The airport always made me either giddy or sad. There's always people leaving or returning, and depending on the situation, it's always either one or the other.
I was at Starbucks with Izzy, waiting for my brother's plane to arrive, and this was one of those situations that I didn't know whether I should be happy or nervous or both. It has been exactly two years since we've seen each other, and in that period of time, I've changed. I've done something called growing up.
Last time my brother saw me for example, Izzy and I weren't friends, I didn't have a boyfriend, I didn't go to parties. I was young, and foolish, and I may be naive but I've grown. Not the same little princess I was, that's for sure.
Izzy could always tell when I was nervous. I know that because of the reassuring smile she gives me, her eyes kind as she looks at me.
"Don't be foolish." She said shaking her head. "Just make him notice that you're not the same girl as the one he left 2 years ago, and everything will be fine. You've changed since we met, and that's just life." She shrugged lightly, as if to say 'that's how it is and there's nothing you can do.'
"He didn't leave me." I said with a nod, as if to remind myself of such.
"I know, I know." She rolled her eyes at me, her smile brightening slightly.
"Good." I said with a giggle. "Did I put too much eyeliner on?" I asked.
"No, its perfect." She said smiling, "Just put on a little more lipstick."
I get my red lipstick, and the little mirror tucked inside my purse. I opened the case and traced the lipstick around my lips, contouring the format of them with the ink from the lipstick.
"Better?" I asked, plucking my lips. I looked up at her, waiting for her analysis of my lips.
"Sure," she said with a smile, taking a sip of her coffee.
"PASSENGERS FROM FLIGHT 09812 FROM LOS ANGELES, PLEASE GO TO GATE NUMBER 8. PASSENGERS FROM FLIGHT 09812 FROM LOS ANGELES PLEASE GO TO GATE NUMBER 8." As the intercom announced their arrival, I felt my stomach turn into knots tightening at the thought of seeing him again.
"Well, guess we're going to gate number 8?" Izzy confirmed.
"I guess so." I said, throwing my mirror into my purse along with my lipstick before getting up.
We paid for our drinks and headed to gate 8. We waited eagerly, my anxiousness building the longer it took for them to appear. I felt the knots tighten in my stomach, and my palms suddenly felt sweaty.
That is, until I saw a familiar pair of eyes meet mine as he passed the gate. A smile instantly overtook his face, his figure rushing towards me, and picking me up. My feet dangled in the air as he twirled me around, my face burying in his neck crook.
"Kenzie," I felt him take a deep breathe before putting me down and taking a hard look at me, as in absorbing my presence. "I missed you so much."
"I missed you too Lou," I said with a small smile. There was a small silence as I noticed Izzy just standing there, waiting for introductions. "Oh, Lou, this is Izzy, my best friend. Izzy, this is my brother Lou." I said presenting themselves.
"Oh." Louis said, turning towards her, before plastering a smile on his face. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He stuck his hand out for her to shake.
"Quite." Izzy replied, shaking his hand firmly.
It was then that I noticed his bandmates standing behind him, their hoodies up as they looked down.
"Well, Kenzie, meet my bandmates: Harry, Zayn, Niall and Liam," he said, indicating each one when appropriate.
"We know." Izzy and I say at the same time with a nod.
Lou furrowed his eyebrows at us, before looking at his mates. "And guys, this is my sister MacKenzie, and her new friend Izzy." A smile glowed on his face, its ghost lingering for a second as his eyes landed on us.
"Hi!"
"Hello!"
"Hey!"
"What's up?"
They greeted us with a smile and a nod.
"Hi," Izzy and I say together, smiles broadening our lips.
"Impressive," Zayn says, with a nod of appreciation.
"What?" Izzy and I say at the same time again, our eyebrows furrowing together, like pulling a string in a cardigan.
"How do you two do that?" Liam asks, a chuckle escaping his lips.
"Do what?" We say at the same time again, looking at each other this time to check if there was something weird with each other.
"That. Saying the same things, at the same time." Zayn says. Izzy and I look at each other, our eyes softening.
"I don't know." Izzy said laughing. Her hand ran through her hair, pushing it back, as she giggled on.
"Guess we're just really alike." I completed with a shrug, a smile coating my lips too.
"Shall we?" Harry asked, rubbing his eyes. I noticed the bags carrying them, the weight pulling them towards sleep. "I'm just really tired, and want to just go to the hotel and sleep for twelve hours if possible."
"Hotel?" I asked confused. .
"What?" Lou asked. Izzy and I share a look with each other, and I became nervous again.
"You really don't know?" I asked, checking just in case.
"Know what?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing once again as his eyes focused on me.
"Mom didn't want you all to stay at a hotel, so she cancelled your reservations." I said, ripping it off as if it was some bandage.
"She what?" Liam exclaimed exasperated.
"Why would she do that?"
"Doesn't she know we need our own space?"
"I really just need some sleep, desperately."
"GUYS! Stop." Niall said, making all the other boys quite down. He was the only one who didn't complain, which I found sweet. "It's not MacKenzie's fault, so there's no use in getting all annoyed at her. There's nothing we can do, so, just get over it."
"Thank you Niall," I said, smiling at him proudly. I don't know why, but I liked his ability to adapt to mom cancelling their reservations. It really wasn't that big a deal too.
We hurried to get their luggage, and each one had exactly one, but Zayn who had two. I helped him with his second bag, and made our way outside to the car waiting for them. I had arrived in a taxi with Izzy, so I had no idea what they had in mind. At least, I didn't until I saw the big ass limo parked out front, with the trunk opened and a driver waiting for us.
He loaded the luggage onto the back, and we scurried into the limo. Izzy and I looked around, sharing glances at each other at how amazingly weird it was to be in a limo.
"What now?" Liam asked, catching us sharing looks every now and then.
"Nothing." We said together, with a shrug. We tried to play it cool, as if we were used to being in a limo, but it didn't last long.
"Spit it out." Zayn said, before leaning back and waiting.
"We're just not used to driving a limo." Izzy said biting her lips. Her hands played with each other on her lap, an easy tell that she was nervous.
"That's cool. Sometimes I wish I could look at this and think it's as amazing as it is." Niall said looking down. "But then, I remember that if I wasn't here, I would have never met any of my best mates, and I'd probably still be in Ireland doing nothing with my life."
"Preach!" Lou exclaimed.
I heard my phone ring and took it out. It was Tom, Izzy's cousin. He was a delight to be around, even though there had been some awkward moments here and there.
"Hello?" I said picking up, the phone pressed to my ear.
"Mac! How long! How are you?" I heard his voice ask.
"I'm fine. You?"
"I'm cool too!" he said, and I could almost see his slight nod through the phone. "So, Cody's throwing a party tonight, interested?"
"Completely!" Izzy said excitedly.
"But, my brother and his friends just arrived, and-"
"Bring them too!" Tom said cutting me off. "That would not be a problem at all!"
"Ok." I said with a smile.
"What time should we be there?" Izzy asked.
"10pm." he said.
"Deal." Izzy and I say together.
"See you then! Bye!" he said.
"Bye!" we said together, then hung up.
"You two are really creepy sometimes." Zayn said.
"Well, these two creepy girls are taking you five to a party tomorrow." I said with a smile.
"Since when do you go to parties?" Lou asked.
"Since I was 14 and a half. When you passed the x-factor, Izzy invited me to go to this party with her, and ever since then, I kind of like them." I said with a shrug.
"You're too young for that." he stated bluntly.
"No I'm not." I said, shaking my head confidently.
"Yes you are." Lou said with a nod.
"How would you know?" Izzy asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Because I'm her brother," Louis stated proudly.
"Not a very good one." She scoffed, making my eyes widen significantly.
"Izzy," I gave her a 'shut the fuck up' look which she ignored.
"No," she said, ignoring my request to be silent. "Louis left you, and you're telling me to act as if you haven't suffered?" she asked raising her eyebrows as if that was ridiculous.
"Yes."I said with a smile. "That's exactly what I'm asking of you."
"What happened?" Lou asked confused, his eyes on me.
I bit my lip, looking at Izzy. She gave me a reassuring nod, as if to say 'go for it.'
"Well, long story short, you left." I said with a shrug. "You were here one day, gone the next, and there was nothing I could do. I barely had any real friends because of the time we spent together, and the little amount of time we talked, we talked about your tour. It was tough to make friends at 14, by then all the groups are already formed, and you weren't really there for me when I needed it Lou."
"There for you? He evaporated from your life, and now he's trying to go all big brother on you, Mac. That's an asshole move." Izzy scoffed.
They just looked at us, the boys with pity, and Lou with pure sorrow and I had no idea what to do but to remain silent.