———
I hadn't expected it to go like this.
I told Melissa and Chelsea to meet me at the hotel before the concert. When I first told them about it, they were both excited, well more Missy was excited and Chelsea was being dragged along, acting as if she had somewhere better to be. We all knew she secretly wanted to come along though since she didn't actually complain that much. They agreed to come over before, which is when I dropped that I had something important to tell them.
I felt like being friends with the boys is something I would definitely have to tell them considering we're watching the show from backstage.
With that, they arrived in the lobby of my hotel and I took them up in the elevator to my room. Everything was going great. Everything was going according to the script I had planned out in my head prior. But of course, nothing in my life can ever stick to the plan because just as I'm about to explain to them the entire situation, after previously telling they have to promise not to tell anyone, my fucking door opens and in walks Louis and Liam.
Now this would have been fine had Melissa not fainted.
And this was the reason I was going to explain first and introduce later.
So then, there we were, a passed out Melissa on my bed and the two boys standing frozen in their place.
I looked over at Chelsea quickly and she did seem shocked by the entrance, but not as worked up as Melissa clearly was. "Well here's what I needed to tell you I guess." I waved my hand over at Louis and Liam who still stood at the door observing with shocked looks of their own on their faces.
Had someone never fainted because of their presence before? Surely at least one person has.
"Let me get her some water for when she's up again." I sighed but chuckled at the same because the whole thing was just a little bit funny. I never expected her to faint.
"Hails?" Chelsea called and I popped my head out from behind the door of the mini fridge where I had bottles of water kept. Tap water is disgusting to me.
"Yeah?"
"Are they okay?" she pointed to the two people that were stood silently at the door. I just looked at them and shook my head.
"I don't know." I paused and took out another water bottle, chucking it at Liam which seemed to snap him out of his gaze as he actually caught it. "There we go."
"Is she gonna be alright?" Liam asked and looked at me.
"Yeah she'll be up and at 'em again within a few minutes. Hopefully." I shrugged.
"Hey Georgia Rose?" Louis said and I glanced at him.
"Hey Lou?" I use the same monotonous asking tone as Louis.
"Never say that again." I focused my eyes on Louis fully who was stood behind Liam.
"Say what?"
"Up and at 'em," he tried to mock my voice but failed.
"Just because you don't want me to now I'll say it all the time." I said and then heard movement from the bed, causing me to focus on that instead. I saw Melissa stir and I assumed she was coming back into the world of the conscious. "Can the two of you leave before she wakes up and immediately passes out again." I laughed and directed to the boys who nodded and said they'd come back later.
Melissa sat up quickly, what seemed like too quickly, and started looking around the room. I swear that it looked like one of those scenes out of a movie when the guy gets knocked out and pops back up, frantically searching for the assaulter.
"Did I just dream that Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne came in here?" she asked with her words so rushed that I almost didn't catch what she said. All I could do was laugh. There's no way this is happening right now, I thought to myself.
"No you didn't, they were in fact in here just now." I said, trying to bite back a laugh at her reaction.
"Oh." is all she said.
"Jesus, I knew you were obsessed but I didn't think it was 'faint when you see them' obsessed." Chelsea said and Melissa just shot her a glare.
Once the two girls collected themselves, it was almost time for us to leave the hotel and head over to the arena.
Liam, Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry all came back prior to us leaving in order to say hi to the girls again. I saw it all over Missy's face how she was shitting herself, trying to keep her cool.
Two cars came to take us, one for the boys and one for me, Chelsea and Missy.
That's when things started to get... odd.
"Wait so, earlier, was that you in those pictures?" Melissa asked out of nowhere.
Now as far as I knew, I wasn't aware of any pictures of me being anywhere other than my own instagram page.
Which made me slightly panic.
Thalia, being the dearest person I've ever met and yes I mean that in the most sarcastic way possible, told me specifically just hours before 'I shouldn't have to ask you this but try not to be seen out in public with the boys.'.
It's not like I wanted to, yet, anyways. But it's the way she said it to me that pissed me off and kind of made me want to go against everything just to piss her off too.
I hesitated before answering her, fearing what she was going to say. "What pictures?"
"Are you serious?" she asked in almost disbelief.
"Yes?"
"Don't you like ever go on twitter?" she began pulling out her phone from her purse in order to show me what she was going on about.
"No, not really. Especially today too because I've been busy with the boys and then you guys." I said honestly.
"Look." Melissa held her phone up so I could see the screen.
I was met with pictures that looked as though they were taken from somewhere on the streets and they certainly didn't come out clear, since they were taken whilst the car was moving and through semi-tinted windows. However, there was just enough for you to see the boys and another figure in the vehicle, that being me. Luckily for me though, the pictures were so blurred you couldn't make out any of our faces.
In one of the pictures specifically, my face was buried in Harry's neck. I remember the exact moment the picture would have been taken too.
Relief washed over me as I looked through all the pictures and realised that not one of them had my face visibly in it.
"Yeah that was me." I handed Missy her phone back and she looked at Chelsea, both cracking a huge grin.
"You were trending on twitter," Chelsea started.
"They call you Harry's mystery girl." Missy informed me.
I couldn't help but blush at this. "What?" I asked shocked but I didn't know why I was shocked. Of course I'd be called some shit like that. If a girl is seen near Harry, especially like that, she's automatically 'his girl'.
It didn't bother me though.
When we got to the arena, the boys were each getting ready for the show. The band that opened for them were soon being called up to the stage as Harry, Zayn and the others were getting their hair all fixed properly.
I went to find a bathroom that wasn't being occupied when I bumped into someone.
It was a boy from the opening band. He was tall, with blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and I also noticed he had a lip ring.
I didn't even realise that his hands were on my shoulders until he spoke up. "I'm sorry, are you okay?" his accent sounded very much Australian. I had heard the band opening for One Direction was from Sydney, but that's pretty much all I knew about them. That and the fact that they have some kind of prank war going on with the boys.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, should've been watching where I was going." I said and he dropped his hands from my shoulders before laughing.
"Please, it was my fault, sorry." he insisted and it was my turn to laugh then.
"Oh yeah, I know it was your fault, I was just being polite." I quipped before turning to continue walking as I was before.
"See you around then.." the boy trailed off and I turned back and gave him a smile.
"Hayley." I finished.
"Luke." he said and shot me another smile before I turned back completely.
Then it was time for the show to start.
The opening act was great and that band 5 Seconds of Summer was better than I remembered them being last year. Of the five songs they sang, Heartbreak Girl was my favourite.
Once they were off, the boys were on. Opening with Up All Night, the whole arena was having the time of their lives.
The set continued and once we got to C'mon C'mon, once again, I was blown away by Zayn's high notes. I genuinely will never not be amazed by his vocals.
Chelsea and I made a bet with Melissa that she wouldn't have her voice by the end of the show. The two of us said she wouldn't but Missy insisted she would.
That didn't last though and she lost by the time we got to Best Song Ever.
During that song, Chelsea and I screamed out all the lyrics whilst Missy continued dancing around. When the verse with my 'name' started, Chelsea stopped and grabbed my arm.
"Holy fuck!" she said loudly.
"What!" I yelled back over the music.
"When Louis came in your room earlier didn't he call you Georgia Rose?" Chelsea continued to yell and caught Melissa's attention.
"Wait are you the Georgia Rose!" Melissa yelled and I'm sure it hurt her throat to talk so loudly.
I just nodded my head and continued screaming the lyrics to my favourite song ever written by One Direction thus far.
After the show was finished the boys ran backstage and met us back in this big room that was made into a dressing room type area. The other band was in there as well because from what I've gathered, not only is there that prank war going on but they've grown quite close with the boys.
As soon as they came backstage and saw us, Harry made it his duty to chase me around the room. He was all sweaty from the show and insisted on hugging me, so I ran.
Of course he caught me. There wasn't a chance I would've escaped him, yet I still ran because of the thrill of being chased and then caught.
He wrapped his arms strongly around my waist from behind and pulled me into his chest. I tried getting out of his grip but there was no use. I was already covered in boy sweat so I turned around on my tiptoes to face him and wrapped my arms around his neck to hug him back.
"See? That wasn't so hard was it?" Harry kept me close to him which I didn't mind as much as I made out I did.
"You're sweaty as fuck dude." I scoffed.
"Did you just call me dude?" he questioned and I nodded with a smile forming on my lips. "Don't call me that."
"Yeah don't call him that. It's weird and American." Liam walked past us with a fresh shirt in his hands.
"What's wrong with the word dude?" Luke chimed in from his seat on a couch close to where we were standing.
I shook my head as everyone seemed to be in on the conversation.
"Thank you Luke." I smiled at him.
"Wait you two already know each other?" Harry asked the two of us and we both nodded.
"We ran into each other earlier before the show." Luke explained.
"That is a lie. He ran into me." I corrected and Luke shook his head.
"Okay Hayley, fine. I ran into her earlier before the show."
"Wait you're Hayley?" the guy with the bleach blonde hair asked which confused me.
"Michael, shut the fuck up right now." Harry said and confused me even more.
"Ahh, so it is her." the guy, Michael, said.
This is now the fifth person named Michael that I've met. I'm pretty sure if I'm introduced to a sixth one, it will start confusing the fuck out of me.
"Wait what about me?" I looked up at Harry.
"Nothing." he said a bit too quickly.
"Oh really?" I raised my eyebrows at him. "Luke." I looked at Luke and he sat up straight with an alarmed look on his face. He knew too. "What's the talk about me. Spill it, I want details."
Luke stayed silent so I snapped my fingers a couple times, encouraging him to give me a response. "Uh- well.." he trailed off and I raised my eyebrows again.
"Is it bad?" I quickly asked.
"No, no. Quite the opposite actually." the guy sitting next to Luke spoke up. I recognised him as the drummer from his band.
And so, the night continued on with pointless banter between the twelve of us. I got to know the boys of 5sos, as they prefer to be called, a bit better too. I quickly learnt of how funny the 5sos boys were as well as how equally as childish they are to my boys.
I also found out they are staying in the rooms at the very end of the hall, which I somehow did not realise before, because I've never actually seen them around the place, but am glad to know now since that means I can spend more time with them.
Night two out of four of the LA shows was just the same as the previous night, but just as much fun.
Due to Chelsea and Melissa not accompanying me on that night, while the boys performed I hung out more with Ashton, Michael, Calum and Luke.
They told me stories of how they got to be a band, about Australia which they promised was amazing and I should go visit, and they also told me about some of the pranks they've pulled on the others.
I'd say that the four of them are quite fun to be around.
"This is probably a really typical question but.. is Vegemite actually good?" I asked and probably sounded so stupid but didn't care because I felt a need to know the answer having never tried it myself.
Luke laughed as well as the other three boys before he answered. "Well it all depends on how you eat it." he began to explain before all four of them went in depth about how you should eat Vegemite, which eventually led to us having an in depth conversation about different foods in general.
Niall and Ashton kept making fun of Harry after the show for how jealous he was acting. When he came backstage once the show was over, I was on the couch sitting next to Luke and laughing at a story he'd been telling me from his childhood.
I've learnt over the years that when Harry likes something, or rather someone, he's very protective of them. It's refreshing though, having someone actually care about me this much. Plus it's hilarious seeing how Harry gets when he's clearly jealous but trying to hide it.
"By the way Harry, we're stealing your girlfriend and taking her back to Australia with us so she can join our band." Ashton told Harry as I was struggling to get out of yet another sweaty hug.
Ashton just called me Harry's girlfriend, which I most definitely am not, but I don't correct him and instead look up at Harry with wide eyes to see what he does.
He looked down at me and smirked just as I gave in to his hug, like I always would because I didn't actually mind hugging him even if he was a bit sweaty. "Oh really?" he wrapped his arms around me tighter and completely ignored the whole girlfriend comment too. I couldn't help but smile because something about being called Harry's girlfriend felt so right.
"Yep. She'll be the fifth second of summer and she's going to play guitar and learn piano." Michael joked.
I elbowed Harry so he'd let go of me, making him pout but he did it anyways. I pulled him down to sit on the ground with me and then leaned my head on his shoulder.
"Sorry boys, it's been fun but I'm an official 5sos member now." I directed towards Harry, Liam and Zayn who were still in the room then, Niall, Calum and Louis off doing God knows what.
"I actually feel hurt," Liam started. "When we tried to get you to join One Direction you refused." he pretended to be all hurt.
"I believe her exact words were 'I could never join your band and spend every minute of everyday with you fuckers'. Right?" Zayn looked at Liam and then me.
"Well it looks like she just thinks we are the better band." Luke shrugged and I laughed at that.
"Is this true Georgia Rose?" Liam asked me with his voice sounding offended.
"No comment sir."
That made Harry, Liam and Zayn all burst out into a fit as me, Luke, Ashton and Michael continued to make fun at them.
Night three was tonight but I didn't go as I promised Missy and Chelsea that I'd let them take me to dinner, so that's what we did.
I went over to their apartment and we all got ready together. Since I hadn't brought proper attire for this kind of thing, I borrowed a dress from Chelsea.
Melissa did my hair, Chelsea did Melissa's and I did Chelsea's. Each of us did our own makeup and then we were ready.
Only took like a fucking hour and a half.
"You look stunning Hails." the two girls complimented me as I did a turn to show my full outfit.
I had worn a white dress that crossed at the front and had thin straps. It fit me very well and I actually felt really good in it. I also borrowed a pair of black heels to go with it which thankfully made me a couple inches taller.
"You're ones to talk." I said back to them.
We all left their apartment and Melissa drove us to the restaurant. It was a really nice restaurant and it reminded me of ones you see in movies. At this point everything reminds me of a movie, probably because I've seen way too many.
"This is the first place someone recommended we come to when we moved here so we thought we'd bring you here too." Melissa smiled.
Our dinners took half an hour to get to us and everything was amazing. However, once we were done dinner and dessert, the night was still young.
So we went to a club.
It was a small club but still filled with people. I had no clue what it was called and neither did the two girls who made the decision to come here in the first place.
Shots.
Normally I don't drink, especially in public, because of previous events that took place a few years ago. Tonight I did though. Not a lot, I told myself, but enough to feel it coursing through my veins.
We danced. We laughed. We had overall the time of our lives.
Probably will regret it in the morning though.
With heels in my hands, alcohol on my tongue and smudged makeup all over my face, I make my way up through the lobby of the hotel.
Melissa being the responsible one of the group didn't drink tonight so that she could drive me and Chelsea back.
Thank god she did that because I'm not sure I wanted to take a cab at night by myself, especially in a city I've never been to before.
I stumble into the elevator and hit the button to the fifth floor. My head is beginning to hurt from the alcohol I consumed.
It looks like I might be a lightweight nowadays which is very annoying.
Once I get up to my floor and the doors open, I take a deep breath and walk quietly down the hall, keeping my hand on the white wall for support. I don't think I need it but it's like a reflex to support myself with something once there's alcohol in my system. Courtesy of all the times I got myself absolutely shitface drunk when I was younger.
I let go of the wall just to see if I actually need the support or not. I take a few steps forward and I seem to be fine, so I continue until I reach my door.
Shit.
I forgot my fucking key.
"Shit, shit, shit." I say out loud.
What the fucking fuck am I supposed to do now? It's two thirty in the fucking morning.
How does one just forget their key? I could have sworn I picked it up off my bedside table when I left earlier.
Great.
I stand here, in front of my door and contemplate on what to do. Coming to the conclusion that I just have to go all the way back down to the lobby in order to get a new key, I turn back towards the direction of the elevator.
Then a door opens. Harry's door.
Of course it is because when is it not Harry.
"Fancy seeing you here." he smiles at me as relief washes over me once I realise he's here and awake and has the spare key to my room. I really didn't feel like going all the way down to the front desk just to explain how much of an idiot I am.
"Yeah, yeah you too. Do you have my spare key? I forgot mine inside." I take a step forward but trip on absolutely nothing. Harry reaches out and grabs my arms in order to prevent me from falling flat on my face.
I laugh nervously and look up at him as he asks, "Have you been drinking love?"
"Maybe." I answer shortly.
"Hmm." he hums which makes me nervous for some reason. I feel as though I've been caught. "To answer your question, no I don't have your spare key, Liam does."
I groan as Harry still holds on to my shoulders and looks down on me in amusement. "Shit. Where am I supposed to sleep then? I really don't want to go down to the lobby and-"
"Come with me." Harry cuts me off and shrugs.
"But Niall's in your room." I whine like a child which only makes Harry laugh even more.
"Georgette." he uses my first name and I can't help but roll my eyes at his sudden seriousness.
"Harold." I say in the same semi-serious, semi-joking tone.
"How much have you had to drink?" he asks and I genuinely think about it.
I shrug before replying. "I think three shots?" I more ask than tell. "Maybe four.. or was it si-"
"You're drunk?" Harry cuts me off again.
"Noooo." I giggle at the expression on his face and then I realise maybe I am a little bit drunk. "Okay maybe I am slightly drunk. But that's not the point here."
"And what is the point here then?" he asks.
"I'm not sleeping in your room with Niall in there." I cross my arms stubbornly over my chest and Harry sighs.
"Fine wait here." he goes back into his room and I stay put like he asks.
Harry is gone for about two mins before another door opens and out walks Liam who looks wide awake.
"Why are you still up?" I immediately scold.
"Why are you still up?" Liam retorts just as Harry comes back outside with his phone.
"Because I have nothing better to do with my life but you Mr. Leebear should be asleep. You've got a show tomorrow." I pat him on the chest as he hands me my key.
"Harry's got the same show tomorrow too!"
"Yes. But I know Harry usually gets his sleep because he's usually with me and I usually sleep." I notice the overuse of the word usually in my sentence due to my lack of thinking right now and laugh to myself.
"Well I'm going to sleep now then if it makes you happy." he looks unimpressed but I just smile widely at him.
"It does. Sweet dreams young one." I tiptoe and kiss his cheek like a mother would their child.
Lately it's been feeling like I am in fact the mother of five grown adults who act like five year olds.
"Great. Now she's mothering me." Liam groans and looks at Harry before going back into his own room and shutting the door, leaving Harry and I in front of my door.
I slip the key in the slot and it unlocks, allowing me to finally enter the room after a long seven hours with the girls.
"H, can you pass me you hoodie and those sweatpants on that chair please." I speak from the bathroom where I begin to remove all my makeup.
Harry comes in and rests the clothes on the free space left on the counter. "Here." he says quietly and then leans himself on the doorframe, simply looking at me.
I ignore him for about a minute until he breaks out into a smile that I see in the reflections from the mirror. "What?" I ask as my own smile starts to spread on my face.
"Nothing I just.." he says before pushing himself off the doorway to stand up straight. He takes a few steps forward until he's behind me where he wraps his arms around my waist. His lips move down to my exposed neck as he leaves a trail of kisses there.
I allow him to do as he pleases before closing my eyes for a second. I feel him move and kiss my cheek so I open my eyes and tilt my head in order to kiss his lips. I haven't done this in a couple days and I felt almost deprived of his lips. It's like they're a drug.
Once we pull away he looks at me again, eyes looking into mine before scanning over my entire appearance. "Beautiful." he whispers and kisses me one last time.
I smile the whole time that I continue to remove my makeup. Another minute passes and Harry still has his arms around me, staring back at our reflections in the mirror with his head on my shoulder. "What now?" I laugh.
He lets out a breath before spinning me around so that I'm now facing him directly and not just looking at him through a mirror. His voice is gentle as he speaks his next words, bringing immediate butterflies to me and my cheeks quickly changing colour. "Now I understand why they call it the city of angels."
I look him in the eyes. His beautiful, emerald green eyes that are being illuminated by the fluorescent lights in this small hotel bathroom. "Shut up." my eyes crinkle as I laugh.
He shakes his head and cracks a bright smile. "I expected that response if I'm being honest." he drops his arms from my waist and takes a step back.
"You know me so well." I give one last smile and turn back around. "Can you unzip this?" I move my hair to one shoulder for him the get access to the zipper that I would never be able to undo myself.
Harry steps forward and places one hand on my shoulder and the other on the zip, moving it slowly down. He leans down and kisses my shoulder, making eye contact with my through the mirror. "Your welcome."
"I didn't even say thank you." I say as I keep my dress held up against my chest with one hand since the straps are about to fall off my shoulders.
"Thank me later then." Harry winks before exiting the bathroom to allow me change privately.
He wishes.
Once I'm done changing into sweatpants and Harry's hoodie, which still smells like his tobacco vanille cologne he always wears, I go out into the room where Harry lays on my bed scrolling through his phone.
"It's late, you should get some rest." he keeps his eyes on the screen as he speaks.
"So should you." I climb onto the bed and lift up Harry's arm from against his body in order to climb onto him. I lay down right on top of him, wrapping my arms around him and resting my head on his bare chest.
I feel his chest vibrate as he laughs quietly. "Do I look like a pillow?"
"Yes." I mumble against him and close my eyes, keeping my body flat against his. Harry puts his phone on the table next to the bed and then adjusts his body with me still on him before wrapping his own arms around me.
I feel safe in his arms.
"Hayley." Harry says quietly and I immediately open my eyes and move my head to look at him.
He never calls me Hayley anymore so why is he calling me it now?
"Harry..." I hesitate.
"Can you answer something truthfully, please?" his eyes look as if he's pleading for me to say yes.
"Yes.." I trail off, hesitant to answer but what he is going to say can't be that bad.
"Why'd you drink tonight?" My eyebrows raise in question. Of course he knows something is wrong. "Not that it's a problem it's just that you never drink, you haven't for so long and then tonight... I feel like there's a reason. Are you okay?" he rubs his hand up and down my back and I rest my head against his chest again as I sigh.
"For now yes but also no." My answer makes no sense but I stick with it.
"Meaning?"
I look at Harry again and he moves his hand to my face as if to say I'll be okay. "Nothing it's stupid." I shake my head and look down.
"No." he lifts my head up by my chin. "Tell me, it's not stupid, I promise."
I take in a deep breath and nod. "My parents," I start, "they still aren't talking to me. My mother even told my friends that she doesn't care how I'm doing when they asked about me."
"Why aren't they speaking to you?" he asks, oblivious to everything that actually went down when my aunt died.
"They're pissed at me." I state. "When Heather died," I pause for a second, "I didn't talk to the rest of the family. I didn't go to scatter her ashes. I ignored everything to do with her death. My mother took that as me not caring, told me to stop acting like a bitch right before she left. That was almost five months ago." I sigh.
"I'm sorry G." he brings my head forwards and kisses the top. "No parent should say or do such things to their child. Especially since you were grieving too."
"Yeah but I feel like she's right. I was being a bitch and-"
Harry immediately cuts me off. "No. Everybody grieves differently so if they're going to not understand that and continue to ignore you well-"
This time I cut him off. "Fuck them."
He laughs. "I was going to say you're just going to have to give it time and maybe try to talk to them again whenever you're ready. But that works too."
Eventually, the alcohol that was buzzing through my veins and preventing me from sleeping leaves my system. After my talk with Harry I forced him to close his eyes to he could rest, leaving me in the middle of my thoughts and the sound of his heartbeat beneath my ear.
He really just makes everything better.
Fuck, I'm falling for him hard.
———
an. hello my little sunflowers.
it's definitely been a minute. so, so sorry about that but i hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as i did writing it hehe.
here's the dress hayley wore :p
i'm kinda in love with it
this is a double update so next chapter will be up soon after this one cuz i feel bad for making yall wait so long
anyways, ilyy. kisses <3