Unexpected
Chapter 9
Somewhere between 11 and 1 Zayn entered the room with the other boys. Their voices woke me up but I pretended I didn’t hear them.
Laughter came from the hall and the door to the room opened, making the voices even louder. I kept my eyes closed and listened to the words coming from the boys.
“That food was amazing, I can’t believe we’ve never been there before!” I assumed this was Louis.
“Hey, guys, quiet down. Look.” Niall spoke and the voices stopped.
I heard a small gasp come from one of the boys’ mouths and assumed they were looking and Harry and me.
“Aw, they look so cute,” Liam whispered.
“I told you he liked her,” Zayn whispered back.
“We’d better go so you can get to sleep, Zayn,” Niall said, leaving the room.
“Yeah, looks like you get to share a bed with Tess,” Louis said.
“That’s alright. It’s not like I’m going to do anything.”
“Well, goodnight,” Liam said, following Niall to the hall.
I heard the door of the room close and Zayn stripped his clothes off. He was careful climbing into bed beside Tess, so as not to wake her.
After listening to the comfortable silence for a while, I drifted back off to sleep and didn’t wake up until Harry moved.
My eyes fluttered open to see rays of sunshine peeking into the room. Harry sat up and stretched, letting out a yawn.
Tess and Zayn were still fast asleep in the bed next to us so we got up as quietly as we could.
“I’m going to jump in the shower, love. Why don’t you get dressed and we’ll go get some breakfast when I’m out.”
I nodded and watched him walk slowly to the bathroom, still slightly off balance.
He closed the door with a quiet click and turned the water on in the shower.
I pulled my suitcase over to the other side of the room so the zipper wouldn’t disturb Tess and Zayn.
I pulled out a soft pink blouse and some white shorts and set them on the bed. I brushed the knots out of my hair and dressed myself. I decided to wear the metallic sandals I’d gotten for the day we met the boys and let my hair fall down over my shoulders.
I turned my phone on and checked my messages. I had one from my mom.
I hope you’re having fun. Call me tomorrow night. Love you.
I shoved my phone in my purse, not bothering to respond. From the bathroom I heard the water shut off. Almost immediately, Harry emerged from the bathroom. To my utter amazement, he was naked.
He instantly realized his mistake and darted back into the bathroom to grab a towel. He came back out a moment later with a white hotel towel wrapped around his waist.
I stared at him for a moment, expecting him to say something. I heard him mumble something but didn’t quite catch the words.
I admired his tattoos for a moment before being brought back to reality.
“Chloe?” Harry snapped his fingers in front of my face. “Are you alright?”
I closed my mouth, which I quickly realized was hanging open, and nodded.
“Would you like to go get some breakfast?” He pulled on some pants and a plain white T-shirt.
“Uh, yeah, sure.” I stood from the bed and leaned against the wall, waiting for him to lead me out the door.
He fixed his hair in the mirror hanging on the wall by the T.V. When he was satisfied with his work, he turned around to face me and held his hand out. I wasn’t sure what to do so I gave him a confused look, urging him to tell me what to do. Instead, he walked over to me and grabbed my hand, pulling me along behind him out the door and down the hall to the elevator.
“Aren’t you going to leave a note or something and tell them where we’ve gone?” I asked, trying to get my mind off of the extra fingers entwined in my own.
“I’ll text him later. Besides, he won’t really be worried.” He pressed the button in the elevator and we descended. When we reached the lobby, I expected him to turn to the little dining room right down the hall but he turned the other way and walked out the front doors, dragging me along beside him.
“Where are we going?” I jogged a little to keep up with him.
“To find Paul,” he said, keeping his eyes on whatever was in front of him.
“Shouldn’t Paul be back at the hotel?” I asked.
“He should be but he’s not.”
“How do you know?”
“I heard his door close this morning, he left. He’s most likely down at the stadium already getting things figured out for the concert tomorrow.”
“Why do we need to find Paul?”
“Because he’s an amazing cook and I’m hungry,” Harry said, smiling.
Remembering the breakfast he had made for us the other day, I didn’t ask any more questions. I let him pull me across a busy street and around a corner. Soon I could see the arena before us. It was smart of the boys to get a hotel so close to the venue.
“What do you like to eat in the morning, love?” Harry led me inside and down a hallway.
“Anything, really,” I answered, looking at the pictures hung up on the walls. Many famous people had played here; Aerosmith, Justin Bieber, Coldplay.
We walked down a hall for a while until we heard two men arguing behind a closed door. We stopped and listened.
One of the men was Paul and the other most likely someone from management.
“Harry has been single for far too long! We need to get him a girlfriend, even if she is fake. If he stays single much longer people are going to blow the Larry Stylinson bromance far out of proportion again,” the man from management yelled at Paul.
“Dammit, I know that! And I also know Harry. We tried to do this ‘fake relationship for the press’ thing and you see how that turned out. I will talk to Harry but I can’t guarantee he’ll be up for it.”
“You better get him to agree. You’ve got a week, Paul.”
Footsteps began walking toward the door so Harry quickly pulled me into the room next door. Seconds later, the man from management walked past and Paul followed him, muttering something about disrespect and how hard it would be to convince Harry.
“Harry?” The room was dark and I couldn’t find the light switch.
“Yeah?”
“What was that all about?” Despite my efforts, a slight tremble could be heard in my voice.
I heard Harry sigh next to me. “I don’t know, love. They’ve been trying to get me to go public with a girlfriend for months now.”
“Why do you refuse?”
“Because I don’t want to go public with something that isn’t real. When I get a real girlfriend who appreciates me for who I am and not just the fame and money that follows me, I’ll announce it.”
I looked at the ground and slid down to the floor. Harry sank down next to me and put his arm around my shoulders.
“Someone like that may be months or years away, looking for me. Maybe I’ll meet her next week, or even tomorrow. Or maybe I’ve already met her.” His voice grew soft and loving and he squeezed my shoulder.
I felt my face grow red hot. I looked up at him just as he was looking down at me. I gazed into his beautiful green eyes and saw all of the love they had hidden behind them.
I wonder what it would be like to be able to wake up to those eyes watching me every morning, I thought to myself. It would be the best feeling in the world.
There was a knock at the door and Harry and I jumped. He pulled the door open and greeted the man at the door.
“Hello, Paul, what can I do for you today?”
Paul pulled Harry out of the room and I followed, pulling the door shut behind me. “I know you heard what we were talking about.”
Harry nodded. “Paul, I already told you. I don’t have a girlfriend and I refuse to have a fake one.”
“I know, Harry. I’m not going to make you do something you don’t want to do. Just be prepared for Larry Stylinson to blow up again,” Paul warned.
“I don’t mind. It’s not like there’s anything going on between Louis and me. Besides, a lot of fans wouldn’t mind if there was,” Harry said, walking down the hall with Paul. I followed behind them, listening to their conversation.
“You know how Louis feels about the attention the bromance gets, you don’t want to upset him again,” Paul replied.
“I know, Paul, I’ll talk to him about it,” Harry said.
I figured they had forgotten I was there until Harry turned around to make sure I was still following them.
“Are you still hungry?” He asked.
I nodded.
“Paul?” Harry asked. I could tell he wasn’t asking Paul if he was hungry but rather if he would cook for us.
Paul sighed a little and agreed. We all walked back to the hotel and up to Paul’s room where he made us all omelets.
“Where are the other boys and Tess?” Paul asked as we were eating.
“They were all still asleep when we left,” Harry answered, shoving another bite in his mouth.
“You didn’t wake them? I’m sure they’re hungry,” Paul commented.
“I don’t think Zayn would have been happy to be pulled out of his beauty sleep,” Harry responded.
Paul nodded in understanding and finished his breakfast just as Harry and I did.
“Thank you, Paul. That was really good,” I said as he cleared away our plates.
“It’s my pleasure,” he replied with a smile.
“We should be going, Chloe. We have to make sure all the boys are up and ready for the day. It’s already almost 11 and we still need to go shopping!” Harry stood up and led me to the door.
“Shopping?” I asked, waving goodbye to Paul and following Harry down the hall towards our room.
“Of course,” Harry said. “Girls like shopping, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah, most do, but why do we need to go shopping?” I asked, still confused.
“Don’t tell me you don’t like shopping,” he said, shooting me a weird look.
“Oh, no, I love shopping,” I assured him. “I just don’t understand why you’re taking us.”
“Why not? It doesn’t look like either of you brought very much and you’ll be spending a lot of time with us. Besides, if we have to look at you all the time, at least let us pick out clothes we like,” he teased.
I chuckled a little. “Okay, I guess that’s fine. But, just so you know, Tess and I are very picky, and very expensive,” I warned.
It was his turn to laugh as we stepped into our room. Zayn and Tess were still asleep in bed the exact same way they were when we left them. Harry asked me to wake them up while he went and got Niall, Louis, and Liam.
I decided that today I would be nice and not jump on the bed to wake them up.
“Zayn, you have to get up,” I said, shaking him gently. “It’s almost 11 and Harry said we need to get ready to go shopping.”
Zayn groaned and rolled over whereas Tess shot up like a bullet on her side of the bed. “Shopping?” She asked, pushing her hair out of her eyes.
I nodded and suppressed a laugh.
Tess bolted out of bed and into the bathroom. I had no idea she’d be quite this excited.
“What time is it, exactly?” Zayn asked, shielding his eyes from the sun shining in through the window.
I checked the clock on the table between the beds. “10:42,” I answered.
He groaned again and rolled out of bed. He stood up and stretched, running his hands through his ruffled hair.
Tess emerged from the bathroom with her hair combed and her teeth brushed. Zayn walked into the bathroom – most likely to fix his hair – and Tess dressed herself in some jean shorts and a pink tank top. She pulled her hair back into a bun and slipped on some flip-flops.
“So, when are we leaving?” She asked.
I sat down on the bed Harry and I slept in last night. “I don’t know, whenever Harry and the rest of the boys are ready, I guess.”
She sighed and sat down on the other bed. There was a knock on the door and Niall entered, followed by Louis.
“How is everyone this morning?” Niall asked, plopping down next to me.
“Tired,” Zayn answered, coming out of the bathroom with his hair looking as good as ever. He pulled on a white T-shirt and some jeans and sat down on the couch on the other side of the room next to Louis.
“We’re just waiting on Harry and Liam,” Tess added.
As if on cue, Liam entered the room with Harry not far behind.
“Is everyone ready?” Harry asked with a smile on his face.
A round of ‘yes’s made its way around the group and we all headed down to the lobby. There were discussions of where to go and what we would do afterwards going around everyone.
After some suggestions and an elevator ride, we all piled into the limo waiting out front. We had decided that we would shop for a few hours and, when we got back to the hotel, just hang out for a little while.
As the limo pulled away, I took a look around the limo. I saw the boys happily chatting with Tess and smiles and laughter filled the small space.
This is my life for the next few months, I thought. And then I realized: I couldn’t ask for anything more.
Laughter came from the hall and the door to the room opened, making the voices even louder. I kept my eyes closed and listened to the words coming from the boys.
“That food was amazing, I can’t believe we’ve never been there before!” I assumed this was Louis.
“Hey, guys, quiet down. Look.” Niall spoke and the voices stopped.
I heard a small gasp come from one of the boys’ mouths and assumed they were looking and Harry and me.
“Aw, they look so cute,” Liam whispered.
“I told you he liked her,” Zayn whispered back.
“We’d better go so you can get to sleep, Zayn,” Niall said, leaving the room.
“Yeah, looks like you get to share a bed with Tess,” Louis said.
“That’s alright. It’s not like I’m going to do anything.”
“Well, goodnight,” Liam said, following Niall to the hall.
I heard the door of the room close and Zayn stripped his clothes off. He was careful climbing into bed beside Tess, so as not to wake her.
After listening to the comfortable silence for a while, I drifted back off to sleep and didn’t wake up until Harry moved.
My eyes fluttered open to see rays of sunshine peeking into the room. Harry sat up and stretched, letting out a yawn.
Tess and Zayn were still fast asleep in the bed next to us so we got up as quietly as we could.
“I’m going to jump in the shower, love. Why don’t you get dressed and we’ll go get some breakfast when I’m out.”
I nodded and watched him walk slowly to the bathroom, still slightly off balance.
He closed the door with a quiet click and turned the water on in the shower.
I pulled my suitcase over to the other side of the room so the zipper wouldn’t disturb Tess and Zayn.
I pulled out a soft pink blouse and some white shorts and set them on the bed. I brushed the knots out of my hair and dressed myself. I decided to wear the metallic sandals I’d gotten for the day we met the boys and let my hair fall down over my shoulders.
I turned my phone on and checked my messages. I had one from my mom.
I hope you’re having fun. Call me tomorrow night. Love you.
I shoved my phone in my purse, not bothering to respond. From the bathroom I heard the water shut off. Almost immediately, Harry emerged from the bathroom. To my utter amazement, he was naked.
He instantly realized his mistake and darted back into the bathroom to grab a towel. He came back out a moment later with a white hotel towel wrapped around his waist.
I stared at him for a moment, expecting him to say something. I heard him mumble something but didn’t quite catch the words.
I admired his tattoos for a moment before being brought back to reality.
“Chloe?” Harry snapped his fingers in front of my face. “Are you alright?”
I closed my mouth, which I quickly realized was hanging open, and nodded.
“Would you like to go get some breakfast?” He pulled on some pants and a plain white T-shirt.
“Uh, yeah, sure.” I stood from the bed and leaned against the wall, waiting for him to lead me out the door.
He fixed his hair in the mirror hanging on the wall by the T.V. When he was satisfied with his work, he turned around to face me and held his hand out. I wasn’t sure what to do so I gave him a confused look, urging him to tell me what to do. Instead, he walked over to me and grabbed my hand, pulling me along behind him out the door and down the hall to the elevator.
“Aren’t you going to leave a note or something and tell them where we’ve gone?” I asked, trying to get my mind off of the extra fingers entwined in my own.
“I’ll text him later. Besides, he won’t really be worried.” He pressed the button in the elevator and we descended. When we reached the lobby, I expected him to turn to the little dining room right down the hall but he turned the other way and walked out the front doors, dragging me along beside him.
“Where are we going?” I jogged a little to keep up with him.
“To find Paul,” he said, keeping his eyes on whatever was in front of him.
“Shouldn’t Paul be back at the hotel?” I asked.
“He should be but he’s not.”
“How do you know?”
“I heard his door close this morning, he left. He’s most likely down at the stadium already getting things figured out for the concert tomorrow.”
“Why do we need to find Paul?”
“Because he’s an amazing cook and I’m hungry,” Harry said, smiling.
Remembering the breakfast he had made for us the other day, I didn’t ask any more questions. I let him pull me across a busy street and around a corner. Soon I could see the arena before us. It was smart of the boys to get a hotel so close to the venue.
“What do you like to eat in the morning, love?” Harry led me inside and down a hallway.
“Anything, really,” I answered, looking at the pictures hung up on the walls. Many famous people had played here; Aerosmith, Justin Bieber, Coldplay.
We walked down a hall for a while until we heard two men arguing behind a closed door. We stopped and listened.
One of the men was Paul and the other most likely someone from management.
“Harry has been single for far too long! We need to get him a girlfriend, even if she is fake. If he stays single much longer people are going to blow the Larry Stylinson bromance far out of proportion again,” the man from management yelled at Paul.
“Dammit, I know that! And I also know Harry. We tried to do this ‘fake relationship for the press’ thing and you see how that turned out. I will talk to Harry but I can’t guarantee he’ll be up for it.”
“You better get him to agree. You’ve got a week, Paul.”
Footsteps began walking toward the door so Harry quickly pulled me into the room next door. Seconds later, the man from management walked past and Paul followed him, muttering something about disrespect and how hard it would be to convince Harry.
“Harry?” The room was dark and I couldn’t find the light switch.
“Yeah?”
“What was that all about?” Despite my efforts, a slight tremble could be heard in my voice.
I heard Harry sigh next to me. “I don’t know, love. They’ve been trying to get me to go public with a girlfriend for months now.”
“Why do you refuse?”
“Because I don’t want to go public with something that isn’t real. When I get a real girlfriend who appreciates me for who I am and not just the fame and money that follows me, I’ll announce it.”
I looked at the ground and slid down to the floor. Harry sank down next to me and put his arm around my shoulders.
“Someone like that may be months or years away, looking for me. Maybe I’ll meet her next week, or even tomorrow. Or maybe I’ve already met her.” His voice grew soft and loving and he squeezed my shoulder.
I felt my face grow red hot. I looked up at him just as he was looking down at me. I gazed into his beautiful green eyes and saw all of the love they had hidden behind them.
I wonder what it would be like to be able to wake up to those eyes watching me every morning, I thought to myself. It would be the best feeling in the world.
There was a knock at the door and Harry and I jumped. He pulled the door open and greeted the man at the door.
“Hello, Paul, what can I do for you today?”
Paul pulled Harry out of the room and I followed, pulling the door shut behind me. “I know you heard what we were talking about.”
Harry nodded. “Paul, I already told you. I don’t have a girlfriend and I refuse to have a fake one.”
“I know, Harry. I’m not going to make you do something you don’t want to do. Just be prepared for Larry Stylinson to blow up again,” Paul warned.
“I don’t mind. It’s not like there’s anything going on between Louis and me. Besides, a lot of fans wouldn’t mind if there was,” Harry said, walking down the hall with Paul. I followed behind them, listening to their conversation.
“You know how Louis feels about the attention the bromance gets, you don’t want to upset him again,” Paul replied.
“I know, Paul, I’ll talk to him about it,” Harry said.
I figured they had forgotten I was there until Harry turned around to make sure I was still following them.
“Are you still hungry?” He asked.
I nodded.
“Paul?” Harry asked. I could tell he wasn’t asking Paul if he was hungry but rather if he would cook for us.
Paul sighed a little and agreed. We all walked back to the hotel and up to Paul’s room where he made us all omelets.
“Where are the other boys and Tess?” Paul asked as we were eating.
“They were all still asleep when we left,” Harry answered, shoving another bite in his mouth.
“You didn’t wake them? I’m sure they’re hungry,” Paul commented.
“I don’t think Zayn would have been happy to be pulled out of his beauty sleep,” Harry responded.
Paul nodded in understanding and finished his breakfast just as Harry and I did.
“Thank you, Paul. That was really good,” I said as he cleared away our plates.
“It’s my pleasure,” he replied with a smile.
“We should be going, Chloe. We have to make sure all the boys are up and ready for the day. It’s already almost 11 and we still need to go shopping!” Harry stood up and led me to the door.
“Shopping?” I asked, waving goodbye to Paul and following Harry down the hall towards our room.
“Of course,” Harry said. “Girls like shopping, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah, most do, but why do we need to go shopping?” I asked, still confused.
“Don’t tell me you don’t like shopping,” he said, shooting me a weird look.
“Oh, no, I love shopping,” I assured him. “I just don’t understand why you’re taking us.”
“Why not? It doesn’t look like either of you brought very much and you’ll be spending a lot of time with us. Besides, if we have to look at you all the time, at least let us pick out clothes we like,” he teased.
I chuckled a little. “Okay, I guess that’s fine. But, just so you know, Tess and I are very picky, and very expensive,” I warned.
It was his turn to laugh as we stepped into our room. Zayn and Tess were still asleep in bed the exact same way they were when we left them. Harry asked me to wake them up while he went and got Niall, Louis, and Liam.
I decided that today I would be nice and not jump on the bed to wake them up.
“Zayn, you have to get up,” I said, shaking him gently. “It’s almost 11 and Harry said we need to get ready to go shopping.”
Zayn groaned and rolled over whereas Tess shot up like a bullet on her side of the bed. “Shopping?” She asked, pushing her hair out of her eyes.
I nodded and suppressed a laugh.
Tess bolted out of bed and into the bathroom. I had no idea she’d be quite this excited.
“What time is it, exactly?” Zayn asked, shielding his eyes from the sun shining in through the window.
I checked the clock on the table between the beds. “10:42,” I answered.
He groaned again and rolled out of bed. He stood up and stretched, running his hands through his ruffled hair.
Tess emerged from the bathroom with her hair combed and her teeth brushed. Zayn walked into the bathroom – most likely to fix his hair – and Tess dressed herself in some jean shorts and a pink tank top. She pulled her hair back into a bun and slipped on some flip-flops.
“So, when are we leaving?” She asked.
I sat down on the bed Harry and I slept in last night. “I don’t know, whenever Harry and the rest of the boys are ready, I guess.”
She sighed and sat down on the other bed. There was a knock on the door and Niall entered, followed by Louis.
“How is everyone this morning?” Niall asked, plopping down next to me.
“Tired,” Zayn answered, coming out of the bathroom with his hair looking as good as ever. He pulled on a white T-shirt and some jeans and sat down on the couch on the other side of the room next to Louis.
“We’re just waiting on Harry and Liam,” Tess added.
As if on cue, Liam entered the room with Harry not far behind.
“Is everyone ready?” Harry asked with a smile on his face.
A round of ‘yes’s made its way around the group and we all headed down to the lobby. There were discussions of where to go and what we would do afterwards going around everyone.
After some suggestions and an elevator ride, we all piled into the limo waiting out front. We had decided that we would shop for a few hours and, when we got back to the hotel, just hang out for a little while.
As the limo pulled away, I took a look around the limo. I saw the boys happily chatting with Tess and smiles and laughter filled the small space.
This is my life for the next few months, I thought. And then I realized: I couldn’t ask for anything more.
6/16/13