It was the spring before Liam tries out for the X-Factor for the second time. We were camping with our families for a few days. I was by the creek behind the main camp site, me and Liam's favorite place to hang out each time we came here.
My POV:
I was gazing off into the distance like usual when I am daydreaming. I suddenly jumped with fright as Liam scared me from behind. "Ahah! Got you!" he said as I was recovering.
"Bloody hell Liam! You could've given me a heart-attack!" I said in response. He laughed and said "Aww well next time I'll try harder and you might fall into the creek." I stood up glaring at him jokingly and said "Oh really?" and punched him in the shoulder. He grinned at contact and said "I just came to tell you supper's been made but it was too much to pass on an opportunity to get you while your backside was turned." I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes "Oh of course. Only you Liam. Let's go mate I'm hungry." "You're always hungry fatty!" "This is news?" I laughed in response. "Come on!" I dragged him by his sleeve and we went back to camp.
THREE MONTHS LATER:
It was June 14th, my 16th birthday and Liam wanted to take me out. Just the two of us went to the beach & boardwalk. It was no doubt the best day of my life.
"Ready? 3, 2, 1, Go!" Liam and I raced to the end of the beach. I was a fast runner, but not quite as fast as Liam was. I soon was losing my speed and slowed to a stop. Noticing my absence, Liam turned and saw I had stopped. Once I had gotten his attention, I dramatized myself passing out from lack of oxygen and fell into the sand. Suddenly I felt my body being lifted and Liam ran me to the ocean. "Hold your breath!" he yelled before lightly tossing me into the water. After coming back to the surface, I shrieked "Liam! You're dead!" he saw me coming towards him and screamed like a little girl. Then he ran away in slow motion, mocking my sluggishness. I jumped on him and tackled him to the ground in a fit of laughter. He stared me in the eyes and I looked away out of shyness. "Do you want to go get some ice cream?" he asked me. "Yay!" I bellowed to the entire world to hear and got up. He laughed and helped himself up. Passing our stuff on the beach, Liam grabbed a towel and some money. I shuddered when I felt his arms around me positioning the towel over my arms. Was he unaware that at that moment, my heart accelerated? I shrugged it off. He'll never like me.
We sat down on a bench outside the parlor with our ice creams. Mine was vanilla, my favorite, and Liam's of course was pistachio. I have never met another person who loves pistachio ice cream as much as Liam does. "So sixteen. Are you going to get a provisional license?" he asked me. "I really don't like driving." I told him. He looked up from his ice cream, curious. "Why?" I laughed and replied "Because of all the bloody morons who can't drive. If I get a permit I hardly think I'll survive to get a license!" He cracked up in laughter so hard he spilled half his ice cream over himself, which didn't help much because we both laughed even more at that. The sun started setting as I took his ice cream and set it down next to mine as I got some napkins. I helped him clean up his pants until it got to THAT AREA- he did that himself. After eating, we took a walk to digest. Then we went on the rides when it got dark. It was so much fun. The best part was when we were stuck at the top of the Ferris wheel. If only he knew…
The week after my birthday, Liam and I were hanging out at my house listening to music in my bedroom.
"Taylor… I was thinking of going back to the X-Factor Wednesday. What do you think?" I looked at him and said "That's a great idea! You're truly brilliant! I really think you should have another go at it. You never know- with your talent you could win!" I saw the joy grow in his face and he hugged me. "You're the best mate I ever had and the greatest supporter anyone could ask for, Taylor." I resisted the urge to cry at this moment. "Just remember to keep in touch Liam. I know you will get in and I'll miss you when you're gone." I told him. He broke apart and said "Of course!" With a small shock he kissed my cheek and said "I'll be right back. I need to call mum to ask for a ride. You know how she likes planning ahead." I felt paralyzed to my bed and when he left I stroked where his lips met my skin. Did that just happen?
I fully supported Liam when he got into X-factor. I was the first to greet him and his newly formed band, One Direction when they came to our hometown.
I couldn't believe the sea of fans outside waiting for Liam. The support was massive. I heard screaming and looked up. A limo pulled up and came to a stop. Simon Cowell led the boys out. Liam was first, smiling at the cameras, love, and support from everyone here. His eyes were scanning the crowd and locked when he found me. His smile widened and I met him halfway in an emotional hug. "I missed you so much mate!" I managed to say. "Not as much as I did!" he answered. There was plenty of mumbling at our contact. He pulled apart and wiped the tears from my cheeks. "I'll see you soon ok? I'm going to go see mum." "Ok." I said, sad to see him leave. He smiled at me one last time and kept walking. I was so busy staring at Liam, I didn't notice the other members of One Direction behind me. "So I'm guessing you're Taylor?" I heard a voice. I turned to see Zayn looking at me. "Oh yeah. Hi. I assume Liam told you about me?" Zayn laughed and said "Are you joking? He couldn't stop talking about you! You mean a lot to him." I felt my skin get hot and he smiled. "Are you…blushing?" I smirked and said in a sarcastic tone "Nooooo. How do you reckon?" Zayn couldn't stop smiling and said "Do you have a cell phone on you?" "Yeah… why?" "Can I see it? It will only take a moment or too." "Yeah of course." I took out my phone and handed it to him. After a minute he gave it back. "I added my number. Call me?" Oh. My stomach dropped. "Uhhh-I-er yea-yeah sure. I'll- I'll call you." He laughed and said "Smooth. Talk to you later." He winked and followed Liam through the path of fans. I stood frozen to the spot staring at where Zayn left. Millions of girls would kill to have his number and he just put it in my phone.
More importantly, I think he was hitting on me! Zayn was my second-favorite member of the band after Liam of course. After a second I noticed a hand waving in front of my face. It was Niall. "Hey. Since you're practically part of Liam's family, you should hang out with the band sometime." His Irish accent was so adorable, I barley focused on his words. Then I understood. "Oh! Yeah of course! I'd love to meet up with you guys." He smiled a cute crooked smile and replied "Great! I hope to see you soon." He said and he walked away as well. Then I met Louis and Harry. "Today must be the best day for you!" Harry said. "Way to be modest!" I retorted. He laughed and said "Just saying, when girls meet me now they usually faint." I smiled and said "Well I guess I'm different. To me, you guys are just my best friend's band." "Surrrrre." He said and rolled his eyes. "See you later." Then Harry continued walking. Louis' encounter was the shortest. "Hey I'm Taylor." I said. "Nice to meet you! Sorry, but I have to go meet up with the others. I'll talk to you another time." "Yeah of course! Bye!" I said. He smiled and left me alone. You know with the exception of the other fans. I could feel everyone's eyes on me. I had just met all of the band members, one of which I hugged and seemed to know well. Soon, there would be pictures, rumors, stories. All about me. And I didn't care.
The boys and I had tons of hang-outs after the competition. I saw subtle hints of flirting from Zayn and found myself liking him more and more each time I saw him. I knew I loved him when we had a particular water gun fight in the backyard. Cheesy, but still-I just can't explain it... we sort of connected. His laughs and smiles make me swoon and I can tell he likes me back. The only problem is, if I have to choose between him and Liam one day, I have no idea what I would do.
