The Story Left Untold

The next few days passed in a blur of classes, running Kennedy places, and the occasional visit from Louis. He had promptly resumed his position as my best friend, and had kept his promise of being there for me when I needed him. Which was exactly why I was curled up on my bed, waiting for him to show up and talk me down from the mental breakdown I felt coming. Louis had told me that he still had the key he was given in high school, and I was glad I wouldn’t have to leave my bed to let him in. I stayed curled up, only leaving a small hole in the blankets to allow me to breathe, and waited patiently after hearing the front door open. In no time, the bed was sinking down next to me, his hands pulling the blankets from my face, and pulling me into a sitting position.

 

“Payt, what’s wrong?” he asked, searching my eyes for some sort of answer, “Your text really worried me.”

 

“Hurricane day,” I mumbled, breaking our eye contact, “I just really didn’t want to be alone. I’m sorry I scared you, Lou.”

 

He nodded, completely understanding what I meant, and pulled me into a soft hug. I leaned into him, a familiar warmth spreading throughout my body, and let the silent tears fall as he didn’t say a word. I cried myself out in under ten minutes, a record for one of my bad days, and scooted back under my blankets while ushering Louis to do the same. He shimmied down next to me, both of us staring at the white ceiling, and let another silence fall over us. My mood slightly improved, just from the presence of another warm body so close by, and I grabbed his hand, squeezing it as a thanks.

 

“Feeling better?” he softly asked, earning a small nod from me, “Good. Now, I plan on making this hurricane day into a day full of sunshine, so you go get ready while I nap.”

 

“But it’s cloudy,” I joked, sliding out of bed, “Don’t drool on my pillow, or I’ll hurt you.”

 

He pretended to sleep, hanging his mouth wide open with a fake snore, and I laughed at his immaturity. I pulled out a dress, cardigan and tights from my closet, just wanting to be comfortable, and shuffled down the hallway to the bathroom. I stepped into the shower, staying in longer than necessary and stepped out smelling like my favorite coconut body wash and shampoo.

 

I stayed in my towel as I did my makeup and hair, lathering on some lotion, before pulling on the outfit and finally emerging from the bathroom. I found Louis in the same spot I had left him in, but he was messing around on his phone instead of sleeping.

 

“You may want to put on something more comfortable,” he said, glancing at my dress.

 

“Why? What are we doing?” I asked, tossing my cardigan onto the back of my desk chair.

 

“We, my dear Payton, are going to London for the next few days,” he said, grinning up at me with a childlike happiness in his eyes.

 

“But, what about Kennedy and my uni?” I asked, frantically starting to pace.

 

“Kennedy will be staying at my mum’s house, and your grandparents,” he said, waving me off quickly, “As for uni, we both know that you finished your semester finals last week. Come on, Payt, you need to get away for a few days. Please?”

 

I sighed, looking into his blue orbs, and closed my eyes for mere seconds before looking back at him. I nodded, knowing I really did need to get away, and nearly fell over as he jumped up and grabbed me in a tight hug. He told me to pack a bag for a few days and nights, making sure to pack the one I was wearing because he liked it, and flopped back onto my bed with his face in the pillows. I took the opportunity, finding an old jumper and some jeans, and hurriedly packed a few outfits, along with the normal essentials. It didn’t take me long to have my duffle packed, and Louis was quick to carry it downstairs.

 

He tossed it in the back, next to a smaller one that I expected only carried toiletries since he would be in his actual home, and informed me we were having lunch with the girls before heading out. I played with the sleeve of my jumper nervously, knowing this was the first time I had left Kennedy after our parent’s deaths, and was worried at how she would react. I knew that Jay and my grandparents would take great care of her, and she’d be safe, but I felt guilty knowing I could get away. My negative thoughts were thrown out the window as soon as we met the girls for lunch, HappyMeals in hand, and they started gushing about their extended sleepover. I laughed at their giddiness, realizing just how close they had grown to be, and gave Kennedy an extra-long hug when her lunch ended.

 

“You be good for Aunt Jay, Grandma and Grandpa, okay?” I said, keeping my hands on her shoulders.

 

“I will, promise!” she said, smiling up at me, “Have fun in London, and bring me something good back.”

 

“Always, Ken,” I said, kissing the top of her head softly, “I love you.”

 

“I love you too, Payton,” she said, going in for one more hug.

 

=====

 

Three hours, too much caffeine, and a few stops later, Louis was pulling up to the building that I assumed held his flat. He punched in a code to the underground parking garage, and drove until he found the spot labeled ‘7c’. The other spot with the same spot number held an Audi, and I figured he must room with one of his band mates. He grabbed our bags, once again not letting me carry my own, and guided me to the lift with his hand on the small of my back. I felt coldness take over my back as he dropped his hand, biting my lip at the strange sensation, and patiently waited to be taken up to the seventh floor.

 

“Harry’s home, so you’ll meet him first,” Louis said, stepping out of the lift, “Just let me head in first. He has a tendency to walk around naked, and that’s not the first impression of him you need. The other guys will be down for dinner tonight. It’s taco night!”

 

“What the hell kind of people do you hang around with?” I joked, laughing lightly, “I really am excited for this, thanks Lou.”

 

He shot me a smile, his blue eyes twinkling, and pushed into the flat, calling out to Harry to put some trousers on. I laughed because he sounded like a disgruntled parent, and figured the coast was clear when he stepped aside to let me in. The flat was what I had expected; large, modern style, with the unmistakable accents of every bachelor pad. I followed him down the hallway, and into the great room where a curly headed boy was sat, watching the commercial that was flicking across the screen. He looked up at us, flashing a smile, and jumping up to engulf Louis in a tight hug. They called each other ridiculous nicknames, causing me to laugh at their childish antics, and I reached my hand out to introduce myself to Harry. He pushed my hand away, pulling me into a hug, and told me that any friend of Lou’s was a friend of his.

 

“So this is the ever allusive Payton I’ve heard about since the start, huh Lou?” he asked, giving him a mischevious look.

 

“We had our differences but they’re solved now,” I said, smiling softly at Lou.

 

“Way solved, mate,” Louis winked, causing my mouth to drop, and my eyes to widen.

 

“Oh my god,” I said, covering my face with my hands, “You told him!?”

 

“You told Briley and Kinsley!” he said, throwing his hands up in defense.

 

I started to protest, but shut up when I realized I had done the same thing, even to someone who was practically a stranger. Harry just laughed, returning to his spot on the couch, and I followed Louis to his room. He showed me where everything was, and put my bags at the end of his bed, patting the spot next to him as he lay down. I kicked my shoes off, my mismatched socks now on display, and sunk in to what could possibly be the  most comfortable bed in the world. I pulled my hair out of it’s messy bun, the wavy hair falling in a mess around my face, and turned on my side to face Louis.

 

“So give me the quick details on all of your friends, since they all have a general idea of who I am,” I said, propping my head up with my hand.

 

“Well, first you have Niall, he’s the blonde Irish one who is always happy, and ready to eat. Then there’s Liam, who will most likely bring his girlfriend Danielle, he’s ‘daddy direction’, but he still likes to have a good laugh. Finally, there’s Zayn, who may seem quiet, but is just as loud as I am once you get to know him,” he said with a smile, “Then there’s Payton. She’s really sweet, caring and grown up, but don’t let it fool you, she’s a child at heart.”

 

“Sounds like she’d be a good friend of my friend Lou,” I said, a blush slightly on my cheeks, “He’s my rock, and is always the first person to cheer someone up when they need it. Plus, he’s rather cheeky.”

 

I couldn’t help but to chuckle as his neck turned pink, and leaned over to engulf him in a hug, which he easily returned. I didn’t have any intention of breaking the hug quickly, which he didn’t either, because we ended up staying in our embrace and cuddling for quite some time. My ear was right above his heart, the noise being one I had grown familiar to in our years of friendship, and I used it as a lullaby for the nap we both seemed to be needing.