*Luke's P.O.V*

Although I'm used to playing to big crowds, I always get nervous before going on stage; I turn into a sweaty and hyperactive thing. However today I suspect that the fact Laurel is going to be somewhere out there is also contributing to my over-excitement, I don't really know why. In order to occupy my head with different thoughts I begin walking round and round with my guitar hanging on my body. I take a walk around production and for the first time in ages I get to see how the entire magic of making a concert happens. Really, we only get there after everything is set and even so, we stay on our dressing rooms until it's showtime, but tonight, once I decided to walk, I'm able to watch as dozens of professionals do their jobs. Then I see John, who seems to be in a rush, but I decide to stop him for a couple minutes anyway.

"Did Laurel look for you?" I want to know.

"Yes, she and a friend, Megan. They're already inside" He replies.

I try to sneak peek through a small gap within the curtains on the left side of the stage for a familiar face, but couldn't find it; it's pretty crowded tonight.

All of a sudden, I feel someone punch me in the back. "What are you looking at, dude?" Michael asks me.

"The public." I say, turning back to the audience again. "There are a lot of people here tonight."

"That's good, isn't it? I love it when the house is almost over-capacity. It tells something about our work!"

"It only makes me more nervous." I admit, feeling my hands sweat again.

"Relax. Remember that everyone down there wants you in their beds." He jokes and I feel my cheeks heat. "I'm going back to the dressing room so we can do the warm up. Meet you there?"

"I'm going with you" I say, leaving the audience and hoping Laurel is somewhere I can see her from up stage.

Some hours and about three gallons of sweat produced and liberated by my glands later, we thank and say goodbye to the crowd, so we can quickly get to backstage.

"Today was fucking insane!" Ashton laughs, throwing himself on the couch. "Did you guys see the amount of fans?"

"It really was amazing" Calum agrees "but North Carolina is always this welcoming."

I'm just too sweaty, so I run to the toilet to wash my face and grab a towel, but when I open the tap I hear a knock on the door.

"Who it must be? I don't recall having a meet & greet today." Ashton asks the others. I hear him open the door. "May I help you?"

"Wow, that's Ashton!" An unknown girl's voice shouts, as if Ashton was the last drop of water in the desert. I shake my head; probably that was just another girl who "accidentally" lost her way and ended up in our dressing room.

"Sorry about that. Hi, good evening." Now that voice I know. "I'm--"

I sneak out the toilet with the towel around my neck and smile to Laurel when her eyes meet mine.

"Hi, Luke!" She smiles from the door.

"What's up" I head towards the door to give her a hug and pull both girls inside. I get so focused on Laurel I don't even realize her friend, Megan, as I remember John saying, was there.

"You're even hotter in person" She tells me and I blush.

"Thanks, huh, I guess." I smile awkwardly at her. Once I look to my band mates they're staring at me with a what the fuck? look, so I clear my throat. "These are Ashton, Calum and Michael, I assume you already know."

The girls greet the guys and after that I get a text from Laurel.

"Megan thinks I got the tickets from a promotion back at Cake&Coffee"

I give her a questioning look. Why did she lie about helping me out? Like she read my mind she comes closer to me, taking advantage of the fact Megan was fangirling at the boys.

"If I told her the truth before she knew you, she'd ask a million questions, remember you said I shouldn't give your number away? She would find a way to get it." She tells me with a giggle. I smile at her, nodding my head. I like it. She kept it from her friend when she didn't exactly need to do that.

Even though Megan is too excited, Laurel seems okay, just like she was with me before, maybe a little more nervous; she is shaking, and each time she greeted one of the boys they'd look at me like who is this?

"Did you have fun tonight?" Calum asks, inviting them to sit.

"It was marvelous!" Megan fires. "You guys were amazing, especially when you sang Amnesia!"

"It looks like every time we sing this song it touches one's feels." Ashton giggles.

"Not one's, everybody's!" Laurel comments, chuckling. "The girls on our side were crying out loud!"

"Didn't you cry, lady?" Michael asks Laurel.

"As much as I felt like it, I didn't. Because Megan here" she points at her friend "cried for both of us. I thought she was going to dehydrate." We all laugh.

"Is there any song that would make you cry?" I ask her.

"Yes! God, most definitely yes! I cry every time I listen to Wherever You Are. It's my favorite song ever! By the way, you guys should play it more often!" She tells me, smiling genuinely.

Note to self: play Wherever You Are.

As the conversation keeps going I pay attention to Laurel, comparing her to Megan. Laurel's wavy dirty blonde hair goes down to the middle of her back, and her already small eyes strengthen even more when she smiles. Megan on the other hand has straight short light blonde hair, her eyes are green and she's got some freckles too. So I turn to Laurel again and she catches me staring. I feel my face gets as red as a tomato as she also blushes, lightly waving at me and silently chuckling. Shit, that was embarrassing.

"You're not from here, are you Laurel?" Ashton asks her.

"It's the accent, isn't it?" She whimpers. "I'm not. I got a scholarship to study at the local college."

"What do you study in college?" I ask.

"My major is all based on Genetics and Human Diseases" she tells us. "You know, like Alzheimers, Down Syndrome, stuff like that."

"What a nerd" Calum says and all of us laugh.

"A pretty and nerdy girl" Michael adds, winking at her while she blushes.

I roll my eyes, a little annoyed.

"How about you, Megan?" I ask her trying to change the subject.

"I came from Colorado. I'm also in college but I study Law." She says, still not totally relaxed with the idea of talking to us.

"How old are you guys?" Michael asks.

"I'm 23 and Laurel is 22."

"We are almost the same age!" I tell them. "Mikey, Calum and I are 24. Ashton is the grandad." We laugh and Ashton rolls his eyes.

"C'mon you guys." He giggles. "What's wrong with 26? Things barely change!"

As everybody keeps on talking I initiate a private conversation with Laurel.

"Did you enjoy the night?" I ask her.

"More than words can describe! You were amazing as always, Luke. High five, buddy!" She smirks, raising her hand so I could high five her. I like her shy yet excited way of acting since minute 1.

"Where were you? Near the stage?"

"No... I was in the back, you couldn't see me. But I could see you" she hums. "And this is why I can say that the more you perform, the more talented you seem to become. I need to congratulate you for that."

"Thank you" I smile at her, truly flattered. "Hey, how long have you been here in the US?"

"It's been 6 months. I still got a year and a half to go. How about you? How long will you guys tour the US?"

"A month from now on. After that we're heading to Europe."

"Oh, that's cool" She smiles, and so our conversation is over. I still need to tell her, I mean, ask her something but I'm feeling a little nervous. So I remember what Michael said before we performed to help me relax.

"Listen, we uh... We still got two days here in Charlotte. Would it be okay for you to show us around?" I ask, pointing at the guys who are now paying attention to us.

"I would love to!" She answers, as excited as Megan was when we met her. "But I gotta know, are you willing to visit crowded places?"

"We can take bodyguards with us" Michael suggests. I notice that Laurel twists her nose at his idea but doesn't say anything.

"You just gotta tell me when we're meeting up. We're free anytime, except in the mornings, because Megan and I have got classes in college."

"So tomorrow afternoon, then?" Calum asks us.

"Great idea!" Ashton says, so we keep on talking for a few minutes more.

In a way I still don't know, Laurel's presence makes everything nicer to me, at least that's my impression at the moment. Even though relationships of any sort with fans seem tricky, I feel comfortable and incredibly okay with keeping a long conversation with her, a total stranger, something I didn't really use to do. And for that matter I know we've got a growing thing here, surely she's one of a kind, which I need to understand more.

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END OF CHAPTER THREE! Jeez I'm having so much fun writing this lol

Comments, suggestions, critics, I'm all ears! And don't forget to vote! This was the quickest update ever; two on the same day! Whoa, think I'm inspired

Peace out! <3 xo