The Untold Story of Alice // Ed Sheeran

Hoping Now I'm Only Praying

The knock on the door made me jump a little. I guess I was expecting it, but now that it was here, well, it shocked me. Anxiously I fiddled with the canisters on the counters. The flat was scary clean. Especially since it never was.

I almost ran to the door, expecting her to leave right away. I was nervous. My hands shaking. It has been awhile without seeing her. Except the casual phone calls. My heart was beating, so hard, it felt like it would jump out of my chest. Oh I hoped it was her.

I opened the door. She was standing there, an over-night bag in her hands. She wore a salmon colored dress, that came up to her thigh. It looked like something Jackie Kennedy would wear from way back then. Head scarf and large, white sun glasses included. She looked like she had just stepped out of a magazine.

I let her in. Silence filled us both. There was no, hug or kiss hello. No happy greeting. I didn't mind. We were just friends. Just friends. I had to keep repeating that line, just to make it real.

"You look nice." I say. Just friends.

Alice squints her eyes and puts a fake, classy act on, "Well darling don't I always?" she giggles to herself and puts a hand over her mouth and says, "I know I don't have my things yet, I'll have Jeffery bring them up tomorrow."

"Oh, how is that butler of yours?" I ask, trying to ask just as fancy.

"He is just wonderful!" she says talking with her hands, "A little ruthless, I suppose."

I chuckle and grab the bag from her tight grasp. I take it over to the coffee table and set it down. She smiles as I turn around and jumps into my arms. I hug her back just as willingly. She giggles again. I set her down and she rests her slim hand on my chest. I stop breathing. Just friends, Ed.

"Can you believe this, Ed? We'll finally be living together!" she gushes.

As just friends, Alice. I want to remind her. She seems to happy, so I don't but in. She plays with my trousers empty mindlessly, like always. Like she did when we were teenagers. I remove her hand slowly so she wouldn't notice and throw a fit.

Alice turns to the bedroom and claps her hands together, "Well, time to see the master sweet, huh honey?"

I rest my hands on her shoulders and gently turn her to the couch, "Yes, you are right. There it is..." I gesture excitedly to the sofa.

"Why are you pointing to that raggedy thing?" she asks, giving me those eyes that are saying, 'really?'

"Raggedy? I love that couch!" I say.

She hits my head and says, "Get your head in the game, Edward. What are you implying?"

"Your room will be the couch until I can get a bigger flat..." I say, flinching in case she decided to smack me.

Alice just laughs. I look at her with confusion. She pushes a strand of blond hair away from her eyes and says, "Look, I totally get we aren't dating and I know you are with Elizabeth, but we'll be sharing a room. It's not like we'll be sleeping with each other and having sex. It's like when you slept over at my parents. If you-" she points her finger into my chest. "have a problem with that, you'll be sleeping on that raggedy sofa."

I gulp and nod, "Okay."

She must be irritable today. Alice just smiles again and starts towards the bedroom. I follow, grabbing her bag on the way. When we get there I ask, "So, your parents don't care you're staying with me?"

"No, they like you," I smile at her response. "You might want to call them though so they actually believe me..."

"Why?" I scrunch my eyebrows up.