Chapter 23         Charlotte POV                    Day 28 of Tour: On the Road

The ink swam from my pen and marked against the paper. Words finally started coming to me; satisfying the blank spaces I had been struggling to fill.

If you’re pretending from the start like this,

 With a tight grip, then my kiss

 Can mend your broken heart

 I might miss everything you said to me

Bits and pieces and broken fragments started to form a pretty poem right before my eyes. I flipped the gel pen in between my fingers like a tiny baton before continuing.

 And I can lend you broken parts

 That might fit like this

 And I will give you all my heart

 So we can start it all over again.

I smiled down at the chorus I had successfully written all by myself. My foot tapped the wall behind me to the beat I imagined it coming out to be.

“What ya got going on there?” Harry looked down at me with a raised brow. I guessed I must have looked a bit silly; up in Liam’s bed with my head hanging off of the side. My braid hung down to the bed below it, and my knees were bent to use as a table. The wall with the window was supporting my toe sock swathed feet.

I tried to be mysterious by saying, “Oh you know… stuff.”

 “What kind of stuff?” He took a bite of his apple, unfazed.

“Secret stuff.”

Harry nodded. “Cool.” Then he walked away.

“Don’t you want to know what it is?!?” I shouted after him.

“Not really!” Harry hollered back, mouth full of apple bits.

I huffed.

“Charloooootte!”

“What Zayn?”

“Can you pretty please toss me one of Liam’s pillows?”

I snatched one between both hands and chucked it at him. From his spot on the couch he leaned to catch the fluffy thing midair; where it plopped dully to the ground.

“We need to work on your passes, Charlotte.” Zayn said sleepily. “That was really pathetic.”

“Yeah I know.”

With a smile I looked back to the notebook on my lap. It had a pretty blue and green cover and a spiral binding. It was practically full because that had been the journal I used in Mr. Cone’s English class the last year.

The shower turned on from the bathroom next to me. It sounded like a soft rain….I flipped open to the newest clean page.

Tears fall down like the showers…

What was I supposed to say after that?

Someone screamed jokingly, “Louis get your fat British butt over here!”

I smirked and ran my pen along the page again:

Tears fall down like the showers that are British.

I tried to conjure up some sort of following line… but it was just too loud on that claustrophobic sardine can bus. The TV blared. A guitar started to make awful squeaking sounds, and I was pretty sure someone had just fallen down in the shower.

“Liam, are you okay in there?”

“YEAH!”

I shook my head and stifled a giggle. I closed the journal and rolled off the bed. I stumbled to my feet ungracefully. While I rubbed at a sore spot on my upper arm I wandered into the living space. Harry almost tripped me with his vertical body, lying there lifelessly on the ground with a phone in his hand. I sighed and stepped over him.

“Are we there yet?” I asked to no one in particular.

Niall looked at the clock. “Well we left at five a.m.…” He glanced out the window. “Not really. About five more hours till Austin.”

“A twelve hour drive?” I groaned and flopped myself onto the couch dramatically. “We’re on the road for way too long.”

“I think that’s why it’s called a “ROAD TRIP”.” Louis teased me with a playful wink.

“Hahaha haha ha ha.” I said monotonously.

Niall tapped me on the leg where my ugly green Nike shorts ended. “Are you coming to the signing tomorrow at The Domain?”

“Where?”

“It’s this huge mall in the middle of Austin. We’re going to be there all day.”

A mall? Gosh, I hadn’t been to the mall in ages. “Sounds fun!” I perked up at the idea. “I’ll have to see how much spending money I’m left with,” I added; more to myself than to my boyfriend sitting beside me. I had finally touched that savings account my grandparents set up for me about ten years ago. They weren’t millionaires or anything, but they left me a bit of cash to try and make up for them never being around.

“I’ll send you off with some.” Niall said seriously.

I rolled my eyes. “You’re not going to do that.”

“Yeah. I don’t know if I’ll get to go to any the shops or anything so I’ll just leave it all with you.”

His money? He was going to give his money to me? Just like that?!?

“Can you pick me up some socks while you’re there?” Louis asked me. “I think I lost mine in Vegas or something… I’m left with one pair.”

“Sure-”

Harry poked his head in from the beds. “Oh I need another beanie. Remember that tan one I had? Just like that.”

“Okay-”

“Zayn needs a phone charger!”

“Why are you talking in third person-?”

I was interrupted again. “You’re the best, Charles. Thanks a ton!” Lou winked at me.

“I owe you one, lassie!”

“Zayn says thanks.”

I sighed and looked at Niall. “You need anything?”

He opened his arms up for a hug. “Nope. I’ve got everything.”