Count the stars - 1D HS LT

- H

"Mornin' Paige." Niall shouts from the kitchen as I walk past.
"Hey Niall. I'm gonna have a shower will be with you in a bit. Save me some bacon!"
"Sure, sure" I hear as his response.
I head to my bedroom first after remembering at some point last night I put my phone on charge in there. I pause at my door looking into the small but large room. I have built in wardrobes with mirrors on the doors and two of them were open revealing the contents inside, some of it spilling onto the floor. A sad chair sat in the corner with joggers and a jumper thrown on it. Some unopened boxes laid next to it - I've been here almost a year now I should really unpack them but I know the pain it will cause is not worth it. My king size bed looks sad without it's colourful duvet on it. It's pine headboard such a contrast to the grey painted wall behind it. I look at my bedside table full of journals and empty coffee mugs and clock my phone shoved unhappily between them.
"Got ya." I say as I grab it and pull the charger out. I throw myself and the duvet onto the bed.
So many notifications. Facebook. Instagram. Twitter. A message from my mum making sure I'm okay. A video from my sister and nieces wishing me happy birthday. I keep scrolling until I realise I have a message from a number not saved to my phone. I open it 'Happy Birthday Love - H' simple but effective. My heart jolts and feels like it ends up somewhere in my mouth. I don't know why but I delete it.
I grab a towel from the cupboard and head to take my shower. Happy birthday love. It keeps playing over in my head. Happy birthday love. I place my towel on the rack and turn on the shower. Happy birthday love. He signed it H. He always signs everything H. It's not very personal. Why would he do that? Why would he message at all. Happy. Birthday. Love. It's become a scream in my head now. I climb into the shower. Why would he even message? I haven't spoken to him since I left. He certainly made no attempt to contact me. Happy birthday love. Maybe he was just being polite. Happy birthday love - H. Why now? What's changed I think to myself as I shampoo and condition my hair. should I maybe have kept the message? Happy birthday love. No I did the right thing. Deleting it was the right thing. I grab my towels and make a towel turban to get the wet hair off of my face. H. Maybe it's not even him I think as I mindlessly wonder back into my room and start to get dressed. Happy birthday love - H. I've restored the message. I stare at it. It's a uk number. Suddenly my phone starts vibrating in my hand. I jump thinking I've manifested the message to come alive. Instead I see my best girl friends name trying to FaceTime. I accept.
"Hey Lana." I say holding my phone up. All I hear is background noise. Trains mostly.
"Hey birthday girl! I'm literally about to get in a taxi and I will be with you in 20 minutes!" She sounds excited. I've know Alanna for just over a year. When I first lived with Niall I had to find a job to pay my rent - it costs a lot of money to move your whole life to another country! Even though I tried several times to find a tv show to write for I was always turned down. I was desperate and before X factor I had worked as a pharmacy dispenser. A pharmacy was hiring not too far from the apartment so I took the job and Alanna was the other dispenser there. She was kind to me and we became friends quickly. Her family live outside London in a small village in the Cotswolds. She moved back there around the same time I left the pharmacy - three months ago. Her step father had moved out and left her mum heartbroken so she went back to help her out. Although she knows everything about me I've never really told her the whole truth. Like for example, I'm in the One Direction inner circle! She's also never been in my apartment.
"What do you mean?" I frown. Was she coming today?
"Remember you bought me a train ticket last night so I can come stay for a few days! Can't wait to see you!" She hangs up.
I look back on my messages. Shit. There it was. A drunken text begging her to come see me with a train ticket attached. Damn those AM conversations. I vaguely remember talking about her to Niall and probably in my drunken mind thought it was a good idea to invite her here.
"Do you want your fecking bacon or not?!" Angry Irish. I look up to see Niall stood in my doorway in his kiss the cook apron. I nod and get up off the bed which I seemed to have sank into. I pull the towel turban off my head and grab my brush as Niall leads the way back towards the kitchen.
"There you are! We were worried do ya know what I mean." Louis exclaimed. Perfectly perched on a stool next to the granite counter top island.
"Tommo was. I knew you were alright," Niall shrugs. He turns towards the hob to poke at the crackling bacon in the pan.
I pull out the stool next to Louis and plonk myself on it. Louis leans towards me and whispers in my ear "don't think he got lucky last night like." I giggle.
Niall turns around and frowns.
"What's your plans today?" He asks. He has a bacon roll on a plate in his hand.
"Well my friend Alanna is going to be here in 20 minutes. She doesn't know I live with you Niall. She doesn't know I'm friends with you both. She is unaware that I lived with..." pause. "You know who in LA for three years. As far as she's aware I'm just an average girl who lucked out getting an apartment in the good part of London." Everything comes out in a whoosh. Niall drops the plate in front of me. Happy birthday love - H. I take a bite of the roll. "Oh yeah and Harry messaged me." I swallow.
Niall is staring at me opened mouthed. Louis has his mouth slightly open and is looking back and forth to me then Niall and back again.
"You fooking What?" Louis shakes himself.
"Alanna's coming?" Niall asks.
"Harry messaged you?" Louis asks.
Nope. I can't do this. I push myself up from the stool. Louis grabs my hand.
I look down at his face.
"What the fook did he have to say?" He asks.
"He just said happy birthday." I shrug. "It's nothing Lou, don't worry about it. I deleted it." My stomach jolted I hate lying to Louis. He nodded. Teeth still clenched.
"He doesn't have a fooking right..." I squeeze my hand which is still in his.

When I came to live with Niall I was here a day before Louis showed up. Louis and I were also close. However I knew that Louis had his own personal shit to deal with after the loss of his mum and just before I hauled ass back to England, his sister. I didn't need to add to his stress by showing up on his doorstep. However, regardless of whatever he was dealing with, he managed to find time for me. He was always sympathetic and gentle to me but I had caught him a few times arguing with Niall over Harry's part in my sudden appearance. He was furious with him.
"No I don't agree with what he did." I heard Niall one night as I was in and out of sleep.
"Wake up Nialler! He's a fooking loosah and you know it. How can he treat his mate like that?!" Louis angry reply. I couldn't deal with it at the time. I just rolled over and went back to sleep.

Now, looking into his light blue eyes with his brow frowned I could feel those words echoing in my mind. Fooking loosah. How could he treat me like that? And how could he expect that one message sent to me on my birthday could solve anything.
Happy birthday love - H. I suddenly made my mind up there and then half running away from my problems in our tiny kitchen and half wanting to stay exactly where I was.
I was going to reply.