a laugh, her shoulders relaxing as she speaks.
I'll be sure to keep that in mind.
My hand cups over my mouth in an attempt to suppress my laughter but rather, I find myself making a mix between a laugh and a cough, causing Evie to look over her shoulder at me.
Her ocean colored eyes widen at my sudden change in state, realizing I heard everything she just said.
Quickly she flicks her eyes back to Esme, her back facing me. She is still in the same bike shorts she fell asleep in but rather than being in the bra she fell asleep in, she's back in the oversized jumper she first changed into when we got back here.
A girl I barely know. And somehow I'm waking up in her bed. After such a night like that.
Mouth full of toothpaste
Before I got to know you
"Well, E. You could have swallowed before trying to reply." The unfamiliar voice began cackling. Which was cut fairly short by what sounded like Evie giving her a lighthearted slap.
"Would you just leave already, you'll be late again if you don't go now." Evie speaks, glancing quickly over to me, giving a small apologetic smile before stepping out of the room and closing the door behind her.
Both the girls' voices become muffled slightly, but not to the point it's inaudible. However, I don't think I should eavesdrop on their conversation.
Even though I may be the topic of conversation.
I swing my legs over the side of the bed until they hit the hardwood floor.
As I stand up, I stretch my whole body, yawning as I do so, still feeling a little tired from last night.
Slowly, I walk over to the pile of clothes laid over the back of Evie's chair, pulling my pair of trousers from underneath my shirt and stepping one leg at a time back into them.
I don't bother putting my shirt back on just yet.
Rather I take a seat in the chair at her vanity, looking at the photo frames sitting on top of it.
There are multiple, ones of her with a brunette that looks fairly recent - probably her and Esme.
One with the little girl from next door.
One with someone who looks a lot like her mum, dad, and I assume brother.
I didn't know she had a brother.
And there's one, of a woman who looks a lot like Evie, rather the photo looks much older. In a ballet costume similar to the one on stage when I first met Evie.
Perhaps it's her grandmother she told me about.
I reach for one of the smaller frames that has a young Evie holding a fat black cat, running my fingertip across the rough surface of the vintage frame.
The sound of the door reopening startles me slightly.
Instinctively, I place the frame back where I picked it up from and shot up from the seat, rubbing my hands against my trouser leg.
And now I look suspicious.
"Sorry about that, she's gone now. How much did you hear?" She asks, walking forward to me, her arms crossed over her stomach.
"Let's just say, whenever I brush my teeth now, I'll have a very graphic image." I tease with a smile.
She clearly doesn't find it as funny as I do, because she lets out a small groan while leaning her forehead against my chest.
I reach for both sides of her head, pulling her face away from my body so her eyes meet mine.
"I'm just teasing." I whisper, not meaning to make her feel bad.
She gives a soft smile as I brush the loose hairs of her ponytail out of her face.
"Let me make you some breakfast. How'd pancakes sound?" I question, reaching for her hand to lead her out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.
She doesn't resist. Instead just hums in agreement, taking my hand.
It's so weird to see the contrast between her fair empty skin compared to my inked, ring-clad hands.
I lead into the kitchen, immediately opening the fridge to take out the eggs and milk as well as a few different items of fruit, placing it all down on the counter before searching through the rest of the cupboards for the other ingredients as well as bowls, plates and frying pans.
Evie watches me contently, hopping up onto the counter next to the stove.
It's been a while since I've made pancakes.
Or anything for that matter. Being on tour means a lot of quick food and cooking is pretty much out of the question completely.
It's something I enjoy though.
Especially with the company. There's something special about cooking for someone.
It doesn't take much thinking to whip up a batch of pancakes. I guess it's just muscle memory.
Holding the trays of fruit, a small knife, and a chopping board, I take a slow walk over to Evie.
"Wanna cut some fruit up for me love?" I ask, placing my body in between her legs dangling off of the marble counter.
She hops down, smiling and nodding, taking the fruit from me and placing it on the counter next to the stove where I begin to pour the batter into the pan.
Evie pops a blueberry into my mouth, at the same time, throwing a few into the raw mix that was sitting in the pan.
She lets out a soft giggle which makes me smile.
I flip over the two pancakes in the pan with a red spatula. The aroma filling the small apartment.
Both of us stop instantly as the sound of the front door opens up.
Evie and I immediately look at each other, shock infused in her eyes.
Quickly, she pushes me down so I'm hidden by the kitchen counter and suddenly after the sound of a few taps of a keyboard and clicks of a mouse the sound of a sitcom fills the room.
"Sorry, forgot my headshots." The voice of the girl before enters the room and I immediately hold my breath despite the fact that my breathing would be inaudible.
"Ha ha. You're gonna need those." Evie replies awkwardly, shifting her weight from one leg to the other anxiously.
The footsteps leave the room, before re-entering a few seconds later.
"Since when did you learn to cook pancakes?" Esme questions as she walks into the kitchen once more.
At once I feel Evie's whole presence stiffen up. I have no idea why she's so resolute about making sure Esme doesn't know I'm here.
But it's clearly something she's stressed about so I won't mention it. At least not today.
"Erm. I guess today." Evie replies with an anxious laugh.
"Well anyway, I'll see you when I get back?" Esme questions, causing Evie to relax slightly.
Hopefully, she doesn't plan on sticking around for any pancakes.
"Yea. No wait, actually I'm at the studio with Dani later. So I'll be back at maybe seven." Evie speaks out.
The name Dani sounds familiar, I think it was the little girl from next door.
"Oh, well I'll see you whenever." Esme replies, her voice gradually becoming quieter indicating she's leaving the room.
After a brief moment of silence, tension filling the air, the sound of the front door closing fills the apartment and I release the breath I was holding in, at the same time Evie drops her head to look down at me and blows a deep breath out of her mouth.
"Are we always going to be sneaking around?" I question, taking hold of her hand and stepping back up onto my feet.
"You're asking as though this is going to be a common occurrence." Evie smiles, looking down at her feet covered in fluffy socks.
"Well, I've been meaning to ask for your number. A beautiful girl like you, it'd be a shame if I didn't get to see you again." I wink teasingly at her causing her to blush and turn her back to me, continuing to cut the fruit.
I go back to my own station, dishing up the first two pancakes and passing the plates over to Evie who proceeds to decorate them with syrup and an array of fruits.
"Is Dani the little girl from next door? The girl you said you'd be at the studio with later?" I ask, opening the drawer and grabbing two forks, handing one to Evie and keeping the other for myself.
"Mhm. They can't afford actual dance classes because of all the hospital bills so I made an arrangement with the chancellor of my school that I can use one of the studios twice a week if I help with sorting out the dance cupboards." She replies, losing me a little in what she's saying.
"Hospital bills?" I ask, remembering Dani had a pink wig on the day I met her, but I didn't think anything of it initially.
"Yea. Dani has lymphoma." She replies shortly.
Shit.
This little girl is only eight years old, she's supposed to have her whole life ahead of her. Rather she, and her family are having to go through hell, and yet she seemed so smiley when I met her, you'd never have realized anything was wrong.
"Fucking hell. Cancer and she's only a child. When did they find it?" I ask, intrigued but trying not to overstep.
"She was three when they first went to the doctor. Been fighting ever since. It doesn't stop her from doing anything though. She's incredibly tough and also incredibly sassy." Evie lets out a small laugh to herself.
Well, she's right about the sassy part. I only spoke a few short words to her and she even was acting sarcastic and sassy when telling me her wig wasn't actually her hair.
I don't want to push anymore than I already have, Evie's just opened up about someone who is incredibly special in her life from what I've seen and heard, and I still don't fully understand the boundaries between us.
So instead I pour some more mixture into the pan, hearing the sizzle of the batter hitting the heated surface.
"These are really good by the way. Where'd you learn your culinary skills? Because I for one cannot cook in the slightest." She tells me causing me to laugh. I had wondered why Esme asked about her baking.
"I've always enjoyed cooking. Ever since I was little, me and Gemma would make a cake every Sunday. And then when I was a little older I got my first job working behind the till in my local bakery." I explain, reminiscing on my old life.
I miss my old life. Not as much as I love my new life.
But who knows, if I had never auditioned for X Factor then I may still be working in that bakery.
"Well, maybe you'll have to teach me sometime." Evie laughs, stealing a strawberry from my plate with a cheeky grin plastered across her face.
I pretend to be offended, pulling an overly sarcastic sad face, before stealing a piece of mango from her plate.
"Where was it you grew up?" She questions once more as I flip the pancakes.
"Holmes Chapel." I reply causing her to nod in agreement, as if she actually knows where that is.
"No idea where that is?" I ask, knowing most people in England wouldn't be able to point it out on a map, let alone an American.
"Not a clue." She chuckles, taking the spatula from my hand and attempting to flip one of the pancakes herself.
We continued with the light banter, Friends still playing quietly from her laptop as we finished off the rest of the pancake mix.
We must have stood talking for ages, because when I check my phone after grabbing the rest of my belongings, it's almost three o'clock.
As I put my shirt back on, I pass my phone over to Evie.
"Number please love." I tell her, knowing I'll be thinking of her until the next time I see her.
She obliges, tapping away at the screen as I do up the buttons on my shirt.
"I'll give you a call, so we can do this again sometime." I tell her as she hands back my phone.
"That'd be nice. I had the most amazing night Harry. Thank you, and thank you again for the sunflowers." She reminds me, looking over to the kitchen island where they now sit in a white vase.
"My pleasure Evie." I respond, opening up the front door, we stand there looking at each other and I want to kiss her.
But I also don't know if last night was a one-off. If it only happened because it was a spur of the moment and I don't want to make things awkward.
My thoughts are cut off by the sound of the neighbors door opening.
"Richard, can you go and get the kids from school, please. I don't want Dani waiting out in the cold like last time." The familiar redhead woman speaks from the door.
I heard Jenny saying "go get the kids from school"
"Yes, yes I'm going, I'm going." A man appears reaching the front door before turning around and disappearing back into the apartment yelling out "I forgot the car keys."
Jenny rolls her eyes at us both, making me glance at Evie who was suppressing a giggle.
"Evie, darling. Do me a favor and never get married. It ruins your life." Jenny jokes from the door as her husband quickly passes her and down the stairs, this time with a pair of keys in one hand and his phone in the other.
Jenny gives one last smile to us both before closing the door behind her with a sigh.
I turn back to look at Evie who was leaning lightly against her door frame.
"I'll see you soon Evie." I speak gently, knowing the moment of kissing her has gone.
"I'll see you soon Harry."
Downloading wattpad is the best decision I have ever made. Long story short, I've met so many wonderful people and today my internet best friend Lauryn has just invited me to see Harry Styles with her next year.
She is the Evie to my Esme.