I couldn't focus on anything that was happening that night. I got to the stadium around 4 o'clock and listened to the end of their soundcheck. I could see the line of girls waiting with their parents just to get in the gates. Faces painted with 1D on their cheeks, covered in glitter. Shirts saying "Future Mrs. Tomlinson" and "If lost, please return to Harry Styles." Small groups were cheering and singing their favourite songs. Those girls from the mall were probably in that crowd outside.

I had one of my cameras around my neck as I was walked around during soundcheck. I got a shot of all of the boys at the end of their catwalk. They sounded great, but they didn't look like they were enjoying themselves. It was a little warm, I imagine that the heat played a part in their lacking performance. Well, that and they weren't actually performing for anyone.

Niall stuck his tongue out at me as soon as he saw me off to the side of the stage.

"Stevie!"

"Hey, Ireland." I smiled at him.

"Are you excited for the show tonight?"

"As always."

"Good, because after, you and I are going out."

"On a Thursday night? What could we possible get into?"

"You'll see!" he yelled as he ran off to the backstage area.

"You know, I can go back there too!" I called after him.

I started going after him. If the boys were backstage, then I would be backstage. What else was I supposed to do as their photographer? I went to put my camera away before going to the bathroom.

When I entered the common lounge backstage, Niall was playing on my phone.

"Niall, what do you think you're doing?!"

He jumped about a foot off the ground.

"Stevie. It is not what it looks like, I swear."

"Then what are you doing with my phone?"

He handed my phone to me slowly. The screen was off, so I turned it on and unlocked my screen. I was immediately taken to my gallery where there were about 15 photos of Niall.

"Really, Ireland?" I started laughing.

"Yeah, you looked kinda sad earlier. So, I thought I would take some funny pics for you."

I smiled at him, "Thank you. You're really sweet."

Harry walked up to us just then and I finally realized just how tall he was. His eyes were turning up at his cheeks and he had a really cheeky grin on his face. I was starting to wondering what he was up to.

"What is that face for?"

"Nothing." His smile broadened.

I looked back at Niall. "What is going on?"

"Nothing."

"You two are weird. I am going to do something else." I looked at Harry. "Please stop staring at me like that. I feel like you're up to something."

---

I was right, they were up to something. About a third of the way through their set list, Harry started talking to the crowd. He asked them how they're feeling, and they all screamed back at him. I was changing out my SD card on my camera when I heard it.

"So, our dearest friend Stevie…" the crowd screams loudly when he says my name, "she has never been to Massachusetts…" they screamed even louder this time. I actually had been to Massachusetts when I was younger for an entire summer. "And today is her birthday!"

My eyes widened. It was not my birthday. Then Harry got the light tech to point a spotlight in my direction. Every girl that was down in the front of the stage near me started to scream and cry.

"How about we sing her Happy Birthday?" Liam chimed in.

I turned slowly and looked at him with even wider eyes, while I tried to mime to him that he didn't need to do that, no singing at me was necessary. I know he saw me, because he raised his eyebrows, stuck out his tongue, then laughed.

Louis started conducting the crowd to sing to me, and they followed his every direction.

I don't know that I have ever turned so red in my life. I felt my cheeks get really hot, I avoided eye contact with everyone for the rest of the show. If I was looking up at the band, it was only through a camera lens.

Best Song Ever was coming to a close and I was trying to prepare myself for the meet and greet photos that would start in the next few minutes. I wanted to confront the boys about getting a huge crowd to sing to me, but then I thought that it was sweet of them. I couldn't get over the fact that it wasn't my birthday though. Why did they even do this?

I walked backstage waiting for the boys to come back here. Harry was the first one to get off the stage and he just smiled at me as soon as he saw my face.

"Did you enjoy that beautiful dedication, Stevie?"

"Harry, it's not even my birthday. You goof. Also, I have been to Massachusetts. I was here for an entire summer when I was 12."

"Oh, damn."

"Why did you sing me Happy Birthday anyways?"

"It was Nialls idea."

I saw Liam come off the stage.

"Liam, did you know about this?"

"Know about what?"

"That they were going to sing me Happy Birthday?"

"Oh, no. You never told me it was your birthday, so I didn't know."

"It's not my birthday."

Liam looked at Harry, confused.

"It was Nialls idea, don't look at me."

Niall joined the group, beaming. I bet he was just so proud of himself.

"Niall, why did you sing me Happy Birthday?"

"To cheer you up, you seemed kinda sad. I told ya."

"So, you thought embarrassing me in front of an entire crowd would cheer me up?"

"You got embarrassed?"

"Yes! I hate being in front of people, that is why I am behind a camera, not in front of it."

"Ah, sorry. I will make it up to you." He winked at me.

---

The last of the girls for the meet and greet were leaving. I was starting to feel tired and ready to go take a nap. I was packing my cameras up and getting ready to leave when Niall runs up to me.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Um, back to the hotel."

"No, we gotta go out!"

"I can't just leave my cameras here, I have to take them back to the hotel first."

"Right, yes, let's go to the hotel."

I cocked my head to the right to look at him.

"You're being weird."

"Yeah."

Without him saying another word, we got into one of the black SUVs and went back to the hotel so I could drop off my cameras. His bodyguard, Basil, was in the front seat on the SUV this time. I wondered if he would yell at me for rolling the window down like Paddy had.

"Happy birthday, by the way, Stevie." He said to me as I got into the SUV.

I glanced over at Niall, who was laughing.

"Thank you, but it's not my birthday."

The rest of the ride was a little awkward. Niall was on his twitter thanking the fans for coming out and liking some tweets.

My phone started to vibrate in my pocket. I had a text from Lauren.



I can't believe Niall would tell people on twitter that it was my birthday. Why was he embarrassing me like this?

I turned to him, "Niall, why are people telling me happy birthday on twitter?"

"To cheer you up."

"Why do you think I need to be cheered up all of sudden?"

"Well, Li said when you went shopping earlier, you came back to the hotel and you were super upset. I didn't want you to be upset no more."

My heart sank. He was trying to make up for something he didn't know about. He had no idea what even made me upset but he wanted to make me feel better.

"Thank you. I appreciate it. Now where are we going?"

"We're almost there."

I heard loud Irish music as we rounded a corner.

Notes