*• February 2013 •*
- London, UK -
~< Everything's Better In London >~
THERE WAS NO WARMER PLACE THAN HARRY'S ARMS, which is where Addie found herself once again.
She had a hug that lasted exactly three seconds- she'd counted- and then the squeeze of her arm before he was moving away, for Louis to take his turn hugging her.
Addie knew that if they were in private, away from the prying eyes of people with cameras, they would've held each other more than three bare seconds.
But that wasn't their reality. They were on a red carpet, wearing overpriced clothes, in front of a camera and a woman asking questions.
They didn't get the luxury of normalcy.
"You look gorgeous," Louis told her, giving her that soft little smile he always did when he was being honest.
Addie found comfort in his smile the same way you find comfort in a mother's hug, in the smell of a perfume you wore in middle school, the same way you find comfort in being home after a long day.
After exchanging hugs with the rest of the boys, Addie found herself standing in between Louis and Harry. The two had finally managed to get mostly comfortable around each other after the breakup.
Louis didn't talk much about his feelings, no matter how hard Addie tried to get him to open up and to talk to her about how he felt. She knew their breakup had hit him hard, but he refused to talk about it.
(It had resulted in another fight in which they didn't talk for almost two weeks, before Louis broke first and apologized.)
Louis gave her a side-hug, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, and she placed her arm around his waist.
Let them say what they want, but Addie wanted to hug her best friend. She wanted that comfort after feeling so lonely for too long.
"Now, both the boys and you will be performing. Are you excited?" The interviewer asked, her voice falsely bubbly and high-pitched.
Addie smiled, squeezing her hand around Louis' waist. "Yeah, excited, nervous, I'm feeling everything today."
"Are you feeling romance?" She asked, glancing at Louis' and Addie's closeness.
Addie kept smiling, ignoring the shouting from photographers held back by the barricade. She didn't need to listen to know they would be saying horrible things about her.
"Nope, just feeling the friendship."
"Friends?" Louis questioned, glancing down at Addie. "No, we're family."
Addie's heart swelled, her grin growing impossibly bigger, and Louis squeezed her shoulder.
"I love you two and your friendship. How did you become so close? Was it instant or did it take time?"
"I think we just have personalities that compliment each other, and since the first time we met, we started talking, and kind of realized that," Addie explained, while Louis fiddled with her golden belt. "We work with the same record label, we're doing a lot of the same thing and it was just kind of an inevitable thing, I guess."
"Are we the forgotten children?" Niall commented, peaking his head around Louis' shoulder. "Is Louis your favorite?"
Addie laughed. "I love all of you guys. I don't have a favorite."
"Don't lie," Louis said, nudging her with his hip. "Everyone knows I'm your favorite."
Harry made a sound of protest. "No way, I'm the favorite."
Yes.
Addie blinked. Jesus, where did that come from?
She was pretty sure she'd end up agreeing with anything Harry said at this point. She was in too deep at this point.
But, I mean, who wouldn't agree to Harry, especially when he was wearing a suit?
"Actually, my favorite person here tonight is Tara," Addie clarified, over their arguments.
Louis whirled to look at Addie. "Who's Tara?"
"Tara. Tara Rogue?" Addie repeated, waiting for a reaction from him, but Louis' expression was blank. "You met her at the London show? The one with the like dark red hair, you complimented her outfit?"
Louis snapped his fingers. "Oh! Her. She's here?"
"Yeah, she's my guest. She's my favorite person here. Or anywhere."
Niall placed a hand over his heart. "You don't love us anymore?"
"Actually, hold on," Addie said, looking behind Louis, and waving at Tara, who was having a discussion with Noelle. "Tara! C'mere!"
Tara, finally noticing her, smiled and walked right over. Addie pulled her in, letting go of Louis. She threw her arm over Tara's shoulder.
"This is Tara, my favorite person," Addie explained.
Tara laughed, her brown eyes dancing with joy, cheeks flushed, flattered. "You can't choose me over Louis Tomlinson. That's illegal."
"Arrest me, then."
***
[ARTICLE]
ADELAIDE HEATHERS AND ONE DIRECTION ARE A TEENAGE DREAM AT THE BRITS.
Written by: Sarah Del Castillo
Teenage phenomenons, Adelaide Heathers and boyband One Direction are our newest fascination, the elegant lady and five handsome boys, all of them encompassing what rules the pop world and have ignited a friendship with enough talent and beauty to fill stadiums.
ONE DIRECTION AND ADDIE HEATHERS: JOINT TOUR? Click here to view.
The internet has called this group 'the Sacred Six', and we're obsessed with the name that will be remembered as one of the most mindblowing moments in music of this generation.
The Sacred Six have recently reunited for the first time since their session of interviews in January, seated together at the Brit Awards. And today we're recounting the most memorable moments of the Sacred Six yesterday at the Brit Awards in London.
Dazzling Performances from Everyone
Adelaide Heathers performed her single and chart-topping hit, I Knew You Were Trouble, with her new style of adventure and experimentation, Adelaide wore an elegant and risqué black skin-tight outfit with lace accents.
Louis Tomlinson could be seen wolf-whistling for the pop queen, and all five of the boys clapped and cheered for their friend.
And to compliment, One Direction performed One Way Or Another (Teenage Kicks), a performance to make the girls swoon, wearing outfits of black and red.
Adelaide could be seen cheering loudly for them, standing up for their whole song and singing along to the lyrics with her quirky dance moves.
It seems the Sacred Six are extremely supportive of each other, choosing to cheer for one another rather than compete for the number one place as reigning pop royalty.
Adelaide's Wardrobe Malfunction
As Adelaide got up before her presentation, her floor-length skirt seemed to have gotten stuck under the table, and the boys banded together, lifting the table carefully while Zayn pulled the skirt out.
Adelaide commented on this after the show, and with flushed cheeks, admitted: "I have no idea how my skirt got stuck, and it is a little embarrassing that the whole internet can see that, but the boys were really great and helped me out. I don't think I would've been brave enough to ask anyone else for help."
1D Keeping Adelaide's ex, Blake Michael Away
It seems ex-boyfriend, Blake Michael tried to approach Adelaide, only to be warded off by Zayn Malik.
BLAKE MICHAEL AND ADELAIDE HEATHERS: FAILED TEENAGE ROMANCE? Click here to view
Adelaide managed to get away in time, her guest for the evening, best friend, Tara Rogue, in hand.
ADELAIDE HEATHERS AND TARA ROGUE: THE UNLIKELY DUO Click here to view
Adelaide Meeting Her Hero
Robbie Williams, icon and ex-boybander himself, approached the Sacred Six's table, and introduced himself to Adelaide.
Adelaide, known as a fan of Robbie Williams' music, having previously said, 'I grew up listening to his music, because my mom is a huge fan. He's just so talented, and I admire him so much.'
Adelaide seemed flustered and excited as she smiled and nodded while Williams talked to her, happy to even be approached by the man.
When asked about the moment, she said, 'I didn't know what was going on. My mind hadn't quite caught up, and I think I was just like, nodding along. He's such an incredible person, I mean, he was so kind and humble and he gave me some great advice and said he'd listened to my music and loved it. Which is, I mean, wow, such an incredible moment of, oh my god, Robbie Williams listened to my music and he liked it? I need to call my mom and tell her about it. Wow.'
Other Big Names Who Approached The Sacred Six
With several other icons and famous people in the room, it seems all of them were waiting to approach the Sacred Six.
Justin Timberlake, Muse, Jessie J, Little Mix, Lana del Rey and Ed Sheeran were among these.
Perrie Edwards and Zayn Malik, the romance everyone wants to know about had a moment of intimacy.
PERRIE EDWARDS; PREGNANT WITH ZAYN'S CHILD? Click here to view
This was Adelaide Heathers' first time meeting Little Mix and we hope it won't be the last time.
The Post-Brits Tattoo
The Sacred Six were spotted at a tattoo studio, where all of the boys except for Niall got tattoos. Addie and Niall seemed to have just watched the others get their tattoos and eaten pizza while waiting.
It's unclear what their newest ink will be, but we hope to see it soon, and some fans even speculate they got matching tattoos, seeing as it took a similar amount of time and they all did it on their backs.
A picture of Louis grimacing in pain was released.
[click here to view picture]
The Best For Last... The Harry Styles And Adelaide Heathers Kiss
During a commercial break, unaware of cameras watching them, Harry Styles and Adelaide Heathers shared a long hug, and in their parting, Harry pressed a kiss to her cheek.
[Click here to view picture]
Adelaide could be seen blushing intensely, and fans speculate that Louis Tomlinson whispered to her, 'Get a room'.
Girls on the internet are screaming. Is there a blooming romance between Harry and Adelaide? It wouldn't be the first time they hint towards a relationship.
HARRY STYLES AND ADELAIDE HEATHERS: THE POP SWEETHEARTS? Click here to view
Adelaide has also been seen extremely friendly and intimate with Louis, even in front of cameras and during interviews.
In their session at iHeartRadio, there is a picture in which you can distinctly see Louis and Adelaide sharing a kiss, and then Adelaide resting her feet on his lap.
It seems like we'll have to wait and see if Adelaide Heathers will finally pick one of the boys or if the tension will break up the Sacred Six.
***
"You want me to get that tattooed on my body?" Addie asked.
Louis nodded eagerly. "C'mon, no one will see it!"
It took a little more bargaining, but eventually Addie agreed, with a few terms. No one could know except the people in that room, it had to be in a spot where it could be easily concealed, and no one would ever say a word about how little pain tolerance Addie had.
It was decided that Addie would go first, so she couldn't chicken out of getting it. She was hidden by a thick black curtain, and Liam was sat next to her on the chair.
Addie had actually been the one to offer to go first, because she wanted to do it but knew she'd convince herself not to do it if given time to think it through.
And then she'd only accepted Liam being in the room with her, because even though he would make a fuss about making sure she was okay, he wouldn't tell anyone if she did anything embarrassing.
When the artist first started the tattoo, Addie had gasped in surprise, not expecting the sting. She'd clutched Liam's hand, probably cutting of his circulation with how tightly she squeezed, while he insistently asked her if she was okay.
Eventually, Addie managed to relax, and soon the pain faded for the most part, and she begun a nice conversation with Liam.
They talked a little about what they were working on for new music, and Liam talked about being excited to include rock elements to the new album.
Addie ended up playing for him an unfinished song, one she thought he'd like that she called 'Alive'.
Addie hadn't showed it to anyone except for her producer, but she liked the concept. It was more rock than pop, so it probably wouldn't make the album, but she needed to write it.
Liam ended up loving the song, and they joked around a little.
Before she knew it, she was done with her tattoo and it was Liam's turn.
Turns out, Louis was the one with the least pain tolerance. He complained a lot more than Addie ever did, and she would never let him live it down.
Addie found triumph in having a better pain tolerance than Louis, but no one compared to Zayn. He seemed unfazed by the pricking of the needle.
Harry on the other hand, did seem to feel a little bit of the pain, but Addie could clearly see he was enjoying the pain more than it was bothering him. This realization made Addie laugh uncontrollably, and she ended up being kicked out of the room.
Addie would never let him live it down. Liam seemed to be the only normal one, a little bit bothered by the pain, but staying calm nonetheless.
The next day, when they met up, this time at Louis' flat, where Addie showed off her slowly healed tattoo.
"You guys are absolute idiots," Addie said, shaking her head. "How did you even convince me? I mean, we basically got matching tramp stamps."
Zayn laughed. "I'm offended." He had designed it himself, and it was what inspired Louis to make them all get it.
"It's a cool design, Z, but it's the location that makes it a tramp stamp."
The skull surrounded by ferns on her lower back was beautiful, but it was located in a perfect place for a tramp stamp.
"So there's seriously no way you'll ever get a tattoo, Niall?" Addie asked, nudging him with her elbow.
Niall shook his head. "You go and defile your bodies, I'll stay home, thank you very much."
Addie laughed. "Boring."
She instead opted to grab the sharpie from the table, and begin to draw doodles on Niall's arm. She wasn't at all good at drawing, but the one thing she could always draw half-decently were flowers.
Soon, Niall's arm was covered in sunflowers and roses, along with water lilies and little clouds scattered in there.
Addie finally releases his arm, and Niall observed the drawings, grinning at Addie and hugging her.
Niall gave the best hugs. Warm and comforting, tight enough to let you know he wasn't letting go but not so tight you felt trapped.
All of the boys gave incredible hugs, honestly. It wasn't fair.
And hugging them could always last a century, because all of them had the habit of never being the first one to let go of the hug.
(Addie was never the first one to back away from a hug, because she reckoned you never really knew how much a person needed a nice, long hug.)
"Ads," Zayn said, nudging her with his knee. She looked up. "Did ya see the new trailer for Iron Man?"
Addie gasped. "Holy shit, yes. Oh my god, it looks amazing. Like, dude, I'm so sad that Jon Favreau won't direct it, but the Mandarin, and Rhodey?"
"I wish they'd made him like, the classic War Machine, not the patriot version."
That was one thing Addie could always talk about with Zayn: MCU. She was obsessed with the movies, even though she hadn't read much of the comics.
Liam jumped onto the conversation, and the three began to do a deep analysis of the trailer, which ended in a promise to wait until the three of them could go and watch it together.
After an argument about what to get for lunch, which lead to a discussion about the best salsa on a burrito (it's obviously green guacamole), and an argument about who would call and do the order (Addie ended up doing it because she didn't trust any of them to do it), they finally settled down, and the boys began playing FIFA, while Addie sat back and watched.
Addie liked playing videogames, but not FIFA. She was particularly good at Mario Kart and Street Fighter. Other videogames, she wasn't so good at, but that was mostly lack of practice, not interest.
And for now, Addie was fine just watching. And she knew it was better for the boys, who she knew would be polite if she asked for a turn, but would be internally suffering because she was that bad.
After a couple of rounds of intense argument over who was better, Louis or Niall, Addie zoned out and went to seek out some water.
Addie glanced around Louis' kitchen, unsurprised by the lack of kitchenware. He knew how to make one meal and one meal only.
(Chicken wrapped in parma ham stuffed with mozzarella with a side of homemade mash was the only meal he could make.)
One time, he'd tried to make her eggs and toast, and she ended up having to throw his strange concoction in the trash and make breakfast herself.
(Addie, on the other hand, had a fully stocked kitchen. She liked to cook, so what?)
And then she saw a photo of Louis standing with his sisters, all of them wearing matching grins.
Addie smiled softly at the sight, when her mind decided to remind her: Remember your sister?
Paola Heathers.
Another piece of her family Addie tried to forget about.
Addie saw her a few weeks ago, when her family visited for the first time in three months. It'd been just as bad as all the times before.
Knuckles turning white as she gripped the counter strongly, her breathing turned shallow, a sudden ache surrounding her heart.
Addie hated these moments.
When the misery hung like a dark cloud over her head, a fist clenching around her heart, fog clouding her vision.
Those moments when it all caught up with her, and she didn't just feel sadness, she felt misery.
It wasn't blue, it was grey. Dark, dark grey.
But Addie couldn't do this here. Not in Louis' kitchen. Not with five people a few rooms away. Not where anyone could see her.
And despite everything running through her head, she still found herself stumbling into the pantry, hands fumbling with the handle as she closed the door. Back sliding against the wall, she dropped down until she was sitting.
Addie tried to calm down, tried to breathe and act normally, but the tingling in her chest returned, and her lungs couldn't get enough air.
Addie felt tears slide down her face. She wasn't sure at what point she'd started crying. Was it before or after her chest started feeling weird?
Trapped and alone, Addie waited for this wave to pass. That's all it was.
A wave passing by a beach, leaving a permanent mark on the sand, but the same water never hit the shore twice.
"Addie?"
The door beside her opened, and Harry looked into the pantry, meeting Addie's heartbroken, teary eyes. His gaze softened as he took in her trembling figure, the knees curled up to her chest and the hyperventilation.
Addie tried to hold it back, but a small sob escaped her, strangled but still there. She couldn't let Harry see her like this. No one could see her like this.
Harry got to his knees, hands hovering over her, as if unsure of what to do. "What- What can I do? Are you okay? Can I touch you?"
"Yes." Addie only answered the last question, already forgetting the others.
Harry touched her shoulder, rubbing his thumb up and down. "What's going on?" Addie shook her head, clenching her eyes shut as she tried to hold back tears. Voice trembling and scared, Harry said, "Tell me. Please."
But how do you explain that everything's wrong when your life is perfect? That the polish and glimmer hides barbed wire and a glass heart?
A house can't survive an avalanche the same way a sixteen-year-old girl can't survive the pressure.
How do you let someone see scars they never caused, when they'll carry the same guilt as the people who made those scars? How do you let someone else carry the weight that even you couldn't handle yourself?
And Addie could try to explain, but how do you talk about scars that never had wounds? Cuts you never pressed a knife to? That there's something broken inside of her that no one ever broke?
So Addie keeps quiet, and Harry helps her count. In. One, Two, Three. Hold. One, Two, Three. Out. One, Two, Three.
He holds her hand, giving her an anchor to reality, to something outside of the darkness inside her mind, and even when it takes her so long to get out of her panic, he doesn't complain even once.
Harry keeps counting until Addie is capable of telling him she's okay. And he doesn't say a word, and instead settles for the brush of his lips against her hair.
He inhales her mango shampoo as he mutters, "It's okay. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. You're not alone."
And when it takes her a few more minutes to be okay again, he helps her up, and she repays the favor by brushing the hair out of his eyes.
Addie runs her fingers through his hair, although there's really no point when his hair always falls into place like dominoes.
She wonders what it must've been like to grow up that beautiful. What it must be like to have everyone want him, to see him, and be where she is right now.
Does he want someone else where I am right now? The thought strikes her like lightning, improbable but not impossible. Always extremely painful.
And then the blood rushes into his cheeks, and he flashes his green eyes at her.
A cheshire-cat smile as he says, "You okay?"
A simple nod. "I think so. I'm sorry. Really, I am, I-"
"Hey, don't apologize," Harry insisted, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I had to help out Gemma all the time growing up, she'd get these bad panic attacks. It's okay, don't worry about it."
Addie smiled at him. "Thanks."
Harry suddenly dropped his hand from her shoulder like she'd burned him, and instead shoved his hands deep in his pockets. "We should, uh... we should get back. If you're okay, of course."
Addie nodded. "Yeah, yeah."
They walked back to the living room, a new bond holding them together, an invisible string tied around the hands that kept brushing against each other, the threat of intertwining hands hovering over each other, but never accompanied with follow-through.
Addie could settle for that. Someday it would be more. She would make it more.
a/n: mastermind dayyyyy
the 2013 brits are like a huge deal within this universe i've created. like, it's one of the landmarks of the sacred six fandom, because of just how many things happened on that day and the days surrounding.
also, what do y'all think about the name 'sacred six'. yes or no?
anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter, remember to vote and comment because i crave validation. love ya <3