Imagine 1D: A Collection

Louis #3

Your family is visiting Great Wolf Lodge over spring break. You're in the Northern Lights Arcade with your cousins. They've all won plenty of tickets, but you still don't have any. "Try the skee ball; it's easy," your cousin Cody suggests. You shrug and head over to the skee ball machine. That's when you notice someone out of the corner of your eye. He's talking on the phone. He's wearing a hood and his back is to you. You can't see his face, but. . . you'd recognize that voice anywhere! Could it be. . ?!

You dash back around the corner and grab Cody by the shoulders. "LOUIS TOMLINSON IS RIGHT HERE IN THIS ROOM!!" you blurt out, shaking him back and forth.

"O-o-ka-ay," mumbles Cody. "Stop shaking me and say it again."

You let go of him and try to whisper this time, "Louis Tomlinson is right around the corner!" You point to show Cody. "I saw him!"

He gives you a skeptical look. "How do you know it's Louis Tomlinson?"

You glare back at him. "I heard his voice! I'd recognize his voice anywhere!!"

"Okay," says Cody again. He pauses. "Well . . aren't you going to go talk to him?"

"No!" you blurt. "He's on the phone right now. And besides - "

"Besides what?" Cody presses. "You've been wanting to meet him for years, and here's a chance. You might never get it again."

"I know, but. . .I don't want to seem like I'm coming on too strong, you know," you say nervously. Cody rolls his eyes. "I think I'd better wait."

As you're saying these last few words, Cody looks behind you and gives a short, abrupt laugh. You instantly turn around and Louis is standing there. You breath catches in your throat and your heart starts to pound. He kneels down in front of you so he is at your eye level and takes his hood off. You look up into his beautiful turquoise eyes. His wisps of brown hair are in no distinct pattern, and it's perfect like that. "Hello, love," he says to you in his lovely British accent.

"Huh-hi," you whisper, giving him a smile that you hoped seemed as charming as his. You're not sure whether to be polite and call him Mr. Tomlinson or whether he'll just let you call him Louis, so you just say "Hi" again.

He chuckles, then asks, "What's your name?"

"Um," you say, and he chuckles again. "(Y/N/N)."

"It's really (Y/N)," Cody blurts from behind you.

"Shhh," you hiss at him under your breath.

"(Y/N)," Louis murmurs thoughtfully. Then he gasps. "You don't happen to be the same (Y/N) that followed me on Instagram a few weeks ago, do you?"

Your heart jumps into your throat. "Yeah!" you blurt, surprised. "Wait," you say, in a quieter voice, "you--you saw that?"

"I did," he says. "You unfollowed me later, though." His smile fades slightly and he tilts his head to one side.

"Well--you--I--" Flustered again, you take a deep breath and start over. "I decided to wait two weeks for you to add me back. And you never did! I, uh, thought you hadn't noticed me," you finish.

"I had, I had! It's just that--I've been really busy lately, working on songwriting and other such things," he says. "If you follow me again, I'll add you back as soon as I notice." He holds up his pinky finger. "Pinky promise."

You smile at him. "Okay," you say, holding out your own pinky and wrapping it around his bigger one. He chuckles softly, then quickly pulls you in for a hug. You giggle and squeeze him tight.

"Hey (Y/N)," says Cody. You pull away from Louis and turn around to face him. Cody shows you a text from Aunt Rachel. "The adults want us to meet them upstairs. Matt and Shane already went."

"Can we cash in our tickets first?"

"Yeah; they said ten more minutes."

"Oh, I just remembered," says Louis. You startle; you forgot he was still there. Louis digs into his coat pocket and pulls out a huge bundle of tickets. "I won't be needing these," he says. "Would you like them?"

"Thank you," you say, surprised. You take them and head for the counter.

"You don't mind if I come with you, do you?" Louis asks, following you. "I'd like to meet your family."

"You would??" you say, staring at him.

He smiles. "Sure."

"Really?"

He laughs at you. "Yes, really. I've got nothing better to do, anyway."

"Wow, okay!" you say, trying to breathe normally.

After you and Cody have cashed in all your tickets and claimed your prizes, Louis follows you upstairs to the lounge where you were told to meet. Your mom and your Aunt Rachel recognize Louis immediately. "My daughter talks about you all the time," your mom tells Louis. Louis glances at you over his shoulder and giggles. You blush and look at the floor.

You all walk over to the ice cream parlor on the second floor. Louis offers to buy ice cream for everyone. "Buy me a Gucci wristwatch while you're at it," quips Matt. Shane cracks up. You frown at them both, but Louis laughs and play along. "If only they sold those here. . ." Good old Tommo.

After finishing your ice cream, you all continue to stroll around the lodge. You move to walk beside Louis and reach for his hand. He smiles down at you and envelops your small hand in his bigger one. He swings your arm gently back and forth, and you blissfully trot alongside him.

Louis spends the whole day with you and your family. Back in the lounge after dinner that night, you're sitting beside him on the couch. He has his earbuds in, and he turns and beckons for you to get closer. You do, and he shows you his screen. You smile when you notice he's got Made In the A.M. from iTunes. He takes one earbud out and puts it in your ear so you can both listen together. You sing along to "Hey Angel" and "Drag Me Down." Then you look up at Louis and ask, "Can you play track 12?"

He smiles and clicks on "I Want to Write You a Song." As the soft guitar notes begin, you close your eyes and soak up the sound. When you hear Louis' raspy solo, the emotion strikes you like a hammer. A tear slides down your face. Louis notices this and wraps his arm around you. You lay your head on his chest, sobbing quietly as he gently rubs your back.

"Do you love that song?" he asks you, after it ends.

You nod. "Do you mind if I ask: why does your voice sound like that in that song?"

He chuckles. "Oh, that," he says. "So - you know how the album is called Made in the A.M.? Well, this song was just that - made in the A.M. That's why my voice came out so raspy during my solo."

"It's beautiful," you say. "I feel as if the song was written especially for me."

He brushes a tear off your face and whispers, "It was."

You gape at him, eyes wide.

"We wrote that song because we believed there were girls like you in the world," he says, looking deep into your eyes. "And now, I know there are."

At this, you are overcome with emotion all over again. You wraps your arms around him and kiss his cheek. "I love you, Louis Tomlinson."

He kisses you back. "I love you too, (Y/N) (Y/L/N)."