Bookseller / Harry Styles

Chapter 8

"You can open your eyes now." I hold Meredith's shoulders. 

In front of her lays a pink glazed cake in the shape of a heart. White frost covers some part of the cake stating a generic happy birthday message. She squeals in excitment and turns to give me a hug. She takes a picture of it before closing the box that it has been in. 

"I can't believe that you've actually made this yourself, Sara! I get away for what, a few weeks, and you turn into a baker?"

I laugh and I take the box and put in her large and empty fridge. I take out a beer bottle and two glasses. Although she moves into Louis' apartment, I started to get used to it. I just needed a few visits. I pour us the beer and dispose the bottle along with the other bottles that Louis needs to recycle. Sitting with Meredith and sharing a beer reminds me of summers spent talking about high school and what we'd want to do with our lives after it. I can't really remember what our dreams were, we'd get drunk easy because we were just starting drinking and had no idea when to stop or how to let alcohol hit good, not that now we're such heavy drinkers, but we're more cautious. 

"I get bored without you, you know that. What was I supposed to do? I didn't click with any of my colleagues, so I just go to classes and leave, there's not much else to do." I take a sip. "So I bake. I even thought about getting a job when you were away." I chuckle. 

"I think people from your faculty would kill you if they knew you live all by yourself in this city and have no job, Sara." She laughs, her loud and cheerful laugh, that I've missed so much. "But, come on, when you were gone for two years in Ireland, what about that?" 

"You know I hated that as well, not seeing you was torture! Two years of boring conversations. Two years spent everyday with my mom."

"You're mom is a lovely lady." Meredith smiles knowing damn well that lovely is nice word for careless. 

I get up from my chair in order to open up a window to let some fresh air come in. 

"Yeah, right, because every teenage girl wishes to spend every second of their day with their mother!" 

Meredith laughs and gets up to stand next to me. She hugs me and places a kiss on my shoulder. Her bright red colored hair smells floral, almost like a peony. I get closer to the window and I see Louis' car approaching the building. We shut off all the lights, get the cake out of the fridge once again and place a few candles on it, lightning them up, hoping that they will not burn out until Louis gets home. We leave the cake on the table and we go hide in the bathroom, giggling like some schoolgirls. 

Meredith goes to sit on the edge of her bathtub and I go near de door, cracking it a bit open in order to hear any further movement. The keys rotate twice, the door opens and through it I hear his footsteps.  

"Meredith?" I hear Louis, but Meredith just puts her hand over her mouth trying not to laugh. "She must be still out. Do you want something to drink?"

I  furrow my brows questioning who could he be with since Meredith said he'd be coming back home from work. 

"Whatever you have, a beer would be great, if you have that."

Harry. 

I look at Meredith, but she just shrugs. 

In just a few seconds Louis laughs and calls Harry. This is my que, I open the door and let Meredith be the first one appear into the kitchen. I follow her, almost hiding behind her. She wishes happy birthday to Louis and urges him to blow the candles. I also wish him happy birthday and exchange a look with Harry, who's staying in the corner of the kitchen, wearing a black t-shirt, his folded arms show tattoos that I've never noticed, resting perfectly on his skin. He smiles showing his dimples and pats Louis on the back.