EPILOGUE

FEBRUARY 14. 2012

7:30 P.M.

NORTH SHORE BEACH

Backstage, Niall's mouth was running a mile a minute, filling all the boys in on how he'd spent his night with Emily. “She's incredible! She even went swimming in a fountain, clothes and all. You guys are going to love her.”

            Harry's eyes widened. “Swimming huh? I wish I would have thought of that. The ocean was right there. I reckon I've ripped myself off.”

            “You've been grinning like an idiot since you got here, Harry,” Liam said. “I think your date went well.”

            “Grinning like an idiot,” Harry said. He held his hands up the way Liam so often did. “Pot? Kettle?”

            Liam shrugged. “I'm not going to deny it. I'm a man in love.”

            “Tell us about hot Lily, Zayn,” Louis said.

            All four of them turned in unison to face Zayn, who was blushing. “She's just Lily.”

            “Just Lily then,” Louis said. “You seemed pretty happy when I ran into you two this morning.”

            “A real gentleman never kisses and tells,” Zayn said.

            “Great. I'm pretty much ruined then,” Harry joked.

            “What about you Louis, how was your tea with one?” Zayn asked.

            “It started off rather boring, but I have a date tonight with one Kyley. A girl with a purple orchid.”

            “What?” Harry bit into an apple and smiled. “A girl with a purple orchid. Sounds like a movie title.”

            “Could be a movie, mate,” Louis said. “Weirdest thing ever. It will all make sense when we're on stage.”

            Liam stepped forward. “Right then boys. It's Valentine's Day. We all have a lot to be grateful for. Especially the thousands of people on the other side of that curtain. Let's make sure they know it.”

            Harry tossed the apple he'd been eating as they put their hands over each other and shouted, a pre-show ritual which now came as second nature, and headed out into the spotlight.

            They exploded onstage. The excitement that hung in the air was electric and consuming.

            Liam spotted Sarah front and center. He would've thought the stage lights were shining directly on her face for how much she was glowing. He walked directly to where she stood in the crowd and pulled her up onstage with him.

            “You're insecure, don't know what for, you're turning heads when you walk through the do-o-or. Don't need make up to cover up, being the way the way that you are is enou-u-ugh. Everyone else in the room can see it, everyone else but you. Baby you light up my world like nobody else, the way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed but when you smile at the ground, it ain't hard to tell, you don't know-oh-oh, you don't know you're beautiful.”

            Liam was singing to Sarah and Niall didn't think that was a half bad idea. He found Emily without trouble, problem was, she was three rows back. Unreachable. Niall pointed at her and as he sang, she threw her hands up in the air like she didn't have a care in the world, smiled, and began to dance. As he sang to her, her head fell back in laughter and he was sure he was the luckiest one of the bunch. Emily had to know she was beautiful.

            “If only you saw what I can see, you'll understand why I want you so desperately, right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe, you don't know-oh-oh, you don't know you're beautiful. Oh-oh-oh That's what makes you beautiful.”

            The last thing Zayn planned on doing was dragging Lily onstage. He'd have preferred that anything between them stay...well...between them. But when he saw her, she had a mile wide smile and an expectant look on her face. As he walked toward her, he was pretty sure Louis slapped his back, encouraging him along. How thoughtful. Zayn brought Lily up to join the rest of them and as her feet made contact with the stage, she planted a kiss on his cheek. Wow. Girl was brave. He kissed her back.

            “So c-c-c'mon, you've got it wrong. To prove I'm right, I put it in a so-o-ng. I don't know why you're being shy and turn away when I look into your e-e-eyes. Everyone else in the room can see it, everyone else but you. Baby you light up my world like nobody else, the way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed but when you smile at the ground, it ain't hard to tell, you don't know-oh-oh, you don't know you're beautiful.”

            Louis' eyes scanned the front row for the girl with the purple orchid. When he saw her, his eyes widened and he almost forgot the words he was singing. He could tell by her voice she'd be pretty, but even he didn't dream up the girl who stood before him. He walked to where she stood and crouched down in front of her, making sure to wink with his left eye. “Hey, babe,” he said, offering his hand. “I'm Louis.”

            She didn't take it. Instead her hands flew to cover her mouth. Tears filled her eyes like she was a faucet who'd sprung a leak and she started jumping up and down. Louis smiled at her and offered his hand again. When she reached out for him she was shaking. Louis grabbed her and pulled, putting her in front of him and securing an arm around her waist in case she was rather shaky everywhere, he sang. “If only you saw what I can see, you'll understand why I want you so desperately, right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe, you don't know-oh-oh, you don't you're beautiful. Oh-oh-oh. That's what makes you beautiful.”

            Harry looked around with the stark realization that he was the only one not singing to a girl. His eyes scanned the crowd for Grace. And as he'd predicted, it didn't take long before he had tunnel vision. As he walked toward her, they continued to sing.

            “Na na na na na na na na na,

            Na na na na na na,

            Na na na na na na na na na,

            Na na na na na na,”

            She was a few rows back, still wearing the clothes he'd picked for her. He couldn't reach her directly, so he nodded to security and crooked his finger, making a “come here” motion for her. The security guy at the front lifted Grace onstage with little effort. Harry pulled her against him just like they were dancing and gave her a lopsided smile. “Baby you light up my world like nobody else, the way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed but when you smile at the ground, it ain't hard to tell, you don't know-oh-oh, you don't know you're beautiful.”

            The crowd went crazy. Girls jumped, screaming, waving posters and bracelets and banners. Somehow, Emily had made it to the stage and Niall was singing to her like his life depended on it.

            “Baby you light up my world like nobody else, the way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed but when you smile at the ground, it ain't hard to tell, you don't know-oh-oh, you don't know you're beautiful.”

            Emily grabbed the hand of a girl in the audience and pulled her onstage.

            Share the wealth, she mouthed to Niall.

            Before he could even blink, Sarah, Lily, Grace and Kyley were pulling girl after girl onstage with them. Niall, Liam, Zayn, Louis and Harry moved around, working the crowd, singing to the people who mattered most.

            “If only you saw what I can see, you'll understand why I want you so desperately, right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe you don't know-oh-oh, you don't know you're beautiful, oh-oh-oh, you don't know you're beautiful, oh-oh-oh that's what makes you beautiful.”

12:00 A.M

Harry chugged his water like they were touring the Sahara desert. Grace was talking happily with Kyley, Lily, Sarah and Emily.

            “I reckon,” Liam said, “that was the best show we've had.”

            Niall was grinning. “Aye. It was.”

            Zayn nodded. “Without question.”

            “Females really don't know what makes them so beautiful,” Louis said. “The song is true. Hadn't really thought of that before.”

            Harry scowled. “Don't let the secret out. I'd like it to remain with us. Until the rest of the world, er, male population figures it out.”

            “That,” Liam said, “Is the best idea I've heard all day.”

*********************

This is a work of fiction. With the notable exception of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and “One Direction” -- all names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business companies, events or locations is entirely coincidental.

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