red hair and a blue hoodie // ed sheeran

Chapter 16 - Meeting the Boys and Finding Cyril

ED'S POV:

I was sitting in the lounge room with the boys, waiting for the girls to come back into the room. To my surprise, Liam came around first. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized that I had been holding. He noticed me there.

“Calm down there, mate. You look nervous.” He came and sat down next to me. “I have to admit you found a winner Ed.” He looked to the corner of the room and at that exact moment, Zo and her friend rounded it, laughing with each other. “She is gorgeous.” Liam’s words faded off as did the world. All I could see was Zo. I absorbed her features to memory like a sponge. The way her nose crinkled when she laughed. My concious seized an oppurtunity to make me feel like shit once again.

Could you ever make her do that Ed? He spoke in a mocking voice, sending my brain into an over-thinking rampage.

The way her eyes twinkled when she was comfortable with someone.

Will you ever make her eyes twinkle? He struck again.

The way she wrapped her arms around her body defensively when she found someone staring at her.

Your screwed now mate. He laughed at me now. Shit

I hated my conscious. I quickly averted my gaze, smothering it with a cough. I looked to my side to find Liam had gone. Sly bugger. I stood up from my spot on the couch and headed over to Harry who was sitting by himself. Zayn and Louis had left him to go and socialize with our dates.

“Hey bud.” Harry greeted me with a smile as I approached. He patted the seat next to him and placed down his mobile phone. I swear that thing was another limb. “Join me in my social bubble.” He remarked sarcastically.

“Well I was being so social over there,” I waved back at my previous destination on the couch, “so I thought that I could take a break from being social with myself and come and be social with you.”

“You said social so many times in that sentence. Broke another record did you?”

I looked at him quizzically. “What was the first record I broke?” He reached in front of him to the coffee table, retrieving a drink of what I assumed to be coke. Harry wasn’t that much of a drinker. He especially wouldn’t drink with a date in the room.

He was about to take a sip when he muttered. “Being the biggest knob ever,” then he raised the drink to his mouth and took a sip. I had to laugh.

“Very smooth Harold.” I patted his knee and he smiled into his drink. “Who’s your date then?” I asked him. He smiled and spared a glance in her general direction.

“Her name is Sierra. Apparently she is your date’s best friend.” We both laughed. That much was obvious. The way that Sierra had thrown herself at Zo before at the doorway made that much for sure. Then I recognized her. She was the friend I had seen going into Zo’s flat all those times. She was definitely Zo’s best friend. He then leant back in the chair and looked at me, draping his hands over the back.

“Tell me about your date Sheeran. Where did you meet her?” He flicked his head towards where the rest of the gang were standing. My eyes instantly found Zo, her hand clutching a drink also but I could tell hers was alcoholic, unlike Harry’s. But she was having a good time. She scratched the side of her neck and spared a glance in my direction to find me looking at her. She acknowledged me with a small wave and mouthed ‘hi’. I waved back. 

“It’s a long story on how I met her.” I laughed to myself and looked back at Harry. His eyes were alight with curiosity. “But I can tell you that she is one hell of a girl.”

At that, Harry’s eyes drifted over to the group which gave me an excuse to do so also. Louis was cracking jokes and had the majority of the group in fits of giggles. Sierra was holding onto to Zo’s free hand and Liam and Zayn were fiddling around with the TV, trying to find the sport channel. But one was missing. Where was Niall? As if on cue, he came around the corner with a familiar brown object in his hands. I could feel a wide grin cracking a gap in my face and my eyes grew wide. Niall was smiling too, almost proudly.

“Hey Eddy! Look what you left ere last time!” He shouted across the room and held up Cyril so everyone could see. I stood up from my spot next to Harry and jogged over to Niall.

“Where was she?” I managed to croak out, almost too happy. I had spent weeks looking for Cyril, thinking that I had left her in the recording studio, the flat, the bus or my car. But now I remembered. The last time I had Cyril was when I was over here, playing around with guitar melodies and new lyrics that I had helped the boys write.

“You left her in ere next to the couch when you were ere a couple of weeks ago.” Niall announced in his thick accent. Being a little Irish myself, I was glad that I could relate to someone on that level.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for her!” I took the guitar out of his hands and rubbed my hand over her worn out wooden coat and the paw print mark that branded each of my guitars.

“Ed! Play a song for us!” Louis shouted from over with the group. I looked over at him and was greeted with the brunette smiling widely at me.

“Please Ed? For the girls!” Zayn piped up, gesturing to both Sierra and Zo. They both bowed their heads towards the floor and blushed, clearly embarrassed. Then I had an idea.

“I’ll sing if you guys do.” The guys smiled at the idea, Niall seemed happy with it to, a classic Horan grin growing on his face. Then from behind me, a firm hand came down on my shoulder.

“Then it is decided. We shall preform together.” Harry. I turned my head to see his face above my own, smiling towards everyone. I got to work tuning Cyril and left his grasp, heading back towards the couch.

“Moments?” Liam suggested from the far end of the group.

“Too sad mate.” Zayn mumbled his disagreement. “What about one of Ed’s songs?”

“No no no.” I started from the couch. Louis gave me a look that was half upset and half confused.

“Why not?” He questioned.

“Because… Because they are personal songs. Can we just do one of yours?”

“Our songs are personal too Sheeran.” He spat.

“What about Little Things?” It was almost too quiet to hear. But I picked up on it. Zo’s tender whisper, echoing through my head. Obviously the boys had heard her too. Niall went over to her and draped an arm on her shoulder, causing a shy smile to crack her nervous features.

Don’t you wish that was you aye Sheeran

Bloody conscious. I kept tuning Cyril, running my hands over the worn out wood. From looking down at the guitar, I could still hear all the feet crossing over to me. The spot next to my dropped as it took in weight. I caught a glimpse of curly brown hair. “Little Things it is then. Come on lads.” The rest of the group moved over to us just as I had finished tuning the guitar to perfection. Harry was at my right with Liam on my left. Zayn had perched alongside Harry with Louis on his lap. Zo was sitting directly in front of me with Sierra on her left and Niall on her right. He was getting a little too close for my liking.

hey kiddies
liking the story so far? hope so. okay, so ... yeah.. let me know what you think.. i really dont know if this is good enough.. the story.. let me know if you hate it because i am so close to deleting this story and my other ones. kinda wanting to start fresh.
love you all xx

p.s i thought you would appreciate liam on the side there :)