In A Heartbeat
One Thing
Harry's POV
"Tackle football? That's a first," I said."What? Oh! That's right. What you call football is soccer here. What we call football here is... um... rugby. Yeah. Rugby!" Melody said. "Sorry 'bout that."
"Wait..." Louis said, counting with his fingers. "That's only five siblings. You said you had six. Who's the other one?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
Louis put his chin on his hands, laying on his stomach and looked at her expectantly.
"I. Don't. Want. To. Talk. About. It. Okay?" she said through clenched teeth.
"Please?!"
"NO!" she shouted. I started to tear up. " I AM NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT HIM!"
I flinched at her sudden outburst.
"But-"
"Louis! Enough! She doesn't want to talk about it. Leave her alone," I said, putting my arm around her shoulders protectively. Melody leaned against my chest, and I noticed my shirt got a little wet. I rubbed her back until she calmed down a little bit. "You okay, love?" I whispered. She just shrugged.
Someone knocked on the door. Liam and Louis went to go answer it, and Niall scooted across the floor. He hugged Melody carefully, as if she could break.
"It's okay. We all have secrets. You'll tell us when you're ready," he said.
"Thanks for understanding, guys," she said, still sniffling a bit. I heard a squeal and an "Oh my God, seriously?!" come from the kitchen. Melody’s head turned up a little to see the doorway as
Liam came waddling into the sitting room with an extra pair of hands around his middle. He was followed by a chuckling Louis.
"Help?" Liam mouthed.
"Ella!" she said, not lifting her head from my lap. "Release!"
Ella reluctantly let go of Liam and ran over to her. Ella gave her an awkward hug and sat down. Another girl who looked older than Melody but was shorter walked into the room and leaned against the doorframe, looking peeved about something. She scanned the room, then ran over when she saw Melody.
"Don't ever do that again! You had me scared shitless!" she said, propping Melody up and hugging her. When she let go, Melody leaned against my shoulder and watched her sister find a place to sit.
Is that Heather? I wondered.
Liam sat down on the floor and Ella scrambled over to sit next to him. I looked back at Heather as she awkwardly sat on the couch next to Niall. It take me long to realize it, but Niall was watching Heather too. Melody had obviously noticed this, too, but in case she hadn’t, I nudged her a subtly pointed at Niall. She nodded and fell asleep with her head in my lap. I absentmindedly stroked her hair as she slept and made idle chitchat with her sisters. It was awkward, though, because Heather kept giving me one-syllable answers. Ella was obviously shy, but she communicated better than Heather. I nonchalantly asked Heather about her “siblings”, and she gave me a slightly longer answer than she had been before. When I asked about the sixth, she froze, hesitant to answer. But she gave us a little bit of information. He was their biological brother, and he was 16, but two years older than Heather (who had recently had a birthday), which was impossible seeing as she was 15. I couldn’t figure out how that would work, and she wouldn’t tell me.
I don’t know why, but I was suddenly determined to find out why Melody wouldn’t talk about her brother. There was something about her that just felt right, but I wasn’t sure what it was. I immediately thought of the song “One Thing”, which described this situation perfectly.
I don't know what it is, but I need that One Thing.
"Tackle football? That's a first," I said."What? Oh! That's right. What you call football is soccer here. What we call football here is... um... rugby. Yeah. Rugby!" Melody said. "Sorry 'bout that."
"Wait..." Louis said, counting with his fingers. "That's only five siblings. You said you had six. Who's the other one?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
Louis put his chin on his hands, laying on his stomach and looked at her expectantly.
"I. Don't. Want. To. Talk. About. It. Okay?" she said through clenched teeth.
"Please?!"
"NO!" she shouted. I started to tear up. " I AM NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT HIM!"
I flinched at her sudden outburst.
"But-"
"Louis! Enough! She doesn't want to talk about it. Leave her alone," I said, putting my arm around her shoulders protectively. Melody leaned against my chest, and I noticed my shirt got a little wet. I rubbed her back until she calmed down a little bit. "You okay, love?" I whispered. She just shrugged.
Someone knocked on the door. Liam and Louis went to go answer it, and Niall scooted across the floor. He hugged Melody carefully, as if she could break.
"It's okay. We all have secrets. You'll tell us when you're ready," he said.
"Thanks for understanding, guys," she said, still sniffling a bit. I heard a squeal and an "Oh my God, seriously?!" come from the kitchen. Melody’s head turned up a little to see the doorway as
Liam came waddling into the sitting room with an extra pair of hands around his middle. He was followed by a chuckling Louis.
"Help?" Liam mouthed.
"Ella!" she said, not lifting her head from my lap. "Release!"
Ella reluctantly let go of Liam and ran over to her. Ella gave her an awkward hug and sat down. Another girl who looked older than Melody but was shorter walked into the room and leaned against the doorframe, looking peeved about something. She scanned the room, then ran over when she saw Melody.
"Don't ever do that again! You had me scared shitless!" she said, propping Melody up and hugging her. When she let go, Melody leaned against my shoulder and watched her sister find a place to sit.
Is that Heather? I wondered.
Liam sat down on the floor and Ella scrambled over to sit next to him. I looked back at Heather as she awkwardly sat on the couch next to Niall. It take me long to realize it, but Niall was watching Heather too. Melody had obviously noticed this, too, but in case she hadn’t, I nudged her a subtly pointed at Niall. She nodded and fell asleep with her head in my lap. I absentmindedly stroked her hair as she slept and made idle chitchat with her sisters. It was awkward, though, because Heather kept giving me one-syllable answers. Ella was obviously shy, but she communicated better than Heather. I nonchalantly asked Heather about her “siblings”, and she gave me a slightly longer answer than she had been before. When I asked about the sixth, she froze, hesitant to answer. But she gave us a little bit of information. He was their biological brother, and he was 16, but two years older than Heather (who had recently had a birthday), which was impossible seeing as she was 15. I couldn’t figure out how that would work, and she wouldn’t tell me.
I don’t know why, but I was suddenly determined to find out why Melody wouldn’t talk about her brother. There was something about her that just felt right, but I wasn’t sure what it was. I immediately thought of the song “One Thing”, which described this situation perfectly.
I don't know what it is, but I need that One Thing.
11/20/13