‘Stay yet; thou need’st not to be gone’

Laila’s POV

I get into the bathroom holding my clothes against my chest and Bernie enters behind me. I’m so nervous I don’t even know where Georgiana is. I quickly start to redress myself.

“My god, Laila–––she says anxiously. He’s more than a gentleman. He’s… Everything.”

“I can’t even tell my mind, Bernie. I just can’t,” I mumble putting on my jeans. I can’t believe I undressed myself in front of Harry and stayed this naked all that time. My cheeks are still burning. “My head is spinning around. I can’t think straight. It all had been too much.”

“Those songs he chose for you, Laila. Anything as what he chose for us…” She mutters. I cover my eyes with my hands and replay him mouthing. ‘There is something pleasing about his mouth when he speaks.’ The quote crashes into my head. “And that last song of yours. What was it? I want to ask Zayn to play it later. It was absolutely perfect.”

“‘He surely knows what song it is,” I say as I look down, feeling shy of my boldness. Why do have I to be this ambivalent? There is a silence. “Have you seen his eyes and the way he moves? There is just something so feline about him…” He’s all I see when I close my eyes. I’m so mesmerised I need to put it into words.

“Laila, it was so intense and exciting in the lounge, even for us just looking at you two–––she says. I wanted to kiss Zayn so badly. You and Harry are undeniably sexy and adorable together. I don’t think you even realise it.” She is exaggerating as always.

“You wanted to kiss Zayn but not because of us…” I say, fixing the straps of my heels.

“So, are you kissing Harry?” She asks. Then someone knocks at the door and we both jump.

“Laila, it’s me,” Georgiana’s voice says. We laugh. “Open up, darling.” Bernie walks over and pulls her inside. “So is it true?–––she says. No one seems to be able to speak about anything else…”

“It was so insane!” Bernie exclaims trying to control herself. She is almost more thrilled than I am. Perhaps it was sort of theatrical from their spectators’ perspective. “But where were you? And, most importantly, with whom?” She asks Georgiana quizzically after a brief pause.

“I was with Niall in his bedroom…” Georgiana carelessly says.

“And what happened?” Bernie asks in anxiety.

“We fooled around a bit…”

“We were playing childish stupid games instead of kissing the guys we fancy while you were ‘fooling around’, whatever that means, with a lad you barely know…?–––she asks rhetorically. We definitely need to learn from you.”

“Let’s say Niall and I have a more intimate knowledge of each other now…”

When we exit the bathroom I’m not able to restrain a jump as I find Harry standing outside, waiting for me. I only hope he hasn’t heard what I said. Bernie caresses my chin and the girls leave. I lean against the wall behind me, near the bathroom door.

“Are you all right?” He asks me in a husky tone, half smiling, resting his hand beside my head and slowly bending down.

“I am,” I say gazing towards his forearm. His sleeves are pulled up so I can notice his soft muscles. I want to trace them with my fingertips. “My mind is a bit… Exhausted,” I explain, not quite sure of what I’m saying. He smirks briefly. “But thank you, for your gesture.”

“I owed you,” he says. His eyes shines so intensely, as everything with him. “Now, do you want to play another game?”

“Do I have to unclothe myself?” I joke.

“Not this time,” he mutters suggestively. He reach out for my hand.

We get into the kitchen and the boys are there along with the girls. Niall is sitting on the kitchen island with his legs open and Georgiana stands right between them, leaning her back on his torso. She’s so spontaneous. Harry and I seem to need a thousand rituals to be allowed to kiss after our two interruptions…

“So, the game isn’t even a game–––Zayn chuckles. I put this LSD tab in this bottle of beer and who wants to drink, well, just drinks–––he explains showing us the little square of paper he carefully keeps between his thumb and his middle finger. The one who gets the tab, wins, well, the tab, you know?” He’s quite stoned.

Zayn passes the bottle as he doesn’t consume alcohol. It begins to circulate and everybody tries to catch the tab. When it’s my turn I grab the bottle and, while drinking from it, I can see the little tab dancing inside. It slowly moves towards the neck but I don’t get it. Everyone drinks another time but the tab resists inside it. The bottle is half full now and the tab moves more extremely as the amount of air augmented and, all of a sudden, I feel the little paper in my tongue. By my expression, Harry discovers I got it.

“Well, it seems Laila is having her compensation for her prior defeat,” he says and boys and girls acclaim. “Put it under your tongue,” he whispers in my ear seductively.

“I know what to do…” I say and he glances at me with his eyes half shut, as if he’s trying to figure me out.

“Don’t worry, Laila, they are not too strong. Harry will look after you and you’ll be just OK,” Zayn says to me in a caring tone.

We stay there drinking a bit more and I don’t quite seem to feel anything strange yet. Perhaps this one is just too soft. It’s not my first time. I know what to expect. Georgiana is still between Niall’s legs, who is laughing very hard. His cackle is quite contagious. Marianne and Liam are sharing a glass of beer. They look so cute. Bernie and Zayn are speaking, leaning on the fridge, standing so close to one another. Are they kissing? It looks like they do. But if I move my head just a little bit, well, they don’t seem to be kissing anymore. Now they’re kissing, now they don’t. Now they’re kissing, now they don’t.

“Zayn, Niall, can we go to the roof?–––one of the boys’ friends asks stepping abruptly into the kitchen. There has to be some sort of event at the Olympic Stadium because there are tons of fireworks in the sky. We’ve seen them through the window!”

“Come on, guys,” Zayn says. Harry takes me by the hand and I follow him through the hallways. Then we climb some stairs. This building is definitely a maze.

When we get to the roof, the fireworks fill the sky above us. Harry is holding me from behind and slightly to the left. He’s looking up and I’m staring at him. The fireworks illuminate his face strangely, with colours and shadows, and appears before my eyes from behind his image, blurring him. He is everything. And there is something so green about this instant. Something that expands as waves of a ricochet. He slowly turns his head towards me and smile warmly. I smile him back. And we remain this way for what I feel like an eternity.

“Do you need to drug me to kiss me, Harry?” I say. He laughs.

“On the contrary… The fact that I want to kiss you so badly doesn’t mean I have to take the fun away from you…” He explains and I nod. I want to kiss you too… He looks up to the sky another time. “Let’s go inside. The fireworks seem to be over.” Everyone joins us.

Lights are very soft inside the flat and some friends have already left. I see Bernie and Zayn near the hi-fi. She says something to his ear and I see her coming on my direction, standing next to Harry, Gemma and Louis in the middle of the room. She points to my sister, sitting on a corner with Niall. Georgiana gets up and joins her.

“Bathroom time–––she whispers to me. You need some water.” I look at Harry.

“Go,” he says quietly, freeing my hand. We were hand in hand and I hadn’t even realised it. I follow them. As I glimpse at my right I see Marianne and Liam sitting on an armchair. He slightly nods at me and I smile.

“I think I love Harry…” I say after drinking a pint of fresh water and splashing some more on my eyes.

“Dope speaking…” Bernie claims, sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

“No. I do. I love him,” I repeat looking at the void into the mirror, my hands at both sides of the washbasin.

“But you haven’t even kissed him yet,” Bernie says.

“Let’s not say something more intimate,” Georgiana observes carelessly while standing by the door, checking her mobile.

“I love him, Georgiana,” I mutter turning my head towards her. “I love him, Bernie,” I turn the other way.

“Well, don’t tell him just yet…” Georgiana says, putting her mobile on her pocket.

“She needs to get rid of Lucy…” Bernie declares.

“More water, Laila–––Georgiana says. And wash your face again. Be careful not to mess your hair.”

“Fine, mummy,” I tell her doing as she suggested.

“I’m mummy now.” She walks towards me and touches my shoulder comfortingly. “Do you feel your hands?” She says. I nod.

“I think the effects are light,” Bernie says.

“Yes, half an hour and she’ll be as good as new. Water, Laila, darling.”

“What about Niall, Georgiana?” Bernie asks her.

“Well, we don’t have much in common, so we don’t have that much to talk about––– Georgiana explains. But he has that tongue…” She laughs.

“Too graphic…” Bernie grimaces.

“Don’t be such a baby, Bernie. Are you feeling better, Laila?” I simply nod again. “So, you and Zayn?”

“Nothing yet. But I’m staying over…–––she stammers. If there’s not too much trouble.”

“I’m staying over too. Emilia is not in love with the idea, but she’ll get over it. We need to be home before 4PM, when daddy wakes up–––Georgiana explains. So you’ll have to stay too, Laila…” I need a moment to assimilate her words.

“But what about Marianne?” I ask.

“She’s sober again. Fix yourself and let’s go.”

We come out of the bathroom and make our way to the lounge. It is pretty dark now. There are some strategic lamps giving some ambiance. Marianne and Liam are still in the armchair but she is sitting on his lap. Georgiana rejoins Niall and sits next to him on the floor. Bernie leaves my side and walks towards Zayn, who is putting some record on. Harry is on a sofa with Gemma and Louis, and maybe Stan. As he notices me he gets up and begins to walk on my direction. When he is close he takes some of my fingers between his.

“Are you feeling any better?” He asks me quietly.

“Yes, I do,” I say shyly. “Thank you for your concern.”

“I didn’t even consider the possibility of you getting the tab,” he seems to need to explain.

“Don’t worry. I liked it, it was a nice trip,” I tell him, smiling reassuringly.

“So glad to hear it. So…” He interrupts himself to smile.

“What?” I ask, puzzled.

“‘Do you wanna dance under the moonlight?’” He says to me.

“‘Squeeze and kiss me all through the night?’” I say in a cheeky tone.

“You are back–––he smiles. Come, dance with me…” He nods towards Zayn as he pulls me to the centre of the lounge. I recognise the music. “I asked him to play it for us…” He whispers, making me shudder.

“I…” I mumble.

“Shh. Let’s just dance now,” he interrupts me.

I put my arms around his neck and he grabs me tightly by the waist. I can feel the warmth of his body flooding my senses. We glance at each other and remain this way, moving slowly to the suggestive rhythm of ‘Fallingforyou’. I rest my forehead in his chest, overwhelmed by the feelings I’m having. I remember what I say to Georgiana and Bernie in the bathroom. I move my head a bit from side to side. Harry leans down towards me but I stay still. He rests his forehead on my shoulder near my neck. I can feel his hot breath brushing my skin and his hands holding me tighter.

“This moment is so sensual by itself we don’t even need to kiss,” he mutters and I nod in his chest.

“I agree,” I say. I inhale profoundly his smell, running my hand down his torso until I grab his shirt between my fingers.

–.–.–

Harry’s POV

“Come on, let’s get you something to eat,” I say. The song finished a few minutes ago but we remained embracing one another in the dark. Her grip is so eager. As she releases her from myself there’s thousand sensations I don’t want to lose. I can hear my heart pounding on my ears.

We come to the kitchen and I turn the burner on. I place some pan above it. Laila looks at me quietly sitting on a stool across the kitchen island. I take a box of pizza from earlier.

“Is this fine? It’s ‘mozzarella.’” I glimpse at her.

“‘Mozzarella is perfect,” she mocks me. Her back is so straight. I put the pizza on the pan and let it warm up. Soon we could feel the unmistakable smell. I take two plates from the shelf, serve the slices of pizza and hand one to Laila. This is the first time we eat together.

“Mmm, the base is crusty. It’s quite a clever method,” she admits and I smile to myself.

“Do we smell pizza, guys?” Louis says as he enters along with Gemma. I nod and put some slices for them in the pan as I take a bite from mine.

“I love it with fresh rocket on top,” Laila says gesturing with her hand.

“Me too,” I claim.

“Literary…” Louis jokes. We chuckle.

Soon the others enter the kitchen and demand for their slices as well. Few minutes later I hand them their plates. Everyone eats enthusiastically. It’s very late. I wish I could be alone with Laila. I’m afraid she leaves before I can kiss her. It’s the only thing I had in mind all through the night but, for one reason or another, I postponed it. Now everyone is eating and, after the food, it’s usually time to go.

“Girls, Liam is taking me home. Is that OK?” I hear Marianne tell to her friends, gaining my attention.

“Well, in fact, it is perfect because I’m staying over,” Bernie declares.

“And I’m staying over too,” Georgiana says. Oh, yes. Niall and her. He smirks, little irish devil. Everyone looks towards Laila. Is there a possibility…?

“I’ll give Gemma a ride home,” Louis anticipates Laila’s reaction and speaks. “Is that fine for you, sister?” He asks her. I glimpse at Laila and she seems serene.

“Perfectly fine,” Gemma answers, pouting.

“So, we should get going, then. Thanks for the pizza, my friend–––Louis speaks as he approaches me a bit. She is your match,” he whispers and then winks at me as they step out of the kitchen.

“Wait for us–––Liam rushes to say. We can go out altogether.”

The four leave after saying goodbye. Laila sits still in front of me without saying a single word.

“So, Bernie and I will be listening to some Pulp’s song,” Zayn says giggling at us. I nod knowingly. “If you want to join us, we’ll be right there in the lounge. Otherwise, if you are a bit tired, you got the guest room.”

“Thank you, Zayn,” Laila says smiling at him. At her words I instinctively touch my chest.

“We are going to sleep. Goodnight, baby sister. Kiss,” Georgiana says approaching Laila and leaning towards her cheek. Laila’s grimace is angelic.

“Goodnight, mate,” Niall says as he exits the kitchen behind Georgiana, who’s pulling from his hand.

“So…” I mumble.

“So we sleep together tonight.”

–.–.–

Notes

Sleeping together!? Come on, guys, just kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss, already!

Well, maybe next chapter...

Isn't Louis the most thoughtful friend? ;)

Hope you enjoy it!

Check out my new Fan Fiction:

Dreaming Of You

xo.