Author: AineDoyle

Summary:
What started out as a normal day for a Modest Management intern, turned out to be a life altering experience when a fan letter came, unlike any fan letter that was ever sent to the boys.

"Ugh," I mumbled to myself as I shifted through tons of emails about events the boys are doing. I simultaneously had Liam Payne's Twitter account and his Outlook Calendar open on my monitor while looking at all of the events that Modest Management was hosting. Single release party for one artist and a launch party for a book for another one.

I looked over the boys schedules and figured they were not going to make the parties, but hey they could read the book and listen to the single. I began to type the tweet write-ups, trying to sound as close to Liam as a can. I like Liam's twitter, he is smart, and he at least posts what I email him. Louis on the other hand usually changes them to be a little more biting than they need to be. I often wondered why so angry, but I would be too if I am constantly bugged to legitimized being in a relationship. Lately, his biting tweets are starting to leak into promotional tweets, which makes me look bad. Why so rebellious? I will never understand.

I have a Master's in Professional Communication and I have to write tweets of a twenty year old boy, I thought. I was angry. I dream of a day where I would work for television networks on their promotional marketing team, but instead I am working entry-level for Modest Management. Just one step at a time.

"Mail time," said Christian, the mail sorter, as he proceeded to give me and my four other colleagues a box full of fan letters, "read them and separate into piles".

Before he left he added, "Oh by the way, the upstairs loo is out so be wary of some clients using the one on this floor."

I was happy for the break from Liam's tweets. Fan mail usually annoyed people, but I find the fans really cute. We usually separate the letters into seven piles. Each boy got their own pile, the band got their pile, and there was a separate pile for threatening and hate mail.

I opened the letter and scanned over the contents. Some of them have little hearts in glitter, others proposed marriage; some of the young fans send pictures that were taken at concerts asking for autographs. I neatly placed them all in a pile, careful to record them into a database for the boys to read later. I laughed at the cute ones, and sighed at the ones that told them how inspiring they are.

After an hour of reading I came across a letter addressed to Louis and Harry. I looked at it; wondering what pile it was supposed to go to. I decided to open it and read why a person would write only to two of the band members. It was in plain copy paper and a white envelope. The typed letter was plain and well-crafted that read:

Dear Louis and Harry:

Forgive me when I say that I am not a One Direction fan. I am a twenty-three year-old man who likes metal music, hanging with friends, my job working as a legal secretary, and going to law school. I love my parents, my sister, and my boyfriend, who I have been secretly dating since high school. To the outside world he and I are best friends, but behind closed doors, we are in love. He comes from a very religious family, and cannot come out just yet. While my family knows that I am gay, they do not know about my relationship with my boyfriend. We only told a few close friends.

My boyfriend got set up on a date with a girl in his church a while ago, and they have been "dating" for a few months. Seeing them together is almost too much to bear. One day, it was all too much, I thought I was going to take some sleeping pills and end my misery forever. I went home, and locked myself in my room, and opened my computer to Word. I stared at the blank document planning what to say in my suicide note when I heard my sister come home and turn the music on in her room.

When I went into her room, I saw that she was on You Tube blasting your song "They Don't Know about Us". The video was a compilation of video snippets of you two. The way you look at each other; the small secret touches, it was just like me and my boyfriend. My sister told me that she feels that you are in a relationship, but you must hide it. Larry Stylinson it was called. I know what it feels like to have to hide a love you want to shout on the roof tops.

I am writing to say that your bravery inspires me. You are strong, and I want to be strong. I want you to never give up. No, I need you to never give up. You give my boyfriend and me hope that we could be together, and that it is not wrong to love your best friend. Without your bravery, I would not be here right now. Larry Stylinson turned my suicide note into a thank you note.

Stay Brave,

John Riley

I could not keep the lump in my throat down. I stared at the letter as my vision was compromised by tears. I excused myself and rushed to the toilet without noticing that I brought the letter with me. It was just so beautiful and sad to live this way. I cried for a few minutes then gathered myself up, wiped my tears, and pushed open the door.

"Whoa," a voiced shouted in alarm. I looked to see Harry Styles was on the other side, "almost hit me there." He smiled in jest and chivalrously held the door for me. I remembered that the boys had a band meeting upstairs with their management team. I guess he had to use the bathroom or something and went downstairs. He saw my puffy eyes, and looked at me with concern.

"Are you okay," he asked, "I know working here can be a little tough, but, hey, don't cry." "Oh... no," I said, completely embarrassed, "it is just this...well...sort of fan letter I got." I gave him the letter, since it was addressed to him and he read it. As he read it, his chin strained and he bit his lip. I saw tears well-up in his eyes as he read the same story I did.

"Will do," he whispered to the letter. He handed the letter back to me and said, "thank you for showing me this." After the concert that night, I saw several videos of Harry giving Louis a hug and spinning him around before putting him down. Some people said it was a joke, other people said it was the bromance back-in -action. But I know what it really was. It was Harry and Louis being strong and fighting for love. They sent a message out there. They are telling all the people who are just like them to stay brave.