For about a month, Lillian worked closely with Paul and only got to see the boys for a few minutes on a couple of days. Now, she knew the schedule by heart, knew everything Paul knew about it, and was ready for the movie premiere.
It was meeting with the boys and Paul at the studio, then they’d head over together. There was an afterparty, but they’d only be able to go there for an hour. Lilly was free to join them, but go home at the same time, because they’d fly out to New York City quite early the following day. She’d have to pick up Harry and Louis on the way to the airport. They needed to get at least some sleep before they had to get up at four in the morning. Paul knew all too well how grumpy they could get with not enough sleep. Chances were good that they would just be extremely excited on the way to the airport and sleep a little more on their flight.
Once in NYC, they’d get to their hotel, check in, and then have some time to themselves, before they got together for dinner again. Chances were that they’d just spend the day at the hotel. The following day would be rehearsals for the Today Show the next morning.
Lilly went through all of this while she got ready. Paul had helped her decide what to wear. It wasn’t like she was going to be in the spotlight or actually seen by many people, at least not that people would think anything of her except that she was there to work, but she still needed to fit in with her clothes.
With Paul’s help, she’d opted for dark blue jeans with a green shirt that left one shoulder bare, black, flat boots. A black cardigan was in her purse, so that she could wear that when she got cold. He’d also told her to wear her hair down. Paul treated her like John, her stepfather, did. It made it even easier to work with him. She appreciated all of his advice. Her mother was even happier for her, especially after Paul had visited them at home. The two of them had a lot in common, and even John and Paul had clicked immediately.
“Have fun, sweetheart,” her mother called from the kitchen, when she saw Lilly rush by.
She couldn’t go without saying goodbye to the twins, though. So she made a detour to the living room, where the two were playing with their fire engines and police cars. God, she’d miss them when she went to America and Canada for longer. Max looked up first, and Tom followed.
“Lilly play?” Max asked, holding up his car to offer it to her. He looked adorable with his big green eyes and shaggy black hair. Both boys had the same eye color Lilly had, but their hair came from John.
“I can’t.” She bent down to kiss both boys on the forehead. “I have to work.”
“No. Play!” Now it was Tom who was offering her his car. She knew she wouldn’t see them when she got back, because they’d already be in bed by then. And she had to leave so early the next morning that they wouldn’t be awake.
“Okay, but only five minutes.” She sat down next to them and took one of the cars. The only problem was that five minutes turned into twenty and she was running late. Once in the car Syco had given her for work, she tried to get to the studios as fast as possible, but she was still five minutes later than the meeting time.
“Where is she?” Harry asked Paul curiously. Not that he was in a rush to get there, they had a puffer of fifteen minutes, he was just curious.
“I don’t know.” Just as he was about to take out his phone and call her, she came running around the corner. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair a bit tousled, and her shirt had somehow lost a bit to gravity and was now showing off more than half of her right upper arm, instead of only the shoulder. For the first time, the boys could see the tattoo on the inside of her right upper arm, when she raised it to re-arrange her hair. It spelled “M T”.
“I’m so so so sorry,” she said panting. She’d rushed up here, so that they could get going as quickly as possible.
“Just take a deep breath, okay?” Louis grinned at her and stepped forward. He pulled up her shirt on her arm so it wasn’t showing that much anymore. No, he hadn’t planned on doing that, but since she hadn’t done it herself, he thought that he should step up.
Her eyes darted to his hand, before she looked him in the eye. It was a good thing that her cheeks were already rosy because of her running, because this was embarrassing. She hadn’t realized that her shirt had fallen down like this. Not that there had been anything to see since she was wearing a top beneath the shirt, but it still wasn’t supposed to be like that.
“Thank you,” she said towards Louis in the end. “The twins didn’t want to let me go and I told them I had five minutes. I won’t see them today or tomorrow before we leave… Five minutes turned into twenty, and yeah… I’m sorry, Paul.”
“Don’t worry, Lil.” Paul patted her on the back and started walking towards the underground parking lot. “You’re here, we have enough time and that’s it. We were just worried that something might have happened to you.”
“Oh man.” That was the last thing she said. Only one month and they weren’t angry that she was late, no, they were downright worried about her. She’d really been lucky in getting this job.
Once in the car, Paul made sure the security was intact and everything was as he’d planned. He’d planned everything in advance together with Lilly, but now he just wanted to make sure there hadn’t been any changes.
“What’s with the tattoo on your arm?” Harry asked, indicating the spot he meant. “You got M T there, what’s it for?”
Lilly turned around to him. She’d been listening to Paul until then, so this question hit her out of the blue. Nevertheless, she smiled and answered his question, because she loved her tattoos: “It’s for my twin brothers Max and Tom. They’re just two, and I love them to death.”
It was the first time that she spent more time with the guys than just about five minutes. The car ride until now was already longer than that. So, it was the first time that they even had the chance to see her tattoos or anything else about her.
“She’s got another one,” Liam piped up and held up her left wrist. Since he was seated next to her, he was the first one to spot this. There were five lines along her forearm and a pale pink lotus flower directly on her wrist. “What’s that all about?”
Lilly sighed, thinking back to when she’d gotten that tattoo, and answered: “The lines are just practical. That way I can always put down notes, even if I don’t have my notepad with me. And the lotus flower… The lotus stands for purity and the flower coming out of the body is something good that comes out of all the pain, something strong, something that survives. We all have our own wars to fight and this gives me strength. It shows me that I can achieve what I set my mind to.”
“That’s beautiful,” Niall gushed, captivated by what she was saying.
“I like it. Especially the lines,” Louis added.
“Any more tattoos?” Harry wanted to know, his gaze still on her wrist.
“Just one.” She didn’t want to say. That she’d opened up about her lotus tattoo had already been enough for the day. “Oh, we’re here.” She pointed out the window, and as soon as the car came to a stop, Paul made the boys get out. Loud cheers arose from the crowd, and Lilly couldn’t help but smile. She’d stay in the car and drive to the back entrance so that she could wait inside for the boys and Paul.
The premiere went smoothly, and the afterparty was packed. All kinds of people were there and Paul was busy coordinating the security. The boys were all running around, greeting people, and talking to friends and family after they were done with their photoshoots. Even Lilly got in two or three photos, because they had insisted.
Lilly went off to the bar to get herself a glass of water. She still had to drive home after this, so that meant no alcohol for her, even though she could use a cold beer right now. It was the first day that she was really involved in an event. It had been fun so far, but there was so much she had to look out for. For example, there were certain people she had to keep the boys away from for their own good. Luckily, they knew it themselves and steered away from those people.
Lilly only had to butt in once when she had her water in hand. Louis was talking to one woman and signaling for help. He couldn’t get himself out of this conversation, and Paul had told her about this woman right when he’d seen her. She spelled trouble with her big mouth and uninhibited questioning. She walked right up and put her hand on Louis’ upper arm. A relieved smile appeared on his face.
“I’m sorry, but we have to get going,” she said to Louis before she faced the woman. “I’m really sorry to interrupt this conversation.” Not at all, but she had to be nice. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
“Is that so?” she heard the woman say, but didn’t turn around to address this. Louis, still having her hand on his arm, followed her without a word. Once they were at the bar, Lilly emptied her glass. They still had five minutes before they met up with the others to leave for the evening.
“You’ve got guts, girl.” Louis watched her openly, while Lilly only saw him in the corner of her eye. She was trying to make out where the rest of the band was.
“It’s my job. I won’t take shit from anybody and I have to get you away from people who might badmouth you or anything, so I just did what I had to do.” Slowly she turned around to him. “You don’t think I’ll stand by long enough to let her come up with an excuse or explanation to keep you any longer, do you?”
“Well, not really. Still, it took me by surprise. I liked that.” Louis took a deep breath and let his eyes wander to see where Harry was. Instead of finding him, though, he saw that woman coming his way again. “Come on.” He quickly grabbed hold of Lilly’s hand and led her through the throng of people towards the exit where their car was parked.
“Where are you going?” Lilly asked irritably. She looked down at their joined heads before looking up at the back of his head again.
He didn’t say a word until they were alone in the parking lot Slowly, he let go of her hand and pushed back his hair. When he caught her eyes, he couldn’t help but smile. She looked so flustered and irritated that it was quite funny.
“She was coming our way, so I thought, instead of confronting her again, we could wait here for the rest. They should be getting here any minute now anyway.” He leaned against the car, his eyes on her before he looked towards the entrance.
“You have a point there.” Lilly opened her purse and pulled out the cardigan. It was cooler down here and she didn’t want to catch a cold.
“So, how about you drive Harry and me home once you get your car from the studio?” Louis suddenly turned towards her. Paul had told them how they would handle everything today and tomorrow, so he knew that Lilly still had to get the car. “I mean, you’ll pick us up tomorrow, you should know where we live.”
She had the address, but she hadn’t been there, yet, that much was true. She found herself nodding in agreement, just as the rest of the group appeared. Zayn would be driving home with his girlfriend Perrie, whom Lilly found to be a very nice, young lady who was easy to talk to. Louis talked things through with Paul and Harry and they were all set. As a matter of fact, their apartment was more or less on Lilly’s way home.
At the studios, Paul stopped and let them out, said goodnight and told them to be on time the following morning. The plane wouldn’t wait for them. Actually, it probably would, but they didn’t need to know that.
Louis claimed the passenger seat. Harry didn’t mind. He was busy texting with Natalie anyway. Ever since they’d chatted about a month ago, they’d exchanged messages pretty much every day, just talking about everyday stuff. He’d told her that he’d take a short trip to NYC from tomorrow on to visit a family member. He still had to come up with something for the weeks, months he’d be gone.
It wasn’t a long drive, and Lilly was quite tired, so she concentrated on the road. Meanwhile, Louis busied himself with his phone and watching her in the dark. He glanced at her profile again and again. There was just something about her that intrigued him, but he couldn’t say what it was.
“Okay, we’re here,” Lilly said as she pulled to a stop in front of their apartment. Harry looked up and shot her a smile through the rearview mirror.
“Thank you for driving us home,” he said when he opened the door.
“Yeah, thank you,” Louis added and unbuckled his seatbelt. “See you tomorrow then. Goodnight.”
“I’ll be here at five,” she reminded them, which earned her grins from both guys. They shut the doors and walked up to the building, talking animatedly about something. What that was, Lilly had no idea, but she’d like to know.
When she got home, her brothers were long in bed, as she’d thought. Her stepfather John was the only one still awake. He was boiling water in the kitchen when Lilly walked in.
“Hey. Did you have fun today?” he asked with a smile. He was retired now, but back in the day, he’d played rugby. He still did today every now and then, and coached a kids team.
“Yes, but I’m really exhausted.”
“And tomorrow you’re off to America.” He stepped up to her, and pulled her into a hug. “Have fun and get enough rest now.” Before he let go of her, he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
She thanked him before walking upstairs. Her suitcase was already packed, her notebook inside, her phone charger on top of it, because she needed it right now once again before she left.
When she’d changed into her pajamas and was ready to snuggle up in her chair and read at a chapter of her book before she went to sleep, there was a knock on her door. Since only John was still up, it could only be him, so she told him to come in.
In his hand was a steaming cup of tea. A smile spread across her face.
“I know you can’t go to bed without your cup of tea before big days like tomorrow.” John leaned down and kissed the top of her head. John had been with them for more than ten years now. He was more of a father to her than her real father had ever been. He knew her so well. Yes, she’d miss her family when she was in NYC, but she’d also appreciate being away from London for a change.

Notes

I know that it's a big jump, but I thought that would be best to get the story going.
Please let me know what you think so I can see what I can improve, what's good so far or what you might like to see. Maybe I'll put it in the story :)