Dizzy Up the Girl

Walking into the hotel that the boys were staying in put me in my place. If the half hour I spent getting dressed wasn’t bad enough, the traffic around the hotel was even worse. The backroad behind the building was cut off by security guards who seemed more than ready to ward off any rogue fan that would dare try to get past them. The front was no better, seeing how crowded the entrance was by fans who were waiting to see the boys. I found myself parking, begrudgingly, in the hotel’s underground parking which was terribly overpriced. Parking seemed much easier in the garage, and there was the obvious benefit of avoiding the screaming fans who had covered the entrance.

I got out of my car, tugging my jeans up in hopes that they would stay in place, and I followed the signs in the garage towards the elevator. The walk was quiet, sending a few chills up my back, and I began to walk a little faster. Call me paranoid, but I had seen more than enough horror flicks to no what would happen next.

A sigh of relief escaped my lips as the elevator came into view, and I pulled out my phone, typing a quick message to Niall to let him know that I was here.

New Message
To: Niall
I am heading up the elevator to the hotel. What next?

The ride in the elevator was quiet except for the humming it made as it headed up until the doors slid open. My eyes widened as I walked in the lobby. Despite having lived in Music City, USA, I had never made a point to come down to the hotel where all of the stars stayed while in town. But now I could see why this hotel was that of choice with it’s plushy furniture, crystal tiling, and art-clad walls. I swallowed, walking slowly, unsure of what to do. Glancing outside, I could hear the familiar sound of girl’s screaming, and my lips tipped into a smile. Soon enough though, I felt my phone buzz.

Reply
To: Ellie
Alright then. Head to the front desk and tell the receptionist that you’re here to see Paul. Then tell them the room number is 612. They should let you up. x

I slid my phone back in my pocket, nervously smoothing out my blouse, before walking up to the desk. The lady behind the counter sat typing away on her laptop, and I doubt she would have even looked up if I hadn’t cleared my through to grab her attention. She peered at me with a dull look from behind her thick-rimmed glasses before glancing back at her computer.

“Can I help you?” I stayed quiet for a moment, no doubt annoying the lady, before speaking up.

“Um, my friends are at the hotel. I’m here to see Paul,” I said slowly, hoping that she would understand what I was saying. She paused before looking up at me carefully, and I quickly continued. “The room number is...612.” Letting out a long breath, the lady held up her hand and gestured towards a beefy man who had been standing at the end of the counter. I tensed, unsure of what was going on, until she pointed me out to the man.

“She’s here to see the boys upstairs. Can you take her up?” I smiled widely as the lady went back to her business playing solitaire or whatever as the man nodded, pointing for me to follow him. I walked quickly, trying to keep up with his long strides, as we made our way upstairs. While glad to avoid another elevator trip, by the third flight of stairs, I was begin to wheeze a little as I followed the man. As much as I hated to admit it, I had gotten out of shape while at the hospital. But the thought came and went quickly as I finally caught up to the man who was now holding a door out for me.

“It’s down the hall to the right. Knock twice, and they should let you in,” the man told me a gruff voice. I gave him a tight-lipped smile as I began heading down the hallway as my nerves began to grip me. I counted the doors as I went until I found myself standing in front of room 612, and I could hear voices coming from within. I smiled, hearing the familiar Irish accent from beyond the door, and I carefully knocked on the door twice.

The voices dimmed, and I bit my lip nervously. I heard the door handle jiggle before it opened to, and I came face to face with a burly man that had short, dark hair. He looked down at me for a moment, and for a second, I wondered if he was going to let me in.

“I take it you’re Elizabeth,” the man said in a low voice, and I could only nod my head. He stepped back, letting me slide past him, only to find myself drawn into Harry’s arm.

“Elizabeth! It’s lovely to see you. Niall had told me you were coming over, but I thought he was lying. How’ve you been?”

“I’m doing fine...much better now that I am out of the hospital. I was starting to go mad,” I replied. He smiled, turning me around, and I felt my heart thud deeply in my chest. Because, even now, I wasn’t sure if I would ever been able to catch my breath whenever I saw Niall.

He was looking over towards Harry and I, dressed in a light green tank top and cut-off cargos. His hair was tousled, and the smile that I was starting to get used to was plastered on his face. Sitting next to him were three other boys that I didn’t recognize, but I could only assume they were in the band.

“Uh, hello,” I said as I waved awkwardly towards the trio who were sitting on the couch. Niall laughed before standing up and walking towards me.

“Glad you could make it. You sounded so busy earlier,” he joked, and I swatted his shoulder.

“Hey, no reason to be rude! We can’t all be busy popstars now, can we?” From the other side of the room, I heard the other boys laugh, and I relaxed somewhat. Niall swung his arm around my shoulder and walked me towards the others. I smiled at each of them before I heard a familiar voice.

“So, this is the girl you two stayed with that night. It’s nice to finally meet you. I hear that a congratulations is in order,” I heard someone say to me, and I recognized the voice from my phone call with Niall earlier. Looking towards the boy dressed in a purple striped shirt and swept bangs, I took a seat on the couch in front of him.

“You’re...Louis, right,” I asked, and his face lit up.

“Aw, Nialler, you told her about me! How sweet, love. I hope it was all good things,” he said in a bright voice, and I smiled.

“Not quite, but I guess I can decide for myself now. May I ask why congratulations are in order?”

“Well, Niall here told us that you were released from the hospital today,” he said kindly. I glanced towards Niall, who was trying to look anything but me, and I laughed.

“I am an outpatient now. I’ve got to come in every week or so, but I get to stay at my apartment,” I explained.

“Well, it’s definitely better than staying in the hospital. They’re dreadful. I was there not even a day, and I unbelievably bored.” I looked over to Louis’ right to see who had just spoken up, and I realized that this must have been Niall’s friend, Liam. He was smiling at me, dressed in a pair of loose-fitting blue jeans and a crew neck t-shirt, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Oh, you’ve got no idea. The last time I was there, I think...I stayed for about four months. It was terrible. The food was crap, and honestly, I thought I was going to lose my mind,” I said as I thought back on my last stay in the hospital. I nodded towards Liam, cocking my head slightly.

“You’re Liam, right?” He nodded his head, and I sat back in seat, flashing him a smile. “Well, I’m glad to see that you’re doing better,” I said sincerely.

“Same here. It wasn’t anything major.”

“By the way your fans were outside screaming, I had thought Madonna or Justin Bieber had just checked themselves in,” I said in a light voice to which they all laughed.

“Yeah, they can be quiet loud,” I heard the boy on Louis’s left comment, and I turned my attention to him. He was dressed in an oversized varsity jacket that matched his sneakers, but all of that didn’t seem to matter when he smiled at me.

“I’m sorry, but you’re the only one I haven’t heard about yet,” I said shyly. Everyone laughed, and I flushed as Louis threw an arm around his friend.

“Aw, that’s alright. This one here is Zayn.” I laughed as Zayn shook off Louis’ arm before pushing him away. Louis let out a small yelp before throwing himself off the couch and crawling over to the couch I was at. Stunned, I just smiled as all the other boys laughed loudly over what had happened, but I still felt out of place sitting with here with them. From their room, I could no longer hear their fans outside, but I knew that they would all go absolutely mental if they knew that I was up here. Tapping my foot, I looked around the messy room until I had noticed that Harry and Niall had joined Louis and I on the couch.

“Told you I wasn’t lying boys,” Niall said as he nodded towards me, “she didn’t know who either of us were at first.” I sighed, pushing my hair behind my ear before speaking up.

“You mean, I didn’t recognize you. You’d have to be deaf or living under a rock to not have heard about One Direction,” I said shortly. Liam laughed, and I pointed to their window. “Have you guys looked outside? There...are so many people out there. Driving was a nightmare,” I went on.

“I know. We’re still not used to it,” Zayn said.

“I don’t know if we’ll ever be,” Harry added, and I smiled.

“So, I don’t know about you boys, but don't see any you boys will be able to get out of there to get some real southern food,” I told them. The boys groaned, and Niall pointed behind him towards the man who had opened the door for me earlier.

“Yeah, that’s Paul. The big man there says that there are too many fans out. We could leave, but it would be a pain. You okay with room service,” he asked, and I nodded. He stood up, brushing against my leg as he walked over towards Paul and began to talk. Turning my attention back to the other boys, I found myself face to face with all of their eyes on me, and I swallowed.

“Uh, is there something I can help you with,” I asked shakily, and Louis laughed before scooting over towards me.

“Not really, love. We don’t bite, I promise. Well, I can’t promise you that. Harry is a bit cheeky when it comes to things like that.” From the other end of the couch, I heard Harry let out an undignified grunt before he playfully pushed Louis. Before I knew it, the two had started bantering between one another, making random references about Twitter and Simon Cowell. I looked at them, and I’m sure I looked every bit as confused and amused as I felt.

“Don’t worry, they’re like this all the time.” I turned my focus towards Liam, who was now standing behind Zayn, and I gave him a pointed look.

“Really now? That seems like all the more reason to be worried,” I replied. Zayn laughed before standing up to join Liam, and the two of them headed towards the kitchen area where Niall was listing off food for Paul to order. From outside the hotel, the crowd swelled with their chanting, but I could still see Louis and Harry chatting beside me. And, honestly, who could blame me for the smile that unwittingly graced my lips.

I could get used to this.