Time of Our Lives

*Kariann’s POV*

Music started playing as Billy turned the volume down to talk to the boys. “So…” I started, leaning toward Dakota, “How do you feel knowing Liam has a crush on you?”

She laughed, pushing my question aside. “What? No way, he was only saying that for the hell of it.”

“Bu-llshit.” I breathed, “He definitely likes you. There’s no doubt about that.”

“Whatever.” She stated, giving up on my accusations, “How about Harry? He seemed totally interested in you two weeks ago. What happened to his change of heart?”

I looked away, I really didn’t want to say. Though her tone was joking, I could tell that she was quite serious on the topic. “It’s nothing.”

“Spare the details.” She pressed. “Just tell me.”

I shrugged, “His ego got in the way and pretty much played me. Well, not really, but he asked me out in of his own interest. He backed off when he figured out he hurt my feelings though. It’s fine now.”

She nodded, sighing as she looked back into the window. “Well, I think it’s a total lie saying he isn’t interested in anyone. Even if Harry won’t acknowledge it, he definitely cares for you.”

“He cares for you too.”

“Maybe, but I wasn’t the one locked in a closet with him.”

I smacked her on the arm, gaping at her. “Ow!”

She stuck her tongue out at me before dodging my kick that would’ve ended in her ass. I was in front of the door then and was practically tumbled over when it opened. “Hey!” I said, looking behind the door to see who opened it.

Big surprise. It was Harry.

I cleared my throat, taking a step back to let him through. I silently glared at Dakota from behind the door as she wiggled her eyebrows from me. “Could you hear us?” Niall asked, sticking his head out of the door.

Dakota and I looked at each other before nodding.

The boy’s eyebrows rose. “Everything?” Zayn asked.

“Everything.” Dakota droned, emphasizing on the word. She took a peek at Harry, then at Liam. Louis got Liam in a headlock, dragging him across the hallway, keeping the boy’s face covered. From this angle, I knew the guy was blushing.

“Come on, buddy, let’s go take a peek at the fans.” Louis shouted, letting Liam go with their backs facing us.

Surprising that it was Louis that saved Liam’s ass for that. Dakota seemed to pay no mind to his embarrassment though. She looked at me with a smile. “What shall we do?”

“Well, we only have a fifteen minute break…” Harry sighed.

“I’m hungry.” Niall stated, slapping his stomach.

“I’m going to go out back.” Zayn stated, waving at us before disappearing.

I knew Zayn smoked, but I wasn’t about to stop him. Dakota asked if she could tag along. “Why? Do you smoke too?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s just hot in here.”

That left me alone with Harry and Niall. “Well, I’m starving, so I’m going to find some food.” Niall said, waving at the two of us before leaving.

Harry and I stood there for an awkward moment, staring at each other before my phone started to go off. It was a text.

Hey, hun. I was just wondering why you haven’t been answering my text messages or calls. I know you receive them because it says on my phone that you’ve read them. Have you been trying to ignore me?

“Oh, my God.” I stared in shock. Seriously, two weeks of obvious ignoring and he just now takes note of it. I shoved my phone in my pocket, beginning to nibble on my thumb nail out of frustration.

“What’s wrong?” Harry asked, voice actually quite concerned.

I looked up at him. His green eyes actually looked genuine and worried for me. I also saw that spark of anger, like he was ready to face whatever was bothering me and punch it in the face. Actually, I would kind of like that right now. “It took him two fucking weeks to realize I was ignoring him.”

He was slightly confused by the ‘him’ part, but he quickly caught on. “Wow.” Was all he could muster, rubbing his chin in disbelief.

“I’m so over it!” I screamed in frustration, throwing my hands up in surrender. “He does nothing but piss me off and all he cares about is just wanting to hang out when I told him time and time again that I was busy.” I could already feel the tears welling up in my eyes, “God… he just… drives me insane…”

I felt a wet tear stream on my cheek and Harry reacted by pulling me into a hug. From there, I just silently cried into his shoulder.

*Liam’s POV*

Harry really was right about what he said not ten minutes ago. We may never get used to the fans. Louis was acting like an idiot in front of the window, causing a lot of people to laugh and girls to scream. There were multiple signs being held high, most saying how much they loved 1D or whatever individual. Either way, I couldn’t seem to focus.

“I seriously can’t believe I did that.” I said, faking a small smile to the fans. Only causing more of an uproar.

Louis stopped dancing around, only to put an arm over my shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, mate. I doubt she’ll think of you any different.”

“That totally just helped my case, lad.” I replied, putting my arm around his shoulder also to look outside.

“Well, since you practically just admitted your crush to millions of people, why not make the most of it? Make her acknowledge it. Make her want you back.”

“Louis, I swear, you never fail to amaze me.” I said, looking at my friend.

He gave me one of his biggest, cheesiest grins. “Isn’t that why I’m here?”

He grabbed my chin, forcing me to face the crowd and he kissed my cheek, running off back to the studio. I gave a crowd one of my dumbest looks before running after him.

*Niall’s POV*

I finally managed to find some food that a nice lady offered me. It was just an orange, but I didn’t care. I was popping some of the citrus fruit into my mouth as I rounded a corner, but stopped short when I saw Kariann and Harry hugging in front of the door to the studio. I backed up, not wanting to interrupt. I slowly chewed as I heard the silent sobs of Kariann’s crying.

It kind of made me feel bad. I wanted to go out and hug her too and cheer her up, but it felt slightly wrong. I peeked around the corner, seeing Harry rest his cheek on the top of her head and gently rubbed her back with one hand. He looked… pissed. Yeah, that was definitely it. So pissed that he wanted to punch something.

I pulled back, feeling my appetite dying as I finished the last slice of orange. I leaned back against the wall, rubbing my hands on my pants. I’d have no choice but to wait for the others. I noticed Dakota and Zayn making their way back, quietly talking. Zayn seemed to be smiling at Dakota as she was describing something to him.

She stopped talking whenever she took note of me. “Niall? What’s up?”

I signaled with my head about the corner. She stood beside me, peeking. Zayn was right behind her, doing the same. They pulled back, both shocked by the scene. “Why…?” Dakota questioned.

“What’s going on?” Zayn asked me.

Dakota came to my other side, ready to investigate. “Why is she crying?”

I shrugged, “I don’t know. I just came back and I saw Harry hugging her and she was crying.”

Dakota brought a hand to her mouth, nibbling on one of her fingernails as she thought. “What would make her cry…” Her eyes widened, seeming to get the idea. “That son of a bitch.”

“What-“ I started to ask.

She brought out her phone, getting ready to call somebody. Zayn grabbed her hand. “Wait. Explain it to us first before jumping the gun.”

“It has to be him. Stewart.” She said, looking between the two of us. “She’s been ignoring him for the past few weeks because he’s done nothing but nag at her. He’s mainly the reason why she’s so stressed out lately.”

“What are we going to do?” I asked. “We can’t just stand here.”

“I’ll be for damn sure to call his ass up.” Dakota said angrily, getting out her phone again.

Zayn stopped her. “I don’t think that’s the best idea now.”

Dakota looked up at him, anger filling her eyes and also welling up with tears. She wanted to help her friend, but had no clue how but to just yell at the boy who is causing the problem. She sighed before putting her phone away. I walked over, putting my arm around her waist for a hug. She rested her head on my shoulder. “What should I do?”

Zayn placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to move her head to look at him. “Why don’t you have Chris take you out? Just distract her from the problem so she can have a clear mind to think with. Don’t try to make the situation worse than it already is. Kariann needs to be the one to handle it.”

I felt Dakota’s head nod, agreeing with what Zayn was saying. She took a deep breath, raising her head to look at me. “Thanks guys, I seriously don’t know what I would do without all of you.”

I smiled at her and she smiled back. I couldn’t resist, I pinched her cheek but she just smacked my hand away and gave me one of her usual expressions that read ‘seriously?’. I let her go when she popped her head out of the corner again. “Louis and Liam are back. Let’s head out.”

She led the way as Zayn and I followed after her. We came up to the small crowd. Harry had his hands on her shoulders as he kept his lips near her ear, whispering to her as she nodded in response and wiped away the tears from her cheeks. Dakota touched Kariann’s back. Kariann pulled away from Harry, who did the same with Kariann to look at her. “Come on.” Dakota said, offering a little smile, “Let’s blow this joint.”

*Harry’s POV*

I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it through the rest of this interview without breaking something, but with Louis by my side, arm around my shoulder, it was enough to hold me back. I had my elbows on the table, both hands clasped together and hitting my thumbs against my lips as I tried to think. I knew Dakota would take care of her, but I couldn’t help but worry.

I rubbed my hands through my hair. Why the hell was I thinking about her like this? I had no reason to. She was just a girl I took a fancy to when we first met. Now we’re friends. I hurt her feelings before which made me realize that I didn’t need to act so flirtatious around her. She was a good friend. Nothing more.

“So, back to the topic of relationships.” Billy stated through the mic as he propped himself into the chair. He looked at us guys before asking the question, “So, in the time of being One Direction, have you boys ever been rejected by a girl? Zayn?”

I barely listened as Zayn talked some. Louis and Liam didn’t really need to answer, since they only had one girlfriend during the time. Niall’s story wasn’t too bad, since he never actually asked a girl out during the band formation. “Harry? What about you, son?” Billy asked.

My thoughts went back to the time I was in the closet with Kariann. Me on the floor with Kariann on top of me. It actually brought a smile to my face. “What’s this? You’re thinking of something, aren’t you?”

I decided to be honest. I looked at Billy as I answered, “Actually, it is true. I have been rejected before.”

The boys were shocked to hear this too. I wasn’t surprised. It wasn’t like I ever told them. I looked at them as I explained. “Well, it’s a funny story actually. The guys here know who I’m talking about but I was locked in a closet with a girl.”

“Ohhh!” Billy droned, “Locked in a closet?”

“It was a game we were playing at the time. The girl’s that Niall mentioned earlier, it was the first day we met them. We were playing hide-and-seek and the girl playing ‘it’ found me. I was just pulling a small prank and pulled her in, which caused her to trip and fall on me. I was in a good mood, you know? I took a fancy to her and asked her out.”

“Her response?”

“She flat-out said no.” I left majority of the details out, but I continued. “Come to find out she had a boyfriend.”

“Was that the first time?”

“It was the first time a fan ever said no to me.”

Billy made a face. “Oh, man. That had to be a hit to the ego.”

I nodded, agreeing some. At the time, it felt that way. Harry Styles, biggest pop sensation in the world, was rejected by a fan. Of course it would be a hit to the ego. But why did it feel so wrong to me? Every time I think about it, my thoughts go back to our first night on the tour bus and our conversation. She was such a normal girl. So normal that it made me homesick and slightly… just slightly, made me want my normal life back.

Billy continued off with talking to the other boys, for which I stayed silent. I was too lost in my thoughts. What was it about this girl that made me think so much about her? I barely knew her. I didn’t get lost in my thoughts like this, not after she started crying over that bastard of a boyfriend. I felt Louis poke my side. I looked over. I heard Niall talking to Liam, both speaking about something Billy wanted to know. Louis gave me one of his cheesy smiles.

The rest of the guys were staring at me too. I gave a smile back. I felt calmer now. These guys, seriously, I didn’t know what I would do without them.

*Dakota’s POV*

It’s been a few hours since we left the radio station, and Chris has taken us practically everywhere. It was in the middle of the afternoon and I could tell Kariann was still slightly stressed, but being out and walking around was helping her a bit. We haven’t done anything quite exciting, except visit the mall where we stayed in Hot Topic for an hour checking out the new items. “Hey, Chris, you think you could just let us walk for a bit?”

“Walk… hm, how about the park?”

I looked at Kariann, who nodded. “Sure.”

It didn’t take five minutes until we were there. Chris said he’d wait in the car until we came back. We quietly walked around, taking in the scene. It was actually quite beautiful. The day wasn’t so hot and bright green trees were everywhere. The smell of freshly cut grass was in the air. And we saw ducks in a huge pond. “Wanna sit down for a bit?” I asked.

“Sure.” Kariann spoke.

We walked down a slightly steep hill, stopping about ten feet from the pond before sitting down in the grass. I laid back, closing my eyes against the sun. We sat there for the longest time, staying quiet. A small breeze started to pick up, the cool air tickling our cheeks. “You know…” Kariann started.

I opened my eyes, looking at the back of Kariann’s bright red hair. “What is it?” I asked, encouraging her to continue.

“It’s just that I don’t want to break up with him.” Kariann explained, “I love him to death, but I wish he would just understand that I can’t be there with him all the time. Even now, I’m scared to tell him I’m actually touring across the country with the world’s most popular band.”

I closed my eyes, opening them to look up at the blue sky. “Why don’t you call him? You haven’t spoken to him in so long anyways. I may not agree with how he’s acting, but I know you care for him and want to make things work.” I looked at Kariann, who was watching me as I talked, “Just tell him what you’re doing now. Get it through his slow witted head that there are just some things you can and can’t do.”

“Should I call him now?”

She brought out her phone. Staring at the time as if to do the math. She looked at me. I could only offer a smile, “Want me to leave you alone?”

She smiled back before making herself get up, “You’re fine. I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time.” I said as she started up the hill, dialing on her phone.

I brought out my own phone, realizing that since I was with Kariann, I put it on silent. All the guys texted me, wondering if we were both okay. I made sure to answer all of them, explaining that she was now fine and she was working things out now.

They all texted back quickly, but one stood out in particular to me.

Liam: What about you? Do you want me to come find you?

I didn’t know what it was, but my mind went back to his little confession on the radio. That had to be a joke, yet I knew Liam was too honest with himself and others to ever lie about his feelings. I stared at his message, not really sure what to reply. I wanted to ask, but at the same time I didn’t want to know. Maybe before finding out his feelings I should check my own. I barely knew the guy, even if I was a hardcore 1D fan.

Well, to be honest, I have admitted before that he was my first 1D boy crush. My mind traveled back to when he brought Kariann and I back to the hotel and kissed me on the cheek. Thought it was obviously Kariann that needed the support at the time, he told me to come talk to him if I needed ears. Just what was that? He could’ve just been nice and looked out for my wellbeing, but it felt like it meant a deeper meaning to him.

Perhaps he started liking me then, but to me… I felt indifferent. I tried thinking back to the time we spent together. The only other time I could think of was this morning. Oh yeah! He kissed me on the cheek again! I’ve almost forgotten about that…

Still again, nothing. The thought of him being near didn’t make my heart race. Well, other than the time I forgot my shirt so I practically ran upstairs with him present with just shorts and a bra on. That was a normal reaction though. Wouldn’t any girl feel embarrass about exposing herself to a guy?

I stared at the message some more but it started to go off. My mood suddenly became sour when I saw the name. It was my mother. “Hello?” I sighed, staring out at the pond and watching the ducks.

“Dakota?”

“Who else would it be?” It never failed that I always said this in practically every conversation we had.

“I was just wondering when you were coming up.”

I haven’t seen my mother since after the huge concert, but that was only for a few days before I went back home. I felt myself shrug, “It will be a while. I recently got a job.”

“A job? Seriously? What do you do? Where at?”

“It’s nothing really. I just keep everything organized. I don’t think I’ll be up for a while because I’ll be working every day. Like right now I’m on my break. I’ll call you back later, okay?”

“Yeah, okay. I want more details too!”

I hurried and shut off my phone. I really, really did not want to tell my mother what my job was. She barely agreed with anything I did. She didn’t even agree with me having my first boyfriend – something I waited until I was sixteen to get. I shoved my phone into my pocket, leaning back into the grass. After a few minutes, Kariann was back, slightly chipper and sounded a lot happier. “I’m done. Are you ready to head back?”

I nodded, getting up from my seat. We started walking up the hill before I asked, “Is everything better?”

She nodded, smiling from ear to ear. “Yeah. He actually apologized and I told him about the tour. He seemed happy for me. He said it would be a great experience considering.”

I smiled as we got to the top. If only my mother was just as understanding. “Well, I’m hungry now. The boy’s should be done with their schedule by now.”

“Other than their rehearsal at five, then yeah.”

I checked out my phone, seeing their schedule. Their concert wasn’t until the day after tomorrow, so all they had now was just interviews, rehearsals, and photo shoots. Chris took us back to the tour bus. The guys were already there and they took the heart of getting Taco Bell for us. We ate, barely having enough time to talk as they left again for their rehearsal. They wouldn’t be back until about eight.

So much time to kill until then.

*Harry’s POV*

We actually got back to the bus by nine. It took half an hour to get the van passed all the fans and onto the road. The boys and I were quite exhausted as we stepped back on the bus. “Ah! I’m going to bed!” Louis yawned before grabbing a groggy Niall and leading him upstairs. Zayn declared he was going to take a shower first and followed after them for some clothes. Liam and I stayed down for a moment, seeing Dakota fast asleep on one of the couches and Kariann sitting, typing away on her phone.

Once we knew they were both fine, we went upstairs. Liam flopped onto his bed and I maneuvered around Zayn to get to my own. Zayn left downstairs for his shower. I got out my phone, feeling it vibrate in my pocket.

Kariann: Can you come down for a moment?

I got up, throwing my phone on my bed and made my way downstairs. I walked over to the couch, sitting down next to Kariann. She stopped typing on her phone, which made me curious, but she did this the night before. “What are you doing?” I asked her, cocking my head to see her phone.

She shrugged, “It’s a small journal I’m keeping on my phone during the time I’m on the tour. Just to keep everything memorable.”

I nodded. That didn’t seem like a bad idea. She put down her phone, turning on the couch so she was facing me. “I actually talked to Alex today. We made up.”

Somehow the news made my chest tighten. I rubbed my chest, trying to make it stop. “You okay?” She asked.

I nodded, waving her on. “Keep going.”

“I also told him about me being on tour with you guys. He didn’t seem to mind, which is good.”

I nodded, looking at her. “Is that all?”

She shook her head. I wondered what more she wanted to say. “I actually just wanted to tell you thanks.”

“For what?”

“Earlier. Whenever I cried and you hugged me. It helped me a lot, so… yeah. Thank you for being there.”

I was about to say something but she continued. “You are really a great guy, Harry, though we started out kind of weird. I just wanted to let you know that you’re an awesome friend.”

By then she reached up, kissing me on the cheek. “That was all. You can go to bed now if you want. You have a busy day tomorrow.”

I nodded, feeling shocked. A mumbled ‘g’night’ was all I could muster before heading upstairs, slowly sinking into my bed. I stared up at the ceiling, blowing air out of my mouth, making it tickle the curls that was on my head. Why did I feel so disappointed? Not only that, but…

I touched my cheek where her lips have been. Such a simple peck, yet it was enough to make my heart race. I placed my right hand over my heart, begging for it to calm down. Why was I acting this way? Just… make it stop.

Oh, man. That had to be a hit to the ego.

Those words rang into my mind. I realized then just what it was. I took my pillow and threw it over my head. That was no blow to the ego whenever she rejected me. No, definitely not.

That was a blow to my heart.

Chapter 9: Dark Blue Peonies

*Kariann’s POV*

“So, where we at now?” Dakota yawned, scratching her head as she curled herself up into a ball on the couch.

We’ve been travelling for a week now. The moment we came into the tour bus after their concerts, we’d be rolling down on the road. Dakota and I were still trying to get used to all the travelling. It amazed me how the boys could ever put up with it. I was pretty homesick, even Dakota. Every day held a new surprise for us, whether it was the next city we were in or just hanging out with the boys.

Especially now. It was six in the morning and I could hear someone snoring upstairs. I checked my phone’s GPS, “Um, we should be near Minneapolis here soon.”

“So…” She tried to think through her sleepy mind. “Um…”

“Minnesota.” I rolled my eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, that state. Okay. Wake me up when we get there…” She shoved her head into her pillow.

It didn’t take long until she dozed off. It was hardly surprising. She never really was a morning person. I give her credit for trying though, since she does her best to help out with the boy’s scheduling. Only when they leave, she’d jump back into bed.

I stuck my headphones in, listening to some music to pass the time. We’d be in Minneapolis in about an hour, from there, the boys had to get up and go to a talk show interview, following by a signing. Later onto the night they had yet another concert. After that was done, we were to go to Montana.

I could hear the stair steps creak even with my headphones on. I looked over, seeing Liam scratching the back of his head as he yawned. He silently stepped into the bathroom for a few minutes. I was expecting him to go back to bed when he was done, but he didn’t. He came over and took a seat on the couch on the opposite end I was on.

“Morning.” I said, pulling out an earbud.

He yawned again, “Morn…”

He kind of slumped there. I turned my body to where I faced him. He was stretched out, as if he was going to sleep like that. “…Liam?”

I watched as his body moved. He let out a huge breath he took in. He opened his eyes, looking to where Dakota was sleeping. “What do I do?”

“Huh?” I asked, confused.

“I got a call from management yesterday, complaining how the pap won’t stop calling. They’re dying to know who you girls are. Because of your privacy, they can’t tell, yet they’re saying that if we don’t do something about it soon they’re just going to make the slip.”

He looked at me, face pulled up in stress. From the light slipping from the window, I could see how red his eyes were. “Did you worrying keep you up all night?” I asked, concerned, “Liam… you don’t have to worry about us like that.”

Liam reached up, rubbing his eyes. “I can’t help it. You girls are important to the five of us. We don’t want anything happening to you that we can prevent. We just don’t want to take away your privacy. We know how much you want to keep it.”

I scooted over to where I was sitting by him. “Do the other guys know about it?” I asked.

He stared at me, highly debating on telling me. He shook his head. “I thought I would try to figure something out on my own.”

“Daddy Direction taking control, huh?” I sighed. It brought a small smile onto his lips.

He looked truly exhausted though. I grabbed his shoulder, “Seriously, Liam. You look like a zombie. Don’t worry about Dakota and I. We’ll be fine. Go get some sleep. You have an interview in three hours.”

He made a face. “Another?”

“It’s only until twelve. You’ll come back to the bus and you’ll have a signing at five.”

“Good. I can take a nap…”

I gave him a small shove, “Go back up and get some sleep. You’ll need it.”

He nodded, making an effort to get up and walk back upstairs. I looked at Dakota sleeping peacefully. I knew there would be a day mine and Dakota’s names would slip. Two very average girls being friends with the boys, along with having the honor to tour with them… it was uncalled for. While some fans may be able to support the boys and wish for the best, jealousy will take its toll. We would get hate for sure, even reviews from the press. Stories would be out eventually, and there would be no stopping it.

Rumors will spread, threats will appear, and the boy’s reputation will take its turn for the worse. I kind of knew how Liam felt now. Knowing all this, it scared me. It made me want to go home and just leave the guys be. It wasn’t like we were meant to be friends anyways. They were way out of our league, but… it was a risk I was willing to take. I looked at Dakota. As close as we were getting to the boys, we’d support them through anything, as they would for us too.

I got out my phone. I read through the week’s work of journal entries I’ve written. It takes me within an hour a day to write my journal. I always write with detail, just in case I ever forget what has happened. I always write down my feelings I felt during a situation. Most of the time it was exciting or happy feelings, except for one day, a few days after we started touring with them I noted something.

Harry seems a little off today. He’s barely talking to anyone and hasn’t been off of his bed. It’s three o’clock in the afternoon and he hasn’t eaten yet. I’m really worried for him. I think I’ll go talk to him whenever everyone leaves for food.

I remembered that I did. It didn’t take long after I wrote that when everyone left, taking Dakota with them. The boys tried to get Harry up and motivated, but he refused to get up. Once they left, I walked upstairs, ready to see what was wrong with Harry.

I found him curled up into a ball, head of curls falling in front of his face. If I didn’t know better, I’d of thought he was asleep. I sat down on the side of his bed. “What?” He asked, voice hoarse.

“You have everyone worried.” I said.

No response. I looked at his side, slowly reaching over and grabbing it. He jumped and squirmed, obviously ticklish. I grinned. With both sides exposed, the tickling became even worse for him. “Okay! Okay! I give! I give!” He gasped, laughing.

I stopped and he was on his back, blowing air out of his mouth to move the curls covering his face. I decided to lay down to, right beside him. Arms touching, and both of us staring at the ceiling, I asked, “So, what’s got Hazza so down lately?”

I turned my head toward him, watching him as he fixed his hair with his free hand. He sighed, putting his arm over his eyes. “I don’t know. It’s just…”

I didn’t urge him on. I just waited for him to continue. After a moment, he let it all out quickly. “I like this girl. It’s obvious she doesn’t feel the same for me. I mean, she even has a boyfriend… I even hurt her before, so she has no reason to like me, yet I can’t get her out of my mind.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “She must be really special to you.”

“She is. I always talk to her, making sure she is okay. It’s so hard though. Knowing that she’s taken just makes me so…”

“Jealous?”

I saw his head move, indicating a yes. I turned to my side, resting my cheek on his shoulder and rested my arm on his chest. A friendly hug. I felt his body tense for a second, but he loosened up, even turning his self to where my head was resting on his arm and his other arm hanging over my side. He pulled me close to a hug, resting his head on top of my own. He whispered a small thank you in my ear while putting his face in the crook of my neck.

I offered some soft pats on his back. For a few quiet moments, we were like this before I asked, “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.”

“Have you told her how you felt?”

“Yeah, but she flat-out rejected me. She only sees me as a friend anyways.”

What could I do to help? “Just how bad do you want her?”

“Very. She’s the most important thing to me. I’d treat her so much better than her own boyfriend, who does nothing but cause her stress. I want to make her the happiest girl in the world.”

Hearing the words brought a smile to my face. Whoever this girl was, she really was special. Harry was an awesome guy and would treat his girlfriend special compared to the other girls. “Well…” I offered a solution, “You could always try stealing her away…”

I felt his breath as he snorted. He pulled back, resting his back on the bed again, spreading out his arms as he stared up at the ceiling. He was cracking up. “My God, Kariann, why would such a sweet girl make a suggestion like that?”

I maneuvered myself so I was resting on my elbow to look down at him. “What do you want me to say? That it’s hopeless and you should just give up on her?”

He stopped laughing, staring up at the ceiling. “It might be though.”

“How do you know?” I asked, “Have you really even tried to win her over?”

“I guess not.” He said, thinking for a moment. “Well, since you suggested it, what should I do?”

I rubbed my chin, thinking. “Um…”

“Listen to that.” Harry concluded, “Even you don’t know.”

I slapped his arm. “Sh! Let me think…”

He waited patiently as I thought. I tapped my finger on my chin. I pointed up, reaching an idea. “Flowers!”

He raised an eye. “Flowers?”

I nodded, spinning around to sit up. “Do you know what kind of flowers she likes?”

He thought for a moment. “No. Never asked. What kind should I get her? Roses?”

I snorted. “Hell no. Roses may be romantic, but for you that’s too straightforward…” I clapped, jumping up from the bed. “Peonies! They’re perfect! If you know what her favorite color is, get them in that color. She’ll be touched.”

“Peonies…” Harry said, becoming thoughtful. “I wonder…”

We locked eyes. His stare lingered for a second before I saw that spark light up in his green eyes. He smiled, rising up to stand also. He pulled me into a hug. “Thanks. I think I’m going to go out now…”

He left quickly, right before the others came back for food. I explained to them what was wrong. They all quickly understood. The whole time, Dakota was grinning secretly to herself. It was almost like she knew something I didn’t. I wanted to ask, but never got the chance. I knew she wouldn’t tell me even if I wanted to know.

Later on that day he came back, smiling from ear to ear. He brought back a peony too. He sat down next to me, holding it out. “What’s this for?” I asked, taking it.

“It’s a thank you for helping. I went to a greenhouse and they showed me some peonies. Since she lives across seas from me, I had to call and special order it.”

I smiled at him, smelling the peony. “That’s awfully sweet. Thank you. How many did you get her?”

“One peony to represent each year I’ve known her.”

It was so sweet. I couldn’t help but smile for him. He smiled back, genuinely happy.

I still had the peony five days later. I kept it beside the couch. During the night, I’d find myself holding it, smelling its contents. It’s been so long since I’ve last received a flower from anybody, even my boyfriend. The last time he gave me a flower was only my sixteenth birthday. It was a fake flower, though I still had it, somehow this peony felt more… meaningful. I didn’t know why, but it did.

I hoped the girl was happy to receive her peonies. Harry was a great guy and would treat her right. I just knew he would. Why wouldn’t he?

I found myself looking at Dakota, sleeping away. Somehow the thought of Liam’s conversation of before came to mind. Yeah, we really needed to do something about prevent our identities to escape. I sighed. No, there was no escaping this. The world would find out sooner or later. Perhaps I should speak to Dakota about it first and talk to her about everything.

Maybe we can cause management less of a headache if we just told the world who we were. Two girls having fun on tour with five boys. Screw the news, screw the hate, they can get over it. What was important was what the boys thought of the two of us. We would support each other. No matter what.

I nodded, clutching the peony even harder. I put the peony to the side. I went over to wake Dakota up, since we were already in the city and there was no telling when we’d get to Minneapolis. She was grumpy, nothing unusual for the sleep-deprived girl. She went to the bathroom to freshen up and came out soon after to sit down with me. “There’s something important you need to know. Liam just told me not to long ago.” I started.

She nodded, looking at me, waiting for me to start. I began explaining. She listened without much of an expression. Maybe from the sleep, but either way, when I was done, she just stared off into space. “Dakota?”

“I don’t know.” She said, looking down at her hands. “It scares me to think the world will know about us. I…”

She clenched her jaw. Frustrated, she rubbed her hand over her face. “I can’t. I’m sorry. I just… I can’t.”

We felt the bus stop then. “We’re here.” She said, standing up. “I’ll wake up the guys.”

“Dakota…” I started. At least I wanted to know why.

“No.” She said, holding a hand out for me to stop pressing. “Stop. I just… can’t, okay?”

She stared at me intently. Fear. I saw it. She wasn’t scared for herself, but of something else. Was it the pressure from the world? I knew it wasn’t the physical world that was holding her back, but her own personal world. Her mother.

She left upstairs to wake up the guys. I let out a slow breath, slightly worried. This was not going to be a topic that would easily come clean. The guys finally woke up after about ten minutes of pestering. One by one they came down, fully dressed and ready to go. Liam was last, groggy and tired. Two hours of sleep didn’t cut it. They helped themselves to food, ranging from cereal to fruit. Liam took a seat beside me. “Did you tell her?” he whispered.

I nodded. “She didn’t take it lightly. She’s scared.”

Liam nodded. “I understand. Her mother, right?”

I blinked. He caught on that quickly. “Liam…” I started. “How much do you know about Dakota and her mother?”

He let out a slow breath. “Enough to know that they don’t necessarily see things on the same page. I’ve actually overheard some of their conversations.”

Yes, Dakota’s mother has been calling more frequently lately. Although Dakota tries to keep the conversation private by leaving outside, all you had to do was look outside the window and see her yelling into the phone.

“Do you still have that flower?” Liam asked, seeing the peony nearby.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“Maybe I should get her something…” Liam debated, staring at the dark blue flower.

“Huh?” I asked.

“To cheer her up.” He explained. “Any suggestions?”

“Well…” I thought for a moment. “Get something white. She loves white flowers.”

“I thought her favorite color was orange…?” He questioned.

I gave him a smile. “There are exceptions to everything. Anyways, she has a strange belief that white flowers express some sort of purity. It refreshes her mind.”

“Really?” He asked, looking intrigued.

“Hey guys, the cars are here.” Zayn yawned, looking out the window.

“Are you staying?” Niall asked, seeing us still in our night clothes.

I nodded. “Yeah. We’re going to clean the bus up a bit.”

The bus really did need cleaning. Don’t even get me started on the boy’s room upstairs.

“Alright. We’ll see you later!” The boys shouted their goodbye before stepping off.

The two of us were left alone. Dakota stuck some earbuds in, getting ready to help me clean. I did the same. I wanted to talk to her some more, but I knew it would be impossible. I wouldn’t push her though. We silently cleaned for a few hours. A few times I saw her checking her phone. Text messages? Maybe not. The only person she ever texted was Bonnie. That girl was in Australia, she would be asleep. Plus, they only called and talked to each other. Maybe missed calls. Shit, I really needed to stop worrying about her, yet I couldn’t.

Somehow, I felt she was slowly starting to break apart because of her mother. She was becoming scared of her own birthmother. I wanted to tell her the exact words she told me when I was going at it with Alex. Be a rebel. In ways, it could be bad, but this, she needed this. Her mother was holding her back from her fun and causing her to stress.

There was nothing I could do now. I don’t know, maybe I could never help. Perhaps one of the guys needed to step up. Possibly Liam. Harry helped me with Alex. Maybe Liam can help Dakota with her mother. He would support her and hold her if she cried. He cared enough for her to try and protect her from whatever hardships came her way.

I sighed, wiping down the kitchen booth. I hoped she would at least loosen up tonight at the concert and have fun.