Chloe's POV: Everywhere I turn, I see young teenage girls screaming out Why Don't We songs or showing off their latest purchase from the merch stand. Maya and I have been waiting in line for about half an hour to get our meet and greet photo, and it hasn't moved at all. I lean up against the brick wall and pull out my phone, using it as a mirror to check my makeup.
"You look great, Chloe," Maya laughs lightly. "I'm sure Zach will say the same," she smirks.
"Mhmmm," I say absentmindedly as I run my fingers through my hair. I actually wasn't thinking of Zach this time.
My friendship with Zach isn't what it used to be. I can tell that he misses how close we used to be, our unofficial "friends with benefits" status. I cringe a little inside even thinking those words. And I miss him too, but I'm just not ready yet. I'm scared. Terrified that he's going to turn against me again. I don't think my fragile heart could handle it. So we're friends. I think. For now. It's a drastic change from how we used to be.
The line forward to inside the venue and I hear the girls in front of us chattering away about the boys.
"They're right there!" one yells excitedly and points.
"Zach's my favorite," another says dreamily.
"Stay in your lane!" a third one laughs and nudges her. Lane? What's a lane? I frown thoughtfully and think to myself. I tap one of the girls on her shoulder and she turns around, smiling a mouth full of braces at me.
"Excuse me..... what's a lane?" I ask politely and they all start to chuckle.
"A lane is which guy you like the most in the band!" the one wearing an Invitation tour hoodie answers eagerly.
I nod my head. "Oh....that makes sense. Thanks"
"Who's lane are you in?" the youngest one asks curiously. I laugh a little to myself.
"I'm in Corbyn's lane," I hear Maya answer as if from a distance.
If you asked me this question earlier, I would have said Zach for sure. But now.... I'm not so sure. To be honest I don't think that I have a lane right now.
"I- I don't have a lane," I laugh a little nervously and they look at me, amused.
"C'mon! There's got to be one guy that holds a special place in your heart," one of them giggles.
"Jack Avery," I say with confidence and picture my best friend's face. Maya kinda looks at me, surprised, and then I realized I actually answered the question. "I mean-" I splutter. "Zach's great too," I say halfheartedly.
I shake my head. "No, no lane for me." This question is too confusing. They shrug a little and start talking our ears off about how excited they are for the show.
We're so close now, only seperated by a thin curtain. I can hear the boys from where we are. Another group goes in to meet them and I hear their squeals of excitement and the boys' laughter. It sounds like Jonah is holding one and comforting her as she cries of joy. Awww. How cute. I smile to myself. I wouldn't turn away a Jonah hug right now.
I hear Daniel talking to a little girl and I imagine him squatting down to see her eye level. "You're so adorable," I hear him say. "Come here," I picture him reaching out his arms and picking her up for the photo.
"3....2.....1!" The lights flash and we move up in line. Only two groups away.
Corbyn makes small talk with a fan and I hear them laugh together. I really do love the sound of his laughter. It's contagious.
"Come here for the photo!" I hear Jack yell, and I'm assuming it's at Zach. Meet and Greet photos are always an excuse for them to act goofy together.
One of the girls in front of us peeks behind the curtain and laughs. "Ohmygosh! That's a Jachary moment for sure," she giggles and I know that the boys overhead that based off of their sudden peals of laughter.
"I loveeee you, Jack," I hear Zach say over exaggeratedly.
I loveeeee you more, Zach," Jack says loudly, just for the fans. The girls scream with excitement, and I can only imagine the cute but silly pose those goofs are doing now.
The girls we talked to earlier are freaking out. It's their turn to go in. I smile encouragingly at them. "Have fun!"
They waves goodbye at us anxiously and head in. We're at the front of the line now.
"Hey there cutie!" I hear Zach say, causing my cheeks to go slightly red. He's not talking to me. Zach's always super sweet to fans, making the moment special for them. He really is charming.
I steal a look behind the curtain and see Zach interlock their fingers, talking patiently with her as she struggles to remain calm. Jack wraps his arm around another fan and kisses the top of her head for the photo.
It's a perfect moment, captured into a picture forever. The fans look so happy, and the boys' faces glow from excitement. But the spell is broken, and it's suddenly our turn.
I nervously walk towards them with Maya, and I see Corbyn's face light up when he sees who I'm with. All of the boys grin at us.
"Chloe! You made it!" Jack laughs as he pulls me into a tight hug. I smile into his shoulder and chuckle.
"Wouldn't miss it for anything." He holds me a beat longer than I was expecting and I stay in his arms.
"Wow." I spin around and blush, now face to face with Zach. "You look gorgeous," he says, and gestures at me, smiling bashfully.
"You don't look too bad yourself," I flirt, cautiously, before I'm wrapped up inside his arms. I rest my head on his shoulder and enjoy the comfort of his embrace. It feels right.
Jonah taps me on the shoulder and I separate from Zach, launching myself into Jonah's arms. He laughs and hugs me fiercely. A Jonah hug is exactly what I needed right now.
Corbyn twirls me around to face him and he hugs me. "I've missed you," he says sweetly.
Daniel pulls me away from Corbyn and grabs me in his arms, squeezing me tight. "My turn," he says, and my feet lift off of the ground a little.
"Alright photo time!" I hear someone call out loudly. Wait, wait wait.......! I dash back over to Jack and he intertwines our fingers together and leans his head on my shoulder. Not wanting to be left out, Zach wraps one arm around my waist and softly kisses my cheek. My cheeks turn rosy and I smile for the picture. Maya's with Corbyn and he's got her wrapped in his arms while he kisses the top of her head.
The camera flashes and the moment is over.
"Wait!" Jack's still got my hand. "Where should I be looking for you in the crowd?"
"Front and center," I tease.
Zach chimes in. "Go to the balcony. There's a great view from there."
I smile. "Okay, that's where I'll be."
"Maybe we can do something tonight after the show....?" Zach says hopefully. As in friends? Or like a date? I'm unclear what he means, so I laugh a little, nervously.
"We'll see, you're gonna be exhausted!" I give him a final hug. "Good luck boys! I'm so excited." Maya and I wave goodbye and are ushered to the other side. We make our way up to the balcony, pushing through the crowd of girls to get to the staircase. It's practically empty, not filled yet, and I run over to the side and grin. We're to the side of the stage, where you can see everything.
"Look!" I point down at the stage. "They're going to be performing right there in a little bit." I look out at the crowd. The venue is filling up, and the energy level is crazy.
"Wow," Maya excitedly. "Lots of limelights." More girls start to make their way up to the balcony, and we stay at the edge to protect our spot. We chat with some of the other fans, but no one knows our secret connection with the boys. It's better that way.
After a while, the lights start to dim and Eben comes out on the stage. I've met him a few times, but I'd love to be better friends with him. Maya and I scream and dance along as he performs, and the crowd goes absolutely wild.
"I'd rather cry in a Lambo......." I sing along loudly with a big grin across my face as we dance. His set is short, and before we know it, it's time for the boys to come out. The crowd is going nuts, there's so much screaming and crying.
The stage goes dark and Air of the Night starts to play. One of my favorite dance songs. I've never seen them perform live before, and I'm thrilled to be here tonight. The stage slowly lights up as each boy sings their part, and the mob of fans scream in excitement. Zach turns around to face the crowd as he sings the chorus, and I see his eyes flicker up to us standing in the balcony.
"If you feel it if you wanna dance you gotta SMOOTH STEP!" I scream along as the boys start to dance their signature move, having so much fun on the stage. The song comes to an end and I turn to Maya, laughing.
"They're so good!" And I mean it. Each boy has this air of confidence and assurance when they're on the stage, like it's where they're meant to be. The concert continues and I'm having the time of my life watching my favorite boys perform.
"You have my focus, I can't control it......." Jack's eyes meet mine and he gestures up at me standing in the balcony. The girls around us go crazy.
"He's looking at me!" one shouts.
"No, that was for me!" another fan screams.
He points clearly at me and winks as his line trails off, and the fans scream.
"What is he doing?" I say to Maya as I shake my head and laugh, blushing hard.
"Who are you?" someone yells.
"Do you know him?" a girl shouts jealously.
I block them out and think about his lyric. You have my focus, I can't control it. Ever since I met him, I've known this was true. I smile down and give him a little wave as the song continues, and his eyes light up. The music continues and I try to tune out all the questioning girls and just have a good time. All of the songs seem to blend together.
The stage is cleared for a second, and they come back wearing tuxedos. Not going to lie, they all look very good.
"Alright, alright," Zach says lowly into his microphone, fighting to be heard against the screams. "This next song is for someone very special." Jack looks at Zach, a little startled. They stand in a circle with their heads down and then the stage lights up.
"Take the time with me tonight, you should come with me tonight......" My favorite song of theirs. Zach knows this, and he looks directly at me with affection in his eyes as he sings his lines. I stand still for a second, blushing hard and overwhelmed by the sudden attention. My face lights up and I mouth the words back to him and point at him, grinning.
Some of the fans slowly start to realize. "It's for her!"
"I thought she was with Jack!"
"I don't get it!" someone says loudly.
I ignore them. Simply ignore them. This song is for me, I know it, and I'm not going to let anyone ruin it. I sway to the music, holding Maya's hands as we mouth the words.
Before we know it, the concert is over and the boys take their bows, heading backstage. I fight my way through the crowd as Maya and I stumble to get away from the crazy fans.
"What's your @?" she shoves me.
"Are you dating Zach?" another comes up behind me.
"No, I think she's dating Jack!" someone shouts.
I grab Maya's hand and we run out of the venue, laughing and stand to the side of the building behind the rope where no one can spot us as we wait for the boys to come out.
"They were amazing!" I say loudly.
"Corbyn looked cute," she says, absolutely smitten, and I laugh. We wait for a long long time until we hear the fans start screaming. I see the silhouettes of the boys as they step outside of the venue. Corbyn spies us first and drags the rest of the boys over there as the girls scream their names. Uh oh. They can't be over here for long or we'll get trampled.
Corbyn hugs Maya tightly and lifts her up in his arms. Jack comes to me first, and I throw my arms around him.
"You flirt." I laugh, and he pulls back and looks at me. "Seeing you perform was absolutely incredible."
Zach comes up behind me and places his arms around my waist. I turn around and hug him tightly. "I'm so proud of you," I say softly.
"Can we go somewhere now?" he asks and takes my hand, trying to pull me along.
I laugh in disbelief. "Are you kidding? You've got fans waiting for you." He fake-pouts a little. "Another time," I giggle. "Now go! Go be with your fans," I hug him one more time and then proudly push him towards all the limelights waiting for him. He smiles warmly at me and the boys all wave goodbye, making their way towards the waiting crowd. Maya and I walk to my car, exhausted and grinning from ear to ear. What a night.
A/n: Hey guys Chloe here! Please keep reading, commenting, and voting for the story if you enjoy it. Gonna be honest, I haven't gotten a lot of comments on this, so I would love to hear if y'all like it! And wow I can't believe I've gotten to 3K reads on this! I love you all!
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Hooked on Him - Zach Herron
FanfictionA chance encounter leads to Chloe meeting the famous Zach Herron at a gas station, and a Tweet brings them back together once again. However, it seems that Jack also has his eye on Chloe, who quickly becomes his best friend, leading to a riff betwee...
