All I Ever Wanted (Larry Stylinson)

Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Neither of my acts had to leave the competition the third week of the live shows. I was relieved by this, not only because I didn't want to lose them but also because none of them would have deserved it.

It was a girl in Perrie's category who had to leave. It wasn't the one who had shown her support for me and Harry, Aaliyah, but a blonde girl I was pretty sure was from Newcastle. She may not have had the best confidence on stage, but her voice was great, so it was a shame that she had to leave. However, one act would have to go every week, no matter how sad it was, and there could only be one winner in the end.

After that, the days went by, and we continued working with our acts for the next live show. I realized that it all started falling into a pattern. We went to work on Tuesday to agree on a song for every act, then worked on the performance for the rest of the week until it was time for the live show on Saturday, and then we were free Sunday and Monday only for it all to repeat itself.

I didn't know what to think of it. I liked having routines, but I usually got bored when things were repeated for a long time. We had now spent three weeks doing the same thing, and I couldn't help but feel as though I wanted something to happen, something that would break the pattern that had occurred.

But maybe I shouldn't be complaining. Being a judge on The X Factor was the best job I had ever had, except being in One Direction. I knew that if I'd had an ordinary career, I would probably think this was heaven in comparison because routines were usually involved in regular jobs. Of course, it depended on what job you had, but I was pretty sure most of them didn't include getting to travel the country and being on vacation in Ibiza.

These thoughts circled my head as I drove to work on Friday, a week after our get-together at Liam's place. There wasn't much traffic today, and maybe that was because it was almost ten in the morning; most people were at work or school already. Therefore, the ride didn't take too long, so I soon entered the arena.

Everyone except Nick was there when I stepped into the lounge room, Harry sitting on the couch I was pretty sure he had spent most of the morning sprawled out on. I had realized he usually arrived early nowadays just to relax before we started working with our acts. The reason I was aware of this was because I had joined him on Wednesday. I mainly did because I was curious to see if he would be there, but I couldn't say I minded that I got to spend a whole hour with him before everyone else arrived.

I had wanted to join him yesterday and today as well, but I figured two days in a row was a bit too much, and today I had managed to sleep past my alarm. I was disappointed in myself, but regardless, I felt as though we had grown even closer this week, and it wasn't only because of the morning I had joined him. I no longer felt as hesitant around him since he hadn't once shown any sign of discomfort or told me I was doing anything wrong. It was a huge relief, and it made me feel more comfortable and less uptight.

Thanks to this, I didn't hesitate to sit beside him on the couch instead of taking the seat next to Perrie. She sent me a pout when she noticed, but it was replaced by a knowing smile the next second.

Rolling my eyes, I turned to Harry, who was typing away on his phone, his forearms resting on the smooth material of his black joggers and his brown curls framing his face. It didn't take longer than five seconds until he put the device away and turned to meet my eyes, his lips curling into a smile. "Morning, Lou."

For some reason, this move made butterflies erupt in my stomach, and I couldn't help but form a smile of my own. "Good morning, Harold," I replied, my eyes trailing to the pocket he had just slipped his phone into. "Who's the lucky person you're texting?"