Anonymous

I woke up to the smell of eggs and bacon filling the flat, coming at me from all sides, almost suffocating me. But suffocating me in a good way. If that even made sense.

Yawning, I got to my feet and ran a hand through my already-messy hair. I grabbed an old v-neck t-shirt off my floor and pulled it over my head as I made my way into the kitchen, trying not to trip over the bottoms of my pajama pants. I knew that I wouldn’t have to worry about the length of my pants if I just pulled up the waist a little bit so they weren’t slung so low on my hips, but the idea of effort in the morning wasn’t appealing to me.

“Good morning, Lou,” Harry grinned from his post in front of the stove. “Coffee’s in the pot.”

I nodded wordlessly and poured myself a cup of coffee, readying it just how I liked it.

Soon enough, the caffeine was coursing through my veins, and I felt pleasant enough to hold conversation.

“Why are you up so early?” I asked Harry, raising an eyebrow at him.

Harry turned to me and grinned. “Because I didn’t really sleep much last night. If you know what I mean.”

I rolled my eyes and let out a sigh. “Yeah, I think I do get what you’re trying to say,” I responded sarcastically. “I’m pretty sure anyone would.”

He shrugged before turning back to the stove, depositing more strips of bacon onto the waiting paper towel.

“Where did you pick up a bird, anyway? You were home when I went to sleep last night.”

“I went out to the pub around one. I was bored.”

“How old was she?” I asked suggestively, raising my eyebrows as I took another sip of coffee.

“Only twenty-three,” he defended. “I’m trying to get away from the cougar stereotype. The whole thing’s being blown out of proportion, and it follows me everywhere now.”

“That’s what happens when you date someone twice you age, mate,” I joked, taking a couple steps back, trying to put some distance between myself and the pan of scalding bacon grease.

“She wasn’t twice my age!” Harry whined before laughing. “She was just almost twice my age.”

“Whatever you say.”

Just then, the door opened, and the rest of the band came pouring in. Immediately, Niall’s blue eyes widened. “Oh my God, Harry, are you cooking?”

Harry shot a confused look at his blonde friend. “No, Niall. I’m just standing over the stove and watching the hair on my arms grow. And it just happens to smell like bacon.”

“That’s weird, mate,” Liam expressed with a completely straight face.

Zayn flopped down on the couch, lying down, curling up. And soon enough, his soft snoring was audible through the flat.

“Really?” I sighed, shaking my head. “I don’t understand why he wouldn’t just sleep at his own house.”

“Because Niall and I broke in and woke him up,” Liam explained with a shrug.

“It took about fifteen minutes to jimmy the lock properly with the credit card, but we got it in the end,” Niall grinned proudly.

Liam nodded in agreement.

“Even so,” I continued, staring at Zayn with confusion, “how can someone be so obsessed with sleep and perfect hair at the same time? They’re two entirely conflicting interests.”

“You’d know,” Niall teased, “since you take about three years to get your hair just perfect.”

“Hey,” I warned, widening my eyes menacingly, “watch it. Not all of us can be like Harry, who just flips his hair around, and he’s done.”

Harry, having heard his name, turned around slowly, spatula still in hand, and grinned widely.

I turned away from the curly-haired boy and put my coffee down on the table, stretching my arms over my head. “I guess I better shower and get dressed then, yeah? Since everyone else is all ready for the day.”

“Minus Zayn,” Liam piped up.

“Right. Minus Zayn.” I nodded in the sleeping boy’s direction before disappearing into the bathroom.

After I showered and changed into proper daytime clothes and styled my hair, I settled down at the kitchen table, where everyone else was already eating the food Harry made.

“Zayn!” I exclaimed as I reached to take some eggs. “It’s so lovely to see you among the living. How was your nap?”

He mumbled something unintelligible, punctuated with a sigh that cut through my brain.

I nodded emphatically, pursing my lips. “Yeah…yeah, I hear you.”

He shot me a deadly glare before shoving a piece of bacon into his mouth.

“That was charming,” I informed him before turning back to the other boys. “So what’s on the schedule today?”

“We’re heading to the studio in a bit,” Liam answered, always on top of everything. “Just going to put the last touches on the new album before it gets finalized and everything.”

“I can’t wait to hear the tracks,” Niall expressed with a grin. “We’ve only heard the single so far.”

“I know,” Harry agreed. “I hope the fans like it, too.”

“They will,” I insisted. “Because we’ve written the songs. The album’s going to be like another piece of us. How could they not like that?”

“Good point,” Harry allowed. “Louis, always the optimist.”

I beamed at him before taking a bite of my eggs. “Oh, these eggs are cold. That’s disgusting.”

“It’s your fault for taking too long in the shower,” Harry defended. “They weren’t cold when I put them on the table.”

I snuffed and took a couple slices of bacon, which still tasted fine. “Yeah, whatever, Harry. I know you hate me. It’s fine.”

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but shut it again with a shake of his head. “You’re right. I just hate you a lot. Which is why we’re roommates, and I let you be in the band-”

I let out a loud burst of laughter. “Wait just a tick…did you just say you let me be in the band?”

“Yup,” Harry grinned.

“That had nothing to do with you!”

“Sure it did. I was a part of the planning process. Didn’t you know that?” I snorted with laughter, but Harry kept going. “I had my mind set on not letting you in the band, but Simon was insistent. So I finally had to cave.”

“If you say so,” I responded, slapping him solidly on the back.

“Are you two done?” Liam asked, looking at us with a responsible expression on his face. “Because we’re going to be late to the studio.”

“Right,” I agreed. Harry and I turned to each other, straightening our faces, before marching forward.

Niall was still eating, so I turned. “You, there!” I called, puffing out my chest. “You’re holding up the line.”

“But…the bacon…”

“Son, just take the bacon to go. There is no time to dilly-dally.”

Niall hurriedly piled the bacon into his hands and rushed out the door, slipping in the small space between the door frame and my body.

After scanning the flat one more time, I shut out the light and closed the door behind us, ready to start a day of work.