Clouds

“Simone, if you don’t get up right now the food’s going to be all gone and you’ll be left on your own.”

The blonde groaned before turning over to bury her face into her pillow.

“Fuck off, Liam,” she grumbled, the pillow making her words muffled. “I can fend for myself.”

Liam smirked down at her, hitting her head lightly with one of her other pillows before walking out of her room.

A sigh fell from her lips as she finally sat up in her bed, stretching her arms and back out while attempting to prepare herself for the day. Her six best friends in the world were all flying out of the country the following morning to some mystery destination she was denied of knowing about, along with her roommate Ingrid.

Once she finally got out of bed she adjusted her oversized cream-colored sweater on her shoulders and padded along the hardwood floor into the kitchen, the sight before her never ceasing to be wildly entertaining.

Her small kitchen was flooded with busy bodies making all sorts of messes. Bacon was being fried, eggs were being scrambled and there was a faint smell of burnt toast in the air. Insults were being thrown around the room in various accents, all over the sound of some obscure indie music playing in the background. Simone bit her lower lip to keep the dorky smile off her face as she observed how the boys towered over each other and clumsily moved their bodies about.

Suddenly there was a loud crash that echoed throughout the apartment, making everyone go silent with wide eyes. The cause of the destruction stared at the now destroyed stack of plates splattered in small pieces across the tiled floor, his face completely red from embarrassment.

“Way to go, Niall,” Louis spat from somewhere in the crowd, annoyance clear in his voice.

Everyone else was frozen in their place for a moment, until a loud laugh suddenly rung out. The laugh, of course, belonged to none other than Harry, who was now hunched over slightly with his arms around his stomach, his long curly hair covering his face.

Simone decided to step forward cautiously to the dining room table, where she finally spotted her roommate.

“Remind me why we decided to give these fuckers a copy of our house key?” she asked, watching as the boys all tried (and failed) to accomplish the task of simply cleaning up the broken plates.

Ingrid shrugged half-heartedly with a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. Like Simone, she was unconditionally endeared to the small group ahead of them.

“I swear to God I’ll replace these for you,” Niall said to the pair as he threw the remains of the plates into the trashcan, his Irish accent laced with exhaustion and aggravation. “It was an accident and I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, buddy. Promise,” Simone replied, patting his arm before walking towards the couch.

Sprawled across the couch was Zayn, who somehow still managed to be sleeping throughout the ordeal that just occurred minutes ago. Smiling, Simone sat down on the edge of the bed and rubbed his arm gently.

“Zayn, get up,” she spoke softly. “We’ve got shit to do today.”

Finally, he stirred awake with a small sigh escaping his lips. His dark hair was disheveled against his pillow and his brows were furrowed as if he was deep in thought, making Simone giggle lightly.

“But like… why?” he asked her, sitting up and swigging his legs around so he was sitting on the couch normally. He rubbed his face before standing up and making an A line to the bathroom, waving in the general direction of the kitchen on the way.

A moment later there was a dip in the couch next to her and she looked to her right to see a sleepy Harry with two plates of food in his hands, a small dimpled smile playing across his face. Her heart began to race sporadically at the sight. He handed her one of the plates and she gratefully accepted.

“Thank you, Haz,” she cooed, placing a swift kiss to his cheek. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Probably starve and lay in bed forever,” he joked, taking a bite of his small stack of pancakes.

Simone took a bite of hers as well and hummed in appreciation. Harry was truly the best cook out of anyone she knew.

The duo ate their food in silence, laughing every now and again when they overheard something particularly funny being said on the other side of the apartment. When they were finished Simone stood up and grabbed Harry’s plate, bringing both of theirs into the kitchen to be washed. Liam, Ingrid, Louis, Zayn and Niall were all gathered around the small dining room table, talking animatedly about how excited they were that the college spring semester was over and it was finally time to enjoy the summer.

Some of the boys had just graduated with degrees in various subjects. Ingrid, Simone, and Harry, however, were still in school. Harry had just finished his junior year, while Simone and Ingrid just finished their first years. While Ingrid was on track for staying in school, Simone had taken a year off to properly settle in New York, moving from California two years back straight after high school.

“Any guesses on where we’re headed, love?” Louis suddenly appeared at the girl’s side as she washed her dishes in the sink.

“Nope,” she replied with a small pout. “You guys do remember that I absolutely fucking loathe surprises, right?”

“Ah, but this one’s different,” he smiled broadly. “You two are going to love it. Best trip of our lives; we’ll never forget a single moment. All of us, the six amigos, setting off into foreign land for a month to explore, take photos, find love perhaps…” he trailed off, sending a sly wink her way.

Simone shook her head at the last bit, refusing to buy into any of the British boy’s mind games. “I have to get ready to go last minute shopping with Ingrid, Lou,” she changed the subject while drying her hands, “so you guys should probably go ahead and head out soon to do the same, yeah? We’ll see you back here bright and early in the morning?”

Louis laughed and ruffled her hair as she walked past him to go to her room.

“You kickin’ us out so soon, babe?” he called after her, earning a loud laugh from her.

“Never! Just… consider it a polite invitation to be anywhere else but here.”