Kali's POV:
This is it. The moment I've been waiting for.
I stand in front of the door and nervously fiddle with my hair, constantly worrying about what my sister said: First impressions are everything, Kali.
"Next."
My brain suddenly shuts off and obviously tells my lungs to stop working because I struggle to take in air.
Next.
I'm next.
"Head on in, sweetie."
"Mmhm," I choke out, taking a hesitant step through the door.
And then suddenly...
He's there.
Time itself slows to a stop as our eyes lock and everything else in the world disappears. In that moment, it is just us, staring into each other's souls, taking in every bit of life that we can in these few precious seconds.
"Hi honey, how are you?"
"F-fine," I stutter, taken aback by the man standing before me. "And you all?"
"Amazing," he smiles, sending jolts of electricity shooting through my body.
"I'd say stand in the middle for the picture, but it looks like you're pretty comfortable," Kendall jokes.
I glance at him and smile shyly before stepping into James' open arms, making myself at home.
I marvel at the way his strong arms wrap around my waist, and I feel untouchable, as if nothing can disturb our love.
"Smile big for the camera, beautiful," he whispers in my ear, winking before turning to face the photographer.
Sighing contentedly, I snuggle into his arms and smile widely, finally feeling that I belong somewhere.
And it's here. Right here. In his arms.
"I wanted to thank you." I speak softly after turning to face him. "It's because of you that I'm still here, fighting, today."
He places a gentle hand on my shoulder and uses the other to tilt my chin up, forcing me to stare into his beautiful hazel eyes.
"Listen to me. Fight every day because you're worth it. You've got your whole life ahead of you and you're going to do great things. I believe in you."
I simply nod, at a loss for words.
"Ma'am, I'm sorry to have to rush you, but the line must move along," a female security guard smiles apologetically.
"Of course," I mumble, reluctantly pulling away from James. I give the four of them a feeble wave as I make my way to the exit when a sudden thought strikes me.
I run back to James and hug him tightly, earning a chuckle from the tall man.
"I forgot to say I love you," I breathe out, smiling up at him.
"I love you, too," he replies, his smile reaching his eyes and making the corners crinkle in the most adorable way.
"I can leave now," I giggle, heading to the door again.
"Wait!"
I turn at the sound of his voice and look up expectantly.
"What's your name?"
"Kali," I grin. "Kali Neumann."
"Kali Neumann," James says softly, nodding. "I like that. I like it a lot. See you later, gorgeous."
"See you later." Biting my lip to contain a squeal, I hurry out of the room and to my seat in the crowd.
Up front in the first row.
Please let this be the year...finally.
"Hey, Logan, my voice is getting kind of tired," Carlos speaks into the mic, moving to sit down on the stools set out.
"Do you want a cough drop, or water or something?" Logan asks him sweetly.
"Nah, I think we could just use some help."
Here we go. Worldwide.
"Where's our Worldwide girl tonight?" James yells, scanning the audience.
A chorus of "Over here"s and "I love you, James"s ring out through the crowd.
C'mon James. I'm here.
"I think..."
He begins strutting through the crowd and I can't help the smile that spreads across my face.
"I'll just walk back up here..."
C'mon, c'mon.
"And pick...you."
James stands in front of me, a smile lighting up his face.
He takes my hand and pulls me out of the audience, into the aisle. My heart rate picks up as we make our way through the crowd, him squeezing my hand every so often.
"C'mon, Kali," James says softly, tugging lightly on my hand. I follow him up to the stage and smile at the boys. "I have a seat right here," he pats the stool next to him and gestures for me to sit, "saved just for you."
A single tear slides down my cheek and he smiles at me. "Go ahead, doll, don't be shy. I don't bite, I promise."
I let out a laugh and settle down on the stool next to James, our knees touching. He glances at me and bites his lip, and this simple action has my heart racing once again.
James starts the song, his hand resting on my knee. I take deep breaths to try and calm myself, instead focusing on his angelic voice.
"Wait a minute
Before you tell me anything how was your day?
Cause I've been missing
You by my side, yeah." As he sings this line, James stands next to me and wraps one of his large arms around me, rocking us back and forth.
"Did I awake
You out of your dreams?
I'm sorry but I couldn't sleep
You calm me down
There's something 'bout
The sound of your voice." Here, he moves to stand behind me and kisses my cheek, humming along as Kendall sings.
Closing my eyes, I lean back against his chest, letting my heart melt as I listen to the words and feel the heat of his body radiate through his thin shirt to mine.
"I-I-I-I'm never never
Never as far away as it may seem
Soon we'll be together
We'll pick up right where we left off." James pulls his in-ears out and bends down so his face is next to mine, our cheeks pressed against eachother's.
"Paris, London, Tokyo
There's just one thing that I gotta do
Hello, tuck you in every night on the phone
Hello, tuck you in every night
And I can hardly take another goodbye
Baby, won't be long
You're the one that I'm waiting on
Hello, tuck you in every night on the phone
Girl I'll be thinking about you worldwide, worldwide, worldwide" I turn to face him and our lips are mere inches apart as they sing the chorus.
"Yes, I may meet a million pretty girls that know my name
But don't you worry
Cause you have my heart
It ain't easy to keep on moving city to city
Just get up and go
The show must go on so I
Need you to be strong" Here he jokes around and flexes his bicep, and it takes every fiber of my being to not fall backwards off the stool.
"I-I-I-I'm never never
Never as far as it may seem
No never
Soon we'll be together
We'll pick up right where we left off
Paris, London, Tokyo
There's just one thing that I gotta do
Hello, tuck you in every night on the phone
Hello, tuck you in every night
And I can hardly take another goodbye
Babe, won't be long
You're the one that I'm waiting on
Hello, tuck you in every night on the phone" James squeezes my shoulder as he sings and I can't shake the feeling that he needs the constant contact as much as I do.
"Wherever the wind blows me
Yes, you're still the one and only girl on my mind
No, there ain't no one better
So always remember
Always remember, girl you're mine" As he hits the high note, he closes his eyes and puts everything into it, pulling me closer to him at the same time.
I let myself be supported by his body and tune into his voice, getting lost in the beautiful sound.
"Yes, I may meet a million pretty girls that know my name
But don't you worry
Cause you have my heart." James sits next to me once more and cups my face in his large hand, leaning forward to kiss my nose.
"I need to see you again, Kali."
And so began the story of Jali Davith Maslow.
And there we have it! The first one shot of my Jali series, made specially for my best friend. Love you, Kal.
Hope you all will enjoy this series! I'd really appreciate if you read and leave me a review :)