I got a text in the break before One Direction and it may have been because I wrote my number on one of the subway napkins hoping it was Luke that found it.
"Hey, I’m Ashton. Luke thinks you’re really cute. Add me on snapchat?" I read to Ellie.
"Holy mother fucking god, do it now you moron!" She squealed excitedly and we sent some pictures to Ashton before One Direction came on.
It was the best concert I’d ever been to, and even a couple of the boys noticed Ellie and I in the same way Luke had, but that might have been because we’d sent some really stupid pictures to Ashton.
It was an incredible show, and I could only presume the night was going to get a hundred times better when the security guard came back to fetch us.
When show ended Ellie had tears streaming down her face - she was so happy and excited and sad that it was over but buzzing to go meet the band.
Most of the arena had cleared by the time security guard Henry came back to fetch us. I asked him if he went on the tour with the boys or whether he worked at the stadium and he told us all about how he was part of the travelling security time. He was assigned to 5 Seconds of Summer and Luke had been out the back on a skateboard when he noticed me, scrawled a subway order to surprise his friends as an excuse to talk to me.
Ellie squealed excitedly. I just blushed.
"This is the conference room." Henry told us. "There’s food and everyone’s in there."
"Do you have to stick around to escort us out before the evening show?" I asked.
"No, I think Mr Hemmings has some ideas of his own." Henry smirked, walking back down the hall and leaving us in front of this conference room door. Ellie grabbed my arm.
"You’ve totally hit it off with Luke."
"I so haven’t, we talked for a minute."
"Y/N! Just roll with it!"
"He owes me money."
"Get him to buy you a t-shirt then."
"I fully intend to."
"Shall we go in?"
"You first." I stuttered.
"Are you nervous?"
"Yes."
"Okay." Ellie laughed, taking my hand and opening the door. As soon as we were inside 9 heads turned towards us and Ashton laughed.
"You’re the best at snapchat." He giggled. I blushed furiously.
Luke looked so confused. “How the hell did he get your snapchat?”
"Oh yeah, dude, she left her number on one of the napkins - it was probably for you." I blushed even further and turned around with intent to leave. Ellie grabbed me and pulled me back.
"I’m Ellie, this is Y/N, it’s really cool to meet you all." She (somehow) kept her composure whilst I don’t think I could form a sentence.
"It’s honour to meet two such beautiful ladies." Niall smiled; his thick Irish accent somehow five hundred times more attractive when he was calling you beautiful.
"Hate to say it, but I’m afraid we’ve got an interview in our dressing room lads. It was nice to meet you ladies." Louis smiled at us, all five boys giving us both a hug.
"Be good to Luke, Y/N!" Harry called cheekily as he shut the door behind them.
"Come on in girls, have you eaten? We have loads of left over subway." Calum raised an eyebrow at Luke and Ellie was straight in nibbling on the left over food. I hadn’t eaten yet but I was too busy freaking out about Luke to really concentrate. I risked a glance at him and he was blushing as deeply as I was.
"If you aren’t going to take her somewhere and talk about how much you’re both blushing I will flirt with her, Luke." Ashton promised, slinging his arm over his shoulder but Luke immediately shrugged him off.
"Y/N, can we talk?" Luke asked, looking at me with puppy dog eyes. I nodded furiously and he headed towards the door, I followed him.
"I don’t know you, at all, Luke."
"I know, I probably didn’t need to create the whole subway lie or give you better seats or anything, but I’ve never felt this much for someone just from looking at them." He admitted sheepishly. We were barely even away from the conference room. “Like, not even just how gorgeous you are, I mean I like the way you have a ridge at the top of your nose and your freckles are so cute.”
I tucked my hair behind my ear nervously. “I mean, this is weird right? Because I know your band and I know who you are and I know stuff about you but you don’t know anything about me.”
"I could find out."
"We live in different countries, I’m still in school, there’s so many things in the way." I mumbled.
"Can we at least try being friends? I had no idea Ashton had found your number, I’m sorry for everything inappropriate he probably said."
"No he was fine. Do you really feel that strongly about me?" I asked. He sighed, looked about him and smirked a little.
"Want to try something that’s kind of not allowed?" He asked.
"What?"
He just smirked more, grabbing my hand and running down the maze of corridors to what I recognised was backstage. He grabbed an acoustic guitar and took me to the stage.
"Wow." I gasped. "I never thought I’d be on a stage like this."
"Are you a performer?" He asked, setting up with acoustic and a microphone.
"I’d love to be."
"Do you study drama and music?"
"No; chemistry, biology, maths and psychology."
"Why the hell would you do that?" Luke seemed repulsed, but in a jokey way.
"More certain career, I wanted to be a behavioural psychologist therapist kind of person."
"One - I spy a past tense there and two - what’s the story?"
"What story?"
"I can see it in your eyes - you want to help people in the way you couldn’t help someone close to you."
"My brother, committed suicide six months ago."
"I’m so sorry."
"It’s fine." I was still in awe of the stage.
"What’s changed your mind?"
"Being here right now." I wouldn’t look at him yet, but I could see him setting up a second microphone.
"Do you know Wherever You Are?" He asked, taking my hand and pulling me to the mic, standing opposite me in front of his own. I nodded. He began to play and the haunting music filled the empty arena. "Join in whenever you fancy it." He winked, talking over the introduction.
In an empty stadium, just him and me, his voice echoing around the spectacular building and I really saw him. I didn’t see the seventeen year old in a band, I saw a vulnerable boy with an incredible talent and an indescribable passion for music. I noticed the little things he said he saw in me – I noticed a fading pink scar just under his chin where he’d cut himself shaving and the way he closed his eyes to really concentrate on the music.
And I saw the way his eyes snapped up at me when I started singing in harmony with him. I tried to sing as best I could, hitting all the right notes and decorating it a little to show off but the smile that broke out on his face as we drew the song to a conclusion lit up the whole room.
He played the final chord of the song and kept his eyes locked on mine, his goofy smile yet to diminish.
“Do you want to go on a date with me tonight?”
I bit my lip nervous-excitedly. “Yeah, I’d love to.”
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*creds to tumblr*
Luke Hemmings
Start from the beginning
