15. If in Doubt, Just Shimmy and Pout.
I clacked my way down the dark corridor, holding the metal rail shakily, as I stood on the ramp behind Niall. I could barely breathe. We were waiting behind the set door for our introduction and cue to enter the show. The drive to the TV station had gone quickly. Too quickly.
Although the trip was short, it had been impossible to ignore the swarms of girls that sprinted alongside our car; waving and slapping the windows, begging for a glimpse of the boys.
It was amazing, I had no idea how they even knew which car to follow! All the windows were heavily tinted and we’d separated into three SUV’s; the third of which didn’t even include any of the boys, only Russell and Paula.
“You alright?” Harry whispered huskily in front of me.
“Yeah, no problem,” I squeaked. “Just about to wet myself is all.”
He chuckled warmly, easing the twist of knots in my stomach slightly.
“Just remember;” I could hear Niall behind me. He counted off his fingers.
“Fans, playful, be vague and we got your back.” He slapped my back twice to reiterate his point. He obviously didn’t realise his own strength. Harry snorted as I bumped into him, before regaining my balance.
I thought back to the car ride.
Harry, Niall and Louis had given me some last minute tips for getting through this interview without crapping myself.
“Make a joke, when all else fails.” Louis advised. “Keep things playful. Tense interviews are bloody awkward.”
Niall nodded in agreement. “Especially if they ask you a personal question. If you don’t have an answer, just be vague about it.”
“Speaking of which,” Harry interrupted. “If you can’t answer a question, we’ve discovered that pretty much everything can be tied back to how grateful we are for the fans.” I laughed, forgetting my nerves for a second.
“Seriously?”
He nodded at Louis.
Immediately, Louis morphed his voice into a nasally American accent, holding up a black pen as a moustache. “Now, Mr Styles, I bet the fans are absolutely dying to know about your relationship with Susan Boyle! Tell me, is it like looking into a mirror every time you’re together?” He waggled his eyebrows up and down suggestively.
Niall and I burst out laughing, but Harry kept a straight face. He cleared his throat and turned on his charming mega-watt smile.
Wow. Even I had to admit, if I was the kind of girl to swoon over a good-looking guy, I’d be in a puddle on the floor right now.
“Susan’s a great person.” He began. “I can’t tell you what an amazing feeling it is to have such incredible fans supporting us every step of the way. We owe them everything.”
“Amazing.” Niall added supportively.
“WOOOOO!” Louis clapped, whipping away the pen and almost hitting the driver in the face. “And that, kids, is how it’s done!”
I laughed. That really had been seamless. I hadn’t even noticed Harry skip over the question entirely. Although that might just have been because he was Harry Styles. Charm was practically oozing out of every pore. I watched as Harry snapped out of celebrity mode and narrowed his eyes at Louis.
“Susan Boyle huh? Thanks a lot, mate.”
Louis shrugged. “Don’t deny it Harold, she’s a magnificent woman.”
“So yeah.” Niall gave me a warm smile, getting back on topic. “If anything goes wrong, the good thing is that there’s six of us bein’ interviewed. Plenty of distractions.”
Louis winked. “We've got your back, jack!”
***
“So I’m thrilled to welcome our next guests— Ava Price and One Direction!”
Loud talk-show music boomed through the speakers, snapping me back to the present. The doors of the studio swung open, revealing a blinding white light.
“And remember, smile!” Harry hissed.
All at once, I felt my feet propelling me forward. I watched ahead of me, as Liam and Louis shimmied their way down the carpet towards the host. We were in a small studio for the interview, with huge, red leather couches and a beaming middle-aged man sitting in the middle of it all.
I planted a smile on my face, but stumbled, as all six of us tried to fit ourselves onto the couch.
Damn it.
Paula had insisted on trading my red converse for a pair of deadly fuchsia heels to make my outfit more ‘suitable’. I sighed. What was it she’d said? That even if I fell down and humiliated myself on national TV, at least my shoes would match my outfit.
I regained my balance and felt the warmth of Harry’s hand on my lower back, steadying me.
“Oh, come sit next to me darling, it doesn’t look like there’s much room on that couch!”
Our interviewer beamed and gestured for me to come over. He looked especially flamboyant, dressed in a purple satin suit with a polka dot handkerchief in the pocket.
“Her ankle’s still a little bit injured.” Louis explained, referencing my stumble. He winked at me, giving me a cover for my clumsiness. I sent him a giant virtual hug. The interviewer responded accordingly, his face morphing into a mask of sympathy.
“Oh yes, of course, you poor thing. Have a seat right here!”
I left the safety of the boys reluctantly and sat beside him, thanking god for the fact that I was wearing shorts so I didn’t flash anyone.
“Welcome everyone!”
The interview began as soon as we were settled. “I’m Peter Jenkins and I have here with me; Louis, Liam, Zayn, Harry, and Niall of ONE DIRECTIONNN!” Each of them waved. “And, we have an extra special guest here with us this morning, Ava Price!”
The boys began hooting and hollering. I blushed.
“We’re so thankful to have you here!” Peter continued. “How are you all? By now, everyone has heard about that dreadful bank robbery! Although I must say, each one of you looks fantastic despite everything that you’ve been through.” He threw back his head and laughed cheesily. “As if that’s any surprise!”
The boys chuckled as they glanced at each other. I imagined my face looked like I’d licked a lemon.
Liam took the opportunity to answer. “Yeah, we’re doing good. We just wanted to thank the fans for their love and support. We’re just relieved that nobody got hurt, really.” He gestured to me, his eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. “It was all down to Ava.”
Peter clutched a hand to his heart as if it was the most touching message he’d ever heard.
“Beautiful! Yes, we’re certainly glad that you’re all alright. Speaking of beautiful... Miss Ava Price, run through with me what it was like in that bank, I can’t possibly imagine how you felt!” His gaze fixed on me intently as he leaned forward with interest.
I opened my mouth. Memories flooded through my brain— swamping my thoughts, and stopping the breath in my throat like a cork.
The silence only lasted for a split second, before Harry stepped in.
“I can’t imagine what it was like for Ava either.” He cleared his throat. “I just remember... hearing a gunshot, and then dropping to the floor. I don’t know what Louis or Zayn were thinking...” The boys nodded as Harry turned to them. He shook his head. “I just remember thinking... this is it.”
His green eyes were wide and deep with feeling as he shrugged, reeling the viewers in.
Peter’s eyes widened. “Devastating, just devastating...” his hand clenched his heart again dramatically. He turned back to me. “And Ava, what was it like for you? In those moments, seeing the boys and the other hostages forced into the centre of the room?”
I took another breath.
If Harry could do it, so could I.
“It was horrible.” I paused.
Harry nodded encouragingly. I heard the first crack of the gun echo in my head.
“I mean, you see things like that happen in movies or on the news, but you can’t imagine what it’s like when it really happens to you. It’s terrifying.”
Peter nodded sympathetically. “And how did you find the courage to do what you did?” His voice was solemn. “We all saw the footage online. Am I right in saying that you could’ve stayed hidden safely, if you’d wanted?”
I felt six pairs of eyes on me. I was silent for a moment, before deciding to answer truthfully.
“There wasn’t really a moment where I decided whether I wanted to stay hidden or not.” I forced myself to look up as I was talking to Peter, trying to look as if I knew what I was saying.
“It was instinct to duck behind the desk at first, but that just meant I was given the opportunity to do something that everyone else wasn’t.”
"You saw it as an opportunity and not an escape?” Peter persisted.
I nodded. “There were twelve innocent people in that room with me. One of them was a little boy that was about seven years old.”
I could still picture his terrified expression in my mind.
“It didn’t occur to me that I had a hiding spot... I just knew that I needed to do something.”
The studio was silent.
Great. Tip number one, ‘keep the interview light’ was down the drain...
“Incredible!” Peter shook his head in awe.
“Yeah, she’s pretty amazing, isn’t she?” Louis beamed.
Zayn shifted forward in his seat with a lazy grin. “She saved my life.”
“Don’t be so self absorbed Zayn! She saved us all!” Louis scoffed cheekily. The rest of the boys grinned. I was so red that I was sure I camouflaged into the couch.
The rest of the interview went by without a hitch. The boys talked over each other enthusiastically as they answered more questions, and I even started to forget about the cameras when Louis challenged Peter to an arm wrestle.
As soon as the interview ended, Andy, Preston, Russell and Greg were at our side again.
Paula sashayed in from the studio’s back door, letting in a sample of screaming from the crowd outside. Her hair was windblown and her eyes were bright.
“Great job sweethearts! The crowd out there is getting restless. You have ten minutes to sign some albums and share the love, before we’re back on the road again!”
“Ah, perks of the job.” Niall whipped a permanent marker out of his trousers and cracked his knuckles.
“Do I have anything on my face?” Louis began, throwing himself on me and making me laugh.
Harry tugged him backwards abruptly. “Yeah mate, you have a huge mole on top of your neck. Oh wait, it’s your head.”
Liam chuckled. “Ava, you good to go?”
“Sure, just tell me which direction the car is and I’ll duck for cover.”
“The cars are at the end of the barricade love, once you make your way through.” Andy offered.
Once we make our way through?
“Wait, you want me to talk to the crowd as well?” I spluttered. “But the fans are here to see the boys!”
“Wrong.” Zayn tossed me a marker.
“The crowd’s bigger than it usually is.” Greg explained. “A majority of the people out there want to see you Ava. Plenty of girl’s outside told me to pass on their thanks on my way in.”
I was stunned. People wanted to see me? I wasn’t special, I was a nobody... I mean, I couldn’t even cook! Ellie always complained that I would burn water if it was possible.
“What does cooking have to do with anything?” Harry looked amused.
Woops. I guess I said that one out loud.
“You’ll be great!” Liam insisted. “Just smile and have your signature ready.”
Louis slung an arm around my shoulders. “And make sure that it’s a short one, because you’ll be sick to death of it by the end of this...”
And with that, the doors burst open and we were thrust outside.
***
Harry opened his mouth to say something as we took our first steps, but it was drowned out by a swell of screams.
“HARRY, OH MY GOD IT’S HARRY, ZAYN! LIAM! NIALL COME OVER HERE! NIALL PLEASE, LOUIS! IT’S LOUIS! OH MY GOD THERE’S ZAYN! AVA! AVA, I LOVE YOU! LIAM PLEASE LIAM! ”
It was absolutely mental! I watched as the boys bounded forward, each with a bodyguard hovering nearby as they began signing at different points of the queue.
I didn’t know where to look first, everything was going on at once! My eyes landed on a small girl in the crowd. She was wearing a hot pink tutu and her eyes were bright as she waved at me with both hands.
It seemed like a good place as any to start.
“Hi sweetheart, how are you today?” I mustered up a smile, as I plucked a fairy notebook from her hands and signed where she was pointing, giving her a hug as I handed it back.
“Oh my god, Ava I love you!” A group of girls standing nearby surged forward, waving posters of the boys in my face.
“You’re such a hero!”
“Thank you so much for saving Niall’s life!”
“You’re so amazing!”
“OH MY GOD HARRY! HARRY I LOVE YOU!”
I turned around and saw a familiar head of curls.
“Hello, you alright? Has your day been good?” His voice was warm, turning on the charm for the girls in front of us, as he stood beside me. He paused to take a few pictures, as I signed a few more posters, waiting for me to finish patiently.
“HARRY! HARRY COME OVER HERE PLEASE!”
I noticed that he was still standing next to me.
“What are you doing here, Styles?” I yelled over the noise and grinned. “Your adoring fans are waiting!” I nodded at a section of the line that he’d missed. He leaned in closer so I could hear him.
“We’re short on bodyguards, so you’re stuck with me and Russell.” His voice was low in my ear. “I also thought I’d check in and see how you were doing with the crowd. It looks like you don’t need me after all.”
I paused in the middle of a signature. That sounded strangely nice of him. There had to be a catch.
“Who said I ever needed you?” I teased.
He chuckled as group of girls in front of us sighed in adoration. They’d clearly heard what he’d said.
“Oh my god Harry you’re so sweet!”
“That’s so nice of you!”
“I love you Harry!”
He grinned. “I love you too. Thanks so much for coming out.” He leaned in quickly for another picture.
“We’ve waited since five in the morning for you all!” A girl in front of me gushed excitedly. “But it was so worth it!” She nearly melted into a puddle under the power of Harry’s dimples.
“HARRY! PLEASE COME BACK! HARRY!”
I whirled around and glanced at the crowd behind us.
“Harry, you skipped some fans in the middle there.” I nodded at the section of fans he’d missed, so that Russell could watch us both.
“OH MY GOD! HARRY AND AVA, I LOVE YOU! AVA YOU’RE SO BRAVE, I SAW YOU ON THE NEWS LAST NIGHT! YOU’RE SO PRETTY IN PERSON!”
I was pretty sure my face was doing an impression of a Goldfish. I’d been worried about the fans for nothing! The crazy things I’d heard like death threats and hate didn’t seem true at all. Well at least not in person...
Harry followed me down the line, signing and taking pictures with everyone. He clearly hadn’t heard what I’d said because of the screaming. The noise was deafening. I was going to have to invest in a pair of fashionable ear-muffs if I had a hope of sticking it out.
I poked Harry in the face with my marker as we got further along, making the fans in front of us giggle.
“Harry!”
He glanced up. I laughed at his startled expression, as I pointed back to the chunk of fans he’d missed.
“Go back there and chat with them, I’m fine by myself, really! Take Russell. We’re near the end of the line anyway!”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” He scoffed, scribbling his signature over a sea of ‘Dare to Dream’ books.
He was refusing to double back because of me. What if the fans back there had waited all night to see us too? Had it rained last night? I felt a rush of guilt as I looked back at the disappointed girls. Some of them were in tears at being so close to the boys. They probably knew that we weren’t going to stay for long, but they’d taken the chance and come out anyway.
I looked in front of me at Harry. Still signing.
I looked behind me at Russell. No expression as usual.
I laughed.
Fine, if that was how Harry wants to play it!
Before I knew what I was doing, I was jogging back to the section we’d missed— adrenaline coursing through my veins.
Yes, I was jogging in heels. I knew for sure that Paula had a schedule to keep and I had no doubt that she would tackle me to the ground if I messed with it.
“Ava! What are you doing?!” I heard the alarm in Harry’s voice and the shuffle of his feet as he strode to catch up with me.
I finally reached the section of fans, leaning over the barricades, and grinned as I made eye contact with a girl who had an amazing afro of curls.
“Hi!” I greeted her breathlessly, whipping the cap off my pen. “Sorry it took so long, we really appreciate you guys coming out to see us!”
She gushed about how she’d seen me on the news and began tearing up. I gave her a hug, just as I heard Harry clear his throat loudly behind me.
The screams grew louder.
“Do you need a cough drop?” I widened my eyes innocently.
“You run really fast in heels. Did you know that?”
“You guys are so cute!”
“AVA THANK YOU SO MUCH!”
“Thanks for coming back Harry! I love you!”
I felt a glow of warmth inside me and couldn’t help shooting Harry a triumphant look of ‘I told you so’. He shook his head, but a grin tugged at his lips.
“Hey, do you girls want to see something funny?” He winked at the fans in front of us. They cheered.
Before I could react, he whipped out his permanent marker and scribbled ‘1D’ messily on my left cheek, letting out an evil burst of laughter.
“That,” He chuckled, “is payback from before.”
My jaw dropped. “The cap wasn’t even off!”
He paused, looking thoughtful. “Well then, that was for making me exercise against my will!” His eyes were bright with laughter.
I glared at him. “Oh, you are so dead, Styles.”
I whisked my pink sharpie out like a sword and charged.
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A/N: This chapter isn't as well loved as the others, but I actually had the best time writing it! :)
I've actually got a really good pace going on, so I'll try my best to keep it up.
As a present, insert picture of Harry holding Lux in the sidebar. I KNOW. #DEAD
You're welcome.
If you enjoyed the chapter, please don't forget to Vote, Comment, Follow, you get the gist. <3
- Freya xx
Chapter 16 includes: A SILVER DRESS, AWKWARD MOMENTS AND HAVA