Camera Shy (Louis Tomlinson) Book 5

Chapter 23

Louis’ POV

“So what’s the plan for today” she asks excitedly, her feet swinging off the kitchen table where she was sitting. We had a day off today so I finally had the chance to take her someplace she’d actually like to go.

“Well I’ve got tonight worked out so it’s just a matter of filling…” I say glancing at my watch “5 hours”

“Ohh what’s going on tonight?” she asks, perking up slightly.

“You’ll have to wait and see” I tell her with a wink. She scrunches up her nose in a joke pout face.

“Well what are we going to do now then?” she asks.

“Well I thought we could walk around, maybe go to a few shops?” I suggest. She’d gotten better with the fans at the studio and I figure it was time to go a little further. To get her to a place where fans wouldn’t be behind a guardrail. Where she’d have to actually interact with people. She frowns slightly and I can tell she’d reached the same conclusion about going out.

“Won’t people recognize you?” she asks. I nod and her frown deepens. “I don’t know…” she begins to say uneasily.

“C’mon, it’ll be fun. I promise. You’ll be fine.” I assure her. She hesitates for a second before giving a small nod. I could tell she was still unsure about this whole thing. Even so, she follows me to the car and we drive to Westminster.

“Why does this place sound so familiar?” she asks, her brow furrowed in concentration.

“Uhhhhh” I say uncertainly. “The Buckingham Palace? The Westminster Abbey? The Cathedral?” I ask, grasping at what she might know.

“Oh yea! The Abbey! That’s where the royal wedding was right?” she asks, her face lighting up as she struck on it. She settles back in her seat, content she figured it out. A few seconds later she snickers quietly and I glance at her with a raised eyebrow, wondering what’s so funny. “It’s nothing,” she says with a shake of her head when she sees my look. “You just sounded so…British talking about palaces and abbeys. The only things we have back at home are barns and family owned stores.”

“Well I am British,” I jokingly remind her.

“No… really?” she says sarcastically, hopping out of the car as we finally find a parking place. She falls into step with me as we walk down the street. The road was lined with shops and I instinctually start heading towards the ones we normally go to. The second we step foot into the store we are noticed. I glance back, realizing we’ve picked up a tail as we walk around. Lauren pauses in front of a rack of jeans and I step up close behind her, shielding them from her view, not wanting to cause her to freak out quite yet. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea. I hear the whispers and Lauren must have heard them also. Her hand freezes over a hanger.

“How many of them are there?” she asks under her breath, only loud enough for me to hear. I throw a quick glance at the people over my shoulder.

“Five” I reply lowly. She starts chewing nervously on her lip, tensing up.

“Just relax,” I say quietly into her ear, rubbing her arm softly. “Deep breathes, everything’s fine. Just ignore them.”

 “Umm Louis?” a voice behind me inquires. My hand pauses on her arm as I turn to look at the girl behind me standing there with a camera. “Can I get a picture?” I glance back at Lauren who’s frozen solid, her eyes on the clothes, not looking at the fan.

“Sure” I say to her, letting my hand slip off Lauren’s arm as I turn around. It seems like that picture is what it takes to break the dam though. As soon as the fans realize I’m not brushing them off, a group starts forming around me. The next time I’m able to glance away from the cameras, I see Lauren at the back of the group.