Dancing in One Direction

Dancing in One Direction - Part 2

Part 2

'Come on eat up! We have some celebrating to do!'

I laugh, putting yet another spoonful of mint chocolate ice cream in my mouth. I watch as Laura shovels ice cream into her own mouth, amounting in her fourth brain freeze.

'You honestly think you'd learn.' I laugh shaking my head, watching some kids sitting in a nearby booth with their Dad, giddy from getting a late night ice cream treat, even though the big retro clock behind them says its only half past eight.

I look around at the small ice cream shop that has almost become a home for me. Ever since things got bad at home, I would always come here. It was a safe place for me. It still is, and their American diner retro décor always cheers me up.

'Well the ice cream is just adding to my already amazing mood. And its not often I get to enjoy ice cream with someone who's going to be dancing on tv in front of millions of people.' She punches my shoulder playfully across the table. 'Your practically famous.'

I roll my eyes. 'First, I'm not famous. I'm just dancing in the background with about 10 other dancers while some idiot who thinks their amazing, sings their little heart out.'

I pause Janice comes over with a tray holding our milkshakes. I watch as she hands us over our usual with her regular friendly, familiar smile, before heading back to the till as the bell above the door rings, announcing her new customers.

'Yeah but its the X Factor! Its an internationally known tv show! Just face it your famous.' Laura continues, sipping from her straw. 'I just hope you don't forget about little old me when your rubbing shoulders with Cheryl Cole and the like..'

'Oh please, we both know you'll probably see more of her than I will. Aren't you the one that'll be doing her make up?'.

Laura is one of my best friends and I wasn't the only one trying to get a job working on site at the X Factor. She tried out to be the trainee assistant make up artist for the show, and of course she got it. It's her dream job and she's got some serious talent when it comes to applying the right amount of eye shadow, and knowing what colours match your skin tone. She practices on me when she can, but you can tell the way she puts her own make up on that she spends a long time making her naturally tan skin even darker, going well with her dark, super straight hair.

I can tell she is trying to down play her excitement by commenting on my success of aceing my audition, but we're both just as excited as each other to be able to work together everyday. Well, not exactly together, but it wont be awkward, having no one to talk to backstage during the lunch break or whatever.

'Yeah okay so your right, but what if I like mess it up. I'm so scared of making some look like a clown.'

'Well don't worry about that. Louis Walsh is already half way there. Someone just needs to give him some really big shoes and a red nose, and I swear he could join the circus.'

Laura coughs and splutters her ice cream as we both laugh at the thought, when I feel a tap on my shoulder and Laura sobers up, staring at the person behind me with wide eyes.

I turn to find a tall boy of the same age, looking down at me.

'You mind if we borrow your ketchup?'

I take in his confident stance, and stylish choice of clothing. His mouth is turned up at the side in a quirky, off-balanced way, and its as though he's sharing a funny, personal joke with the rest of the world. He watches me almost intensely, in a way that should make me feel uncomfortable, but strangely doesn't, and I notice the 'we' he talks about is the group of boys behind him, sitting in a nearby booth, celebrating while all trying to discretely look in our direction.

His dark brown eyes pour into mine and I find it hard to look away as I reach for the red bottle beside me. When I turn back to hand it to him, I find his eyes still haven't left mine.

'Don't you think the ketchup excuse is a little cliché?' I say handing him the red bottle, noticing how big his hands are.

'Excuse me?'

'You should probably find a better pick up line.'

He looks at me curiously for a minute, before dropping his innocent misunderstood look.

'That obvious huh?'

'Yeah well that and the fact that all your friends over there are taking it in turns to subtly look this way.' I nod to the group in question behind him. 'So I'm guessing they have a bet to see if you'll strike out or not, am I right?'

'Wow. Your good. Soo,' he says, swinging a chair sitting nearby, to the edge of our table, before casually taking a seat, 'will I be striking out then? Or will you give me your number so I can call you sometime?'.

I sigh in disappointment and I see Laura cringe as she recognises his mistake. He was so close.

'Sorry but no.' I say taking a sip of my milkshake. Its a pity, I say to myself, he really isn't bad on the eyes. In fact the more I look at him the more I like what I see, which makes it more disappointing.

'What?' his deep voice goes a few octaves higher with surprise.

'I said no thanks.'

'Why not?'

I turn to look into his deep brown eyes.

'Because you made the mistake of asking for my number. Everyone knows that you have to give a girl your number, therefore giving her the power to call you when she wishes, and not putting her through the trauma of wondering when you'll call.' I look back at my milkshake. 'Besides for all I know you won't even bother calling me, you'll probably just get my number to prove to your friends I was actually interested. Which unfortunately isn't an option any more.'

There is a moments silence as he takes everything I just said in.

'So basically your saying you like me enough that you would go out with me, but based on one question I happened to ask, you're judging me as someone different than I actually am?' he says.

'I'm not judging you, I'm judging your potential character. And why do you think I wanted to go out with you? I don't even know your name never mind the type of person you are.'

'Yeah well you seemed to have already created a personality for me within a seemingly short conversation. And you said that it was unfortunate that it wasn't an option for us anymore--'

'I meant unfortunate for you, not me.'

He pauses, looking at me with an amused expression.

'You're definitely something.' His quirky up raised mouth grows into a wide cheeky smile.

He surprises me. I was ready for another come back about my obvious lie, but he abruptly ends the conversation, almost starting his own. I don't know if I'm impressed by the way he does this so effortlessly, or annoyed.

I say nothing, trying to decipher the meaning of his words, when his friends walk up behind him.

'Hey we're leaving.' A tall tan boy with dark hair says, slapping him on the back heading to the door with his three other friends.

He stands up putting his black leather jacket on in advance to protect him from the bitter cold outside.

'By the way,' he looks at me with his signature smirk, 'You said you didn't even know my name. It's Harry.'

And he walked out the door with the others, his cute brown curls bouncing along with him...