Love At First Type ~ COMPLETED

The roof was colder than it usually measured out to be. Even with the blankets doubled up under her baggy sweatpants, cozy socks, and moccasins, Darren could feel the icy cool white fluff beneath her. Her beanie, that doubled to cover her ears, was no match for the chill breezes of air that blew past her every so often.

She rubbed her hands together, trying to regain the flow of blood in her fingers. Her gaze, however, remained on the horizon line where the distant buildings met the never-ending sky.

Darren could practically see the warmth as the break of dawn started. The sun slowly creeped out from its hiding place among the buildings, and a mixture of oranges and pinks brought light to the wonders of London. The girl on the roof smiled, always enjoying this very part of the day when the sun rose thus starting a new day full of immense possibilities.

Satisfied with the sunrise, Darren cautiously inched her way off her roof, carrying her belongings with her and through the window that allowed sight in and out of her very room. As she fully and completely got everything through the window, she shut the window to block out the draft.

Throwing the bundle of blankets aimlessly onto th floor, she decided that she would just lay down on her window seat, where she preferred to sleep rather than in her own bed, and examine her room once more. Darren did this often, wondering about the way objects were places in her room and whether she liked the arrangement of the pictures on her walls.

The base of her room was a hard wood flooring with a grey color painted across all four of her walls. Though the color may be boring, her walls were certainly not bare, for one of her walls contained a collage of pictures. Everything from her little toddler years to recent events, even her most embarrassing moments – Darren never let anything embarrassing get too deep – stuck to this wall.

On another wall – the wall of her window seat – one simple quote was written in large, but elegant font. “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending –Maria Robinson,” it reads. She couldn’t explain what the quote exactly meant to her, but she could simply feel happiness when she read it.

The other two walls consisted of her bathroom door closet built into one, and her bed and a simple white desk against the other. It may not have looked like much, but to Darren, this is what she called home, her own personal space where only Darren and whomever else she admitted could go.

A loud crash averted her attention away from her room. Darren quickly adjusted her beaten up moccasins before running out of her room and down the stairs. To her relief, it was only Finn who had dropped a skillet on the kitchen tile.

“For Christ’s sake, Finn! I nearly had a heart attack when I heard that pan drop,” she scolded her first words of the day.

Finn picked up the pan and set on the counter next to him. “I didn’t mean to scare you. It was an honest mistake, Dare. I’m sorry.”

Darren groaned, “An honest mistake, my arse. What are you even doing up this early? I usually have an hour of quiet before you two have even gotten out of bed.”

“We needed to get a head start on editing yesterday’s shoot because of later, so I decided to make some pancakes. We can’t have you starving; that wouldn’t be right,” Finn explained, though cheekiness was evident in his voice. If there were one thing he could tease his sister about, it would be her lack of cuisine in the kitchen.

Darren, however, couldn’t care less about his remark, for she was stuck on trying to remember what was happening later. “Is there some sort of party later on? I can’t seem to recall an event ‘later’.”

“Are you daft? You’re the one who pleaded us for months to make sure we were available today from precisely two till five in order to surprise that boyfriend of yours.” Darren’s eyes widened as Finn started to gather ingredients for the pancakes.

“Aw, shit! That’s today?” Finn nodded his head as if to say ‘duh!’ “Fuck! I need to get ready. What am I going to where? I haven’t seen him in months. I’m not even supposed to be picking him up; he asked me not to. I’m so excited to see him. Should I wear my green blouse with jeans, or my new sweater with my boots?” Darren rambled on and on until Jack decided to cut her off and ask what all the noise was about. Finn explained the situation while Darren continued to think up possibilities in her head.

“Dare, you are aware that Finn here is lying to you. We don’t pick up James until next Sunday,” he notifies his sister. Then, he turns to Finn. “Don’t be such a dick to Darren.”

“I’m making her pancakes!” Finn exclaims as Jack drags back to his room. “Dicks don’t make their sisters pancakes, so I’m a non-dick by reason.”

Darren laughed at her brother, stepping into the kitchen to plant a kiss on his cheek. “It’s quite okay to be a dick, Finn. What’s really happening later?”

Finn scowled. “First of all, you aren’t supposed to be in this kitchen.” Darren put her arms up in innocence and backed out of the doorway while he returned to mixing his laid out ingredients together. “As for later, we’re visiting mum today. Perhaps, you would joi-”

“I don’t think so, not unless dad isn’t there…” He simply shook his head no, his lips turning into a tight-lipped frown of the sort. “Thanks for the offer, though. Holler when you finish the pancakes.”

~

Lunch break had been called early this day, and the boys were happy on an entirely new level. By the end of the day, they will have finished recording the last songs of their album. Before they know it, the albums will be released everywhere, and One Direction will be going on tour.

The thrill of going back on tour, however, was low. Sure they were happy to be performing in the places they had grown up in, but the last few tours had been rough. Even with their families to be hosting their company, the boys were unsure of how things would play out. They definitely didn’t want a repeat of last time.

Casual conversation was made at the table, where the group enjoyed the sandwiches in the break room. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to fill the energy back into each of them.

Harry, who hadn’t been paying much attention to any of the conversation being crossed back and forth in front of him, got up, suddenly having the urge to take a bathroom break. He excused himself on his way out and made two lefts and a right before finding himself in the restroom.

He was in the middle of doing his business when his phone vibrated. The vibrations tickled him, and he tried his best to hold back any laughter, though he was alone in the stalls. Being considerate, he zipped up is pants and washed his hands before checking his phone.

ThatInvisibleGirl: I saw a spider, so I hid in my bathroom and decided to text you. I’m scared…

Now, Harry felt it was okay to chuckle as he began his walk out of the stalls, for he wondered just how big the spider was and could imagine a girl cowering in a small corner of a bathroom. Beyond that, he just smiled because hearing from her seemed to make his day.

JustYourNormalGuy: why are you scared? It’s just a spider
ThatInvisibleGirl: JUST A SPIDER?!?! I’ll have you know I have a vast fear of spiders… and pretty much all bugs in general
JustYourNormalGuy: How am I supposed to know that? Don’t you live with your brothers? Maybe you should get one of them to take care of it

He finished typing out his last message as he walked back into the break room; proud the he had given her great advice. Just as he sat back down, his phone vibrated signaling that Darren had responded. Harry whipped out his phone, just barely reading the first few words before Louis, who was sitting next to him, ripped it out of his hands.

“Louis, give it back!” Harry shouted as he tried to snatch it back. To no prevail, his hands were rejected, leaving a puzzled Louis, and a worried Harry. The rest of the boys snickered as Louis’ puzzlement became a smile, and he began reading the messages out loud.

“From ‘ThatInvisibleGirl: I would, but that’s all the way downstairs. And the odds of them stopping their editing to come kill this spider is 1 in a million.’ Yup, she’s a keeper,” Louis said sarcastically after finishing the message.

Harry angrily snatched his phone out of Louis’ hands while he was laughing with the other boys. Louis turned back in shock, angry that he wasn’t finished with it.

“Look, I already forgave you this morning for yesterday. I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t take my phone without my permission,” Harry said before angrily typing out a response and putting his phone away. The others sat quietly as Harry then excused himself again and stormed back to the recording booth.

~

JustYourNormalGuy: Sounds serious, but I really have to get back to the booth. Work matters… I’ll kik you when I’m done xH

Darren furrowed her brows. She could understand the whole ‘work’ thing, but she wasn’t quite sure what he meant by ‘booth’. Sighing, she decided it was probably some lunch meeting at a restaurant and put her phone away in her pocket.

‘I can’t be stuck here forever… I’ll just run downstairs quickly and get Jack or Finn to kill it,’ she thought. She looked at all the odds and finally decided to put forth with her plan. She unlocked the door and slowly turned the doorknob. ‘Here goes nothing…’

She opened the door open a crack, seeing nothing in the way. Ever so cautiously, she opened a wider and wider, but before she was halfway through opening it, the hairy beast dropped out in front of her.

Her panicked shriek could be heard throughout the house, not even the twin’s earphones could block out the sound. By the time Jack had rushed through the door, Darren had already slammed her bathroom door shut once again.

When Finn got in, he started laughing hard, already knowing just what had happened. The furry eight-legged monster was crawling up and down its length of web with hyperventilation from Darren clearly audible through the door. Finn sloppily hit Jack’s shoulder and pointed, sending them both into fits of unanimous laughter.

“Dare, it’s just a spider,” Jack said, grabbing the magazine by his feet on her floor. He rolled it up and whacked straight at the spider, hitting it smack against the door. Darren squealed before sheepishly asking if it was gone.

“All clear!” Finn announced.

Darren peaked out of the bathroom first before deciding that it was really clear. She sighed and thanked her brothers. Jack motioned for her to take look at the spider he had killed.

“Is that my new issue of PEOPLE?” Darren asked upset. Jack frowned and examined the title, nodding his head. “Ugh! You’re paying for a new copy!”

“What, no thank you?” Darren glared at Jack. “You’re welcome. Anyway, we’re going to leave soon, so you know the rules. Don’t mess with our editing and do not go in the kitchen.”

“Get out,” Darren demanded, “and take those spider guts with you.”

~

“Well done, boys. After a little bit of editing, your next album will be ready for release,” Simon applauded them. “I think this calls for a break. Spend your last day in the bachelor pad off, and I will see you all Tuesday to discuss the tour.”

The room of executive helpers congratulated the band on finishing the track list and received a bunch of thank-yous from the boys in return. After collecting all of their stuff, they said their last farewells before loading up in the back of Paul’s van and heading to the pad.

The ride was oddly silent, even after Paul had personally congratulated the boys. Even when they all piled out of the car, no one bothered to say goodbye to Paul as he drove off and they walked into the house. Nonetheless, they all slumped back into the couches, tired from the exhaustion.

“Harry,” Louis broke the silence, “I’m sorry for looking at your phone at lunch. It wasn’t my business, and it was wrong of me to do so.”

Harry made eye contact with Louis. “It’s okay, Lou. That’s what brothers do; they annoy each other. Right, lads?” Harry smiled when he said brothers. He was pissed, be he could never stay mad at any of them.

“Brothers,” they all agreed.

Notes