my sister's boyfriend's bestfriend ⋆ a harry styles fanfiction

03 - moving day

I rubbed my eyes open creating kaleidoscope colours across my vision. I didn't sleep much last night, if at all. Mum and Eleanor went to bed once the sun began to rise but I couldn't bring myself to rest. Instead, I stayed to see the sunrise through my bedroom window as I had countless times before. I watched as the oranges, shifted to saturated bright pinks and yellows, until finally settling on blue. No matter how many times I tried to close my eyes and get a bit of sleep, Eleanor's words kept echoing relentlessly in my brain: 

It's a blank slate. 

Before I knew it, my alarm went off. The annoyingly repetitive marimba melody filled my room. As I hit snooze, two words sprawled across my screen big bold letters. MOVING DAY. I paused for a moment, as though keeping the alarm ringing would pause the day from continuing, but obviously that wasn't true. 

The movers waltzed in before I ended up turning it off. 

- 

The movers scurried like worker ants and had everything packed into the truck within minutes. Mum said a quick and sweet goodbye, I could tell she was holding back tears but as always, wanted to look strong in front of me. 

As Eleanor and I drove away, I craned my neck, keeping sight on our house and on mum waving goodbye. I didn't turn away until they disappeared. 

-

According to Eleanor, I had fallen asleep almost immediately after we passed our town. In my defence I had stayed up the night before. But once I opened my eyes I was engulfed in a brand new world. 

The sound of taxis honking and people chattering outside of the car overtook the sound of the radio. The air was no longer clean and sweet like it was at home. It looked awfully smoggy and tasted bitter. 

Buildings lined both sides of the street, they stood so tall I looked up and still could not see the top. It felt like something taken right out of a magazine, or a television show. 

"Morning sleepyhead, or should I say afternoon" Eleanor laughed at her own joke. 

"Are we almost there, I need to pee"

"We're two minutes away Ellie, try not to piss stain my car seat please"

I looked at the row houses on my left wondering which one was mine. They were completely uniform apart from the occasional bike or flower bed setting one apart from the other. 

They stood tall and thin like everything and everyone else in London. The red brick exterior was original and beautiful but judging by the fanciful windows and lighting fixtures, I assume the interior was rebuilt recently. 

The car slowed down as we reached the front of another red brick row house. This one was different, and not because of a bicycle or fanciful landscape arrangement, but because people gathered around it like it was a nightclub. A large group of men and women lined up in front of the building with large DSLR cameras strapped around their craning necks. 

"Who are they?" I spat. 

"Paparazzi" Eleanor sighed. 

Over the past two weeks I had forgotten my sisters status and lifestyle here. This wasn't a blank slate, this was a step into the spotlight. 

"Just ignore them, keep your head down and follow me" She sighed. She put on a pair of sunglasses even though the sky was dark and grey. 

The moment we stepped out of the car, the group of paparazzi erupted. I almost had a seizure with all the flashing lights. They yelled out questions, each person trying to overlap the other. Eventually, their voices all melded into a chorus of gibberish. Eleanor opened the door swiftly, closing it behind us in an equally quick manner. 

"You're home!" she sang excitedly once the sound of the paparazzi had muffled. 

I looked around at the house in front of me. The receiving room spilled into a big open concept kitchen with granite countertops and crisp white cabinets. The spotless hardwood floors reflected the shimmering light of the chandelier above. Eleanor had it pre-furnished and it looked like something I had only ever seen in pictures or Pinterest. 

"So do you like it-"

"I really need to pee". 

I raced towards the first door I saw. It came off the living room, I hoped to God it was a bathroom. 

The wooden door swung open revealing a bathroom with white walls and marble floors. It was gorgeous but the only thing on my mind was emptying my bladder. As I sat on the toilet I noticed that the mirrors were fogged with steam. I looked up to see the water was still running. 

Oh my God.

There was somebody in this bathroom. Somebody is taking a shower right now in this bathroom while I'm pissing. Quickly, and abruptly, the shower curtain pulled back revealing a tall, brown haired man. 

I screamed at the top of my lungs.

He reacted identically. 

It was a freshly showered Harry Styles. 

Thank God I was on the toilet or I would have pissed myself.