Still the One

After dinner, Harry and I walk into the quiet apartment before siting down on the sofa together. Bandit scurries into the living room as he hears our voices. Harry wraps an arm around my shoulder grabbing the remote from the dark wood coffee table in front of us.

‘Know what I was thinking?’ Harry speaks all of a sudden looking down at me,’ we should get a bigger place.’

‘A bigger place?’ I question raising an eyebrow at Harry, ‘how much bigger?’

‘I was thinking of a mansion or anything. Just something more comfortable. I know you need more than a few drawers and half of the closet. Then there’s the guest room where all that stiff is just sort of cramped in there.’ Harry gestures a hand towards the narrow hallway, ‘the truth is – I’ve been thinking about it for awhile and this is just giving me a bit more motivation.’

‘But the tour is starting again very soon. Could you possibly find a place in that time?’

‘I’ve been having a relator look around at a few different places for a couple of weeks.’

‘Oh, you have? How were you so sure that I would agree?’

‘I just had a feeling.’

…

‘All right – I will call you the moment I land in Los Angeles, okay?’ Harry says as he picks up his ticket from the front counter.

‘You better. Are you not bringing security with you? You always say how rude those American paparazzi can get.’

‘Yeh, Preston and Andy are waiting there for me so I’ll be okay.’

‘Okay.’ I smile wrapping my arms around him, ‘I’m going to miss you.’

‘I’ll miss you too but when I get back we will be that much closer to moving in our first place together. Keep that thought in your mind and you’ll be okay.’

‘I love you.’ I mutter in his shirt, ‘be safe – please.’

‘I love you baby. When you go home, lock the doors – don’t forget. You always seem to forget.’ Harry teases with a gentle kiss on my forehead, ‘I better go.’

‘Bye.’

‘Bye babe.’

Once I get back to the apartment I lock the doors, hearing Harry’s nagging voice in the back of my head. You forgot to lock the door again. Libby, the door was unlocked. It was a bad habit that Harry was insisting on breaking. I look around at the small apartment that suddenly seemed much bigger. We were in the process of packing up all of our things up that we didn’t necessarily need right in this moment. This way we’d be that much more prepared when the relator showed us a place that we loved. Bandit was curled up in his small cloth bed in the corner of the living area. Harry had several hours until he made it to California so I attempted to kill time by packing more things up. I dug in the top of the cabinet and pulled out the photo album I started on a few months back. So many things had changed around us. I am the type of person that cannot cope with change and tries to avoid it with every fiber in my being. I wouldn’t mind if everything stayed this exact same way forever. Harry was changing that aspect of me. He’s always sure to remind me just how good change is for us and without change we would be stuck in this creepy twilight zone. Harry believes that change defines us, it shows our character with how we handle change. I’m still trying to believe that myself. I smile at the girls who used to be my best friends. Me, Perrie, Eleanor, Danielle, and Amy. Somehow that turned into Me, Sophia, and sometimes Perrie. Eleanor and Louis decided to call it quits after over two years together and she’s been clear about keeping her distance for the time being. Ever since Zayn left the band, Perrie hasn’t been coming around much. Danielle and Amy, like Eleanor, made themselves scarce after their break ups. I decide to call up Sophia then wait as it rings.

‘Hello, Libby?’ Sophia’s quiet voice answers nearly on the third ring.

‘Hey, Sophia.’ I speak with a short nod that she couldn’t see, ‘I was just calling to see what you were up to. Since the boys are out of the town maybe you’d want to go grab a bite or something?’

‘I’d love to!’ Sophia immediately agrees, ‘I’m in the mood for some good Chinese food right about now. How about you?’

‘Kai Mayfair sounds incredible right now actually. Meet you there in an hour?’

‘Lovely, see you soon.’

‘See you soon.’ I repeat hanging up the phone to go get changed.

I simply put on a pair of black skinnies with a crème sweater and ankle booties before pulling a brush through my hair. Due to the afternoon traffic, I was stuck boot-to-boot majority of the way there. I make it then search for a parking space for five minutes. Sophia was standing by the door outside of the restaurant.

‘I for sure thought you stood me up!’ she lets out an exasperated laugh, ‘I was proper terrified!’

‘Never! Traffic was terrible as always.’ I groan repositioning my purse on my shoulder, ‘are you as hungry as I am right now?’

‘Yes!’ she agrees with a smile.

Sophia and I walk up to the counter inside the building and ask for a table. We were given one of those small alarms that vibrates when a table’s ready.

‘I swear those girls are taking pictures of us right now.’ Sophia whispers slightly uncomfortable.

I barely turn to look from the corner of my eye, sure enough there were a group of girls whispering at their table with their phones pointed in our direction. Two of them even turn their backs to us to pose for a picture. They catch our glances before jumping into some random hushed conversation.

‘Somehow I still haven’t gotten used to that. I guess they just do it because this is the closest they’ve been to the boys so I don’t mind too much.’ I explain feeling the small circle buzz in my palm. ‘Table’s ready.’

‘Finally.’

Sophia and I slide into the booth together and pull out the menus. As were waiting for our food we decided to take a quick selfie to post on Instagram. I send a copy to Harry to share with Liam later on just as the food comes. After dinner we walk down the road to some of the small shops they have in a tiny shopping plaza. By the time I went back to my car Sophia and I were closer than we were in the last few weeks. I learned things I didn’t know earlier. Sophia was a mere six months older than I was where as Danielle and Eleanor had a few years on me. Sophia was at uni studying fashion. Sophia was actually funny and easy to talk to. We made plans to meet up again some time during the week while the boys were away. I climb into my car to head back to the apartment for the night. Sometime in the middle of the night my phone buzzes loudly on Harry’s empty side.

‘Hello?’

‘Sorry, I didn’t want to wake you but I know how you don’t accept texts when I land places.’ Harry’s voice rings in my ears instantly giving me butterflies, ‘I got that photo by the way.’

‘Did you like it?’ I mutter tiredly not bothering to open my eyes.

‘Loved it.’ Harry clarifies with a short laugh, ‘I’m going to let you back to sleep, okay?’

‘Okay.’

‘I love you Lib.’

‘I love you.’ I conclude listen to Harry’s breathing for a brief second before he hangs up.