The Little Shop

The Man Wearing a Hat

"Fine, I'd like a slice of easy as pie, please," AJ says, smirking right back at me. She's sassy, very Tommo of her, for sure. It's odd now, the situation we're in, but it doesn't feel like it.

"Zayn, can you take her? Li and I have to make the order, but I don't want her running off," Lou asked. Zayn nodded and took AJ from Lou's arms. AJ encircled her arms around his neck and let her head rest on his neck. He found an arm chair a few meters off from the table and plopped down in it, muttering something quietly to her. Niall and I both took the opportunity to take our seats at the signing table, watching the girls through the window. We pulled funny faces and waved at them, but then security shut the blinds and we couldn't see them anymore.

Liam walked over and sat to my left, on the far end of the table. It seemed Louis was being lectured by some of our managers, probably about AJ or something. Or maybe Lou did something even worse, like leave the stove in the kitchen in the studio on.

Zayn was holding AJ in his arms, reading her a book. She looked really sleepy, her eyelids getting droopy as he read her the words. I took a peek at the cover and saw that the book was about monsters under a bed or something. AJ's eyes went wider each time Zayn turned the page, and after about a minute of watching them, AJ yawned, rubbing at her eyes with the backs of her tiny hands. I swear, she's the smallest little girl in the world. Okay, obviously that's not true, but she's so small!

By the time Lou is done talking to our managers, our food has arrived and Zayn has brought AJ with him to the table. The lads and I have all switched around, making it (from left to right) Liam, Zayn and AJ, Louis, me, and then Niall. That means Niall will be first to greet each fan, and I will be second. 

I always get excited before signings because it's a change to interact with fans on a more personal level than, say, a concert or twitcam. However, about half an hour into a signing, it starts getting tiring and my hand starts to cramp up and it's like walking through the dessert with your best friends on a really good day; at first it's nice, but then it seems to go on forever and you start feeling like you need a break, but your friends are having fun, so you stay.

Niall's almost done with his food by the time I finally decide to start mine, and we're told we've got about eight minutes until we should be done and preparing to start. AJ and Zayn are still reading their book as they eat, AJ munching away on a little bowl of pasta and Zayn eating some kind of sandwich. Niall's got a full three course meal in front of him, although the first two courses are done, and Lou and Liam both have mugs of tea and plates of chicken and vegetables. There food looks pretty good, so I reach over and steal a bite of Lou's chicken. He doesn't really notice; he's busy stirring his tea with one hand and checking his phone with the other.

"Haz, are you going to eat that?" Zayn and Niall ask at the same time. They're asking for different, reasons, I'm sure, but I give them both the same look and they back off. Seems AJ and Zayn have finished reading their book. 

"How was the book?" I ask, pointing to it as I ask.

"Scary," AJ says. "Zayn, are you sure there aren't any monsters under my bed? You've never even checked."

"I'm positive," Zayn says, nodding. "Didn't you read the book? They only go under the beds of the kids that don't eat their vegetables."

"Oh no, I'd better call my sisters and warn them," Louis says, laughing slightly. 

"You have sisters?" AJ asked. Louis nodded. "I've always wanted a sister."

"Niall doesn't have any sisters either," I said, nodding to our resident Irishman, who nodded and smiled before taking a large gulp of water. It's a wonder he stays so thin when he eats more than Lou and myself do combined.