Hello everyone!
1,600 reads?! I posted the first chapter a little over a month ago, and I cannot believe I have this many reads already...I hope that means it's a good story? (I only have 76 votes, so does it suck or something...?) Haha anyways, thank you all SO much!
I know I posted not long ago saying I'd update every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday...well, I started volunteering four days a week so I'm really busy now. I hate to do this, but I can now only post every Friday! I know you'll probably all hate me, but I didn't think I'd be this busy now...plus I leave for college five weeks from today, so after that, I probably won't update much. I'M SORRY BUT I'LL DO MY BEST.
By the way, I hope you love the new cover! The old cover was too plain and basic, so I decided to make a new one. I wanted both Niall and Lucy on the cover, so I spent hours trying to find the perfect pictures. After much searching, cutting + pasting, editing, and frustration, I decided on this one! The 'L' is a little cut off, but oh well. I don't know about you guys, but I love it!
Okay, enough of that. Enjoy the next chapter :) <3
Love always,
Kellie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Will you please just tell me where you're taking me?" I sigh as Niall climbs into the car next to me.
"Of course I won't," he says, winking. "You should know I love planning surprises for you."
"Niall!" I squeal. "If you think I'm going to--"
I'm silenced as Niall places his finger on my lips. "Oh be quiet, Ms. Darcey," he whispers against my face, his breath tickling my skin.
Just as I'm about to protest, the vehicle comes to a stop. I look out the window to see we're at London International Airport.
Niall gets out of the car and comes around the other side, opening my door for me. "Thanks," I smile as I walk to the curb. "But we have to fly again?" I frown.
He strides over and takes my hand in his, intertwining our fingers. "Yes, but don't worry; the flight is quite short," he grins.
The flight was actually kinda long: three hours, to be exact. As the jet pulls up to a jet way, Niall jumps out of his seat and walks over to me. "You ready?" He asks, a huge smile on his face.
"I guess," I murmur. "If I knew where we are, I'd be more excited."
Niall raises his brow at my response, smiling even wider. "Well then, Brooke Darcey," he starts as he takes my hand, pulling me up from my seat. He pulls me along into the jet way and into the airport terminal, then turns around to face me, our hands still joined. "Welcome to Liverpool!"
My eyes go wide. "Shut up!" I yell as I punch his arm. "You can't be serious!"
Niall roars with laughter and places his arm around my shoulders. "Oh, I'm quite serious," he beams. His tone suddenly changes. "Welcome to Liverpool; I'm your tour guide, Mr. Horan," he says, voice deep and serious. "First stop is The Cavern Club." I cover my mouth, trying to stifle my giggles, but end up bursting into a fit of laughter. I can't take Niall seriously when he tries to act all serious. Niall looks down at me, eyebrows furrowed in frustration, but quickly joins in the laughter.
As Niall leads me out of the airport, I look to see a black double-decker bus with The Beatles logo printed across it sitting at the curb. A short bald man in a black suit is standing in front of the bus, holding a sign that reads 'Miss Brooke Darcey.' I pull Niall's arm back, signaling for him to stop walking. He looks back at me, his face twisted in confusion. I stand on my tip toes so that I can whisper in his ear. "This is perfect," I tell him. He simply smiles.
I've always wanted to ride a double-decker bus. Whenever someone in a movie goes to England, they ride a bright red double-decker bus through the streets of London, wind whipping their hair while some cheesy song plays in the background. But what I have right now is so much better than in the movies; I'm riding on a Beatles double-decker bus with Niall through the streets of Liverpool. As the bus speeds along and the wind blows my hair around wildly, I can't help but smile like an idiot; I'm the luckiest girl in the world.
"We're here," Niall announces as the bus pulls over to the curb. I look over my shoulder to see the legendary Cavern Club below me. One of The Beatles' first performances was at this very club. Not only is this club an important part of Beatles history, but musical history in general. Other iconic acts, like Queen, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, and The Who performed here.
As soon as the bus is in park, I jump up, dragging Niall along behind me. As we walk inside, I swear I almost faint from bewilderment upon the realization that I'm actually here. The Cavern Club looks exactly as it did all those years ago. The small stage at the back of the building is illuminated by a set of white lights. The back wall is covered with colorful, glossy bricks with words written in black ink from visitors around the world. I look up to see the faded bricks are covered in black writing as well. It's hard to believe that The Beatles' career started in this tiny, rather claustrophobic club.
As I circle around the club taking in my surroundings, I hear the front door open and turn around to see four men walking towards me. They're dressed just like The Beatles when they performed here; moreover, they look just like John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
Niall notices their entrance and strides over to greet the men. "Hello lads, thanks so much for coming," he smiles as he helps them bring in their equipment. Niall picks up a speaker and guitar and carries them to the stage.
"W--what's going on?" I stutter, confusion clear in my tone.
Niall ignores my question. "Can you come help?" He asks as he takes more equipment to the stage. I nod slowly as I pick up a guitar and bring it to the small stage. After we finish bringing the equipment to the platform, Niall turns to me.
"I have another surprise," he says as he leads me to a small black circular table with two black chairs. I open my mouth to speak, but I'm interrupted by one of the Beatle-look-alikes on stage. The man who's dressed like Paul McCartney speaks into the microphone.
"Welcome to The Cavern Club," he smiles. "We're a Beatles tribute band, and we've been asked to play a couple songs for you." He picks up the guitar and the band begins playing "Twist and Shout."
In the middle of the song, I turn to Niall, whose eyes are locked on the stage. I reach across the table and put my hand in his, squeezing his gently. He quickly turns to me and grins. "Thank you so much, Niall, for this," I whisper as I reach across and plant a sweet kiss on his soft lips.
The band continues playing with "She Loves You" and "Words of Love." They're nowhere as good as The Beatles, but they're amazing, without a doubt. After they finish "Words of Love," the Paul McCartney look-alike speaks again.
"We hope you enjoyed the performance; thank you so much for coming," he smiles. I immediately jump up and clap my hands together. Niall follows my lead, adding a few whistles here and there. The men bow.
"That was quite impressive," a man with a Liverpudlian accent says behind me. I could recognize that voice anywhere, but I must be dreaming. I look over to Niall, who's smiling as wide as ever as he stares back at me. I take a deep breath before turning around to see if it's really him.
Behind me is THE Paul McCartney...not a look-alike, the real Paul McCartney. That's the last thing I remember before everything went black.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I haven't had a girl faint in front of me for so many years," a Liverpudlian accent jokes. Is that...?
I open my eyes to see Niall and Paul McCartney standing above me, conversing.
"She's such a huge fan," Niall responds, chuckling lightly.
Neither of them has noticed I'm awake...wait, was I asleep? What happened? I furrow my brows and close my eyes as I try to remember what just happened. The memories from earlier today slowly come back to me: I was in The Cavern Club watching a cover band when Paul McCartney walked in, and then everything went black. Oh god, did I really pass out in front of him? Wait...is he really here, or is this all a dream?
I'm pulled from my thoughts as a warm hand touches my cheek. "Brooke, are you awake?"
I open my eyes to see Niall staring down at me. I nod and he takes my hand, pulling me up off the floor. I look around to see we're still at The Cavern Club, but Paul is nowhere in sight.
"Did I pass out?" I ask Niall, rubbing my forehead.
He chuckles. "Yeah, you did. I have someone I want to introduce you to, if you're ready." Niall turns to the front of the club. "Come on in," he calls. Niall walks behind me and places his hands on both my arms, just in case I faint again.
The front door opens and Paul McCartney strides into the building, smiling as our eyes meet.
"Well, hello Brooke. I'm Paul McCartney," he beams, reaching out his hand for me to take. I shake it, mouth agape. I pull away from the handshake and pinch my arm, just to check if this is a dream. Well, it's real.
He chuckles as I pinch myself. "Please, don't faint again," he jokes. "Your friend Niall here asked me to stop by. I'm on tour right now but have a break to come back to good 'ole Liverpool," he smiles. "So, of course, I had to come meet one of my biggest fans."
"I--it's such an honor to m--meet you, Sir Paul," I stutter, still in complete shock.
He laughs. "You as well. So, now that you're awake, we should get going to our next stop."
"You're coming with us?" I ask in amazement. Paul McCartney is coming with us...?
"Only if you want me to," he chuckles. I nod my head quickly instead of speaking in hopes of saving myself from more embarrassment.
So, for the next couple hours, Paul McCartney showed us each of the Beatles' childhood homes. As we board the bus after touring John Lennon's house, Niall turns to me. "We have a couple more stops," he smiles.
The bus drives us back to the Liverpool Airport. As Niall, Paul and I walk down the steps and walk to the curb, I turn around.
"Thank you so much, Sir Paul," I smile.
"I'm not leaving yet," he smirks.
"But we're at the airport...?" I say, voice trailing off.
He chuckles. "Yes; I'm flying with you."
Someone pinch me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We land back at London International Airport and a black stretch limo picks us up. As we sit in silence, I build up enough courage to talk to one of my idols.
"So, Sir Paul...why are you with us?" I ask. His face forms a scowl. "No, no," I stutter, trying to recover. "I mean, why would you want to waste an afternoon with some fan? And I'm pretty sure you and Niall aren't exactly friends."
Paul chuckles. "Well, I always love meeting fans," he tells me. "Plus, I like One Direction. When Niall contacted me, I was glad to take the opportunity to meet one of the members," he adds.
I nod at his response, still confused as to why a legend such as himself would go out of his way to spend a day with me. Well, he's probably only here because of Niall. Wait...did Niall pay him for this? I swear, if he did, I will---
"We're here," Niall cheers, interrupting me from my troubling thoughts. I look out the window to see we're at Abbey Road studios.
We spent the next few hours touring The Beatles' old studio. Paul McCartney even played a few of their songs for us at the piano, like "Hey Bulldog," and my two of my favorites, "Let It Be" and "Hey Jude." As we walk out of the studio, Niall turns to me.
"We have one more place to visit," he whispers into my ear. I kiss his cheek, which earns me a heart-stopping smile. He puts my hand in his as we follow behind Paul. Paul approaches a long street and stops. I recognize where we are instantly: we're at Abbey Road.
"Good 'ole Abbey Road," Paul smiles. "Come on over Brooke and Niall," he calls to us. Niall pulls on my arm, signaling for us to walk over. "I thought we'd take a picture," Paul announces.
*Side note--if you don't know what the photo looks like, it's posted on the side :)
So Paul McCartney, Niall and I pose for a picture on the Abbey Road crosswalk, just like on The Beatles' iconic Abbey Road cover. Afterwards, Niall, Paul and I talk about Paul's tour and The Beatles for a long time. Before I knew it, the sun was beginning to set.
"I guess I should be going; I have to get back to Liverpool," Paul announces.
"Thank you so, so much for this, Sir Paul," I smile as I pull him in for a hug. "This was one of the best days of my life, without a doubt."
He smiles back at me as we separate. "It was my pleasure. If you ever want to come to one of my concerts, call my manager," he says as he hands me a small card with a number on it. "This is his personal number, so don't lose it. He'll get you front row seats."
"Wow," I breathe out. "That would be amazing. Thank you so much!"
Paul nods. "Oh!" He exclaims, throwing his finger in the air. "I almost forgot." He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a poster. "Niall told me you'd love an autograph, so here you go."
"This is incredible, Sir Paul. Thank you again," I smile as I take the signed poster from his hands. "I can't tell you how grateful I am."
He smiles back at me before saying his goodbyes to Niall and steps back into the limo. After the limo speeds off, I turn to Niall.
"Niall, this has been absolutely incredible. Thank you," I tell him as I attack him in a hug.
He chuckles. "I thought you might like it. I wasn't sure if he would actually show up," he admits. "We've never met, so he was a bit taken aback when I contacted him." I nod in understanding.
We stand there for a few seconds in silence before he speaks again. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Let's head back for dinner," he offers. I smile as Niall puts his arm around my shoulders and leads us back to his flat.
"This was the second best day of my life," I tell him as we walk up his front steps.
"This wasn't the best?" He asks, voice full of surprise as his face falls in disappointment.
"No, it wasn't the best...the best day," I pause, "...was when I met you."
"Oh," he blushes as he looks down at the floor. "Thank you."
As he closes the door, I can't help myself; I push his back against the door. His eyes go wide as he looks back at me, shocked and confused as to what I was doing. Before he can react, I smash my lips against his. It takes him a few moments to catch up to what was happening, but he soon kisses me back. I graze my tongue over his lips, asking for entrance, which he allows. I run my hands through his hair as he wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me to his chest. Niall suddenly pulls back from the kiss, but moves his lips to the skin on my neck right below my jaw. He begins sucking at my weak spot, which causes an involuntary moan to escape my lips. He smiles as he picks me up off the floor and I wrap my legs around him. Niall walks us to the couch and sets me down, lying on top of me. As our lips crash together again, Niall pulls at the hem of my shirt.
I pull away from the kiss. "I--I thought...you wanted to wait?" I ask, trying to catch my breath. He shakes his head and quickly presses his lips to mine again.
Niall tugs on my shirt again and begins pulling it over my head. He never breaks the kiss as he throws my shirt on the floor, leaving me in my bra and jeans. As I begin pulling his T-shirt over his head, there's a knock at the door. Niall jumps off of me and stares back at me, eyes wide.
"It's us!" I hear Harry announce. I quickly throw my shirt over my head and Niall and I stare at each other, trying to steady our breathing. After a couple seconds, Harry pounds at the door again. Niall sighs as he walks to the front door and opens it to reveal Harry holding a large paper bag.
"We figured we'd bring dinner," he smiles as Zayn, Liam, and Louis file in behind him.
I stand there awkwardly, hoping they don't notice what was just happening. I'm sure our lips our swollen.
"Brooke? Aren't you gonna come eat?" Harry calls over to me, pulling me from my thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm pretty hungry," I respond, my voice much calmer than I had expected.
After dinner, the boys stay to watch football with Niall, so I decide to go to bed early. I'm completely exhausted from my day with Niall and Paul McCartney--man, I still cannot believe that happened today. But even more shocking and confusing was what happened between Niall and I earlier--were we about to have sex? What would have happened had the boys not interrupted? Was I actually ready for that? Niall and I have only known each other for about a month, but I already have such strong feelings for him. We spend nearly every second of the day together.
As I lay there contemplating this, it dawns on me: I was ready for that to happen. But was he?
My heart leaps out of my chest as my phone starts vibrating under me. I forgot to bring my phone with me today--and I haven't talked to my parents since we left. As I lift the iPhone to my face, I see my mom's calling me.
"Hello?"
"Brooke, why the hell haven't you answered our calls?" She asks, voice full of concern.
"I'm sorry, we've just been really busy. Mom, we spent the day with Paul McCartney today!" I exclaim.
"That's amazing Brooke, but you said you'd call every day," she responds, slightly irritated.
"I know, and I said I was sorry, Mom," I spit back, getting pissed off rather quickly.
"Your father and I have been worried sick about you, Brooke!" She yells. "I didn't want to do this, but if you're not going to keep your end of the agreement, you need to come back," she snarls.
"Mom, you've got to be kidding me," I snap back. "It's only been a few days since I left! I've been busy! I promise from now on--"
"No," she interrupts. "You had your chance to prove it to us. You can't leave us guessing like this. You're coming back, and that's final."
"I'm not coming back, and that's final," I growl before I hang up.
My parents make me so mad; I just want to scream at the top of my lungs. They don't let me have any independence and, clearly, they overreact.
I lay back down and try to push that conversation into the back of my mind. I drift off quickly, replaying today over and over in my mind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next few days went by rather quickly; I spent most of my time in Niall's flat, since the boys were busy practicing and performing. Before I knew it, it was time to head out for Ireland.
"You nervous?" Niall asks, placing a hand on my shoulder as I zip up my suitcase.
"Yeah," I admit. "Hey, there's something I need to tell you," I say reluctantly. He's been so busy that I haven't had the chance to tell him about my conversation with my mother the other night.
"We don't have time, babe," he responds as he picks up my suitcase. "We have to leave."
I sigh, but I know he's right. I walk out of the bedroom, him following behind me with our suitcases.
"My family will love you," he reassures me.
"I really hope you're right," I respond, voice shaky.
There's a heavy pounding at the door.
"Is that the boys? I thought we were meeting them at the airport," I ask Niall.
"No, they don't knock that loudly," Niall responds, face etched in concern. "I don't know who it is."
"I'll answer," I offer. I walk over to the front door and take a deep breath. As I open Niall's front door, I nearly fall backward.
It's my father.