I CANNOT BELIEVE IT! I'VE PASSED 1,000 READS! AH! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH! SERIOUSLY! I never thought my story would get this far. Thank you to those who have voted, commented, added to reading lists, and READ this story! I simply can't thank you guys enough. And I would like to apologize for not updating for so long. I've been really busy with SAT prep classes, homework, school, etc etc. :P Also, my friends have gotten me into KPOP which is really quite addicting and.... Well I can ramble on but I think you guys know how the roles of tumblr and Twitter (AND YOUTUBE) plays into this... (Ah, the troubles of being a fangirl...) So uh... yeah.... Here's where I'll bring a few things that's happening/has happened currently (like in the real world) into this story. (Like BEST SONG EVER, THIS IS US, and such) BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO WRITE ABOUT. Sorry if it confuses y'all; I'll put dates to lessen the confusion (they'll correlate directly with releases of BSE and stuff). I also apologize: this chapter is a bit boring; it's supposed to be a filler chapter after all. But um, yeah, this is the new chapter. Enjoy. ^_^
Remember: words in < > = text message.
CHAPTER ELEVEN: IN THE PUBLIC EYE
July 13th, 2018
"What shall we do today?" Louis asked as we gathered around the breakfast table. The entire day was ours to use however we want. Our flight to Paris was supposed to be around 11:30 in the evening. We all shrugged.
“There’s Wireless,” Harry suggested. The rest of the boys hesitated. Wireless was one of the most popular music festivals in London. “Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake are performing,” he added.
“Let’s go,” declared Perrie suddenly. “I think my girls are going. I want to meet up with them.”
“But there’s gonna be a huge crowd,” argued Zayn. “Do you wanna get mobbed?”
“There are things called hats and sunglasses,” Perrie said crossly.
“I think it’ll be fun,” Eleanor offered, “And we can show Kristie and Elaina how London does music.”
“Yeah let’s go,” Louis said. We all rolled our eyes; Louis never said no to Eleanor.
“I’m in,” Liam said, trying to placate everyone. Zayn shot him a look. “What? Jay-Z and JT, Zayn! I can’t pass up a chance to see them!”
Zayn sighed, giving in, “Alright, but if we get mobbed…” he muttered.
Louis wrapped an arm around Zayn, “Don’t worry Zaynie,” Louis joked, “I’ll protect you.” Zayn shook Louis off and rolled his eyes.
***
“You guys want to do what?!” Paul hit the roof once we told him our plans for the day.
“We told you, we want to go to Wireless,” Harry said patiently.
“Yeah, I heard you guys the first time,” Paul snapped. “Wireless? Really? One of the most popular and crowded music festivals in London and you guys, the most popular and most famous boy band in the world,” he jabbed a finger at each of the boys, “Want to go to this thing?”
“I’m flattered,” Louis joked.
Paul glared at him, “This is no joking matter, Tomlinson!” he said sharply. “It’s gonna be madness trying to keep fans away from you guys,” he groaned.
“We’ll go low-key,” Louis told him. “Caps, sunglasses,” Louis shrugged. “We’re gonna be just fine.”
“Are you trying to make my job harder than it already is?” Paul snapped.
“We’ll keep a low profile, Paul,” Liam said soothingly, “This isn’t the first time. We went to V Fest last year.”
“And got mobbed!” Paul turned his deadly glare onto Liam.
Liam shrugged “But that wasn’t until the end though! And plus, Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake are performing, so our fans probably won’t even be in that crowd.” Paul sucked in a deep breath.
“You lads,” he grumbled. “Keeping you five safe is no easy task, and here you are, trying to make it even more difficult.”
“Does that mean we can go?” asked Harry hopefully.
Paul rolled his eyes, “Go,” he groaned. “But don’t blame me if you guys get mobbed,” he muttered.
“That’s exactly what I was trying-” Zayn muttered. He shut up after Perrie shot him a look.
***
“I can’t believe I agreed to this,” Paul muttered as we arrived at Wireless. He stared at the crowds enjoying the music festival. “I seriously can’t believe I actually let you guys come.” The ticket vender let us in through the VIP line and showed us to the VIP lounge.
“Hey, no girls have spotted us yet,” Louis pointed out, shrugging. He had put on a snapback backwards, which was unlike his usual style, and was wearing dark wayfarers.
Paul rolled his eyes, “Ok, keep a very low profile. Try to say each others’ names quietly. In the case that fans do notice you,” he cringed, “Try to get straight to the VIP Lounge. Our security team will be scattered throughout the grounds. If a few fans notice you guys, that’s fine. Talk to them, sign autographs, whatever. Splitting up is good. You lads got all that?”
“Keep your hair on, Pauly,” Louis said smoothly. “We’ll be fine.”
Paul threw him a dirty look, “If anything happens, call me first.” We all nodded obediently. He sucked in a deep breath. “Alright, kids,” he put emphasis on “kids” “Have fun.” We grinned. “Come back alive,” he muttered under his breath. “Otherwise I’ll probably get fired.”
Harry punched him gently on the shoulder on our way out, “Quit worrying Paul. You’re gonna turn gray soon,” he joked. Paul shook his head, not bothering to answer back. He shooed us out of the tent.
“Alright lads, where to?” Niall asked as we surveyed the crowds and various bands. “The Jay-Z and JT concert isn’t until 7:30.”
“Zayn, let’s go see Rita,” Perrie pointed excitedly to the distance where a figure was dancing animatedly onstage. They walked off to join the crowd.
“Eleanor, Lou, Conor’s performing,” Harry said, looking at his phone.
“Let’s go! I want to have a nice chat with that lad. Haven’t seen him for quite some time,” Louis agreed. The three of them disappeared into the mass.
The ever familiar strains of OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars” floated over to us. “OneRepublic,” Liam and I uttered simultaneously.
We glanced at each other. He grinned at me “You like OneRepublic too?” he asked.
I nodded. “They’ve got great songs.”
He grabbed my hand, “Then let’s go. See you guys in a few,” he said to Kristie and Niall, towing me into the crowd. Liam and I blended right in with the mass of people. Although Liam had forgotten his sunglasses, few people noticed him. When a group of girls did notice him, they excitedly asked for autographs and pictures while I stood respectfully off to the side. I had to smile when he asked the girls how they were today. “And what’s your name, babe?” he asked the girl who looked close to fainting.
“Gracie,” murmured the girl as a light flush colored her cheeks.
“Gracie, lovely to see you today. X, Liam.” Liam said aloud as he signed Gracie’s phone case. “There you go, babe,” he smiled as he reached for my hand. “Have a lovely day, ladies,” he said dismissively as he tugged me away.
“Ohmygod, who is she?” I heard one of the girls ask her friends. “Why’s she with Liam?”
“I dunno, I’ve never seen her before,” another girl replied. I glanced up at Liam nervously.
He smiled down at me. “You know, we can’t hide forever,” he pointed out.
“Can we just hide for a few more days?” I sighed.
“You know the paps are going to find us out eventually,” he stated.
I pouted and he grinned. “A few more days,” I said firmly.
He gave a resigned sigh. “A few more days,” and pulled me in to kiss me.
I pulled away “What happened to hiding a few more days?” I protested.
“You were so cute,” he grinned. I flushed pink and Liam took that chance to kiss me again. I pushed him gently away. “I can’t resist,” he said.
“We’re gonna get found out a lot sooner if you keep doing this,” I warned.
“Twelve more days,” Liam said matter-of-factly.
I stared up at him. “What?”
“There are twelve more days before we come back here for the interview on the Alan Carr show. That’s how many days we’re hiding out for before we come out to the public,” he decided firmly.
“You… you want to come out? As in… tell everyone that we’re…dating?” I stuttered.
He nodded. “There are already enough pictures of us to raise suspicion and after ten more days, there are probably going to be more. I don’t like to lie,” he explained. “Plus I want to tell everyone I’m taken,” he gave me a crooked grin.
My heart started to accelerate, “But…what about your fans?” I began to panic, remembering the hate and craziness the fandom had gone through when he was with Danielle.
He waved dismissively, “I don’t care.” His voice softened, “I just want to show the world you’re mine.” His voice was soft but there was a hard edge of possessiveness underneath it. My breath caught in my throat. He held me a little closer. “I know you’re scared,” he said gently. “But don’t worry about the fans. This isn't about them. This is about us. And I’m not going to let them get in the way.” He said. His hand gripped mine tighter. “Please?” he pleaded, giving me his famous puppy dog face.
“Alright, twelve more days,” I muttered. Again, what have I gotten myself into?
***
OneRepublic played an excellent set and after the Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake concert, all of us were worn out. Currently, we were sitting in the VIP lounge of the airport, awaiting our flight to Paris. All five of the boys had gotten up and had went into a separate room. The rest of us had no clue as to what they were planning. We made small talk as we waited for the boys.
“Elaina, you have been found out,” Kristie said grimly.
“What?” I asked.
“Paps found you today. They even got a picture.” Kristie showed me a tabloid article.
“SPOTTED: Liam Payne enjoys a day at Wireless with new girlfriend.” I read the headline and my heart sank. Below the headline was a full color picture of Liam and me at the festival. We were laughing. With a heavy heart I continued reading the article, “Liam Payne was spotted with a mystery girl, whose identity still remains unknown, at the Wireless festival today. The pair was holding hands and according to onlookers, “looked very much to be dating.” It is unknown whether or not she is the same girl from Amsterdam or one of the girls on tour. However, the chances are very likely that she is the same girl. Band-mates, Louis and Zayn, were also seen at Wireless along with their girlfriends.” I clicked on another link. “Ready your tissues, Liam girls! Daddy Direction has a girlfriend! The two were spotted at the Wireless music festival today, hugging, kissing, holding hands, and generally looked to be a happy couple.” I stopped reading. Obviously the “hiding part” was not going to last twelve days. I glared at Kristie. “Where did you and Niall go? Why haven’t you guys been snapped?” I asked.
She shrugged, “Maybe we’re just careful.”
“What am I going to do?” I said.
Eleanor glanced at me sympathetically. “Just do your best to ignore them sweetie.”
“Don’t let the hate get to you,” Perrie added. “You can either choose to ignore them or fight back. But if you fight back, there’s the risk of getting even more hate.”
“But look on the bright side, the fans still don’t know who you are yet. You can hide for a few more days,” Eleanor said soothingly.
I blew out a long sigh. “Well we’ll just see where this goes,” I said. Eleanor patted me gently on the back.
“You’re gonna be fine,” Eleanor said softly. I smiled at her gratefully just as the boys emerged from the room having finished their secret whatever-it-was.
“Hi!” beamed Liam, dropping into the seat next to me.
All four of us girls glanced at them suspiciously. “What have you guys been doing?” Eleanor asked Louis.
Louis shrugged. “That’s for you to find out m’dear,” he winked.
Suddenly my phone beeped at me. I’ve forgotten I had set notifications on my old twitter whenever the official One Direction and/or the boys tweeted. Apparently One Direction had sent a tweet. I glanced at the boys questioningly before I opened it up to see what it was. It was a link to a video. I clicked on the link and there were the five boys, staring into the camera. I stared at my phone’s screen in excitement as they announced their new single.
“So that’s what you boys been doing,” Eleanor said.
“NEW SINGLE!” I yelled, jumping out of my seat. “OHMYGOD THIS IS SO EXCITING!” I suddenly remembered where I was. And who I was with. I sat back down in my chair in embarrassment.
“Fangirl much?” Kristie asked in shock.
My cheeks reddened even more, “I forgot,” I said lamely.
Kristie snorted in disbelief, “You just happened to forget that you were on tour with One Direction and dating Liam Payne?”
Louis laughed. “Aw, look! We have a lovely fan! Tell me, love, what is your name?” He pretended to pull out a pen.
My cheeks were now a violent shade of dark red. “Cut it out,” I mumbled, burying my head in Liam’s shoulder.
“Would you like a picture, love?” Harry teased. I groaned.
Liam chuckled, gently moving his shoulder away from me so I didn’t have a place to hide anymore. “You’re adorable,” he told me, grinning.
“Not you too!” I grumbled.
He laughed. “Well now I know who my biggest fan is.” He bumped his shoulder against mine.
“Yes guys, I’m excited about your new single,” I said nonchalantly.
“Obviously,” Niall smirked.
“Is that really how girls are when they hear about news like this?” Zayn asked curiously.
I nodded, “There are girls who are worse than me.”
Zayn gaped at me. “Seriously? Like… what do they do?” he asked cautiously.
I shrugged. “They scream. They jump up and down.”
“They burst into tears,” Kristie added.
“There are some fainting ones,” Eleanor put in.
Zayn looked flabbergasted. “To think we have that sort of influence on them…. Wow.” He shook his head in disbelief.
“C’mon guys, time to board,” Paul appeared in the doorway of the lounge. We all scrambled up and followed after him.
There was a bounce in my step as we got closer and closer to the gate, even though it was 11:15 in the evening. “You’re excited for something,” observed Liam.
I turned to him, my eyes shining. “Paris, Liam! Paris!” I did a little dance.
He laughed and wrapped his arms around me. “Why Paris of all places?” he asked.
I shrugged, not bothering to tell him that Paris has been the setting for all my fantasies. “It’s the city of love. Romance, best pastries in the world, that old European charm, why not Paris?” I countered.
He nodded, “Ah,” he said, by way of understanding. “Hopeless romantic senses kicking in?”
I grinned. “They never kicked in. They’re always there.” I pranced onto the plane. He smiled at my giddiness as he settled down beside me. He pulled the curtains around shut around us. “I may drag you all over Paris in search of the perfect macaroon,” I warned.
He closed his eyes and smiled lazily, “I’m perfectly fine with that.” He said drowsily. I suddenly realized how tired he must be.
“But for right now, sleep,” I commanded softly. He smiled again without opening his eyes.
“Do I get my goodnight kiss?” he asked, fighting down a yawn. I giggled and leaned down, gently pressing my lips against his. He hit a button on the side of his seat and the two of us went down as the luxurious first class seat straightened out to form a narrow bed. “C’mon, nap with me. We’re gonna have a big day tomorrow. Searching for the perfect macaroon and all.” I grinned and snuggled close to him, perfectly content in his arms. I drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face.
***
At around 12:35, we got to Charles de Gaulle airport. By the time we had arrived at the lavish Hotel Lutetia, it was around 1:10. All of us went straight to our rooms.
~~~
July 18th, 2018: Nice
I giggled at my phone as I watched the newest teaser video for "Best Song Ever." "What are you giggling at, silly?" Liam pulled at my phone to see. We were on the bus traveling from Lyon to Nice.
“I think I may want some dancing lessons from Leeroy,” I laughed at the scene of Liam in a blonde wig with a pink headband and legwarmers.
“I don’t know babe, Leeroy is pretty busy. He’s fully booked,” Liam said seriously.
I shrugged, “I can be pretty persuasive,” I winked. “Who’s tomorrow?” I asked nonchalantly. Niall was Harvey, the studio exec, the day before.
“That, is for you to wait and see,” Louis proclaimed.
“Surely I get some kind of perk, traveling with you guys?” I asked.
“Nope,” Zayn shook his head. “You’ll just have to wait along with the other millions of fans.”
I rolled my eyes at them and turned back to my phone.
~~~
July 21st, 2018: Rome
"OHMYGOD!" I shrieked and doubled over with laughter after watching the fifth and final teaser video for "Best Song Ever."
“Zayn, you make a better girl than I do!” Kristie grumped. She fought hard to keep the laughter from erupting.
“Thank you?” Zayn said, unsure.
“This is hilarious,” I gasped for air. “Zayn, is that a bra?”
Zayn shifted uncomfortably, “How in the world did I become the girl?” he asked his band mates.
They all shrugged, laughing. “Wait! I have an idea!” I sat up excitedly. “I’m going to prank my guy friends!”
“Please don’t,” Zayn groaned.
“Are you kidding me? I can’t pass this up!” I laughed and got screenshots of “Veronica.” “Kristie, prank with me!” I scrolled through my contacts list. “I’m going to prank Mark first.” <Hey Mark, I have to ask you something>
I bit my lip to keep myself from laughing out loud as Mark texted back <Sure, what’s up?>
I sent him a picture of Zayn as Veronica. <This is my friend, Veronica. She’s really insecure and I keep telling her she’s pretty. She wouldn’t believe me. I want a guy’s opinion on this. Is she pretty?>
I waited for Mark’s reply. And then doubled up with laughter once I saw his answer. <Wow, she’s gorgeous! Why in the world would she be insecure?>
I replied <Ok, thanks. I’ll tell her that ;)>
“Ask him more things!” Kristie said excitedly.
“Like what?” I wondered.
Kristie grabbed my phone. <Would you go out with her?>
We both collapsed with laughter at his answer. <If she isn’t already taken, yeah>
I struggled to breathe before coming up with a response. <Can I tell you a secret?>
He agreed. <Sure, what is it?>
I had to compose myself, before delivering the kicker. <Well, you see, Veronica is actually this guy: Zayn Malik of One Direction> I sent him a picture of Zayn.
I saw Mark’s reply and I lost it. <WTF?! What kind of sick joke are you playing? You mean that’s a dude? I just said a dude was gorgeous! DAMN YOU. I just said I would go out with A GUY! WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU?> The text was followed by a string of expletives.
I laughed and showed Zayn the texts. “Congrats Zayn, you’re officially pretty.”
Zayn groaned. “I knew I shouldn’t have agreed to this,” he muttered to the sounds of our roaring laughter.
~~~
July 22nd, 2018: Milan
I watched the "Best Song Ever" music video in pure enrapture, laughing at the beginning. My eyes widened at the part where the boys had incorporated all their dance moves from all the years. "So...many...feels!" I sighed. Kristie shook her head, laughing. "Ok guys," I muttered, mainly to myself. "Time to break that record!" Kristie shook her head again. I set my laptop up and plugged in the cord. I set ten tabs that would auto-refresh every forty seconds.
“You’re crazy,” Kristie shook her head in disbelief.
“Hush,” I protested, “I’m trying to break a record here!”
“Crazy, crazy,” Kristie sang.
“This is dedication!” I argued.
“Actually I think it might be obsession,” Kristie countered.
I rolled my eyes. “Just trying to help our boys out, what’s wrong with that?” Kristie shook her head at me again before tuning me out.
~~~
July 23rd, 2018: London
"OHMYGOD WE DID IT!" I screamed at my laptop as I raised my arms in celebration.
“AHH!” Harry jerked awake. As did everyone else. We were currently en route from Milan to London.
“Sorry,” I whispered. The guys rubbed their eyes blearily.
“What happened?” Liam mumbled sleepily beside me.
“We broke the record!” I said excitedly. “The twenty-four hour VEVO record. You guys currently hold the VEVO record for most views in twenty-four hours with twelve-point-three million views!”
My news woke them up really quickly.
“Really?” Niall scrambled up. I showed him my twitter timeline. “Yeah! Crazy Mofos did it again!” he cheered.
***
“Are you ready?” Liam asked me softly. We were in the dressing rooms backstage. The boys were scheduled to go on the Alan Carr Chatty Man show tonight at eleven.
I looked up at him. “What do you mean?” I asked, utterly confused.
“Today’s the day,” Liam smiled almost shyly.
“For what?” I wondered.
“We announce our relationship to the world,” Liam said quietly.
I froze. I had completely forgotten about that. “Oh.”
Liam smiled, “It’s going to be fine,” he said, pulling me close. “You’re going to be alright.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” I said in a small voice.
He held me tightly, “This isn’t about them. This is about us,” his voice took on a possessive tone.
“I want the world to know that you’re mine and I’m taken.”
I leaned against him, suddenly exhausted; the fight gone out of me. “Alright, fine,” I sighed.
A cough sounded from the doorway; we broke apart. “Mr. Payne,” A lady in a headset called. “It’s time for the show to start.”
Liam gave me one last kiss. “It’s gonna be ok,” he whispered before allowing himself to be led away. I followed them to the backstage area. Liam gave me a thumbs up. I smiled weakly back at him, my stomach in knots.
The backstage manager began the countdown as Alan Carr said “We have some returning guests today.”
“You guys are on,” the manager said as Alan Carr finished his introduction of the boys. I grew increasingly nervous as the five boys bounded onto the stage, beaming. I stayed glued to the little screen as they made small talk. Alan poured them all drinks, joking that that all five of them were finally of age to drink. They settled down and I gnawed at my nails.
Alan got straight to the point. “Liam, there’s been pictures of you and some ‘mystery girl’ hanging around Amsterdam and London!” he drawled, pulling up pictures on the tiny television set. “Don’t tell me it’s Niall!” he joked. I could see the boys visibly cringe at the bad joke. “Who is it?” Alan asked bluntly.
Oh god, oh god, oh god
Liam grinned, and took a swig of his drink. I hid behind my hands. “Well, would you be surprised if I told you that is my girlfriend?”
“Well this is news to me!” Alan exclaimed. “Do tell, spill the deets!”
Liam beamed. “Her name is Elaina and she’s a lovely girl.”
Alan raised his eyebrows. “Oh Liam, you really have to give her some credit. ‘Her name is Elaina and she’s a lovely girl.’ That’s it? I thought I told you to spill the deets! This is not spilling the deets, Liam.” The boys laughed and punched Liam in the shoulder, urging him.
“Well she’s a beautiful person, both inside and out. I can’t say too much because I want to keep her all to myself. I don’t want to share her,” Liam grinned mischievously. “I only wish the fans won’t attack her because it can be really hurtful.”
“So she’s on tour with you guys?” Alan questioned. “How do the other lads feel about her?”
The boys nod. “She’s a great gal,” Louis offered. “Makes us laugh quite a bit.”
“She’s easygoing,” Harry added.
“So all we’ve managed to find out about ‘Elaina’ is that she’s a lovely person, makes you guys laugh, and easygoing. You lads are really not keen on spilling, are you? Niall, Zayn, you two haven’t said anything. Does that mean you don’t like her?” Alan prodded.
“No, we really like her,” Zayn countered.
“Yeah, she gets along well with everyone,” Niall said.
Alan looked disappointed that he didn’t get more information and moved onto the next topic. It was then I realized how nervous I had been. I released my clenched fists, half expecting a screaming barrage of angered teenage girls to crash through the backstage. I sighed, I was overreacting. Through the rest of show, I finally began to relax, little by little. When the show was over, I waited in the dressing room, chewing on what’s left of my mangled nails. Liam came in, smiling as he reached for me. “See? That wasn’t so bad!” He cheered, planting a soft kiss on my forehead.
“Yeah,” I breathed, finally relaxing. “It wasn’t.”
~~~
“Ready to meet the family?” Liam grinned. I had to smile back because he was so excited. Though the same couldn’t be said for me. This morning, I had gone over every single minute element. Dress. Hair. Makeup. Purse. Shoes. Everything was planned out to the tiniest detail, yet I still couldn’t shake off the butterflies in my stomach. Liam was going to introduce me to his family. My stomach clenched at the thought. It was official. We were official.
I smiled back at him. “Sure,” I murmured, taking his hand. Holding his hand, I didn’t feel so scared anymore. He grinned at me like he knew that. “Mum? Dad? Nicola? Ruth?” He called, when we entered the house. A tall blonde poked her head from the living room. Liam’s sister, Nicola.
She broke into a smile when she saw us. “Liam!” She cried, rushing toward him. “You’re home!” She hugged him tightly and then turned to me. “You must be Elaina,” she smiled warmly at me. “Liam’s told us so much about you! I’m Nicola!” She extended a hand toward me.
“Hi,” I said timidly, shaking her hand. Another shorter blonde appeared.
“Mum! Liam’s here!” she hollered toward the kitchen. “Liam! You’re back!” She hugged Liam. To my surprise, she hugged me tightly too. “Hi Elaina, it’s nice to finally meet you!” she beamed.
“Hi, it’s nice to meet you too,” I replied, smiling shyly.
Liam’s mother, Karen, came in from the kitchen. Wiping her hands on her apron, she hugged both Liam and I warmly. “Hello dear, you’re just as lovely as Liam describes,” she said.
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Payne,” I murmured as I pulled out of her warm embrace. My eyes got misty; I couldn’t remember the last time my mother had hugged me like that. Or if she even hugged me at all.
“Well, come on, come on, I was just finishing up dinner. You young ones go to the living room and socialize,” Liam’s mother herded all of us into the living room and then left to finish cooking dinner.
I still had Liam’s hand in a death grip. “Maybe it’s time to let go of my hand?” Liam murmured, when we sat down on the couch. “They like you. There’s nothing to be scared of now.” I unclenched my fingers from Liam’s hand, but didn’t let go. Liam chuckled gently before twisting away slightly to talk to his sisters.
Liam’s dad walked in. “Glad to see you’re home, son,” he greeted Liam. “Hello young lady, Liam has told us a lot about you,” he smiled warmly at me.
I blushed, “Hi Mr. Payne.” I bit my lip.
“We were wondering when we’ll get to meet you,” Liam’s dad chuckled.
“Liam couldn’t stop talking about you, so naturally we were curious,” Ruth explained. I turned a darker shade of red.
“Oh, well I hope they were good things then,” I laughed as my face turned redder. Oh my god, what am I saying? Stop talking, my brain panicked. Everyone burst into laughter. “What?” I asked, confused.
“Liam absolutely couldn’t stop gushing about you!” Nicola winked at her little brother, who was a bit pink in the cheeks. “Every time, we called him or he called us! It was adorable!” She laughed.
“Stop it,” Liam complained. “Don’t call me adorable.” Liam’s sisters and dad laughed merrily. This isn’t so bad, I mused, leaning against Liam as we chatted cheerfully. To be honest, I was slightly jealous of Liam. He had two parents who loved him dearly and two sisters who tease, and care for him. He had a family. He had people who loved him. I shook my head slightly. This is not the time to think about that, I scolded myself. Liam squeezed our intertwined hands gently, crinkling his eyes at me. I smiled back at him.
“So do you like to dance, Elaina?” Ruth held up a Just Dance game for the XBOX360.
I grin happily at Ruth, “I love to dance!” I exclaimed. And suddenly, just like that, I was no longer jealous. Because I was included. Because I was with a family.
***
Throughout the night, it was nothing but fun with the Payne family. We laughed at the stories told at the dinner table. Ruth and I bonded over Pictionary. Nicola and I beat Liam and Ruth at Ellen DeGeneres’ game, “Heads Up.” But all too soon, we had to leave since we'd be departing for Spain in the early morning. I thanked Liam’s parents for having us and exchanged numbers with Liam’s sisters. Then I waited in the car with Paul so Liam could say his goodbyes in private with his family.
LIAM'S POV
"Bye mum, I'll miss you. I'll try to call more often." I hugged my mother tightly.
“My little boy, taking on the world,” she replied, her eyes shining.
I shook my head, chuckling. “I’m twenty-four years old, mum,” I reminded her.
“That still makes you my little boy,” she said sternly.
I laughed and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Yes mum.” I turned to hug my sisters.
“Don’t be a stranger, Liam,” Nicola said, hugging me tightly.
“He’s not being a stranger, he’s probably with Elaina all the time,” Ruth giggled, hitting her on the arm.
“What did you guys think of her?” I wondered anxiously.
Nicola smiled, “Well honestly, I think she’s a lovely girl and I really like her,” she said truthfully. I felt my chest spread with a warm feeling.
Ruth nodded in agreement. “Hold onto her, Liam,” she told me seriously. “Honestly, I can’t bear to see you sad and depressed again after what Danielle did.”
My face was impassive, “Ruth, drop it.”
“No, I was about to say that she’s worth fighting for, Liam. Don’t let your busy schedule get in the way this time. Fight for her,” Ruth said gently. She squeezed me tightly.
After I finished saying my goodbyes to my family, I turned to the car waiting in the driveway. Ruth’s words still ringing in my mind. I got into the car and held Elaina in my arms. “See? That wasn’t so bad. They all liked you,” I murmured into her hair.
She laughed, “Well I liked them too,” she answered, snuggling closer to me.
She’s worth fighting for, Liam. Fight for her. Ruth’s words repeated themselves in my head.
I closed my eyes and allowed myself to get lost in the sweet scent of her perfume.
I will fight for you.
Sorry if this chapter was boring. It was supposed to be a filler chapter. But don't worry! I will be picking up the pace! Thank you guys! ^_^