Chapter Five

Harry and I, we're complicated. That's the best way to describe it. On our own we're impulsive and short-tempered, at best.  Put us together and we're a crazy tidal wave of emotions that no one can control. And it hurts us, a lot. More than you know.

That's why we don't work. Not as friends and certainly not as lovers. It's just not worth it. I mean, look at us. We can't stand the sight of each other now, one can only imagine how bad it was when we threw love into the mix. Then the shit really hit the fan.

But that's the thing about complicated relationships, they're never left dormant for very long. There's far too many breadcrumb trails and unlit fuses.  Eventually someone is going to take the bait.

*****

"Lizzie, how on earth do you confuse Mumford and Sons and Fleetwood Mac?" I was staring at my friend with half bewilderment and half amusement as we sat next to each other on our hotel beds. The boys weren't performing until tomorrow, so we were spending the night in luxury, and not on a gas-guzzling beast, thank god.

Lizzie giggled as she proceeded to answer, hugging her knees to her chest. She always did that, completely incapable of telling a funny story without laughing before she finished. "I dunno! Something to do with the fact that I know of both of them but I don't listen to their music and they both have the letter m in them?"

 I couldn't keep myself from chuckling along with her. "You're a nutter, you know?" I said in the most loving way possible. "The boys would have your head if they knew that. Particularly Harry. Even I want to smack you for that." Lizzie responded by chucking a pillow at my head. It hit me square in the face and she exploded into a fit of giggles, rolling around on the bed with laughter.

It really wasn't all that funny, but we were both so full of energy and excitement that we couldn't help it. Plus Liz laughed at just about anything. Her sheets were getting mussed up as she tumbled around. Never doubt my friend's ability to take something neat and somehow cause it to be a mess in under an hour.

We hadn't bothered to lock the door, so Niall just walked in as we were laughing, giving us a look as he folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the door frame. I stopped long enough to turn around and look at him, but I couldn't help the smile that stayed on my face.

He pointed to Lizzie, who was on the far bed closest to the wall. "Is she laughing and it's not because of me?" I nodded as he grinned. "Well I guess I'll just have to change that." He took a flying leap over to her bed, straddling Lizzie as he began to tickle her. She started squealing.

If Liz had an Achilles Heel, it would be that she's about the most ticklish person I've ever met. Just poking her sides sends her shooting up six feet in the air, and Niall and I may or may not have taken advantage of it on a few (several) occasions.

The only problem is that she absolutely hates it and will fight tooth and nail until you give up, kicking and screaming and waving her fists around. One time she kicked my brother Sam in the face, and he had a nice shiner for the next few weeks. Niall was perfectly aware of this, but he still did it anyways. Maybe he needed his workout for the day.

Lizzie started squirming until finally Niall pinned her down so that her hands were next to her head. I guess he won.  He bent down and pecked her on the lips in hopes of forgiveness. She pretended to pout but a coy smile spread across her face until Ni rolled off and laid beside her while she cuddled into his shoulder.

"You two need to stop being so fucking adorable or I'm leaving."

"Sorry, it's a side effect."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "What are you doing in here anyways?" I more or less considered Niall one of my brothers, except that I liked him better. And I actually willingly spent time with him.

Niall placed a hand over his heart as if he was hurt. "What? I can't come visit my two favorite ladies?"

"Oh please, we all know Lizzie is your favorite. And no. Now I don't have a snuggle-buddy!" I whined. Don't judge me, snuggling is awesome. So unfair that only people with their significant other nearby get to have them. 

Niall opened his arms and Lizzie followed suit for me to join them. Some might think that's weird, but people forget that Niall is my best friend too. I just don't have the urge to snog his face off every five seconds, unlike somebody.

I stood up and jumped over onto their bed, landing right between the two of them just to piss them off a wee bit. They adjusted so I was squashed in the middle. "All better Alley-cat?" asked Lizzie.

"Yeah, yeah. I feel like a little kid in their parent's bed." The weird part is that I was actually the eldest, though only by a few months.

"Well you are short enough," Niall replied jokingly. I scowled, knowing what was coming.

"Hey Ni, have you seen Ally?" Lizzie asked, looking over my head as if she couldn't see me.

"No, but did you check the bathroom? She might have fallen down the drain again," Niall snickered as he picked up the remote and started flipping through the telly to find us something to watch. Those two get way too much entertainment out of making short jokes about me.

I crossed my arms. "You guys are the worst. Why do I put up with you again?"

"Because you love us," Lizzie said as they simultaneously kissed me on my cheeks.

*****

The next morning the lads had to get ready for their concert, which for them meant rehearsal, wardrobe, makeup, and preparing themselves for the onslaught of fans. And I was getting a real kick out of teasing them about the insanity of Directioners. 

"Oh Niall, I think you might be the love of my life, ahhhhh!" I whisper-screamed. "Marry me, I'll do anything!!" I said, skipping along beside them as we walked around to another part of the building. He rolled his eyes as the rest of them chuckled.

"Ally, I know you take great pleasure in this, and it's good when you're happy, but will you shut the hell up?"

Harry let out a low chuckle. "Fat chance of that one, mate." I chose to ignore him, but still I frowned slightly. I wasn't trying to be mean to all the fans that, you know, paid their rent and led to this massive success. I just took any opportunity I got to make fun of my friends, specifically Niall.

Zayn, who was walking next to me, poked me in the stomach and I giggled. I pinched him in return, and he responded by jamming his fingers into the soft skin above my hips.

I shrieked and curled up a little bit, clutching my sides. "You'll pay for that one, Malik. That was way uncalled for!" He just laughed it off. "No, I'm serious."

Zayn was probably one of my favorite people to hang out with, because he had a great sense of humor without being overpowering, since he was a bit quieter than the rest of the lot. Typically, I don't do well with other people who have big personalities because I'm already that way myself. The exception to this was Louis, who had a humongous personality, but he made up for it in the fact that he was so fun to be around. That, and if Louis wanted to be your friend, there was no stopping him.

"Yeah, yeah. What do you want, Alley-cat?" I pondered for a moment, before slowing my pace to get behind Zayn and jumping on his back after a small running start.

"I want a piggy-back ride."

He groaned, pretending I was heavy. "Did you have to eat everything on the bus, Ally?" he asked jokingly.

"No, I left a few crumbs for Louis."

Hearing his name, Louis turned to us, a mischievous grin on his face. Not that he really ever grinned any other way. "Race yah?"

"No fair, I have a two-ton elephant on my back!" Zayn whined. I swatted him upside the head.

"Fine. Lizzie!" She looked over at all of us and smiled. "I require your presence." She shrugged and walked over to us, getting a grip on Louis shoulders and pulling herself up. 

"Ready?" The rest of them nodded. "Go!"

We charged off towards the hair and makeup room, while Zayn and Louis pretended to do things like lose their grip or accidentally knock us off. We finally reached out destination (Zayn and I won, by the way) and I was nearly peeing myself from laughter. Lizzie stood beside me, leaning on my shoulder and trying to catch her breath.

A minute later Harry came rushing in with Niall perched on his back, Liam close behind. They tried to stop themselves but had too much momentum and ended up crashing into the nearest rack of clothing.

"Guys, it's hardly past noon. Can't you control yourselves at least a little?" said a woman whom I could only assume to be Lou. She already knew her answer as Niall and Harry sheepishly stood up. Waving her hand at them she motioned to somebody to go clean it up.

"I have someone I want you to meet," she said as she led the boys over to the direction of the chairs sitting in front of matching vanities. A girl looked up from the row of foundations and smiled. "Guys, this is Charlie. Charlie, this is Niall, Harry, Zayn, Liam, Louis and..." She was at a loss when her gaze arrived on Lizzie and me.

"Lizzie and Allison," I finished for her, free to now get a good look at Charlie.

I could immediately tell that she was one of those people that everyone wanted to be around. Somehow she just gave off an aura of sweetness mixed with a little bit of mischief. Maybe it was her friendly brown eyes or the freckles that ever so faintly dotted her nose. When she turned I saw she had long, almost waist length, dark brown hair that was just light enough to be disqualified as black, but barely. She was a little bit taller than me, maybe by an inch or two, and was definitely pretty. But cute felt like a better word to describe her. 

"Hey y'all," she said and waved. She had an accent that I could only assume was American. When she smiled, like she was now, the corners of her eyes crinkled into little crow's feet.

"Charlie, interesting name," Harry replied, unable to take his eyes off of her.

She sort of moved her eyes to the back of her head, still grinning. "My real name is Charlotte, but I've been called Charlie since before I could walk. Suits me better." She moved her shoulders up and down at the last part.

"Where are you from?" I asked, not being able to figure it out.

"Georgia, right next to the beach, actually."

"Must've been nice," I said wistfully. I loved the beach, but dreaded the thought of having to be in the heat all year round.

Lou placed her hands on Charlie shoulders. "Charlie's my latest assistant, and she's fantastic, so be nice to her. That goes for all of you," she said, but pointed at Harry specifically. Charlie giggled at Lou's affectionate warning.

A makeup artist totally fit what I saw. Her whole look just sort of screamed artsy, what with her red flannel shirt over a camisole, denim shorts and brown combat boots. A bright blue beret sat on the back of her head, pulling everything together. In short, Charlie was a sweet, southern belle with an edge.  

 We dismantled and the boys went to sit in their chairs, waiting to be prepped for what would be a long night. My thoughts drifted when I saw Liam with his laptop.

"Are you talking to Avery?!" I yelped excitedly, shoving him over so I now sat where he had been. I looked at the screen to see the familiar blonde curls of Liam's girlfriend. I think Liam actually fell on the floor with the impact. I'm small but mighty.

Avery is literally the most adorable person I have ever met. She's this quiet, polite, shy person who is almost unbearably sweet, and would do just about anything for anyone and never ask for something in return. She's kind of shy at first, but after she warms up becomes this lovely, funny person that everyone wants to be around. The way Liam acts around her just makes it even better. He loses his entire hard exterior and becomes this whole other person completely devoted to her. So cute.

"Hi, Av!" I said as Liam stood up and brushed himself off.

"You know Allison, I appreciate the love for my girlfriend but you do realize you're not actually the one dating her, right?" He said cheekily, grinning at me. Avery giggled.

I chose to ignore him as Lizzie walked over and leaned her chin on my shoulder. Realizing who we were talking to, she nearly leapt up with excitement. I'm not kidding when I say everyone loves Av. "Hey babe! How's life back in London?"

"It's great. A little lonely without all of you, though."

"We miss you too. When are you coming to visit?" Lizzie and I made our best puppy dog faces, hoping it would be sooner than later.

"Liam and I were just about to work that out."

"Yeah, before I was tackled by five 'two here," he broke in, jokingly.

I chuckled and left them to their conversation, now turning to the rest of the lads. At the very end I saw Harry talking to Charlie and laughing. I rolled my eyes. Can he go five minutes without hitting on some poor innocent girl? Honestly. It's like we're all just game pieces to him.

I know what you're thinking, and no, I'm not jealous. I just don't like to have to witness something as petty as him hitting on some unlucky person when we all know what the end result will be.

Charlie walked away, still laughing, and Harry finally noticed me staring at them. He raised his eyebrows as if to say 'now who's the hypocrite?' Arrogant asshat.

I strode over to him, eager to defend myself. "What? Can't bear the thought of seeing me with someone else?" 

"No, I love to watch the deprecation of women's rank in society."

"What are you yammering on about?"

I snorted, thinking it was obvious. "What are we? Pieces of meat to you?"

He waved me off. "Al, save the rant for someone who actually cares about your opinion. Ooh, you might have to wait a while on that one, though. Best you learn some patience first."

I racked my brain trying to think of a comeback, but I had nothing. I just stood there like a gaping fish, my mouth opening and closing. Harry had left me totally speechless and I was filled with fury. My hands balled into little fists.

"H-how many times d-do I hav-ve to tell you not to call me that?!" I finally spat, coughing and spluttering the entire time.

He rolled his eyes at my pathetic excuse for a reply as Lou walked over to take him to wardrobe. My fingernails dug into the palms of my hands.

Harry was going to pay for that last comment, you can bet on that.

Song: When Did Your Heart Go Missing by Rooney