One Thing.

I struggled to hold up my grocery bags as I finally reached the apartment building. I quickly realized I would never attempt to grocery shop again without Max’s help. Trying to walk a full mile with six grocery bags hanging off your arm was anything but productive.

I set down the bags on my left hand to reach forward and pull open the front door which led into the lobby. It was quite a struggle to hold the door open and grab the bags, all the while getting inside.

“Need some help?”

I turned around to find Josh standing in the lobby with a smirk settling on his features as he watched me struggle to get in. Instead of waiting for a response, he took the bags off my right hand and held the door open for me while I scooped up the other ones.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, once I finally got inside and hit the up arrow on the elevator.

“You didn’t take Max with you?” he asked me once we stepped inside the elevator and hit the respective floor.

I shook my head and reached up my free hand to push back my curled hair. “I remembered Max telling me he was having you all over tonight, so I knew he’d be getting ready, so I decided to go on my own.”

Josh merely laughed and shook his head as we exited the small box and headed for my apartment. “You know, he would’ve stopped in the middle of anything to help out a pretty girl.”

My cheeks flushed and I looked down at my boot clad feet in hopes that he didn’t notice the tint. We reached my door and I reached into my pocket, pulling out the key and sliding it into the lock, opening the door.

Josh followed in behind me and set down the groceries on the counter as I started to put everything away. “So,” he piped up, looking around. “You have any pictures of your bloke?”

“My what?”

“Your boyfriend,” he clarified and I nodded, pointing towards the living room where there was a small frame settled in the middle of the coffee table.

I watched as Josh walked over and he picked the frame up, inspecting it quietly. “Huh,” he said to himself.

“What?” I questioned as I watched him examine the photo. I pulled open the fridge and set the milk and eggs inside.

“He looks a bit familiar, but I can’t tell from where.” He stared at it for a moment longer, then shrugged and placed it back on the table. “Anyways, what time are you coming over?”

“Coming over?” I asked with a frown as I placed the final items away.

“Yeah, to Max’s. It’s movie night again. It’s Saturday, remember?” Josh’s blue eyes were a beautiful reminder of the ocean back home in California and I found myself missing home even more than usual.

“Yeah, I know what day it is, but I thought you guys we’re having a ‘guys night,’” I said, using air quotes on the term guys night.

“We are,” he nodded with a smile, “but you did move in across the hall, and Max says you don’t really know anyone over here, so you’re automatically invited to every guys night.”

I smiled softly. I couldn’t seem to understand why these guys had taken such a liking to me. Guys never paid too much attention to me, and when they did, they were just looking for sex, and when I wouldn’t give it to them, they were well on their way. But these guys, literally just seemed helpful and friendly. I guess I was just thrown off by it all.

“Well, thank you.”

He waved me off and headed towards the door. “Don’t take forever getting all your make up and outfit together,” he told me and I felt my face get hot. “It’s a guy’s night,” he turned and smiled. “You’re a guy now.” He teased with a wink and shut the door behind him.

+

“Alright lads, which one are we going with?” Max held up the two DVD’s and the living room was filled with all of their voices arguing over which one to choose.

I found myself slightly surprised to be sitting here again for another movie night. Not because I didn’t have a good time last week, but because I found it odd that they invited me. I was just that bitchy neighbor of Max’s. Why would they keep inviting me over to their hang out? I guess I could count myself lucky and come to terms that maybe I found some of the only decent guys in London.

“Emmy!”

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up to see everyone’s eyes on me. I gave a nervous smile as I looked around. “Sorry, what?”

“You’re the tie breaker, love,” Dan’s soft voice came from beside me and I nodded, understanding. I caught Josh looking at us as I casted my glance to the DVD’s.

“Um, I think I’ll go with,” everyone seemed to be dying of anticipation and I couldn’t help but laugh. It was a movie for God’s sake. “The one on the left?”

They all screamed and cheered like little boys for a few minutes before everyone settled into their spots on the couches.

Not even hallway into the movie and the guys were breaking out the liquor and beers, the drinks covering the entire coffee table while the popcorn bowls sat along the ground beside everyone’s couches.

While Dan began mixing me up a drink, I pulled out my phone at the feel of the vibration against my thigh.

You still awake?

I gave a small smile before quickly texting back that I was, just in time to thank Dan as he took his seat beside me with my drink in hand.

“HOLY SHIT!” Dan cursed loudly as he pointed to the screen, his beer nearly spilling on him in the process. “Look at her fucking eyeball! How disgusting is that shit?”

Come outside, I left you a present.

I smiled at the text, remembering that in just a week, he would finally be home, and now home was here, in England, for both of us, and that meant more time together. I stood up and everyone’s eyes followed me.

“I, uh, I left something at my apartment, I’ll be right back.”

I quietly slipped out of the apartment, and turned around, closing the door without barely making a sound.

“Huh, I could’ve sworn I bought flat 814.”

I stopped dead in my tracks, my eyes still on Max’s door handle as my brain registered his voice. I slowly turned around and I came face to face with his tall frame leaning against my apartment door.

My mouth dropped open and he let out a small chuckle as he watched my shocked body standing still in the middle of the hallway. “What’re you doing here? I thought you had another week left.”

He merely shrugged his shoulders and grinned. “Eh, I got out of some promotions.”

I knew I had to look like an utter idiot; standing there staring at him, my mouth gaping open and closing for a moment, just to merely open again. His beautiful smile appeared and he tilted his head a bit.

“Are you just going to stand there all day or are you gonna come over here and plant one of those sexy kisses.” He wiggled his eyebrows and I couldn’t help the laugh that slipped past my lips.

I quickly darted the few feet forward and threw my arms around his neck, planting my lips on his soft ones. I could feel the sparks shooting through us as our kiss intensified. I brought my hands up into his messy hair that was even more unruly than usual, which I assumed was from the long plane ride and his hands effortlessly reached down to my hips and pulled me flush against him, definitely leaving bruises where his fingers held me.

“I missed you so much, baby,” he whispered against my lips when we finally pulled away from one another. His eyes were still closed as we stood there, foreheads pressed together as we tried to catch our breaths.

“I missed you too,” I whimpered, and I realized I had already started crying.

I heard him let out a small chuckle and he directed my face up, our eyes meeting as the pads of his thumbs wiped the tears away from my cheeks. “Always so emotional, Emmy,” he teased lightly and I playfully slapped his chest.

“It’s not my fault, you go away for all this time and I miss you so much, I have no choice but to cry when I see you after so long,” I pushed my face into his chest and wrapped my arms tightly around his waist as I focused on the sweet smell of his cologne filling my nostrils.

“Well I’m home now,” he murmured, his lips grazing my ear, “And I’m not leaving for a while.” He gave my butt a playful squeeze, “So let’s use this time wisely and make up for lost time,” he smirked suggestively.

Any other time, I’d laugh at his stupidity and shove him away. Any other day and I’d slap a hand over his mouth for even suggesting this in the middle of a hallway where people could potinetally hear. But those blue eyes, that smile, his sweet voice, the aching between my thighs from being apart from this beautiful human being for so long, it was too much.

“Okay,” I nodded with my lips reaching for his.

“Yeah?” he asked with a smirk, pulling back.

“Yes, “ I whined and connected our lips.

“I love you, Emmy.” He told me softly once our lips separated and our eyes locked.

I reached into my pocket and unlocked my front door, opening it up. “I love you too, Louis.”

I don’t know how long he’d been standing there, what he’d seen, what he’d heard, how he managed to open the door without either one of us noticing, but as we headed in for my apartment, his voice called out.

“Holy shit,” Max shouted, calling the guys attention. “You’re dating a bloke from One Direction?”

And so it began.