fix you // liam payne

chapter seventeen // imagine it.

I bite my bottom lip nervously as I watch Mia carefully as she slumps into the chair beside me. Though instead of an angry expression, she wears an amused little grin on her lips.

"You can't even be mad at these idiots, they're far too stupid to even waste our time," She explains with an effortless grin, clearly seeing my puzzled expression.

"Is it difficult? You know, dating someone so high profile?" I ask her, curiously. As a One Direction fan myself, I know how much Mia and the rest of the girls can get harassed. The fans are incredibly territorial of the boys, and will pick these girls apart down to every little detail.

Mia bends down to retrieve a bag of chips out of the machine as I unzip my lunch, diving into it myself.

"It's definitely not the easiest thing in the world," She begins, taking a seat opposite of me, glancing one last time up at the television where candid pictures of the boys travel across the screen with crude commentary over the top, "But after awhile, you get used to it."

I try to picture myself in front of the lens, getting harassed as I did mundane tasks such as grocery shopping, or taking out the trash. The mere thought of it makes me feel uneasy.

"You learn to completely ignore everything the media says, because 95% of the time, they have it completely wrong, and you know that in a weeks time, they'll be onto the next rumor and will completely forget about it," I can see the irritation behind her dark eyes as she explains, "But the boys have gotten really smart about it all. Their team knows how to hide you incredibly well - it's a little scary, actually. I definitely know who to go with if I need help hiding a dead body," She laughs, popping a chip into her mouth.

"I just can't imagine a life like that," I laugh, shaking my head.

I've always lived such a bland life. Growing up, I always did my homework, I followed the rules, I never lied, I was the dream child. That didn't change as I transitioned into a teen. My stuffed teddy bear changed into young romance novels, but I still spent Saturdays in.

Routines are intrinsic to who I am. I spend so much time here, I couldn't tell you the best places to hangout in downtown Chicago for the weekend. I go from the hospital, to home, and back again with no interruptions.

"Trust me, I couldn't either, but when you meet that person," She smiles, her features softening as her mind travels to think about Louis, romance dancing along the edges of her lips.

I can't help but to smile in return, seeing her transform into this whole other being by the mere thought of Louis.

"C'mon, describe to me your dream man," She encourages, sitting up straighter in her seat, nearly brimming to the top with excitement, so in-love with the idea of love.

My cheeks blush a shade of red as the topic shifts to me, and my love life, which is embarrassingly bare. Something I'm reminded of nearly every moment of my life, as I see anxious husbands waiting to hear of their sick wives, or elderly couples holding each other's hands during check-up.

The worst is whenever I'm on the phone with my mother, she never lets the topic go.

'When are you going to settle down?'

'There's got to be a single doctor in that hospital.'

'Have you considered online dating? It's what all the young kids are trying!'

"Idunno.." I mumble incoherently as I awkwardly tuck my hair behind my ear, looking down at my lunch, avoiding Mia's enthusiastic eyes.

"Oh come on, every girl has her dream guy," Mia rolls her eyes, sitting back in her chair, popping another chip in her mouth.