Light up my world

"Baby you light up my world like nobody else..."

Louis belts out the chorus of their number one hit to the crowd of screaming fans, letting his eyes skim over the sea of faces, pausing every now and then.

He adores it on stage, dancing around and singing his heart out with the boys.

He catches Niall's eye on his right. The blonde Irish boy is grinning like a mad man as thousands of girls sing along to their words.

Louis let's his gaze slide to the left, where Liam looks calm, as per usual, but any one close to him can see just how much he is loving life at the moment.

And who wouldn't? Being part of One Direction, the world's biggest boy band, at only twenty-one.

Louis' life is perfect.

Or it should be, at least.

If only he had some one to share it with.

Louis knew it was pretty pathetic. But he really, really, wanted a girlfriend.

Liam has Danielle.

Harry has Aimee, a fan he had met while out partying.

Zayn has Jamila, a sweet, sensitive girl from Bradford.

Niall has... well Niall is just Niall, energetic and absolutely loving life. You can say Niall has Nando's.

And Louis has no one. He used to jokingly say he had Harry, but now Harry spends so much time with Aimee, that the apartment they share is nearly always empty.

It's sound ridiculous, Louis Tomlinson wanting a girl, when he has thousands of Directioner fans to chose from.

But it ran deeper than that. Louis needs someone he can really talk to. Someone to laugh with. Someone who wont immediately scream in his face and pass out.

He needs someone to light up his world.

::

'We're One Direction, good night!'

The boys run off the stage and into the green room, where they collapse onto couches, panting and laughing.

'Oh my God, that was the best one yet!' yells Niall breathlessly.

'You say that every time, Nialler!' laughs Zayn, wiping sweat from his brow.

'Only because I mean it every time!'

Liam grins at all of them. 'Water, anyone?' he asks, pulling a few bottles from a mini fridge.

There is a chorus of "Yeah"s and "Okay"s from the boys. Louis stays silent. Harry flicks his hair from his eyes. 'Man, those Aussie girls are wild!' he says, eyes glinting mischievously.

'You. Have. A. Girlfriend.' reminds Zayn.

Harry rolls his eyes at Zayn. 'And I wouldn't trade her for anything!'

Niall stretches out on one of the couches, yawning.

'Don't let Nialler fall asleep! We'll never get him up again.' jokes Liam.

'Oi!'

There is a knock on the door. The head of security pokes his head in the door. 'The girls are here.' he says flatly. But, then again, everything he says sound flat.

Danielle, Jamila and Aimee burst through the door. In an almost synchronized motion, they fling themselves into their respective boyfriend's laps.

And suddenly Louis wants out. He has nothing against the girls, but sometimes they get a little over bearing. He stands up abruptly, muttering something about fresh air. No one notices him leave.

::

Louis is an expert at worming his way through security by now. Soon enough, he is leaning on a wall outside the stadium, between the dumpsters.

He just can't fathom how Niall doesn't care that he is single. Niall bounds through life, with buckets of energy, and things like relationships don't bother him as much as they bother Louis.

Sighing, Louis shoves his hands into his pockets and pulls his hood up. He walks out onto the quiet Melbourne backstreets. It's a chilly night, and all the fans are out the front, so nobody is on the streets.

He doesn't know how long he walks for, but eventually, when the cold starts to get to him, he enters a little back street cafe.

He orders a coffee, and sits down on one of the squashy couches. Aside from the surly looking waitress, there is a girl in the corner.

Louis cranes his neck to look at her properly.

She is hunched over a book, distractedly sipping on a latte. Her blonde hair is cut short with a bright pink fringe. She is huddled in a black hoodie. She looks to be about nineteen.

As the girl turns the page of her book, Louis catches sight of the front cover. A small grin spreads across his face.

One Direction: Forever Young

Louis makes his decision then and there. He walks over to the girl, gripping his coffee in one hand.

'One Direction, huh? Were you at the concert?' he says, toning his voice down a little.

The girl doesn't look up from the book. 'Sadly, no.' she sighs.

'Really? I was. I think it was there best one yet.'

'You were at the concert?' This catches her attention. 'Wow. You don't find many male Directioners.'

'Well, I'm not exactly a Directioner...'

She smiles. 'Then what are you?' Her gaze has finally fixed on him, but it's dark in the café, and Louis still has his hood pulled up.

'Hmm.' he pretends to think for a moment. 'I suppose you could say I'm part of the band.'

'Sure, and I'm dating Louis Tomlinson.' she laughs.

'Is he your favorite, then? Funny, I imagined you to be more of a Niall fan.'

'Nope, Louis all the way.' The girl sighs suddenly. 'I was so close to going to the concert. I had tickets and everything. But they double booked me, and the other girl only got in because she paid the bouncer more money.' She looks so downcast that Louis' heart goes out to her.

'That sucks. But I think that maybe, just maybe, you may still have a chance of getting into the evening show.' As he speaks, he pulls off his hood. The girl's eyes widen.

'Oh my goodness.'

Louis smiles, suddenly embarrassed. 'Louis Tomlinson, at your service. And your name is?'

'Sara, Sara Kaleb.' says Sara, still staring at him.

Louis holds out a hand. 'Would you care too accompany me to the concert, Miss Kaleb?'

Sara composes herself quickly. 'Of course, Mister Tomlinson.' She slings her flowered bag over her shoulder and stands. 'The coffee here is terrible, anyway.'

Louis laughs loudly. Because there is something about this girl that makes her stand out. Sure, she's wearing a One Direction hoodie and red jeans. Sure they've only just met. But she just seems different to Louis.

Maybe it's her bright pink hair.

Maybe it's her laugh.

Maybe it's the fact that she isn't drooling on his Vans.

Or maybe it's all of the above.

Louis has never been a believer in love at first sight. But the Australian girl in the coffee shop definitely has that one thing.

She most definitely has stolen his heart.

And his world already feels brighter.

::

As soon as the concert finishes, Louis finds Sara in the crowd and takes her by the hand.

He leads her to his dressing room, because he knows it's the last place the boys will look for him. They know he hates the cramped dressing rooms, and spends most of his time in the green room or backstage.

'That...was...amazing!' says Sara breathlessly. Her face is flushed, her pink-and-blonde hair messed up.

'Tell me about it' says Louis, leaning back into the squashy couch and slinging an arm casually around her.

'But you do this all the time! What makes this one any better?'

'Better only because you were there!' The words come instinctively, but Louis wonders whether he's gone too far. The arm around her shoulders suddenly feels weird.

But she leans comfortably into him, grinning. 'Cheesy, but sweet. I like it!'

Louis smiles. They've known each other for seven hours, tops, but every thing already feels so natural. Every song he sung tonight felt like a personal serenade, directly to Sara. None of the other girls in the audience mattered.

Sara peers around the tiny room, dominated by the mirror on the wall, and the couch they are currently sitting on. 'So, this is where the great Louis Tomlinson prepares for his concerts.' she sound doubtful.

'Heck no! Generally, we go to the green room or someplace less claustrophobic.'

'Right. "We" meaning you and the boys.'

'Yep. Mostly we hang back at the hotel. We could go there, if you want.'

Sara blinks at him. 'Moving a bit fast there, Mister Tomlinson!'

Louis back pedals. 'No! I didn't mean it that way! I only meant-'

But Sara cuts him off, laughing. 'I was only winding you up, Lou!'

Louis already loves the way she says his name. He loves her Aussie accent, and bright hair. And suddenly, he is leaning in, and so is she. When their lips meet, it feels so right.