Lead Me Through This Wonderland

Chapter 9

I woke up the next morning with a flutter in my heart, momentarily forgetting why until I snapped out my state of sleep and realized what was happening.

I had kissed Niall last night.

I remember getting home, completely high off giddiness. It felt almost like a dream. I went straight to bed and fell asleep smiling.

I got out my phone to check the time. I woke up at the perfect time; an hour before rehearsals.

I showered and got dressed, not really knowing what to wear to rehearsals. Leggings would do, I thought.

I put together my extremely comfortable outfit and head to the kitchen to see my room mates.

"Morning," I sing songed.

"Finally you're awake. About last night..." Lauren started, a troubled look on her face.

I put my hand up to stop her, smiling. "Laur, it's okay, really. We're grown adults. It's not a big deal." I giggled as Lauren sighed of relief.

"You're in an unusually good mood this morning.... Spill." Lauren read me like an open book, urging me to explain my unusual joy.

"I think I like Niall." I bit my lip, smiling.

"Oh, honey, I knew that before you did. The first day you guys actually spent together, you were already bickering like an old married couple." She laughed, pouring me a cup of coffee.

I told her about the kiss and she acted as if I told her we were getting married.

"I'm so happy for you," she exclaimed, her tone oozing with excitement. "My little baby is all grown up."

"Sometimes I wonder if you're my room mate or my mother."

I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before grabbing an apple and heading out, ready for our first day ever of rehearsals.

A fifteen minute drive later, I parked my car outside of our top secret rehearsing location. I walked in, the building's heat warming my shivering body.

"Zarra!" I saw Louis down the hallway, riding back and forth on a skateboard. "Down here!" I followed Louis down the hallway and walked into a large auditorium with seats surrounding a long stage.

"Cool, huh?" Louis asked, skateboarding towards me.

"Very cool." I smiled, following Louis who was now going backstage.

"We're going to be performing at places like this all over the world," Louis said happily.

"I can't wait!" I gushed, smiling back at Louis.

We finally walked into a small room, where crew members were adjusting headsets on each of the boys.

"Zarra!" Liam yelled as he saw me walk in, running over to me for a hug. Zayn followed, as well as Harry and Erica. Niall, on the other hand, stood there, continuing to adjust his small headpiece that was decorated by an Irish flag. All the boys looked at him in confusion, as he was usually always the first one to pull me into a bear hug like an excited child.

"Hey, Zarra." He muttered uninterested from the other side of the room, fingers tapping on his phone.

I was hurt, but I could play his game even better than him. "Hi," I said happily, turning back towards the other boys who were now talking about their cool new headpieces.

"Mine is so bland," complained Harry.

"What did you expect? You're a bland person." Erica pointed out, making us all laugh as Harry picked her up, throwing her over his broad shoulder as she shrieked and attempted to wiggle out of his tight grasp.