In the centre of the room laying on a couple of towels is a kiddie pool. But inside it is what is surprising and funny. Spaghetti is in the kiddie pool filling it halfway up. Louis doesn't wait to show it to her, instead he dunks her in the spaghetti. She still has her eyes tied shut but I take it off and she sees the yellow pasta she is swimming in.
"Spaghetti! SPAGHETTI! OH MY GOD! SPAGHETTI!" She plays around in the spaghetti, splashing it all around in the kiddie pool. I cover my mouth shocked. This is pure awesomeness. "You guys are the best big brothers ever!" She squeals as she puts on her goggles and dives into the pool. She comes up with a mouth full of spaghetti, chewing it.
"Ew! Don't eat it!" I laugh.
"Why not? It's yummy!" She giggles. I looks at Louis who is folding his arms and smiling as he watches her. She swims around in the pasta, enjoying what I think would be the weirdest feeling of my life. I bite my lower lip and shake my head with a smile plastered all over my face. I lean against the counter top next to Louis.
"How long did it take you exactly to boil all of that?" I half whisper half ask.
"I was up at six, lets just leave it at that." I glance at my watch, it is now nine o'clock. I look wide eyed at him and he gives me a smile.
"Thank you." I whisper. He nods. My heart feels so warm and tingly right now. He did something for my family. He did something for my little sister and she won't ever forget it. For a moment I feel like I am going to shed tears of joy. I decide to stare at the sunlight reflecting off the glass. It helps me blink back the tears for the rest of the day.
After Kili finally gets out of her spaghetti bath we have a birthday party fit for any little girl. Pass the parcel with cheesy plastic gifts and other things that I suppose would be at any girl party. I wouldn't know, I've never had a birthday party. Ever.
The day slows down during the afternoon. The birthday girl is sleeping on the couch and my mother is making the birthday slice. I would say cake but she is making rocky road. I pull on my converse and decide to go for a walk.
No surprise that Louis joins me. As we duck out the back way of the hotel, I find myself looking at his lips, remembering the kiss we had shared those many months ago. It seemed like years really.
We duck down through the streets, talking really. Dream cars, childhood aspirations and favorite pastimes. We walk down a bridge, doves flutter away as soon as we get too close. A feather lands on my head and I brush it away quickly.
"Have you ever thought about going to college?" He asks me.
"Yeah, architecture actually. I'm seriously thinking about it right now. I mean, I wasn't that bad with math in school or graphics. But I just don't want to leave Kili or my mom. They are really all I have." I explain to him.
"What college were you looking at?" He seems intruiged.
"Back home, at Praestantiam." I lift an eyebrow trying to pronounce the latin word correctly. Louis chuckles. "I have even studied for the entrance exams." I explain. All of a sudden I see a few girls running over, holding phones and photos with pens. I push my back into the bridge, trying to disappear.
"Louis I love you!" One of them yells as they swarm him.
"You're the best." Says another. He stands and takes pictures with them. Each girl sends me a glare. One of them mumbles as I they walk past me.
"Ugly." I try not to shout every foul name at them. I wasn't one to show my feelings a lot. I find myself casually walking away from the croud. A tall tree seems to be beckoning my call. The branches gather there making a curtain of leaves. I hoist myself up onto the brown branch and crawl up into the tree. I can see Louis. He is still signing the things and taking pictures with them.
I lay back on the branch and avert my eyes from him. They were all pretty and dashing with long blonde hair, mini skirts and perfect faces. Freckless. I mean, I know I don't have dashing good looks or godess beauty but I never really thought about myself as ugly before. My short carrot top hair is really boofy and resembles a lion's man some days. I sigh and I swear I closed my eyes for only a second but when I open then Louis's face is inches from mine.
I jump, almost falling off the branch. He laughs as I regain my composure.
"You ran off without me Naomi!" His voice plays false hurt. I giggle sitting cross legged opposite him in the fork of the tree.
"Yeah, being called 'ugly' doesn't tempt me to stick around." I say, embarrased. For a moment, pure rage flushes across his face. It is in that moment that a single tear falls from my cheek.
"Please don't cry Naomi. I hate seeing you cry." He hugs me which somehow makes me cry even more.
"Th-thank y-you." I stutter out. He pulls away from the embrace. "For everything you've ever done for my family, and for me." I wipe my tears on his hoodie, but he doesn't seem to mind much. His strong arms make me feel so safe around him. I he presses his forehead against mine and somehow, my lips find his.
He's so gentle, as if he is trying not to break me. I'm glad. Nobody has ever treated me like I'm fragile. I have always been told it's better to stay strong because life is rough and not delicate. His lips are soft and gentle as they carress mine. I feel a few raindrops on shoulder and I pull away, looking up. The sky has opened up and the rain is going to start bucketing in about ten seconds.
We pull apart from our embrace and laugh as we try and rush out of the tree. Louis jumps down first and helps me down with his hand. His fingers wrap around my wrist and pull me along in a run as we try to escape the rain falling in sheets of the cool water.
My hair is soaked within minutes as we run down an alleyway. I can't stop laughing as the water drips down my shirt, wetting my skin. Louis turns around and looks at me like I'm a strange creature. I might as well be.
I eyes flicker to his lips again and he pulls me in close quickly, our lips lock again. He pushes me against the brick wall of the alleyway as he deepens the kiss. My arms wrap around his neck and my fingers twine in his hair. His hands cup my cheek as we kiss, warmth exploding from everywhere he touched me despite the cool rain dripping down on us.
Our breath mingles as we tried to deepen everything because it felt so impossibly good to kiss him, that I didn't want to let go. But at that exact moment, someone walks around the corner with a mop of brown curls on his head and his coat jacket pulled halfway up his head.
"Oh C'mon!" He yells. Louis jerks away from me quickly. I would have done the same had I not been cornered into a wall. "Seriously! Making out in an alleyway!" My cheeks heat up and I try to hide them as I look down at the ground. Harry walks around to us.
"You have the worst timing in the world man." Louis tells him. "What are you even doing out here? It's pouring buckets." Harry gives him a look. I could read it easily. I could ask you the same thing.
"If you must know, I was just walking when it started to rain." Harry tells us matter-of-factly. "I think I'll just continue to meander down the streets though, trying to poke my eyes out with a spoon."
"Why would you want to do that?" Louis asks innocently, chuckling.
"Because that image is permanently seared into my retinas for eternity." Harry leaves without saying another word, stepping in puddles as he makes his way into the soppy rain. I chuckle as Louis and I walk at a normal pace home, hand in hand. His skin feels so warm and tingly where he touches me.
We stand under the small cover outside the back door of the hotel, squeezing the edges of our shirts out so that we don't drip water onto the carpet. I take off my soaked shoes and socks as we make our way up the lift.
"Naomi?" Louis asks me.
"Yeah?" I turn to him accidently flicking water at him with my soaked hair. He doesn't flinch. Instead he pulls me close to him in the lift. He doesn't kiss he, his arms are around my lower back, pushing me against him. My arms twine up around his neck.
"Will you be my girl?" He smiles at me, his cheery smile so full of weird and wonderful things. But my mother. Surely she would not approve of me dating Louis. Although she says she has forgiven us for sneaking out that one time, I don't think she trusts Louis. I mean, that woman can hold a grudge. Forever.
I gaze up at him, taking in his blue eyes and boyishly handsome looks. The edge of my lips curl up and I answer him.
"Yes."
