Hey, sorry for the wait, once again, I have just started my last year of high school. I hope you enjoy this chapter and thankyou to Kimberly, mel2403 and xKCliciousx for their wonderful reviews.
Kimberly: Honestly, I wish I had've waited to write the epilogue until after this story, thinking now, I really would've loved them to get together! But oh well :/ maybe in another story!
Chapter 11- Love and Friendship
After watching a movie with hot chocolate for a few hours, we decided it was time to sleep. Frankie went ahead of us to have a shower, so Dougie walked me to my bedroom. He drew the curtains on the window, switching the lamp on the nightstand on. As I got under the blankets he sat on the edge of my bed, fiddling with the hem of his t-shirt. He mumbled something to the floor.
'What?' I asked loudly.
'Shh!' he hissed, wriggling closer to me, lying on the pillow beside me on the double bed. 'We need to talk,' he said quietly.
I nodded silently.
'I'm sorry for kissing you...' he trailed off, staring at the ceiling.
'I kinda did too... I'm sorry,' I whispered.
'Did you feel anything?' Dougie murmured.
I bit my lip and shook my head, feeling the dread of the lie in my throat, 'sorry.'
'Good. Me either,' Dougie said in relief. After a pause he rolled to face me.
'I've wanted that for so long. At the club I was so close to doing it. But no. Now it's done and it's just awkward,' he frowned.
'I know,' I whispered.
'Promise me something?'
'Anything Doug.'
'Don't breathe a word of this to anyone. Especially not Zac or Frankie. Please?'
'Of course,' I nodded quickly, 'I wouldn't anyway.'
Dougie nodded and smiled, 'thankyou.'
'Doug, can we just pretend this and the other things with me never happened?' I whispered.
'Of course we can. That kiss was just an experiment. Which is now a failed one. So there is no need to try again. But I want you to remember that I love you Luce, I always will,' Dougie murmured, rolling and draping an arm over me.
'I love you too Dougie,' I whispered, gently taking hold of his hand.
I didn't even hear Dougie leave the room. Nor did I feel him let go of my hand. But the tender moment before sleep was something I needed. I woke slowly to a darkened room, not by curtains or blinds, but by the dark grey sky outside and the rain lashing my window. The clock said it was nine in the morning, but outside it looked like five or six o'clock at night in winter. It took me a few seconds to realise that my phone was vibrating on the bedside table next to me and I picked it up.
'Hello?' I said sleepily, leaning back on the soft pillow, staring at the ceiling.
'Hey baby,' Zac's voice said happily and suddenly I was wide awake.
'Good morning,' I smiled to the roof.
'So, our school's flooded, so there's no school today. Dougie told me you guys were having a day in at Tom's?'
'Yeah. Wanna come over?'
'Sure. When?'
'I'll text you. Can you do something for me?' I asked, a thought suddenly springing into my sleepy mind.
'Sure, what?'
'Bring Nate along too if he's not busy?' I asked hopefully. Vanessa and I had been dying to see him again, and from what I could tell, so were the boys.
'Of course, I'll see what he's up too. I'll let you get up then,' he laughed. 'See ya later.'
'Bye,' I smiled, hanging up the phone. Maybe, some things did actually go right for me. There was a quiet knock on my door.
'Yeah?' I called. The door swung open and Dougie walked in, a tray of food balanced on one hand, blue and grey pyjama pants and a white t-shirt on.
'Morning Luce,' he smiled and moved inside, Frankie following behind in a brilliant, expensive looking robe.
'Guys you really didn't have to!' I exclaimed, sitting up again and pulling the blanket up over my thighs.
'You're our guest,' Frankie smiled, sitting on the side of my bed as Dougie put the tray on my lap. Pancakes and maple syrup, orange juice and a cup of tea.
'I remembered you liked this from tour last year,' Dougie laughed, sitting beside Frankie.
'Well, thankyou anyway,' I smiled, 'and Dougie?'
'Yeah?'
'Zac and Nate's school is flooded, so they're free today.'
'Excellent,' Dougie grinned, rubbing his hands together, 'we get the gang back together!' But suddenly, Dougie's face fell. 'You said Nate too?'
'Yeah, why?' I asked curiously.
'Him and Sophie...?'
'They'll be fine,' I replied with a smile and Dougie smiled too as I began to eat my breakfast, silent apart from the pouring rain.
'We'll leave when you finish. Don't worry about getting changed. We'll just be lazy,' Dougie smiled, leaving the room with Frankie.
I ate my breakfast, pausing only to answer the message from Zac, before running down the stairs to the living room. Frankie was kissing Dougie at the doorway as she shuffled down the path to Giovanna's waiting car, an umbrella covering her dark hair and beautiful outfit of tiny shorts and oversized singlet. Dougie waved her off then shut the door, leaving all the rain outside.
'Good morning,' he grinned, smiling at me brightly.
'You've already said that,' I smiled back.
'I know,' he shrugged. 'So are we gonna get going to Tom's? From what I've been told, that breakfast you ate is nothing compared to the feast that awaits us,' Dougie grinned.
'Alright, just let me get some shoes,' I smiled running up the stairs and back down with a pair of flipflops. Dougie smiled and opened the door, holding an umbrella for me. I ducked under it as he shut the door and together we skipped down the path in pyjamas to the gate. Dougie opened it and went through first, waiting for me to close it. As I went to close it, my jacket caught on a rose thorn and pulled me back. As I went to turn to free myself, I completely forgot the heavy gate was closing and that I still had my hand on the latch to close it.
The pointer finger on my right hand got slammed inside, crushing my finger into the latch. I began to scream in pain as Dougie fumbled to undo the latch and free my finger. But as soon as I felt the warm liquid mixing with the rain on my hand and down my wrist and the excruciating pain, everything turned black.
