After nearly two hours, Lilly got changed into a loose fitting shirt and cut off sweatpants. There was a gym in the basement, and she planned on using it. At least a little. She hadn’t been out running or on the treadmill for at least two weeks, so she was excited to finally do some running again. She pulled her hair into a ponytail, took her phone and headed to the elevator to go down.
There was hardly anybody there, so she was able to go straight on the treadmill. She got put her phone in position, adjusted her earphones and started running. Finally. As her feet started moving faster and faster, all the tension fell away and she was able to relax for the first time that day.
Forty-five minutes later she stepped down, pushed her hair out of her face and took a deep breath. Now she knew what she’d forgotten: A bottle of water. Luckily there was water down here and she was able to get some. Her cheeks were red, her heart was still racing and the music echoed through her head.
Still slightly out of breath she stepped onto the elevator, earphones around her neck, phone in hand. She was just checking her mails when the door opened. Harry and Louis looked at her for a moment before they stepped in. They’d spent some time on their room and in the lobby, but they were ready to go back now, and get ready for dinner later.
“Where have you been?” Harry asked, his hands deep in his jeans pockets.
Lilly looked up, startled to find them there, and, to be honest, a little embarrassed. Maybe she should have showered at the gym instead of in her room. Again, she pushed back her hair, and said: “On the treadmill. There’s a gym downstairs.”
Louis was watching her, but didn’t say a word. She was sweaty, her hair was pushed back, her face devoid of any makeup, not that she usually wore much, but she looked completely at ease. A little embarrassed, he’d noticed that, but it was cute. Her cheeks had been red when they’d stepped on the elevator, but when she’d noticed them, they’d turned a different shade.
“How long were you on it?” Harry asked again, knitting his brows together. He hadn’t pictured her for someone who enjoyed this kind of thing, but she looked a lot less tense than she’d done when they’d arrived here.
“Forty-five minutes, that’s what I usually do. Except for when I go outside, then I tend to forget the time.”
Harry smiled at her, a smile that reached his eyes and lit up his whole face: “You certainly seem to enjoy it and it’s good for you. Look at you, your tension has melted away.”
“You got that right,” his realization made even her smile, while Louis still kept quiet. When the elevator opened at her floor, which was one floor beneath that of the boys, she stepped outside, but turned around again. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Have you lost your tongue? Did her looking like that render you speechless, my friend?” Harry teased, not able to stop grinning.
“Oh, shut up, Harry,” Louis shook his head violently and stepped off the elevator before Harry. He’d forgotten, though, that only Harry had taken his keycard with him, so he had to wait up.
“What was that all about?” he asked as soon as he’d caught up at the door.
“I don’t know. I honestly don’t know,” Louis sighed, running a hand over his face and through his hair. “Can we maybe just get inside and get ready for dinner? I’m really hungry.”
“Sure.”
Lilly was already sitting in the lobby when Liam and Niall got downstairs. They were the first of the boys, even Paul was still in his room. Niall walked straight up to her and plopped down in the spot next to her. Liam took a chair next to the sofa.
“Oh, hey,” Lilly said looking up at them. “You hungry?”
“Starving,” Niall said, putting both hands on his stomach. “What have you been up to this afternoon? Did you go to the city?”
“No, I watched some TV and used the gym, that’s pretty much it. What about you?”
“We watched two movies and just relaxed,” Liam chimed in.
“What are you talking about?” Paul appeared behind Liam, the other three in tow. “I hope you’re ready to go?”
Lilly as well as Niall and Liam got up, so that they could go outside and get in the car Paul had ordered for them. He had by far the most knowledge about New York, so he took them to an Italian Restaurant in Brooklyn that he loved. He couldn’t let them miss out on the best pizza in the city.
Lilly didn’t feel intimidated by so many guys anymore. She was the only girl in between them, because their stylist would only fly in the following day. She felt at ease with them.
Lilly, Paul and Louis were the only ones who were allowed to drink alcohol, so Louis and Lilly seized the opportunity. Paul passed, since he had to have a watchful eye over them.
“That’s not fair!” Liam complained. “If we’re not allowed to drink, you two shouldn’t be allowed either.”
“It’s not my fault I’m already twenty-one. Complain to my mother.” Lilly said with a grin, taking her bottle in hand. Oh, sometimes, being twenty-one was sweet. Too bad it should have been Louis with the “no fair”, but he was actually older than her, if only by a couple of months.
“We could also complain to your father. They’re both responsible.” Zayn leaned back with a grin on his face, enjoying the little banter.
“Well,” Lilly’s smile faltered for a second, before she continued. “Then you’d have to go to Manchester and find him. That’s the last place I know of.”
“Oh, I didn’t know,” Zayn immediately sat upright again, shocked by his own behavior. “I’m sorry, Lilly.”
“Don’t be. He left when I was nearly four, which opened up the opportunity for my Mom to move to London with me. And I have the world’s best step-Dad.” Her smile brightened when she talked about Jonathan. It had always been like this. “He’s an ex-rugby-player and now a rugby coach. Yesterday, he brought me a cup of tea, because he knows I can’t go to bed without it before big events. He’s been there for me whenever I needed someone and he gave me my brothers.” She bit down on her bottom lip. “And I’ll stop now before I get emotional.”
Louis watched her in silence, but when she finished, he couldn’t help but put his hand on top of hers beneath the table where nobody could see it, and give it a light squeeze. She tensed up at the touch, but relaxed, when she looked at him. He said: “I know what you mean. My step-Dad was more of a Dad for me than my father. That’s why I took on his name.”
“I did the same when my Mom married John. I only get a postcard from my father now and then, and a bit of money, because he feels guilty. But I haven’t seen him in more than five years.”
“Okay, enough now,” Paul intervened. “Or you’ll make me cry, and we’re here to have a nice dinner before our schedule starts tomorrow.”
Harry had been watching Louis and Lilly all this time, seeing the look of pain on both people’s face. He agreed with Paul, and so they started talking about music in general. Lilly learned that Harry’s biggest idols were Michael Jackson (she’d kind of guessed that), Elvis Presley (okay, that was unexpected) and Freddie Mercury. With the last one, his sympathy points had shot up immensely.
Altogether, she figured out that she liked a lot of the same stuff, the guys liked. With her own taste, it depended on what she was in the mood for. It was mostly things like MIKA, Scouting for Girls, Michael Buble, Ed Sheeran, The Beatles, with a bit of All Time Low, The Ataris or something along these lines thrown in. When she was running, she preferred the latter.
It was nice to hear the guys talk about their influences, the music they liked. It made her understand them better, like they had opened up to her. She could have listened to that or read all that in interviews, but it was different to hear it from them directly. They stayed and talked long after they were finished with their pizzas, and it was time to head back to the hotel.
Paul told them that they could stay in the lobby if they wanted. After all, they knew when they had to get up in the morning. Paul still had something to talk about with the hotel manager. Liam, Zayn and Niall decided to walk around the hotel for a while, to see what else there was except for the gym, the sky-bar and stuff. They weren’t tired, yet.
Lilly was tired, and so were Harry and Louis. They found themselves in the same elevator they had been in before, only that it wasn’t as awkward anymore.
“About your parents,” Louis started to overcome the silence.
“Forget it,” Lilly waved her hands in front of herself, a smile on her lips. “I don’t usually talk about this.
“We neither. My parents divorced when I was seven, and since then I’ve been really close with my Mom and sister,” Harry admitted. “It’s good that you have such a great relationship with your step-Dad. He sounds like a great guy.”
“Everybody who bothers to bring you tea in the evening, because he knows that’s something that calms you down, needs to be cherished,” Lilly said with a smile. “I love him to death.”
“You’re right about the tea-thing.” Louis looked slowly from her to Harry when he opened his mouth.
“Louis is actually a big tea-drinker. When all else fails, have a cup of tea.” Harry grinned from one ear to the other.
Lilly chuckled, her eyes on Louis and his slightly pink cheeks: “I like that attitude.”
The doors opened with a bing, and Lilly stepped outside. She looked tired, but happy when she turned around and said: “Goodnight, you two.”
Louis raised his hand and waved slightly. Harry said goodnight to her as well, but immediately turned to Louis when the doors closed, because he had to complain again.
“Why did you have to mention that with the tea?”
“Why not?” Harry raised his eyebrow in question. “It’s not like it’s something nobody knows about. You’ve mentioned it in interviews and whatnot.”
“You’re right,” Louis agreed with a sigh. “Sorry. I think I’m a bit jetlagged and can’t think straight. I need sleep.”
“Yeah…” Harry didn’t press it any further. It was better to leave it at that. Maybe he really was behaving strange because of the flight.

Notes

Just a quick update before I return to studying for my English popular Cultures Exam and The Beatles
Let me know what you think :)