Free Falling ~ A Louis Tomlinson Love Story

"Are you ready, baby?" Her voice was muffled, but I couldn't miss my mother's voice if I was in the middle of a mall. Her mature but silky voice was soothing. I nodded, but my eyes shared another story.

Was I ready? No. I was probably -0.3528462946399% ready. The butterflies in my stomach had mutated into raging elephants that had seen a mouse. My head swam with many scenarios. And my hearing had been about as helpful as the water my mum was trying to make me drink.

"How are you feeling?" I blinked a few times not quite sure who was addressing me. Or even what they'd ask. I heard a man chuckle beside me.

"Nervous?" I soon recognized his face once I had focused. It was Dermot O'Leary. The Dermot O'Leary. How long had he been standing there?!

I nodded once again, this time more feverishly, not trusting my voice. Simply saying I was nervous was an understatement.

Dermot gave me a look of sympathy. "Don't worry, sweetheart. Just go out there and sing your little heart out."

"You've got this, babe. You're going to blow them away," My best friend, Juliette, assured.

Finally my father spoke. "You can be rest assured that my little girl is going to win this thing. She's got the voice of an angel." Pride gleamed in his eyes and my heart swelled.

"Daddy," I croaked. He pulled me close to him, and I deeply inhaled his aftershave. He removed himself from my grasp, and stood next to my mum. Her eyes were swimming with tears, and she was hiccuping. I smiled at her strange reactions.

"You're up, love," Dermot called to me. I shakily took a breath, and observed the rag tag group that had joined me today. My mum and dad held each other lovingly, Jules was grinning madly, and my other good friend, Bridget, was trying to contain her squeals.

I turned to the stage, and walked out with my back erect and chin up. First rule to success: confidence.

The first thing I noticed was the lights. So many were focused in on me and I was blinded momentarily.

I felt all eyes turn to me. I was the center of attention, and despite my shaking legs, I enjoyed every second of it. And that's when I knew I belonged here.

Wolf whistles, cheers, and cries were thrown at me. I smiled, more because I was unsure of what else to do rather than from glee.

"Hush now! Hi there, love. What's your name, sweetie?" Louis asked me.

I grinned even wider. "Olivia Rae Thull," I answered proudly. I relaxed a tad more, and stood at ease. It felt natural to be up there. I quickly observed my audience, and more importantly: the judges. Nicole was dressed elegantly in a one shoulder black dress. It was lacy, but sheer. Her hair was curled to perfection. Each lock took the shape of a perfect ringlet, and the shine of the lights reflected off of it. She smiled at me like we were long time friends finally reconnecting.

Sharon looked the same; her red hair shiny, dressed in a white blouse topped with a blazer. Her old eyes gazed at me, and they made up for the lack of smile on her face. She looked at me knowingly.

Gary was wearing a frown, and eyed me speculatively. He was wearing a simple blue t-shirt, covered in a black jacket. It was simple, but he looked dashing.

"And how old are you, Olivia?" Louis' voice interrupted me out of my thoughts.

"19," I informed. Louis tapped his pen on his paper.

"What brings you to the X Factor?" he inquired.

I didn't hesitate for a moment to answer. "I've always loved music. It's been my passion for as long as I can remember. And I know it's definitely something I want to pursue." I nodded my head in content, and the grin once again took it's place on my face.

"What will you be singing for us today?" Nicole interjected.

"I will be singing Better In Time by Leona Lewis."

I heard Sharon gasp a little and I turned my attention to her. "Tell me, did you practice, hun?" She genuinely sounded nervous for me. I internally smiled. If only she knew how much I practiced.

"Very much, yes," I assured. She nodded.

"Well, the best of luck to you." And with that I stepped back.

Time seemed to slow down. And very slowly did I bring my microphone up to my lips.

I closed my eyes. Calmed myself, took deep breaths, and let it flow.

It's been the longest winter without you, I didn't know where to turn to. See somehow I can't forget you. After all that we've been through. I smiled and the crowd went into hysterics. I didn't pause to see the judges' reactions. I just kept going.

Going, coming. Thought I heard a knock. Who's there? No one. Thinking that I deserve it, Now I realize that I really didn't know. If you didn't notice you mean everything, quickly I'm learning to love again. All that I know is I'm gonna be ok.

Suddenly I was three years old again. I was jumping around on the couch in my princess jamies singing Christmas carols, dreaming of this moment. And now I was finally here.

Thought I couldn't live without you. It's gonna hurt when it heals too, it'll all get better in time. Even though I really love you, I'm gonna smile 'cause I deserve to. It'll all get better in time. I moved swiftly across the stage, letting the music guide me. And then I finally realized that I was doing this. I was singing for not only the people of the crowd, but for the people of the entire U.K. Possibly even farther than that. With a sudden rush of confidence, I belted out the last few words. It'll all get better in time!

I finished, and finally heard the shouts of the crowd. Every person in sight was beaming at me. They roared with what I hoped was approval. I smiled an earsplitting grin, and turned to face the judges.

What I saw, nearly made me topple over with shock. They were standing. And clapping. For me. I laughed in disbelief, and covered my mouth. I contained myself from squealing, and tried to ignore my subconscious that was jumping around. I snapped her down and kept my composure. But I couldn't hold it for long. The clapping hadn't stopped, and not one of the judges had sat down. "Thank you so much!" I said gleefully. There were no other words to explain my gratitude.

Eventually, Louis got the crowd to hush and sat down along with the others. It felt like a lifetime before they finally spoke. I flipped my hair nervously. I quickly stopped my fidgeting, and tried to calm my nerves.

"Well, I don't even know where to begin! Are you sure that was you?!" Sharon exclaimed, finally interrupting my anxious thoughts. I laughed lightly. "I seriously want to know if there's someone behind that screen singing for you! Or at least someone to jump out and say I was punked!"

I laughed a little dryly. "No, it's just me!" I shrugged.

"Well, 'just you' is absolutely magnificent. I don't know what else to say. But I am completely in love with you." Sharon winked at me, and I beamed.

"Thank you," I responded.

"Olivia…you were, and I was, and the crowd! I mean, just it was- wow," Louis breathed out. I giggled in understanding.

"I think Louis needs to go back to school and learn some grammar," Nicole joked.

Louis opened his mouth to protest but Nicole was already speaking. "I want you to know, that what you just did is exactly what this show needs people to do. You were absolutely perfect. And your voice, absolutely amazing. You're gorgeous, your voice is gorgeous, and I see you going a long way." Just for good measure, she slammed her hands down on the table. Nicole looked confident, strong, and prepared. For what, I had no clue. But she looked ready to tackle anything or anyone who was going to stand in her way. For that, I admired her. Her confidence and charisma shined off of her and practically bounced off the walls. I was in awe.

"Gary?" Sharon turned to the man. He still wore the same speculative look and was pursing his lips.

Though he had clapped for me, he still looked unsure. I anxiously awaited his critique. His face looked like he was going to deliver bad news. My stomach plummeted. Gary never met my gaze, and played with his pen. The other judges seemed just as nervous as I.

"I strongly believe that… a star has just walked onto our stage." I released the breath I didn't realize I had been holding, and beamed. He returned it effortlessly. "I could tell from the minute that you walked onto the stage that you were unsure. You doubted your ability. But let me tell you right now…don't." The crowd erupted into cheers of approval. "Don't ever doubt yourself, honey, because you've got it," Gary shouted over the crowd. I felt like I might faint. This couldn't be happening to me! I threw my head back laughing out of happiness. Even though I was excited, I felt like I could puke from the nerves. And to test my gut even more, Gary continued. "The crowd loves you, I love you, and I want you. You are going to be apart of my group whether you like it or not. And that goes for you lot as well," he turned to the other judges, speaking directly at them. I giggled, not even trying to shut my giggling school-girl subconscious up. The judges started arguing loudly.

"That's not up to you! If anything, she should be apart of my group!" I heard Nicole shout.

"Oh fiddlesticks, I've got more experience," Sharon argued. I laughed while the crowd cheered, and floated on cloud nine.

"Alright! We'll settle this later," Louis shouted while throwing his hands in the air dramatically. "For now, we must vote." This is it. This moment could change my life. It all relied on these four people. They would decide my fate.

"Sharon?"

"I don't think you should have to ask, it's a definite yes from me," She smiled at me. I thanked her once more for her words then looked hopeful at Nicole.

"I completely agree with Gary. A star has been born, and I certainly don't think it's worth passing up. Yes, yes, yes!" Nicole winked at me and the crowd cheered. I imagined my parents. And Jules and Bridget. How excited they must be. I can't wait to see them. I smiled at the thought and nodded my head in appreciation.

"Louis?"

"A massive yes from me," He stated enthusiastically. I hit my head with my palm, only to feel they were clammy. I didn't care though. With three yeses, I was already in. I had done it. I made it into the X Factor.

But first, the man who's opinion mattered most to me sat quietly. "Olivia..you've got four yeses. Congratulations, you've made it through." Gary was interrupted by the cheers and screams. I threw my hands up in the air and smiled widely. I thanked them endlessly and tears swelled in my eyes. I waved to them, and before running off stage, caught Gary giving me a thumbs up. I half walked -half ran- to my mum and dad. I was met halfway by Jules who had tackled me.

"Liv!!! Do you realize what you just did?! Babe, you made it!" I heard the love in her voice and was appreciative, but I wanted my parents.

I finally saw them, and they were sniffling. I ran to them. "Mum! Dad!"

"Oh baby girl, we knew you could do it! We're so proud of you, sweetheart," my mother cooed. She was stroking my hair back. We sat for several moments just hugging. I couldn't be happier.

I released them finally, and was finally ready for my friends.

We all stood there dumbly, looking at each other while grinning like idiots. But because we had some sort of mental connection, we all screamed gleefully at once. We met in the middle and jumped up and down. "Liv you were fantastic!" Bridget applauded.

Giggling like mad, I hugged my best friends. "Olivia! You've just made it through! Congratulations, love. How do you feel?" Dermot asked me.

"Words can't even describe! I'm euphoric! Overwhelmed, mostly though." I stated honestly. Jules quickly regathered my into her arms. Dermot congratulated me once more, but I was barely hearing him. I walked into this building as a hopeful individual. A small town girl with big dreams. I was still that girl, but more sure of herself. I think today that small town girl, who could be described as a caterpillar, had finally earned her wings. She was free falling into her dreams. There was no more 'taking it slow'.

As I sat in the car watching the landscape rush past me, I got the feeling, and just somehow knew this was the beginning. My beginning. I haven't figured out what for, but something big.

And I was right. In more ways than one was this my beginning.

This is my first story! I'm quite excited, if I do say so myself. Please let me know what you think, any and all criticism is appreciated. Just please make it constructive. I would like to know any ideas you have.