Win a Date With One Direction

To say I was nervous was an understatement, but Louis kept up a steady stream of chatter as the limo drove us to the Willis Tower. I hadn't been there in awhile, since I was afraid of heights. Luckily there wasn't that many people there today. I was afraid of being mobbed, but no one really paid much attention to us.

"Oh wow, would you look at this amazing view!" he said, looking out the windows from 100 stories up. I hugged the opposite wall, afraid of throwing up.

"I..uh, I'm sort of afraid of heights."

"But this view is amazing. Come here," he said, taking my hand. I slowly went over to the window. He kept his arm around me, but I still felt a little dizzy. The ground looked so far away. I knew I was in a building and wouldn't fall, but I was still terrified, especially after the World Trade Center attack in 2001.

He bought me a souvenir from the gift shop, a miniature Willis Tower statue, and we had a picture taken against the backdrop of the view. That is so going on my wall when I get back home.

We then walked around downtown Chicago, stopping in a few shops along the way. The L train rumbled over our heads. He reached for my hand, and I hoped mine wasn't too clammy. If it was, he didn't say anything.

"So do you get to Chicago often?" he asked.

"Sometimes, but with school and work, I don't get a lot of free time."

"How far away is the campus where you're at?"

"About an hour. It's in a town called Aurora. I'm not really from here though, I grew up in a tiny town about 3 hours from here. It's called Oregon. It's like a half hour from the southern part of the Wisconsin border."

"I'll have to google it," he chuckled.

"My dad lives near there, in a town called Dixon. He and his new wife, that is."

"And you don't like her?"

"I hardly know her. It just seems so soon. My mom's only been gone a couple of years, and he married her a year ago."

"Does she make him happy?"

"Yes, so I guess I can't be mad at her."

"If you don't mind me asking, how old were they when they died? Your mom and brother, I mean."

"My mom was 57 and my brother was 30."

"Wow, so young. What caused it?"

"My mom had diabetes that got out of control, and my brother had a massive heart attack."

"I'm sorry."

"Why, it's not your fault."

"I know, but I'm still sorry."

The limo took us to Navy Pier next, and we rode the huge Ferris Wheel, shared a funnel cake and a soda, and rode a few rides. I started to relax, I was actually having fun. We even shared a kiss on top of the Ferris Wheel. It was nice, even if I did like it more than I should.

As it got dark, the Ferris Wheel was lit up like a Christmas tree. It was beautiful. Louis pulled his phone out and took a picture of the two of us standing in front of it.

"You're not going to post that on your Instagram, are you?"

"Not if you don't want me to."

"I just don't want all the haters coming out of the woodwork."

He laughed. "Not all the fans are haters, sweets."

I flushed when he called me sweets. It felt nice but a little weird at the same time. The only guy to ever call me a term of endearment was my father, and he called me honey or sweetie. My brother had called me PoohBear because I'd loved Winnie the Pooh as a child, and my mother had called me dear or darling.

"So what religion are you?" he asked.

"I'm sorry?"

"Well you said in your essay that despite all your hardships, you kept up your strong relationship with God, and I wondered what religion you were."

"Born and raised a Catholic."

"Any boyfriends back home?"

"No one special. I've gone out with a couple of guys, but no one special yet."

"I had a girl for three years, but the stress of being on the road all the time took its toll, and we broke up last year. I got a girl back home that I see once in awhile, but we're not what you call serious."

"My room mate and best friend has a boyfriend, and she spends a lot of time with him. I can't control what she does, but I wish she would have waited."

"Oh, you mean you don't approve of her being intimate with him?"

"Exactly. I made a vow not to have sex until I was married, but the first guy that caught her eye she threw it all away."

"Well, maybe she thought it would make their relationship stronger. I'm not a virgin either, but I was with Eleanor for three years, and I don't regret it."

"I don't know why I'm telling you all this, but I feel with you being the oldest of the group, that you know more about life than they do."

"You know you can talk to me about whatever you want, sweets. In fact, I want us to keep in touch after this weekend."

"You do?"

"If that's all right with you. I'll give you my private number and you can call or text me anytime you want to chat."

"Oh wow."

"Can I see your phone for a sec?" I handed it over, and he fiddled with it and typed in something.

"I put my number in there for you. Just text me and put your name in so I know it's you and not spam."

I was almost sorry to see the date end. I'd had a great time, and I felt at ease with him. He was like a big brother that I could confide in.

"Thank you for a lovely evening," he said as he walked me to my hotel room, giving me a soft kiss outside the door. He didn't push me away when I deepened the kiss. The kiss lasted a long time, until I couldn't breathe. He just chuckled as he released me and headed back to his room.

"Talk to me, girlfriend," Heather said when I called her.

"It was fun, we had a blast."

"So is he the one?"

"Of course not, he's just a good friend. He gave me his private number."

"He gave you his private number? That means something."

"No it doesn't, he has a girlfriend back home."

"Did you kiss him?"

"Couple of times, but I've kissed guys before on dates. It doesn't mean I want to marry him. Besides, I like Harry."

"Oh please, everyone loves Harry."

"But Louis is different, he's sweet. He actually listened when I talked."

"So who's the lucky guy tomorrow?"

"Liam."

"Where are you going?"

"Six Flags, I think. He said he loves roller coasters. I'm scared to death of them."

"Just close your eyes and hold on to Liam, you'll be fine." I could hear her giggling. I wanted to smack her.

"Well, I gotta go, it's late," I said, looking at the time.

"Okay, love ya, have fun."

"Love you too."

One down, three more to go...

Notes