Have You Ever Known?

We were all very tired to enjoy our first night. With the boys just being back from tour and us—Dani and me—finishing finals, we all decided to rest after having dinner.

I’ve always been an early riser. When I was young, I like to help my mother in making breakfast. She would let me stir the scrambled eggs or dip the French toast and I’d happily oblige. That stuck, until now, and Dani enjoyed what I make in our flat.

So when I woke up at nearly noon, the house still quiet, I still decided to make breakfast—brunch—as I drank coffee.

I was in the middle of frying the last bacon when I heard heavy footsteps. I arranged the table and placed the cooked food in the middle. “Good morning,” a raspy voice belonging to Harry echoed in the kitchen, “you’re up awfully early,” he said as he scratched his eye.

“It’s almost noon,” I shrugged, taking a piece of the bacon and wiping the grease on my shorts. “You too,” I retrieved my coffee near the stove and took a sip while walking towards the table as I sat down, feet up on the chair.

Harry stayed silent, and got himself a mug from the cupboard where I got mine and poured coffee. He carried his mug, and took a seat across from me, “Niall snores loud,” and rolled his eyes.

“I see,” I laughed, “So, what are the plans today? I was out early last night.”

I watched him took a bite of the French toast I made and smiled, “This is good.” He closed his eyes, savoring the food and I blushed, “Thanks,” I muttered.

He took a sip of his coffee, “Well, nothing much happened last night, we slept early too, so tired,” I nodded in agreement, “but I think we’ll all take a swim on the beach later, that’s what Louis said before we all retreated the rooms.”

“Oh, okay,” I shrugged, taking a bite of the scrambled eggs as I noticed his stare. “What?” I asked mouthful, a piece of scrambled egg dropping on my plate.

Harry laughed, “Nothing.”

He opened his mouth, almost saying something until a voice emerging from the other room shouted, “Well, well, well, some people don’t wake people sleeping for brunch.”

“Don’t you think it’s too early for your sass, Lou?” I teased, rolling my eyes and got a laugh from Harry.

“Nothing is too early for the sass, Amelia,” Louis fired back, “but I see you two are early for breakfast date,” he added wiggling his eyebrows.

“Right, you ruined our moment,” Harry chuckled and stood up, his chair screeching on the floor, leaving Louis and me at the table.

“Dani’s not yet awake?” I asked, watching him take huge bites of bread. He chewed noisily and I cringed although I’m used to it, “She’s in the bathroom when I left, and stop changing the subject.”

“We’re not even talking earlier,” I playfully rolled my eyes as he shot me a look as if asking Oh really? “Right, you interrupted us because we were about to kiss,” I played along.

Louis shot both his hands up, defensively, “Didn’t know there was a moment to be ruined.” I rolled my eyes again.

“What moment?” Dani asked as she kissed Louis’ cheek and took a seat next to him.

“Nothing, just the moment your boyfriend’s mouth opens to be too sassy at noon,” I said as she laughed. “Or the moment Harry and Amie almost kissed,” Louis stated like it’s a fact, but in a teasing voice.

Dani gasped, “Seriously?”

I laughed, “Duh. We’re secretly lovers behind everyone’s back,” I said, but her mouth fell, “I’m just kidding, come on. You guys tease us a lot, so it’s funny.”

“Yeah right,” she said scoffing. “Let’s tan after you eat, yeah?” I asked, completely ignoring what happened.

She agreed and I got up to change. My room is in the farthest part of the hall so I decided to wake everyone up—Zayn as usual being the hardest—before heading towards my room to change in my bathing suit.

While I was putting my white shirt over my head, there was a knock on the door and it opened, giving it away who came in. “I’m ready,” Dani said walking towards my unmade bed to sit on the edge.

“The boys will follow us down after they finish cleaning the table,” she said and I shot a funny look, “Well, they’re the last to eat so it’s only fair.” I shrugged and grabbed my sunglasses in my bag and placed it on top of my head.

I got towels and sunblock, and Dani took this as cue to head towards the door as I tail behind her. The boys are still on the table, seated accordingly like they’re in a meeting, all looking at us when we passed by. When Dani ignored them, “We’ll just be down by the beach,” I said, and they all nodded.

The beach was surprisingly empty, being in between public resorts, I expected it to be crowded. But I relaxed when I realized it was the opposite of I was dreading.

I sat on one of the plastic loungers, Dani taking the seat on my right. “Did you guys seriously about to kiss?” She asked while putting sunblock on her arms and legs.

“Come on, it was just a joke, I played along when Harry said we were having a moment,” I shrugged, taking the bottle from her to put sunblock too, “From the people who tease us the most, I didn’t expect you to believe that.”

“Still,” she said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if one day, you both realize, ‘you know what? They’re right, we should date!’ and you have to thank us for that.”

“If we do have feelings for each other,” I countered, “which is unlikely.”

On the side of my head, I saw her roll her eyes, “But you have feelings for him.”

“Correction,” I smacked her arm, “had, past tense.”

“Doesn’t mean it won’t come back,” she said and I scrunched up my nose. “Come on, a stupid crush before won’t evolve into something big.”

“Unless, something big happens,” she insisted, “I’m just gonna wait for that something.” She lay down, finishing our conversation. Frustrated, I did the same.

I tried not to get the things she said bother me, but it did. Dani saying those things, I doubted if I still have that stupid crush on him all along. Harry and I are used to our friends teasing us, I don’t mind.

As long as Harry’s comfortable with it, I’m good, because it means he doesn’t know that it was a running inside joke. That our friends think it’d be nice if we date. That I had a crush on him.

No one knows if I still do, even myself, and that’s okay.

I think I fell asleep or was just spacing out in a long time that I didn’t notice the boys come out and Dani leaving me to join the boys in the water, until Harry sat at Dani’s lounger, jolting me back to reality.

“You okay, Dawn?” I rolled my eyes. Harry knows how much I hate my second name, and he does this to annoy me. “I’m fine,” I said, sitting down.

“Edward’s your second name, right?” I teased, thinking about how I’d use this as a comeback the last time he called me Dawn.

He smirked, “As if you don’t know,” his dimples showing at this point, “Why are you suddenly interested? Will you call me that too? If yes, don’t. Have an originality, darling,” he said teasingly.

I shook my head, chuckling, “Of course not, I just realized that Edward’s a character in Breaking Dawn, it’s sort of amusing.”

We both laughed furiously at the realization and how lame I was.

***

“I got the marshmallows!” Niall said, walking out of the house hugging five packs of marshmallows.

We all decided to have bonfire, drink beer and heat marshmallows. It was chilly outside, so I draped over a blanket over my cold and still slightly wet body when Harry threw me at the water because I refused to swim with him earlier. We earned looks from our friends—Harry oblivious to this, but laughed how ridiculous we were. I rolled my eyes, shouting Payback’s a bitch, Styles!

As I’m thinking of ways on how to get back on him, I decided to drink the red cup Niall handed me over a little while ago. I tipped my head and gulped a shot, instantly feeling the burn of my throat to my stomach. Vodka.

“Easy there, Pond!” Niall shouted across from me, I glowered at him but instead of being fazed, he laughed. “You look evil from my point of view.”

Right, he can only see me in between the flames of the bonfire.

“She is evil,” Louis said, setting a foot in front of the log where Dani was sitting. This time, it was his turn to be glared at.

“If looks could kill,” Harry interjected and I moved my glare at him. “We’d all be dead by now.”

“Oh yeah? Fuck off!”

They all laughed and I downed another shot from the red cup and sighed.

When Zayn went back to the house, Liam followed minutes after. Niall and Louis drank almost everything, Niall clearly shitfaced. Louis came second, talking obnoxiously and loudly, Dani taking that as a cue to head off.

“Come on, Harry,” Dani said, Louis’ arm draping over her, “Help me with Niall.”

Niall chuckled when Harry grumbled, but followed what Dani said.

I don’t get drunk easily, but I knew that I’ve had one too many when I stood up and felt the ground spinning. I groaned, bringing both my hands to my face, trying to scratch off the dizziness from my eyes.

When I settled, I threw water to the bonfire. It got dark instantly and the only light illuminating was from the porch.

I followed the low grumbles and drunken slurs covering the quiet night, and went inside. I went straight to the kitchen to wash my face, and sat on the couch after, head still throbbing as I buried them again in my hands.

I heard footsteps coming downstairs, and saw Harry smiling down at me. I scoffed, but he ignored it—me, going straight to the kitchen.

He went back and plopped down next to the couch and reached my arm. I glared at him, but instantly softened when I noticed that he handed me a tablet of Panadol and on his other hand was a glass of water.

“Thanks,” I muttered, and put the medicine on my tongue as he passed me the glass of water.

“No problem,” he smirked, “after all, Amy Pond’s Rory is a nurse, right?”