"You're a rotten friend, did you know that?" Asked the voice on the other end of the phone, and even though I had heard it for a grand total of one day, I knew who it was.
"Danielle?" I asked, my eyes flying wide as I turned to look at the clock. It was 7 o'clock in the morning. The first day of Spring Break.
"Yes Lily, Danielle. I can't believe you let Liam take me out of that hospital. You weren't uncomfortable with just the rest of them there were you? I told them to just be nice and-"
"No, no it was fine. They all left after a while. Niall stayed the whole time though. He was perfectly…um, charming." I said, desperately searching for a word that wasn't 'attractive' or 'alluring'. Because you just don't say those kinds of things.
"Oh charming huh? Yes I suppose he can, on occasion be comforting company to keep. But anyways I called to say I'm sorry for not saying goodbye. We're in California right now. The boys have a concert. But, I also wanted to tell you that you should look up their interview from about a day ago. I think you'll find it quite interesting." She said, speaking rapidly. Or maybe it just sounded rapid because I was still blinking sleep from my eyes and fumbling with the coffee maker.
"Um…okay. I mean, I'm on spring break so I have the time now." I sighed, relieved. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had a good cup of coffee.
"Oh that's good! How're the boys though? Still adorable? Healthy? Growing?" She asked, and I could hear her moving around, and then there were voices in the background.
"Oh yeah. I'm just glad it's over. I hate when they're sick. They finished their medicine last week." I sighed, as I heard both of them starting to wake up. "Um, can you hold on for a second, I have to go get them out of their cribs."
"Yeah sure no problem. I want to speak with them anyways."
I didn't bother being confused. My life was weird. Famous people boy band member and their girlfriends befriended me and sat with me in a hospital. I just couldn't bring myself to be bewildered anymore. I just accepted it.
"Sure." I said, and set the phone down, walking back into their room. Riddle was standing in the crib, hands grabbing the bars as his legs barely stretched up and down so that he was bouncing. "Hello there early bird." I smiled, pulling him out of his crib and setting him on the ground. He crawled out the door immediately into the living room.
I turned to the other rib, where Ronan sat, shaking his blanket up and down.
"Ma. Joo." He said quickly as I set him on the ground as well.
"Okay. Go play. I'll get you something. Juice or milk?" I asked, looking him in the eyes, as if visual contact would help him understand me.
"Moo." He said, using the side of his crib to stand up and wobbling out the door. I followed him closely, always nervous with the hardwood floors.
"Close enough," I muttered, turning to the kitchen and grabbing the phone off the counter again as soon as I saw Ro seated on the carpet contently banging a car against the ground. "Hello?" I asked, opening the fridge and pulling out the milk, filling two cups since I knew once Riddle saw Ro with milk he'd want some as well.
"Yeah, are they up?" Danielle asked, her voice slightly muffled as I held the phone between my shoulder and ear, agilely pouring the liquid without any stray drops hitting the counter.
"Yep. Up and banging toys around in the living room. I swear it's like as soon as they're up, they're up."
"Awww, well let me speak to them" She demanded as I screwed the lids onto the bottles and walked into the room, watching their eyes light up instantly at the cups in my hands.
"I don't know if they'll say much other than joo, moo, and la but you can try." I said, laughing as I handed a bottle to each of them. They promptly plopped onto the ground and started sucking away, kicking at stray blocks with their feet. "Hey Ro, you want to talk to Danielle?" I asked, and he shook his head and rolled away from me, lying on his back and staring up at the fan. "Riddle?" I asked, and, as I knew he would, my much more outgoing son snatched the device from my hand and began babbling and spitting excitedly into the mouthpiece.
Yes, it seemed the drool had stuck around. Wonderful.
I could hear Danielle's patient responses on the other end but knew she would soon be growing tired of the nonwords.
"Okay Riddle, give the phone back to mommy." I said, holding my hand out.
"No!" He shouted loudly, falling onto his back.
"Riddle, don't tell mommy no. Phone. Now, please." I said, my face dropping it's smile and sliding into the stern mother look I had perfected over the last few months.
He dropped it near my hand before resuming his play with the bright blocks scattered all over the room. I'd given up trying to keep the place clean ages ago.
"Danielle," I said, more of a question than anything else.
"Yeah still here. He's a little trouble-maker isn't he?" She asked, and I could hear a smile on the edge of her tone.
"Oh yes. He likes to talk back already. Ro's just a sweet-heart though. Shy, but he always listens."
"Well, it's a shame I didn't get to fully appreciate their personalities when I met you. You're on spring break now aren't you? More free time?" She asked.
"Yeah. I'll actually be able to catch up on my studying now and have some time to lie around and do nothing. For once. It'll be weird."
"Well, I don't know about nothing. I've been trying to convince Liam to let me stop by on our way back to England for a few days. I have to become better acquainted with you before we become long distance friends." She said, and it would be a lie to say I wasn't shocked.
Were all Europeans so spontaneous? Or was it just her?
"Of course Liam wants to come with me and so then naturally the boys will want to come too. I told them they weren't allowed to visit you though, unless you asked them over, which I don't at all expect you too-"
"No, no that's fine. I haven't had company in…well, ever. When would you get in?" I asked, moving to look at my calendar. Like I was actually going to have anything planned.
"Probably Tuesday evening, before supper."
"Well, if you're up to it, you could just come here to eat." I shrugged, looking around my rather small apartment. Not exactly fit for entertaining guests but… "I mean you'll be feasting on cheap spaghetti and kool-aid but it's edible. Mostly." I joked.
"Are you sure? I don't want to impose."
"It's the least I can do. After you all came to the hospital for a stranger. And besides, it's not every day I have the pleasure of inviting a famous boy band into my house."
"Well, when you put it that way, how could I refuse?" She laughed. "I'll call you before we leave Monday night, and then when we land on Tuesday. I'll need your address again anyways."
"Of course. I'll talk to you then." I said. There was a crash from the living room. "Riddle? Ro?" I called out.
"Joo!" Riddle's voice rang out. Well, that was a different inflection than usual.
"Danielle I have to go, I'm sorry. Bye!" I shouted, and hung up quickly, rushing into the living room to find milk spilled all over the carpet.
"Riddle!" I shouted, recognizing the colour of the cup. "Did you do this?" I asked, standing him up and pointing at the mess. His clothes were wet.
His lip trembled.
"Okay. No more milk in the living room. You have to drink it in the kitchen from now on." I sighed, picking him up and carrying him into the bathroom. I filled the tub, rushing back to the living room to throw a towel down on the rug. It was going to have to be washed or it'd smell like spoiled milk.
"Riddle," I asked carefully, having taken Ro to his high chair with his glass. "Did you do that by accident?" I asked, helping him pull his clothes off. "Huh?"
"Ma ma. Joo. Joo." He cried loudly. Well, not cried. There were no tears. He was just whining.
"You can have more milk after your bath." I said, placing him in the shallow water and quickly running a cloth over his stomach before pouring a small stream of water over his head. He squirmed away from the washcloth.
"Riddle, stop." I said, holding him steady by the shoulder. "Just let me wash you and then you can have more milk, okay?" I asked, and he stilled, sitting and splashing in the water as I quickly cleaned him.
I pulled up the drain, listening as water began to swirl away and I pulled him out, wrapping him in a towel and picking him up, carrying him to the room.
"You can pick out your clothes for today, okay? I'm going to get Ro." I said, walking back to the kitchen were Ronan was seated quietly, a drop of milk dangling from his chin. "Ready to get dressed bud?" I asked, lifting him high before settling him on my hip.
"Ma ma."
"Yes I know your brother just causes all kinds of trouble doesn't he?" I asked kindly, remembering to smile. There really was no use crying over spilled milk. I reentered the room to find Riddle surrounded by shirts.
"Are we doing the no pants dance today?" I asked, setting Ronan down and making quick work of putting a diaper on Riddle. "I think that's a good idea. Who needs pants anyways?"
When they had finally settled in front of the TV with washable crayons, colouring books and Telly-Tubbies, I decided that now was as good a time as ever to look up this interview.
Except when I typed in one direction and the yesterday's date, what came up instead was a…twitcam video? Twit cam. I thought, rolling my eyes and clicking it anyways. The things kids think up these days.
I watched, eyebrows pulled together in complete bafflement as Niall and…Liam—yes Liam, it's not that hard to remember—appeared on the screen. I suppose I was meant to be paying attention to what they were saying but I could only focus on Niall. The way his lips moved, floating over words in a way I couldn't help but find beautiful.
Good job. You are officially pathetic. Congratulations Lily, you are one of the 5 million girls to think Niall is attractive. Would you like a medal? I thought to myself, forcing myself to snap out of it.
"Danielle wants me to say hi and apparently wants me to say I love her." Liam suddenly said, glancing down at his phone before leaning close towards the camera. "Weirdo, weirdo, curly-haired weirdo." He said, shaking his head.
"Danielle….smells." Niall added helpfully. "And that rhymed."
"Oh no wait, now here is the real important part, Danielle also wants me to say hello to Lily. Hi Lily!" Liam shouted, looking up from his phone to smile. "And…Hi Riddle and Ronan!" He continued. Niall was staring over his shoulder at the screen of the phone. He suddenly glanced back at the camera like he'd only just realized it was there.
"Oh, I want to say hello as well. Hello Lily! Tell the boys I said hello, and I hope they're feelin' better. Oh, and remember what I said about Danielle being determined. Don't doubt that woman." He warned, waving a finger at the camera. "Also-"
"All right Niall enough! Why don't you just go…pick up a phone and, and dial her number and tell her all about your life and then have her babies!" Liam exaggerated, throwing his arms wildly to somewhere off-screen. Niall's face scrunched in confusion and amusement.
"How would I have her babies?"
"Shh." Liam hushed him quickly. And that was where I needed to turn off the video.
Because Liam and Niall, two of the most loved British boys probably in the world were sitting there, on a video that had been viewed thousands of times, talking about me. Me, and my little make-shift family. It was…surreal, to be honest. Like something from a dream.
A strange ass dream, but a dream nonetheless.
"Well boys," I said, looking over at Ronan and Riddle. "It looks like you have some fans."
Only a day later I would find a magazine with Niall and Liam's face on the cover. A screen-shot from their twitcam with the large print on the cover, "Who is Niall's mystery flower?"
Really, it wasn't very clever at all. Lily. A flower. Ha. Ha.
I bought it anyways. And after I'd read the article speculating about who I might be and who exactly, "the boys" were, I slipped it safely into a box underneath my bed, where I kept all things I couldn't bring myself to throw away, but was too embarrassed to leave lying around.