An Education

 

Actually, it was Physics.

It was Physics, Mathematics, Biology, and History that she studied at A-levels. It wasn’t “Creative Writing”. It wasn’t Creative Writing because that shit’s too easy and why on earth was she going to spend tens of thousands of pounds for uni tuition with “Creative Writing”? That pissed Anna off, so much so that she kept quiet most of the time Nathan’s friend Oliver’s girlfriend was going on and on about her “career” as a private party hostess and how she quickly made connections with the “London’s socialite”.

Of course she’d get it wrong. She’s as daft as a balloon and Anna didn’t get why she let Nathan drag her to have lunch with his friends. She was so much better than this.

Nathan immediately caught on to her mood and placed a warm hand on her thigh. Anna tightened her arms across her chest and pursed her lips. Nathan could only squeeze her thigh and silently plead her to keep a composed behavior because their lunch double date was nearly over.

A half an hour and a long interpretation of how Nathan’s friend Oliver and his dippy girlfriend fell into a whole a lot of trouble in the Netherlands later, Anna let out a heavy sigh of relief and leaned back on her chair as the opposite couple left.

“It really shouldn’t be a big deal,” Nathan told her as he signed the receipt of their lunch check and handed it back to the waitress.

Anna rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t get me started on you.”

Nathan could only look at her in amusement.

“You freak out when people call your group a ‘boy band’,” Anna continued. “And then you get murderously vicious when they start talking about those fruity One Direction lads after you’ve mentioned you’re part of a band.”

“Well, well, well,” Nathan remarked smugly, leaning back on his seat and facing his girlfriend with the biggest shit-eating grin he could manage. “We’re not going to play that game now, are we?”

“No we’re not, Nath,” Anna said as she picked up her purse and quickly got up. “But it would be really nice if you didn’t allow people to downplay me.”

Anna sped past him and Nathan got up just as quickly to catch up to her. She walked briskly outside where Nathan had to half-jog to reach her. He clutched her arm to make her stop.

“Hey,” he said gently, pulling her. “Hey, Anna, listen, okay? I would never let anyone downplay you. You’re a brilliant girl with a smashing pair of tits I might add,” Anna could only smirk and roll her eyes again, “and when people forget that – I mean, well, not the tits part because I don’t want everyone checking you out like that – then I will make damn sure they know and that it is etched on their heart that I’m dating a Cambridge girl.”

Nathan earned a big smile from his girlfriend and then leaned down to give her a passionate kiss on the middle of the sidewalk outside their favorite bistro.

Nathan and Anna were the epitome of a perfect, nearly mismatched couple.

When Anna was first introduced to Nathan at her cousin’s party, she believed she was already over Louis. It had been nine weeks since they last saw each other and to be fair, that gave her a lot of time to be force herself into moving on and away from her past relationship with the Old Etonian.

Nathan Sykes wasn’t anything like Louis, for that matter, though. His family wasn’t rich and he definitely wasn’t familiar with Latin proverbs or at least translating anything that sounds remotely intelligent back to Latin, but she still liked him. He was different, and that was what Anna needed. She had finally moved out to a different school, living a different life. Now, to keep her mind preoccupied, she needed different interests. It necessarily didn’t mean a different lovelife, but Nathan could suffice.

He was funny. And really shy, but that made him so adorable and endearing. He also dressed like the kind of guys that Anna’s old school friends used to swoon over. Whilst she fell for boys from Eton with their charmed lives and polished leather shoes that spanned for centuries, her old school friends fell for boys like Nathan, with his graphic tees and dark Ray Ban sunglasses. He was hip and she was old fashioned. He didn’t know a thing about anything and Anna was a brilliant, broad-minded girl. But somehow, they clicked.

Which is why Anna had refused Louis’s further advances from the night before. She had almost, almost gotten into his car before the reality of the consequences of what she was about to do had hit her. It was too early for her to say she had loved Nathan, but she obviously couldn’t betray him like that. He was, by far, the brightest star in the darkness that she had been wandering since Louis left and it would unfair for her to totally dismiss him the minute Louis Tomlinson reappeared back into her life.

But it was moments like these, lunches with Nathan’s half-witted friends, which she suddenly felt like being back with Louis. Louis’s world was far more sophisticated and intelligent than Nathan’s circle of friends. With Louis’s society, she’d talk about things like Greek philosophers, the state of the Syrian government, and books. Conversations would always include a topic on books.

As she and Nathan walked back to his apartment, she let her mind wander and think about what might have happened if she didn’t catch the train back to Cambridge, if she had followed Louis back to his place. Her heart skipped a beat and Nathan noticed the way her face grimaced.

He squeezed her hand. “Are you alright, babe?” He asked.

“I’m fine,” she said, not meeting his eyes. They continued to walk on with much silence. His apartment wasn’t that far away, anyway. When they finally reached his flat, Anna noticed that Louis had just sent her a text.

Dinner tonight? You owe me one.

Anna’s insides began to tingle again and all she wanted to do was smile like an idiot. Which was wrong. So, so wrong.

She slipped her phone back into her handbag as she entered Nathan’s flat while he held the door for her. Anna quickly glanced over at him, trying to make sure he hadn’t suspected a thing.

This is probably how all cheaters feel, she supposed. There’s always that daunting thought in the back of their minds, nagging and pestering them for all their worth, telling them that their significant other knows everything. Every move is calculated and measured and recorded for justification. Cheaters were under an invisible spotlight, subject to raw and uninhibited scrutiny. All Anna felt now was unease. Her palms began to go cold and clammy and all she had ever done was receive a text.

And maybe even kiss him.

“Babe, are you sure you’re alright?” Nathan placed a hand on her cheek. “You’ve lost all color on your face. Do you want to lie down or something?”

He proceeded to move the throw pillows around on his living room couch for her, but Anna just sat back and threw her legs on top of his coffee table. Nathan plopped down next to her, still looking at her with great concern.

“Just a big test coming up for anthropology, is all,” she lied again. “I have to get back to school soon, babe, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course,” he said. “Yeah, I don’t want to be the scapegoat of your failing grades. Again.”

“You never were,” Anna said with mock surprise. “Okay, you were, a little.”

They both giggled. Then Nathan leaned over to kiss her.

Anna had always known how different they were, but when Nathan kissed her as opposed to when Louis kissed her, she could easily distinguish that their differences didn’t just cover their personas or intellect or how they dressed and acted towards other people. It spanned worlds, different universes. She felt like she had just entered a Tardis and had been transported to a completely different universe. When she kissed Nathan, Louis Tomlinson did not exist. And when she kissed Louis, Nathan Sykes did not exist.

She broke away first.

“I should start getting back. I’d want an early start on studying.”

Nathan looked visibly disappointed, but he said, “Right, yeah. Of course.”

He always said “Of course”, like he didn’t know what else to say. It never bothered Anna before because it obviously allowed her to get away with so many things, but now she felt like she wanted him to say something else. To defy her even when she didn’t want him to. Nathan had never challenged her.

Louis had. He was always ready to resist her because that was who he was. He was superior to her and Anna liked that in a man. Nathan was too soft, too easy to mold about and command around. This had never occurred to her until now. Until Louis had suddenly occupied her every thought. Now, everything that Nathan did was set up to be compared to Louis’s actions.

Anna needed to get away from Nathan before she would start thinking out loud. 



As soon as she reached the end of Nathan’s street, she pulled out her phone and texted Louis back.

I’m actually in London. We can meet now.

And it didn’t take Louis a long time to reply back.

Where are you? I’ll pick you up.

Anna took the public bus to Islington, where she told Louis to pick her up. Getting in her ex-boyfriend’s car in Nathan’s neighborhood is risky enough. She knew that Nathan’s friends lived in his neighborhood and she couldn’t risk being caught.

When she got off the bus, she immediately saw Louis’s black Land Rover near the bus stop. He got out to open his passenger’s side door for her, but she briskly opened it and got inside by herself. Louis was left flummoxed by this gesture.

“Don’t have to be so polite all the time,” Anna explained, but that wasn’t the real reason why. She just didn’t want others to know whose car she was getting into, in case Nathan’s mutual friends were about.

“Why? Not used to being around gentlemen anymore?” Louis teased. “Your boyfriend doesn’t open doors for you?”

Louis has always had a biting tongue and Anna knew how to deal with it. This time, though, she felt uncomfortable with him picking on her own boyfriend.

“No…” she said, her voice low with hurt. Louis took notice and patted her on her knee as he started his car.

“I’m sorry. That wasn’t very nice of me.” He pulled away from the curb. “So, since it’s obviously too early for dinner, what do you suppose we do? Are you starving?”

“I’ve just had lunch, actually,” Anna said and she immediately regretted it. What else were they supposed to do now that eating out was no longer an option?

Louis bit his lip. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers in the air as an idea popped into his mind. This startled Anna.

“Why don’t you come to work with me?”

“What?” Anna said this with an incredulous laugh. “Is it Bring Your Daughter to Work today? Am I supposed to be your daughter?”

“God, I hope not,” Louis remarked. “But no, I mean. You know One Direction, right?”

“Er…” It wasn’t hard for anyone in the UK to not know One Direction.

“Well, at least you know Liam, right?” Louis pressed on. “Why don’t you come over and say hi to them or something. They’re at the studio right now and I was supposed to stop by anyway. They’re some of my best mates. I’d introduce you to them. Mary’ll get a kick of it if she finds out you know them. She’s thirteen, isn’t she? I’m sure she loves them.”

Anna felt herself smile. Louis still thought of Mary and it’s not everyone usually remembered how old she was, let alone remember it after having not spoken to her in a year. She was touched.

“She does. And absolutely,” Anna said with cheery finality. “I think I’d love to follow you to work and meet the lads.”

Louis looked over at her, grinning widely.

“Brilliant,” he said. “They’re going to fall in love with you.”

Anna hesitated.

“My father’s out of the country, so it’s okay,” he finally said after a beat. Anna relaxed into her seat. That was the way Louis. He always seemed to know what she was going to ask, what she was thinking at that moment.



 

They went to his office first, which wasn't actually all that bad for someone who didn't do a lot at his job. Louis's words, not Anna's.

He was right; his office did have a view over the city, though it was more like the view of South Bank and the River Thames. She could easily see the London Eye rotating in its post a couple miles away. It was a pretty sight to behold, but his office looked appealing as well. It was large and spacious with a loveseat and chair in the middle of the room. Louis’s desk, complete with a gold nameplate and those useless silver balls called Newton’s Cradle on top, was set against a large glass window where the sun poured through so divinely. She pictured him sitting behind his desk in his large leather chair and suddenly she wanted to try pushing everything off his desk and just let him have her then and there.

Anna quickly shook her head when he spoke up.

“Do you want Agnes to bring you something? Water?”

Agnes was Louis’s father’s receptionist. She also served as his secretary, sometimes. He was still in the process of hiring a personal assistant.

“Um, no, I’m good. Thanks.”

“Okay, off we go then,” he said, concluding her tour of his office. He then led her out of his floor back down to the third floor of the building, which she assumed where the recording studio was.

The third floor, as compared to the offices in the higher levels, was more hip and dark in a way 1980’s New York clubs were decorated. The walls were painted crimson red and all over it hung frames of platinum, gold, and silver records that the company had proudly produced. Frames posters and fliers from some of the greatest concerts and shows that the company’s artists performed in also hung up along the hallway. The floors part carpeted with the softest kind of shag hair and the individual studios had marble tiles.

Louis led her down to one of the last studios in the farthest hall from the elevator. She heard music coming from the room, but no red light was on to indicate that they were in the middle of recording. When Anna entered, she noticed four boys lounging around and laughing about something she wished she knew about.

The first to notice Louis and Anna was the blonde one whose name Anna was wracking through her brain for. Not that she knew any of them, but it was fun trying to put a name to a face – especially one that she’s seen nearly everywhere in the UK.

“Louis, mate!” He cheered out loud, raising his arm like he was raising a glass for a toast. He then noticed Anna and retracted his arm, keeping composed. “Oops!”

One of the boys, one with really dark hair and glasses, reached over the soundboard and lowered the music.

“Hope we weren’t interrupting anything important,” Louis told them, adding a mocking tone as he mentioned important. “I’ve brought a good friend around to meet you guys.” He gently nudged Anna forward and placed his hand on the small of her back. “This is Anna.”

Anna sheepishly waved her hand as she looked at the four boys.

“Hi, Anna,” they all said in unison. Even when they spoke, they had an eerily beautiful harmony which surprised her. She had always thought their harmonization and melody was digitally produced. She blushed at the inaccuracy of her prejudice. So Nathan’s band mates had probably been exaggerating about the vocal (dis)abilities of the lads from One Direction.

“Anna, that’s Niall,” Louis said, pointing to the blonde one who first noticed them. “And that’s Zayn.” He gestured towards the boy who turned down the music, the one with the glasses and the dark hair. He blinked once and Anna noticed how long his eyelashes were as it fluttered against his tan cheeks. She also wondered if those were novelty glasses, because even so, he looked good with them on. “That’s Harry, of course.” Harry-of-course had dark curls that bounced as he adjusted himself in his seat to wave hello to her. His smile was contagious but he looked like a child. Louis then pointed to the last guy, sitting in a couch near the back of the sound room. “And you know Liam.”

Except not really. She’s seen Liam in class, but she couldn’t say she knows him. Besides, he mostly kept to himself during class time, except for when he spoke to a few of his friends that usually always sat next to him. Their class was so huge anyhow that it didn’t have small group discussions. This was actually the first time Anna had made direct eye contact with Liam Payne.

He got up to move closer. The couch was under a dark corner of the room, so when Liam moved under the parts where it was well-lit, Anna couldn’t help but notice how good looking he was up close. And she had been in class with him for the last semester. He was so much taller, too. He towered over Louis even when he was slouching casually.

“Nice to finally meet you, Anna,” he told her. His voice was smooth, like honey. And it wasn’t too deep, but unlike Louis’s, it was like velvet. It flowed easily. She now secretly wished that he spoke more in class.

“So,” Louis spoke up, looking around the room. “I noticed that Stevie isn’t around.”

“He just stepped out. We’re supposed to be done, actually…” Harry-of-course told him. He stopped when he felt Zayn nudge him in the elbow. Louis painted up an expression of displeasure, though, of course, it was just for show.

“This studio costs a couple hundreds per hour,” he said, crossing his arms. “I hope you’ve gone and done exactly what you needed to do.”

“Of course we did,” Niall replied back good-naturedly, placing his arms behind his head. Anna was beginning to like him. He looked like someone you couldn’t stay mad at for so long.

“Yeah, we just finished the track you’re listening to right now,” Harry added, pointedly. As if on cue, Zayn turned up the volume. Overhead, the lyrics of their song was slightly familiar. After a few seconds, Anna determined that it was their cover of Blondie’s “One Way or Another”. She looked over to Louis, puzzled, as if to ask if this really was what they did all day. Make covers from old songs.

Louis understood her questioning look and explained, “It’s a charity single for this year’s Comic Relief.”

“Yeah, you wouldn’t think we knocked off other people’s songs for our singles, do you?” Liam asked, amused.

“No of course not,” Anna replied. “My boyfriend twists things up about you guys a lot, so I really don’t know what to think. I don’t dwell with the Brit pop scene anyhow.”

“Your boyfriend is one of them, aren’t they?” Zayn presupposed. “The ones that just sort of don’t like us because we’re in a band, basically.”

Anna laughed nervously. “Not exactly. He’s in a band, too. From The Wanted, actually.”

She said this cautiously, as if The Wanted was some unknown, underground indie band. The four boys looked at each other, tensely, then back at Louis. He merely shrugged.

“Nathan Sykes,” was all he said. They immediately loosened up again.

“Ah, I know him,” Niall said. “’ave met him before. Really nice guy. We hit it off, I think.”

Anna smiled at Niall cordially, but her mind still lingered on Louis. She didn’t remember mentioning to him that Nathan was part The Wanted. Maybe because he was part of the music industry, because The Wanted was One Direction’s biggest music rival in the UK so he’d know every single member, or maybe because he snooped around when she wasn’t looking. Whatever the reason was, Louis knew his name and cared enough to know he was part of a band.

“So how do you guys know each other?” Harry asked Anna and Louis. He sounded more like he wanted to ask why the girlfriend of a member of The Wanted was hanging about with someone like Louis.

“Her father taught at Eton,” Louis said and nodding at Liam for authentication. “And we dated for a couple years.”

Several of the boys raised their eyebrows and puckered their lips in amusement. But they managed to hold it in until Anna wasn’t around. That would get a lot of them talking. Only Liam, however, remained stolid; his gaze never actually left Anna since their introduction.

“And here you are now,” Harry added. He was cheeky, Anna concluded with brevity.

“What can I say? It’s really hard to get my hands off of her,” Louis replied with as much cheekiness. Anna felt herself blush. Instead of looking away, she caught Liam’s gaze. Did he always look like a lost puppy?

Niall snorted and Harry and Zayn shared a laugh. Anna wanted to join in and be in on the joke, but she couldn’t find anything funny about it. It was making her uneasy. Was he indirectly flirting with her? That couldn’t be right. She had a boyfriend, and he apparently knows it.

“Right, well,” Louis said, clasping his hands together. “I think you’ve bored us out enough. We’re going to be at my office, then, if any of you care to join us.” A pause. “But really, don’t.”

He was at it again and Anna was starting to wish she hadn’t come along.

You have a boyfriend, Anna. His name is Nathan. And he adores you very much.

Liam rolled his eyes but said nothing. Harry burst out laughing again and added, “Very cheeky, mate.”

“Nil novi sub sole,” Louis told them, shrugging. Anna understood, but she was suddenly too shy to translate it for them. She noticed how Zayn and Harry widened their eyes to each other in exasperation. Niall looked over at Liam. To Anna’s surprise, Liam finally spoke.

“It means, ‘nothing new under the sun’,” he told Niall discernibly. So, apparently, it was just her and Louis’s thing anymore. Louis had his own translator in Liam now. She felt replaced.

“Don’t go playing your old tricks, mate,” Zayn advised Louis. “You know who wouldn’t be too pleased.”

Anna didn’t need to question who Zayn was referring to. Mr. Tomlinson kept a tight leash on Louis. Especially since –

“Yeah, bollocks.” Louis waved his hand lazily to brush him off. He turned to Anna. “Let’s get back shall we?”

Anna silently nodded as Louis spun on his heels and opened the door of the sound room for her. She looked back and waved a quiet goodbye to the four boys. She looked at each one of them, finally glancing at Liam last. He offered her an amiable smile.

As Louis closed the door behind her as she exited the room, she heard the boys inside recommence their earlier bantering. Louis looked over at her with the kind of look that apologized for his friends’ immaturity.

They proceeded up the building with guided conversation. When they finally reached his floor, Louis stopped talking as soon as he saw someone emerge from his office. For a brief moment, he looked rather stricken, and Anna was momentarily terrified that it was his father. But she, too, looked where he was looking and saw another young woman speaking to Louis’s receptionist. When their conversation ended and she gently touched Agnes’s arm to bid goodbye, the young woman turned and immediately her eyes fell on Louis.

Her entire being lit up.

She sped towards Louis and he walked up to her, leaving Anna trailing slowly behind. When they met, the young woman threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Kissed him.

Anna froze, letting the scene play out before she could suspect the worse. She was right, anyhow.

“Where have you been, darling? I called your office and they said you’ve been out. I was just about to go down to the studios to see if you were there.”

Louis threw a glance back at Anna and then looked back to the girl in front of him. He held onto her forearms. “Right, I was just down there… Um… This is Anna.”

Anna slowly moved from behind Louis to face the girl he was holding.

She had long, dark hair that was styled in pretty little waves that fell over her shoulders. Her eyes were big and blue and Anna suddenly felt really self-conscious. She wasn’t overtly gorgeous, but she was pretty. If Anna and this girl seemed to walk down a street together, the other girl would probably get the most double takes.

“She’s an old friend from when I was in secondary school,” Louis continued explaining. “She goes to Cambridge with Liam.” He turned back to Anna. Something in his eyes tried to silently plead his apology. Only Anna could see it. “And Anna, this is Eleanor.”

Eleanor moved forward to offer her hand for a shake. Without hesitation, Anna took it.

“Hi, Anna,” she said, pleasantly. Her voice was girly but not in the whiny way. It was cute and flirty, something her old secondary school friends tried to always fake. Anna wondered if Eleanor was faking a flirty voice, too, in front of Louis.

“Eleanor is…” Louis paused, his eyes moving to the floor. He breathed out quickly then forced out a smile towards Anna. He gently caressed Eleanor’s cheek. “… my girlfriend.”