CH/16 A

Riley POV

I followed Chloe down the stairs.
"So do you guys feel any better already?" , she asked no one in particular.
"Uhuh… Thanks for the painkillers!" , Dougie told her.
He walked over to her and kissed her.
So it seemed like they had had a good night yesterday…

"Well, we do, don't know about Harry though…" , Tom answered Chloe's initial question.
"He's not up yet?" , she asked him.
"Nope. He might be dead from what I saw." , he joked.
"Well, don't you guys think it's time to check on him then?" , she looked at them.

They all looked a bit confused, didn't get her point I guess.
"The signing…?" , she continued.

"Fuck!" "Oh piss it!" "Ah no please…"
Yup, they sure remembered again now!
"God, I completely forgot…" , Danny said rubbing his eyes.
"That's what alcohol does mate." , Dougie remarked.

"Fuck! I have to go get my car…" , Tom suddenly realized.
"Why?" , Danny asked.
"Well, the bus probably left yesterday." , Tom told him.
"Oh yeah remember last time we weren't back in time?" , Dougie laughed.
"Haha, he was so pissed off…" , Danny joined him.

"Yeah well, we need my car then don't we?" , Tom said.
"It's okay, I can give you a ride to your house." , Chloe told him.
"Thanks. I'll take a shower at home then." , he said, getting off the counter.
"Okay, let's go. You guys can take a shower here if you want, there's two bathrooms, Riley will show you around. If you need clean clothes check out my brothers wardrobe. I'm sure there's something there that will fit." , Chloe said as she was heading for the door.

"Oh and make sure Harry still has a pulse!" Tom yelled from outside.

CH/16 B

Tom POV

She had the exact same car I had, only in black.
It had all kinds of pink lights on the inside.
To be honest I quite liked it!

I told her how to get to our house.
She knew where it was, and knew a few shortcuts as well.

"What time does is start exactly?" , she asked.
"Uhm, twelve I think. We have to be there around eleven though."
"Two more hours then…" , she said, checking her watch.
"Ah we'll manage. It's not that far."

"So do you even remember how you ended up in my house yesterday?"
"Uhm honestly… not at all."
"That wasted?" , she asked, looking at me from the corner of her eyes.
"Like I said, no idea… I'm going for tired!"
"Yeah I'd say that too if I were you…"

"How was your night?" , I decided to ask her.
"Good…" She really wasn't going to say much more.
"Come on, you weren't drunk, you can remember more than just good…"
"Well, maybe there wasn't more to remember…"
"Yeah right! Spill it…" , I told her.

She didn't say anything.
"Oh come on, you guys totally hit it off!"
"We didn't… we just kissed, that's all."
"Really? Well, all I can say is he's got it bad for you…"
"And how would you know?"
"Well, it was obvious ever since the first time he saw you at the…"

She went silent.
God, maybe I shouldn't have brought that up.
"You remember that as well?" , she asked.
I nodded. She looked stunned.
"Don't tell me you also know about the note…"
"I do, well not what's on it, but I know about it. Is that so weird?"
"Well, I just didn't think any of you would really remember…"
We were both silent for a while.

"Dougie doesn't commonly get caught by love at first sight…" , I told her
"So yeah it was pretty memorable…"

CH/17

Tom POV

We didn't say much else during the rest of the ride.
I hoped I hadn't upset her or anything.
She drove into our street.

"Yup, here it is… On the right." , I told her.
I have to say, it looked rather funny, two Minis on one driveway.
"Ah I see you have the same one…" , she said.
"Yup, only yours looks a lot more… clean!"
"I have the carwash to thank for that…" , she confessed.

"You know, you can come in if you want, have some coffee…"
"Yeah I guess I could do that." And she got out of the car.

"Your house looks nice." , she told me as we walked in.
"It's so… colorful!" , she continued as we walked into the living room.
"That's because of all the trash… It's multi-colored…" , I told her.
"Still, doesn't make it less colorful!" , she laughed.
"True. We'll ask the cleaner to leave it like this then…" , I joked.
"You should do that…"

I told her I was going to take a shower, and that she could get some coffee.
When I came back she was studying our fan mail.

"Shocking?" I asked her.
"This one's not… but there are loads that are!" , she said laughingly.
"I know. They keep amazing me every time…"
"Oh Riley just called. They moved the signing to one o'clock." , she told me.
"Really? What for?"
"I don't know, something about delivering food for a restaurant down the street…"
"Ah well in that case…" I said, and I got myself a cup of coffee.

"Oh and Danny wanted you to know Harry still had a pulse…"
"Oh yeah of course. That guy won't die even if you want him to…"
She looked at me in shock.
"I was joking… Don't worry, I don't have fantasies about killing him…"
"You don't? Hm… I have them sometimes, about Riley."
Now I was the one to look absolutely shocked.
"What?" , she asked me.
"Are you serious?" , but as soon as I asked her she cracked.
"Yeah sure, dipstick…" , she laughed.

Chloe POV

It was so random.
I visited a concert of them yesterday, with my obsessed friend.
And now here I was, sitting in McFly's house.
With Tom… We sat there, talking forever.
He was a very smart and sensitive guy.
I had only known him for a few hours, but it felt like an eternity.

"Isn't it about time we get going?" , I asked him after I drank my last bit of coffee.
"Yeah I guess. Just leave the cups on the counter. The dishwasher is dead."
"But who will…" I started, but he cut me off.
"No one! Never mind… Let's go!"
He was already at the door, waiting for me.

We went outside and walked to our cars.
"I'll be right behind you, take the shortcuts okay?" , he said.
"No problem… Try to keep up!" , I said, sticking out my tongue.
And we both got into our cars.

I thought about everything that had happened last night.
Still, I couldn't quite believe it myself. It was all so unreal.
I thought about Dougie. About him and me.
He was definitely sweet. Caring too. And very cute.
He was the one that, without even knowing it, had saved my life.

My thoughts were interrupted my someone honking behind me.
I looked in my mirror. Tom was pointing at the gas station on our left.
I put my hand up to let him know I noticed, and turned left.

While I was waiting I grabbed my bag.
I took my wallet and got out a little piece of paper.
I had kept it with me ever since then, which I hadn't told him.
What he had written had somehow given me hope.
It had made me realize that the world wasn't the horrible place I thought it was.

Twist your head around.
It's all around you.
All is full of love.
All around you.

Please stop crying
It breaks my heart

xxx

It was scribbled down making it almost indecipherable.
But I could still read it. And it had touched my heart.
Maybe it wouldn't mean anything to someone else, and that was to be understood.
But to me it meant the world.

CH/18

Chloe POV

My thoughts were interrupted once again, by my phone this time.
The screen read INCOMING RILEY. I answered.
"Yup?" "Hey it's not Riley, it's Doug."
"Oh hey…" God even his voice made me melt.
"Yeah hey… we were wondering… where are you?"
"Gas station. We'll be back in five minutes I guess."
"Oh cool… I miss you already…"
"Aw, you're sweet…"
"I know, that's why you like me so much…"
"Yeah, don't let it go to your head! Everyone normal again over there?"
"Not Harry. We had to drag him upstairs to take a shower."
"Feeling like shit huh? How's he now?"
"Well the water just stopped running, so at least he hasn't fallen back asleep."
"Good thing…" , I said as someone knocked on my window.
"Ow Tom's ready… We'll be there shortly."
"See you in a bit!"
"Byez!"

I put everything back in my bag, including the note.
It was only a few more minutes before we pulled up in my driveway.
"Let's go check what damage the alcohol has done…", Tom told me.

We walked in to find Dougie and Danny in the kitchen.
I was about to ask where the others were when Dougie came up to me.
"Riley's upstairs, something to do with unpacking."
"Harry's also upstairs, don't know what he's doing though…" , Danny added.
"Ah ok thanks. I'll go check on Riley." , I said.

I left them behind in the kitchen and walked up the stairs.

Riley POV

"Riles? Are you in there?"
I heard Chloe's voice from outside.
"Yup! I'm unpacking!"
She came walking into the room.
When she saw the mess I had made, she stopped dead in her tracks.

"I already set up the bed, I thought that would be okay with you…" , I told her.
"And before you say anything, I'm sorry." , I continued.
"First of all for making a mess of your room…"
"And? Second…?" , she asked.
"Well, I kind of slept in your bed last night… with Danny."

I looked up to see her smirking at me.
"Yeah, I figured." , she said.
"You're not mad are you?"
"Well, disgusted is more like it!" , she laughed.
"Don't worry, we behaved…"
"Sure! You have to come up with something better than that…"
"I'm serious! Nothing happened…"
"No kidding?" , she looked at me.
"Nope. Not at all. I swear."

She sighed, as she sat down in front of the bed.
"I'm quite glad you said that to be honest."
I looked at her, confused and maybe a bit insulted.
"Don't give me that look Riles. I'm just glad you didn't…"
"Oh stop being my mother Chloe…"
"I just don't want you to make stupid decisions…"
"Yeah I know, but let's not discuss that now okay?"
"Fine… Whatever…"

I looked at her to see she looked a tiny bit frustrated.
No worse, heavily frustrated, and by my behavior.
She always said I was irresponsible when it came to boys.
Maybe she had a bit of a point actually, but I never liked admitting it.

"So how did things go with you and Dougie?" , I decided to change the subject.
"We're cool I guess…" , she said, still a bit mad at me.
"You looked like you were more than cool this morning…"
"Well, yeah we like each other…"

Chloe POV

I hesitated. This was horrible.
"Oh oh, I can feel a 'but' coming…" , she said, waiting for me to continue.
"No, there's no 'but' coming…" , I told her, still not quite sure how to tell her about it.

She looked at me, confused.
"Uhuh, but…?"

God, she knew me too well. There was no way I could talk myself out of it now.
I had to tell her, she would find out sooner or later anyway.
Probably sooner, with her being so… Riley-ish.

Riley POV

Her head down, studying the ground, I could tell she felt uncomfortable.
She sighed deeply before looking up at me.

"Riley there's something I haven't told you…"

CH/19

Riley POV

The only time she had ever said that to me was… I don't remember actually.
Oh yeah I do, it was when she told me about moving.
Great, so this was not going to be nice…

"Tell me…" , I said.
"Not before I say how sorry I am for not telling you anything about it before…"

She waited and I nodded in reply.
"Promise you won't be mad?"
"Uhuh… What is it?"
"Remember the signing in Reading?"
"The one you eventually missed out on because of Katie-stuff?"
"That's the one… Only, you see... I didn't really miss out on anything…"

Okay this was confusing. She had gotten a call from her mum about Katie and had stepped out of the queue… And that when we were only a few more steps removed from the table. But yeah, she didn't miss out on anything… Sure!

"Are you kidding? You totally missed out on everything!"
She was intensely studying the ground once again.
"No Riles I didn't… that's the whole point…"
"Well enlighten me on the point thing!"
"It's just…"

She looked like she was about to cry.
"Hun, it's okay…" , I said as I pulled her in for a hug.
"No it's not… You're going to be so mad I didn't tell you…"
"Why? You killed someone?"

She looked at me faintly smiling again.
"Because if you did, it depends on who you killed. See, now my brother I wouldn't mind…"
"Oh shut up, it's not funny…" , she told me.
"Yeah it is kind of. You're overreacting."
"I'm not, it's just…" , but I cut her off.
"I'll be the judge of that. Now tell me…"

"Okay, so while you were still in line…"
"Something you told me I should do." , I interrupted her.
"Do you still want to hear it?" , she asked me.
"Yeah sorry. Not a word…"

"Good. So I went outside, sat down, when the twins called me. Both of them crying out loud, asking me to please come and get them because my mum had yelled at them again. I told them I couldn't and after I ended the call, something inside of me broke. I was already very close to a breakdown, as you know, and that one more thing I just couldn't take. I had had it, I had had enough of life… And I swear I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for those boys inside, whose autographs you were getting at that point."

I looked at her, a bit confused probably, hence her question.
"Am I making any sense?"
I thought about that for a while.
"Yeah you are actually." I said, and after a while I asked:
"But McFly never meant that much to you, I mean… how?"

"Well, when I sat outside a bodyguard came over to me, and handed me a copy of the album. I didn't have a chance to ask because he disappeared again in a single moment. I didn't know what it was supposed to mean. Not knowing what to do with it, I opened it, to see all autographs on the booklet. But there was also a note in it…"

She grabbed her bag from the bed and started looking for something.
Out of the bag she took her wallet.
She handed me a little piece of paper.

Chloe POV

I handed her the note.
She read it.

"Who is it from?" , she asked me after she finished.
"Take a guess…" , I told her, smiling feebly.
"No way! It's from him?" , she shouted out loud.

I didn't even get a chance to reply because she was already hugging me.
"Okay, choking here… Riles? Oxigen please…" , I told her.
"God that is the sweetest thing!" , she shouted while letting go of me.

"So I take it your not mad then?" , I asked her.
"Are you kidding me! I'm so happy for you!"
"Good… great."
"Oh god, I think I'm falling in love with him instead of Danny now." , she told me.
"You are horrible you know that… leave him alone!" , I laughed.
"I can't guarantee anything…" , she joked.

I can't even describe how happy I was. She wasn't mad at all. She was anything but mad. I kept getting hugs, and she kept screaming in my ears. After a few minutes she decided to stop the hugging though. Probably because my face was starting to get different shades of red.
And purple I might add...

"Hey girls?" , someone yelled from downstairs.
"Yeah?" , we both answered in chorus.

"Want to hear about a brilliant plan?"

CH/20

Tom

Judging on them running down the stairs almost instantly after I asked, I'd say yes.
They were like a pair of little children to whom you said to go get ice cream.
As they reached the bottom of the stairs they both looked at me.

"What?" , they both asked at the same time.
"I take it that's a 'yes' then…" , I laughed.
"You do that… so what is it?" , Riley asked.
"Well, me and Danny just came up with a plan…"
"Like we hadn't figured… Spill it!" , Chloe interrupted.
"Follow me…"

I walked towards the kitchen. As I did they were right behind me.
Danny was still eating, as usual. He had made himself a couple more sandwiches…
Harry was probably still upstairs, but I couldn't be bothered to go up…

Dougie was nowhere to be seen. I could hear him though.
"No Aladdin behind you… I said turn… God you're such an idiot!"
"Oh for fucks sake, get out of the way Lago! I want to kill Jafar…"
"Fine, have it your way, you'll go down with him then…"

"Hey Doug? Returning to planet Earth somewhere soon?" , I asked him.
"Just one more mi… ooooh yeah!" , he exclaimed.
"Is that a 'yes'?" , I joked.
"Yeah sure, let me just turn this thing off…"

When he had joined us I could tell them about our plan.
"So we're going to the signing in about half an hour…"
"Ooh surprise!" , Riley said sarcastically.
"Will you let me talk for a minute?" , I began.
"Okay so we'll probably be back here in about three hours…" , I continued.
"Back here?" , Dougie and Chloe asked in chorus.
"Exactly. Since we don't really know you two all that well, and we want to give you four lovebirds a chance to get closer to each other, we thought we'd go do something after… and tomorrow maybe if that's okay?"

"Tom, I can't…" "I'm sorry but…"
Again, Chloe and Dougie started talking at the same time.
"Oh yeah fuck… I forgot Doug… sorry." , I said remembering again.
"Well maybe they can come with us?" , I asked him.
I looked from him to Chloe and Riley.

"Tom, I can't do anything tomorrow… sorry." , Chloe told me.
"I have to go visit my sister, I made a promise…" , she explained.
"And I always go with her for that…" , Riley said hesitantly.
"No Riles, you're not this time… Go with them, it's cool." , Chloe turned to her.

"Wait, did I miss something here?" , Danny asked.
"Yeah I get the feeling you're not visiting your sister at home…" I said.
"I'm not. She's in hospital…" , Chloe answered.
"Where? I mean if it's not too far…" , Danny said.
"Southend…" , she said.

"Well, congratulations Chloe and Dougie!" , I exclaimed!
They looked at me, very confused.
"You two just came up with an even more brilliant plan…" , I said.
Still, the look of bewilderment hadn't disappeared.
"And you don't even realize it yet… it's astonishing!" , I continued.

Danny POV.

Tom just stood there, smirking.
"What the hell are you on about?" , Dougie asked him.
"You'll see… Get your stuff, we're leaving!" , he told us.
He walked into the hallway, getting his coat and his keys.
What was going on here? I thought we had a plan…
"Tom, I'm lost mate…" , I declared.
"No problem, as long as I'm not, we're cool!" , he yelled back.

He left all of us in the kitchen, all in total bewilderment.
"What…?" , Chloe began.
"Do you…?" , Riley asked me.
"I don't…" , was my answer.

"Oi! Harry? Are you done? We're leaving!" , I heard Tom shouting up the stairs.
"I'm coming… I'm coming, shut up!" , we heard Harry yell back.
"Hey! You two… car… now!" , Tom told us, as he opened the front door.
"Dude! I haven't even had breakfast yet…" , Harry exclaimed.
"I know that, but that's not my bad is it?"

Tom turned around to look at us.
"You coming or what?"