Charlotte's POV
"Well don't you look fancy!" Madison winked at me as she entered our room, Ryan was right behind her.
I tossed a slightly wavy piece of hair over my shoulder and smiled. I couldn't curl my hair to save my life, but I was great at making it look wavy. Not knowing what Liam had planned for the night, I had dressed myself in black high-waist skirt and a quarter-sleeved black and white striped shirt. I had slipped red heeled ankle boots onto my feet which were complimented by bright red fingernails and bright red lipstick.
"Most chicks can't pull that look off, but it fits you, Char," Ryan winked.
"Um, thanks?" I asked.
Maddie smacked him causing him to chuckle. "I just mean you look nice. His breath will be taken away."
That wasn't the plan- not the immediate one anyway. I just wanted to hang out with him. Not really even as a date, but just to hang out.
"Do you need the car?" Marisa drew her attention away from the grumbling TV.
"Nope, Niall and Louis are apparently picking me up? This should be interesting."
"No hate date with Malik?" Ryan asked Marisa.
"Nah-"
"Hear you to got in on this weekend!" Ryan wiggled his eyebrows.
"RYAN!" Maddie scolded. "Behave!"
"Sorry Mom," he whimpered. "But since their beloveds are so famous and never hang out with us, I can't make fun of their coupleness to their faces so I have to do it some time!"
"Yeah alright," she shook her head and plopped herself next to Marisa knowing there was no chance at restraining him.
"Ok well I have to go, but do I look okay?"
"You look beautiful," a voice called out.
All four heads turned towards the door to see Charlie Moore standing in the there.
"Hey," I smiled at him. "Thanks."
"No problem, but you know always look beautiful." He entered the room giving Ryan an awkward bro-hug.
"Mads, Riss, what's up?" he gave them both kisses on the cheek before giving me the same.
I had met Charlie the first week of school when he and Ryan had offered to carry my stuff up to my room. I didn't spend tons of time with him because most of my free time was spent with Liam and the boys, but we had hung out a few times. He was good friends with Maddie and was fairly close to Marisa. He was a sweet genuine guy.
"Hot date with Payne right?" He sat on the floor in front of the TV. "That boy isn't going to know what to do with himself."
"He'll be sexually frustrated while sitting there meeting fans," Ryan smirked.
"OK! I am leaving. I will see you two later." I pointed at Marisa and Madison. "However I could care less if I never saw you two again." Ryan stuck his tongue out at me. I did the same.
"Oh no if you do that you won't be getting anything tonight!"
"Immature little...."
"LOVE YOU TOO!" Ryan cut me off, chucking my purse at me. The skilled child that I am, I caught it in one hand, slung the strap over my body, and headed for the door.
I walked down the hallway and stepped into the elevator. I pulled my phone from my pocket to see a new text from Niall. They were here. As I made my way outside, I strutted through campus avoiding the lingering stares.
"Hey Charlotte," a girl greeted me.
"Hi." I smiled at her, but then walked right on by.
I found my way to the parking lot where I had told the boys to get me. It was the least crowded place on campus, meaning it was the place they were least likely to be recognized.
"Well don't you look nice?" Louis smirked at me as I climbed into the backseat.
"Thank you," I smiled. "How are you all today?"
"Mighty fine. Intense rehearsals are over. We finally got the show down and so now we can focus on the nit-picky things." Niall sighed.
"Oh joy," I mocked.
"Yep," Louis' lip curled. "Not looking forward to it, but it will be interesting.
"So what exactly is the schedule?" I asked.
"We have five shows here, and then we are in America for three months. Those are all the dates that are publicly released. There are more to be announced."
I felt a little knot form in my stomach. I hadn't even thought about this. Liam was going to be gone for a while. Like a long while. Three months in America then off to some countries I have probably never even heard of.
"Don't fret about it, Char. Liam will make it work." Niall must have seen the panic in my eyes.
"No, I know," my voice was shaky.
I couldn't help myself though, especially when it was Niall who was comforting me. Amalia had her passport ready to go. He wouldn't have to be away from her for more than a few hours at a time. Marisa and I were in the same boat. Stuck here in London. Who would have thought I would see the day when I wanted to go back to America so desperately?
"I know Char, I know that it seems like you aren't going to be able to handle it but if you really want to, you can." Louis was a tad more comforting than Niall was. "Just talk to Liam about it. I'm sure it will all work out."
"Ok," I squeaked. But then I let the thoughts rest. I wanted a fun night, not one spent worrying about the future.
About ten minutes later we pulled into a parking lot that was swamped with security guards attempting to keep fans under control. The building next to us was large and grey.
"Radio station," Louis said when he caught me staring out the window. "Meet and greet in their big room and then an interview."
"Gotcha," I whispered. The overwhelming feeling around their fans never subsided. I constantly felt like I was going to get trampled or purposely strangled or something.
"Hey boys," a large security guard shouted when Niall rolled down the window. A group of girls caught glimpse of Niall's face and the screaming started. The guard waved us through the gated area of the parking lot. Niall yanked the steering wheel, pulling the car swiftly into the spot.
I unsnapped my seatbelt.
"Wait a sec Char."
Louis and Niall got out of the car and came in front of my door. The car blocked them from the fans, yet they continued to scream. Four security guards made their way to us. The biggest one was having some sort of intense conversation with the two boys before he left, undeniably upset.
Louis shrugged and opened my car door. He gave me his hand, helping me down from the SUV.
I blinked a few times as my eyes adjusted to the streaming sun overhead. For late October it was beautiful outside.
I straightened my skirt and fixed a piece of hair away from my eyes.
"Ready Love?" I tightened my arm around Louis who pulled me towards the door. Lucky for us, we had to walk out of the securely gated area and into the place where fans were being held back my simple, flimsy barricades.
"Hang on, you're ok. I have you." Louis' breath buzzed in my ear.
I smiled, grateful that he was clinging onto me tightly. He wasn't Liam, but it was fine. He was Louis and I trusted him just as much. Niall led the way towards the door waving and smacking hands as he went.
"CHARLOTTE!!!" CHARRR!" I heard my name being shouted over and over again. I knew that I had to be kind to them in order for them to be kind to me. I turned my head towards the crowd, smiled, and waved earning a loud shrill from the girls.
"CHARLOTTTE! THIS IS FOR YOU!!!!" A girl a few feet in front of me was waving a gift bag in the air. I looked at Louis who shrugged. He knowingly led me over to the girl. I took the bag from her.
"Thank you," I smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
I heard her scream as soon as I was gone. I wasn't famous, yet this was still happening. Wow.
"What's that?" Niall motioned to the bag as I walked past him into the studio.
"A gift?"
"They must like you then," he winked.
"And who wouldn't?" the voice was recognizable still sending shivers down my spine.
"Hey Char," I turned to see his mouth pulled up into a brilliant smile. "How are you?" He gave me a bear hug crushing me.
"Hi," I gasped. "Can't breathe."
"Can't have that," Zayn grabbed the collar of Liam's shirt and yanked him backwards choking him.
Liam gagged as he rubbed the spot on his neck where the shirt had cut into his skin.
"Hey babe," Zayn chuckled as he gave me a light hug. "You look gorgeous."
"Thanks Zayn," I smiled squeezing his back.
"LET'S GO!" Harry rounded the corner shouting. "Oh hi Char," he too gave me a hug, but his was an awkward side one. "We're on in five, mates. The crowd is getting restless."
I followed the five through the corridors of the building. Though I didn't know where we were going, I knew we were getting close because the screaming became audible.
I made my way to a table that was on the other side of a risen platform and black sheet. I hopped on it, legs dangling.
"That never gets old," Harry smiled as Louis draped his arm across his shoulder.
"The screaming?" I asked confused.
"The fact that people love you that much," Zayn shivered, "It's nerve-wracking, but continuously unbelievable. "
"Oh."
"Well lads, you ready?" Louis asked. He received a bunch of "Yeps."
The four boys went to line up at the foot of the steps.
"So I texted Lauren. She helped out with rehearsals. She was going to clean up and then head over here because she is going out with Haz and Lou afterwards. She'll be here soon to keep you company. You okay until then?"
Liam, always so caring. "Go," I smiled pushing him towards the others. "I'll be fine."
He winked at me, "Ok."
He had walked a few feet before I caught his arm and pulled him back.
He stood in between my legs as I pulled him closer. He smiled at me with hungry, lustful eyes. Keeping one hand on his stomach, the other hand gripped the nape of his neck bringing his face level with mine. He smirked at me as I took control in connecting our lips.
I was careful to remain under control knowing that he was about to meet thousands of fans. If anyone was to notice swollen lips, it would be them. I kissed him lightly yet passionately before I pulled away; his forehead resting against mine.
"Okay, now I'm good."
He kissed the tip of my nose, squeezed my hand and smiled at me before he left.
___
"Here we go," Lauren sat on the table next to me.
She had arrived about an hour ago, and after talking for what seemed like forever we both wanted to do something fun and entertaining. What better way to entertain ourselves than play a trick on the boys?
Since Lauren was more well-known than I was, she had made her way up to the main part of the building. Somehow she managed to steal Louis and Harry's phones from their coat pockets. She was unable to find the other three, but two were good enough.
"Ok," Lauren chuckled evilly. "Let's go on a twitter rampage shall we?"
She handed me Harry's phone.
"Let's start by saying that it's us. Then we won't get in AS much trouble," I suggested.
We both pulled up a new tweet and typed in exactly the same thing.
It's Lauren and Charlotte hacking Harry's twitter! Mwahaha. Time to do some serious damage ;)
And...
It's Lauren and Charlotte hacking Louis' twitter. Mwahaha. Time to do some serious damage ;)
Then we pulled up their mentions as tweets started pouring in requesting follows and asking random questions. We had decided not to follow anyone because that would be unfair to the boys.
I found a tweet to Harry that read: @Harry_Styles do you love your fans more than @Louis_Tomlinson
I decided it was the perfect one to reply to, so I typed in: @jmm314 no, I just love you more than @Louis_Tomlinson <3
"This girl wants me to tell her a joke," Lauren held Louis' phone in front of me so I could read the screen.
@emaloney100 why wasn't the pirate allowed to see the movie? Bc it was rated arrrrrrghhhh HAHAHA
"Lauren that is such a bad joke," I laughed at it anyway.
"I know," she smiled.
"Do you have any other cheesy jokes? This girl wants one too."
"Are you kidding me?" she gasped. "I've lived around Louis William Tomlinson for sixteen years and you are questioning as to whether I have a stupid joke or not? Come on Char!"
"Right, right, right." I handed her Harry's phone and let her type. She showed it to me before pressing send.
@1Derful_Dreams what do you call a cow that doesn't give milk? A MILK DUD! (thank you Louis)
"At least it's better than the pirate one," I chuckled.
It was then that I remembered a joke that Harry had told me the first time we had hung out together.
@madimcguck what's green and has wheels? ...... grass. I lied about the wheels.
Lauren showed me her newest tweet.
@richards_emilie what do you call a bear with no teeth...? A GUMMY BEAR! (thanks to Louis for that one as well)
We continued typing on their phones, mainly telling jokes. When we ran out of jokes to tell, we simply googled more. In less than fifteen minutes we were trending under #joketime.
"Is Charlotte here?" we had been here for close to two hours and this was the first time I had heard my name.
"She is," I heard Liam tell the fan.
"She took the present I brought for her."
"That was really sweet of you to bring it for her. I really appreciate you being so sweet. What's your name hun?" Liam's voice was muffled, but I could hear it backstage through his mic.
"Lauren," the girls voice was high with excitement.
"Awe, we have a friend name Lauren."
"I know. She's following me on twitter!" the girl sounded like she was shaking.
"That's awesome. Well thanks for coming sweetie." I assumed Liam had stood up and given her a kiss when I heard the chair scrape against the floor followed by light giggling.
"They are so sweet to their fans," I whispered.
"They are just really sweet guys," Lauren the phone down. "You should see them around their young fans. It's the most adorable thing you will ever see!"
"Awe, I bet."
I picked my own phone from my purse and went through my messages before I was snapped back into reality.
"You should bring Charlotte out," another girl was saying.
"Everyone wants to see Char today," Harry chuckled.
"We like her- we want to meet her, too," the girl told them.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Liam said cautiously.
"We promise to be nice."
"I guess since we are almost done I can see if they want to come out."
"They?" the girl asked.
"Lauren is with her, too." Louis told the girl.
"Oh I love Lauren. She is so funny!"
"I guess I'll check." You could hear the hesitation in his voice.
"Erm, hi," he walked down the stairs towards us. Both mine and Lauren's eyes followed him as he approached us. "So you heard that?"
We both nodded.
"Wanna come?" He extended both hands towards us. We looked at each other, then back at him before taking his hand. He led us up the stairs onto the risen platform. We rounded the corner onto the "stage" and immediately people started shouting at us.
Zayn lectured the crowd as we adjusted to the setting. "Ladies, please don't yell at them. They don't like to be yelled at. If you yell at them they will go back upstairs."
"And if you say one mean thing to them you will be escorted out," Louis felt the need to add.
The room was huge. It stretched back and back. Even though there were only about twenty minutes left, the room was still full with more people filing through. The room was painted an awful grey color. Thankfully, the late afternoon sunlight was shining through the side windows, brightening the atmosphere.
Liam let go of Lauren's hand. She looked like a lost puppy. If she looked lost and she was somewhat used to this, I didn't even want to see my own face. She made her way to Louis without a second thought. He pushed his chair back slightly and pulled her onto his lap. He wrapped her arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. Liam pulled me towards his chair at the end next to Niall. Niall gently placed a hand on my arms smiling at me. I smiled back as he gave my arm a light embrace before two hands forced me backwards.
I let out a small scream before stumbling back onto Liam's lap.
"I got her," Liam chuckled into the microphone. The crowd's grumbling laughter filled the room.
I twisted on his lap so that my legs were under the table. Then, the fans started back up. Liam kept one hand tight and low on my waist at all times while the other signed autographs.
Lauren and I were both shocked when one girl names Ella asked for our autographs. She started a new trend and soon, Lauren and I were signing a majority of the sheets, though we had no idea why.
After forty-five minutes we were finished. The meet and greet had run twenty-five minutes late.
"Off to the interview," Harry pumped his arm in the air running forward.
We walked up a cement stair case to the studio.
Right away, they hooked the boys up to their microphones. Lauren and I were given one to share, at the request of the boys.
"We are in the studio, finally, with One Direction. But not only do we have Liam, Harry, Zayn, Niall, and Louis, we also have Charlotte McDermott and Lauren Sorin who were actually the hit of the meet and greet. Hello everyone!"
We all responded hello.
"Lads, you have two beautiful ladies over here."
"We do," Harry smiled. "The best of the best."
"Ladies, what is it like to be friends with these five? I bet it's really something isn't it?"
Lauren gave me a little kick telling me to answer, "They are great. There is honestly never a dull moment. I'm sure people watch their interviews and wonder if they are actually that crazy all the time and I'm here to say they are." I was rather proud of my answer.
"Lauren you have known one of the boys for a while haven't you?"
"Yes," she managed to say.
"And which one is that?"
Louis raised his hand.
"Oh Lou," the interviewer said.
"Yeah, yeah that's right." Louis grinned.
"So Louis tell us how you met."
"I can't. I don't remember. I've known Lauren her whole life, same with her sister Amalia."
"Amalia as in Niall's girlfriend correct?"
"Yeah buddy," Niall said.
"So did Louis set you guys up?"
"No, we just became good friends." Niall shrugged.
"Louis you are okay with that? You ever have feelings for Amalia?"
Lauren stiffened beside me.
"Nope, Amalia and I are just good friends."
"Alright well Liam obviously that beautiful girl over there is your girlfriend. How incredible is she?"
Liam looked at me, his eyes so warm. "She's awesome. She's just really fun to hang out with and be around. And of course she is beautiful."
I felt my cheeks turning red.
The conversation turned to Zayn and Marisa where he didn't confirm or deny anything.
Harry confirmed that he was still single but that it was okay with him especially getting ready to leave for tour.
They asked the boys some questions sent in from twitter and then they wrapped the interview up.
"Thanks for coming boys," the radio hosts shook their hands. "And thank you, too, ladies, for joining us." Lauren and I shook their hands and went to get our coats.
I slipped on my red coat and pulled my purse over my body as Lauren did the same.
"LAUREN!!!" Louis burst into the little waiting reception room. "You stole our phones!"
"What?" Lauren asked sweetly.
"Don't you what me!" Louis stormed over to her, grabbed her forcefully by the waist and slung her over his shoulder like a fireman.
"LOUIS! Put me down! CHAR did it too!" Lauren screamed as she pounded on Louis' back. Her screams faded away as Louis carried her down the stairs chuckling.
"Should be interesting to see how this one plays out," Harry murmured making me jump. "Have fun with Liam, Char. Don't do anything stupid." He winked before disappearing after Louis and Lauren.
I watched him spiral down the stairs until he was out of site.
"Ready?" Liam appeared behind me. I spun around as his arms instinctively wrapped around me.
"Where am I supposed to be ready to go to?" I questioned.
"It's a secret." He smiled.
"Then how am I supposed to know if I'm ready?"
"I guess you'll have to trust me." He pulled me against his chest locking our lips together. I sighed into the kiss causing him to pull back.
"Later," he promised as he tugged me towards the stairs.