Charlotte's POV
"Get your lazy asses off the couch and help me set the table!" Niall yelled from the kitchen.
I spun my head around to look at Liam, whom I was laying on top of.
"That's okay, but thanks for asking!" Liam called to him. I chuckled.
"What are you laughing about?" he asked. His voice was deep. He brought his hands around me and squeezed my waist.
"Stop! That tickles!"
"Does it now?" his breath tickled my ear as his hands worked at my sides.
"STOP IT!!!"
"Dear lord, apparently, the new thing to do when you are sexually frustrated is tickle one another." We hadn't noticed Harry coming into join us.
"What are you talking about?" Liam asked.
"Louis and Lauren were going at it too."
"I highly doubt that they are sexually frustrated. No, there's no way," Liam's face twisted in discontent.
Harry shrugged not so sure.
"Um awkward," I rolled off Liam who whimpered at my actions.
"Come back," he held his hand out in front of me.
I shook my head. He followed my eyes towards the door where we witness Zayn and Marisa laughing as they walked towards the house.
"I've got a best friend to talk to."
"They sure were out there for a long time," Harry chuckled.
I made my way back to the room and flopped down on the bed.
"Hey Lauren," I greeted her. She was causally lounging on the bed opposite of my own.
"Hey Char," she smiled at me. "Having fun thus far?"
"It's nice to just get away from everything."
She nodded knowingly before our conversation was interrupted by Marisa entering the room. She shut the door behind her, leaning against it she smirked.
"Well, well, well," I smirked.
She grinned back at me.
"How was the poooool?" Lauren teased.
"Oh, it was good," she said simply, tormenting us.
"AND?" I shouted bouncing up and down on the bed.
She stopped gathering her clothes and look me straight in the eye.
"He's not a bad kisser." She tried to keep a straight face but she failed utterly.
"NO!" Lauren shouted.
"Yep," she giggled.
"AWE!" We both ran over and gave her a hug. "That's awesome."
"Didn't have to wait long to get what you wanted did you?" I chuckled.
"Naw, and I am rather glad that I didn't."
Marisa disappeared into the bathroom to get dressed.
"Knock, knock," a deep voice came from outside the bedroom door.
I made my way to the door and was greeted by a half naked Zayn.
"You guys just don't wear shirts do you," Lauren asked from behind be.
"Hey, I got second best remember?"
I had obviously missed a conversation.
"Can I be of assistance?" I asked him smirking.
"I assume she told you," he clearly read my smirk.
"I mean yeah," Lauren chuckled. "You go Zayn."
His cheeks turned slightly red. "Er, ok, well, dinner is ready." And then he was gone.
Dinner was interesting—granted, every moment spent with One Direction proved to be interesting, but none the less. After we ate, we all pitched in to clean up. Much to my surprise, the five boys were really good cooks and great at keeping the house running.
We all settled down to watch a movie. Harry put on Unstoppable, which I had seen before. It was a good movie that I was willing to watch again, so I settle into the big armchair on Liam's lap. About thirty minutes in, the movie was no longer holding my attention. I began to mess with my hair and roll through the Facebook feed on my phone.
"Wanna go outside?" Liam's breath against my ear pulled me away from the posts of my friends back home. "The stars are incredible."
I nodded and as gracefully as I could, got off of him. I had slipped on a pair of sweatpants before we started the movie, so I figure that with my sweatshirt on I would be fine. Liam grabbed his think hoodie off of the kitchen table along with a blanket from the back room.
"Let's go," he smiled taking my hand.
He led me into the back yard where we climbed over a fence and into a field. He aired the blanket out into the air as it settled on the ground beneath us.
I took the first move and lay on the blanket looking up at the sky.
"Wow," I said. "That's incredible."
Above me were what seemed to be millions of sparkling lights. The sky was clear, revealing the shining balls of fire. They twinkled overhead. It was breath taking.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" Liam whisper as he laid beside me.
I nodded my response.
"I love coming out here and looking up at the sky. It makes me feel so small. It reminds me that everything out there is so much bigger than I am. It's also this golden reminder that life can be beautiful and seemingly perfect if you just clear all the clutter away." He paused. "Charlotte what's wrong?" I turned my eyes away from the stars to look at him. "Please don't lie to me and tell me that you are fine, because I know you. Ok, so maybe I've only known you for three months, but that's a long time to me. I can tell something's wrong!"
I took a really deep breath causing him to pinch his eyebrows together. "Do not freak out on me ok? This is really hard for me to talk about and, and I don't need you freaking out about it."
He promised he wouldn't, so I continued. "Liam, my parents aren't okay with this."
"This as in you being here right now or this as in us?" his voice inflected pain.
"Us," I whimpered.
His eyes begged for me to explain.
"They aren't too proud of their daughter on the cover of gossip magazines and trending on twitter. They don't think that I should be featured on E! News and stuff like that."
"So, what did they say they were going to do?" his voice filled with concern.
"Well, the threatened to stop tuition."
He gasped, "but, you mean, what? NO!"
"Liam, you promised you wouldn't freak out. Let me explain."
He sat quietly, but his expression was hard. It made me want to smile that he cared so much if I left.
"This year is already paid in full, so I'm here all year. I am legally allowed to be here for the next six years because my university could potentially take that long. I have a five year scholarship that pays most of the tuition anyway, so if they stop paying I would just pay the rest. I mean most kids have to pay for part anyway."
"So what's bothering you? The fact that they are being so cruel? Charlotte I don't want to drive you and your family apart... Maybe..."
"Do not say another word Liam James Payne." I put my finger to his mouth. "Don't say it. Liam they haven't met you. They don't hate you. They hate what has to become of me to be with you, and that's their problem. I've dealt with this entire thing just fine and they can learn to deal with seeing my face on magazines when they go to the grocery store."
"But Charlotte..."
"There are no buts Liam. This is the happiest I have been in a really long time. I told you that!"
"If it's making you upset about your family...."
"I will learn to deal with it! I will I promise! "
He didn't seem so sure.
I rolled onto my side so that my back was towards him. "This is why I didn't want to tell you. I knew you would be like this –exactly like this—and it would ruin the weekend," I fussed.
"No... Char...." He rolled next to me pressing his stomach against my back. "Please don't say that. I'm just worried." He draped his arm across my waist. "If you and your family have a fall out, I'd feel responsible."
"But I'm saying that it wouldn't be your fault!" I turned my head so I could see his face. "Liam I didn't just start dating you because I wanted a hook up or because you are enormously famous. I really like you. You. Not the One Direction Liam. Not the X-Factor Liam. I like you. Screw all those magazine articles and the fans who want to take picture with me. I don't care that this one radio station keeps trying to get me to come in and be on their show. And, ok, I do care that my parents are upset, but if you didn't mean anything to me, don't you think I'd break up with you and go back to my old life? Cause I would. But you mean more to me that that."
He looked at me and said nothing.
"And I really need you to believe me, because I mean every word of that."
He brought his hand to my check. "I believe you," he whispered.
Cupping my cheek, he brought his face down to meet my own. He brushed his lips on my forehead before adding force to my lips. He hitched one hand at my waist and rolled me backwards as he hovered over me. His elbows were plaster on either side of my face supporting the majority of his body weight. The rest was being supported by me. I slipped my hand into his curls as the other hand found its way to his back, pushing him closer to me. I swear he moaned into the kiss as I brought our bodies closer, but he did a good job of stifling it. His body crashed against mine creating more forceful kisses. As me moved down my jaw nibbling and kissing gently, his hair tickled the bareness of my neck.
I put my hands on either side of his face pulling his lips back to mine, begging him not to leave me. He didn't.