Tell Me This Then

He doesn't understand why the boys chose the party to be in such a faraway location. He agrees that the lovely cabin is spacious enough to hold a celebration and the fact that it's beside a lake makes it all the better.

"Come on Liam," his curly haired friend whines firmly pushing him into the car. He pushes Harry's hold away and slowly climbs into the revving vehicle.

The boys all settle into their seats, waiting for Louis to slide out of the driveway. They are on the road, the fun begins. They are known for being senseless young adults but if the people really know how they are, they might reconsider.

Zayn commences on poking Harry's dimples. The dent in his cheeks make him all the more charming. "Stop it," he hisses towards the dark eyed boy.

He pouts. "You don't like it when I'm quiet. And you don't like it when I play with you. How come Lou can do it, but I can't?"

From the driver's seat, Louis grins. "Because he's in love with me. Duh."

Harry rolls his eyes. "I love you Boobear. I'm not in love with you." He then turns back to Zayn. "I let him because I feel sorry for the boy." Leaning he whispers, intentionally loudly, "Because he's y'know a bit..yeah."

"Hey!" Lou exclaims. "I heard that curly."

In the front, Niall laughs at the arguing bandmates as he shoves another handful of chips into his mouth. He always chooses the front seat so then the boys wouldn't be able to steal his food. Even if they did, they'd struggle.

Liam merely chuckles at their immaturity. He isn't normally this quiet - no matter how many times the fans label him as the 'sensible one' he still acts like a child - though under the circumstances, he may be allowed to.

"Li." Harry nudges the silent boy with his elbow. "What's the matter?"

He sighs. Zayn catches on and pulls on his seatbelt to reach across Harry's lap to caress Liam's forlorn looking face. "He's missing Leisha. You know how people are when they're in love."

Louis keeps his eyes on the road but smiles softly. He can't wait to see his bandmate's expression when he finds out what he has planned tonight.

"Or apparently, not in love," Harry snickers.

Liam simply groans at his two friends. "Lads, can we please not talk about this now? I'd rather not be reminded of her tonight."

The Irishman's ears perk up at the sound of this. "You drinking tonight then Payne? Good I need a drinking buddy." Liam doesn't bother to dismiss his assumption and instead tries to figure out a way to stay sane, while being in the same car as these four.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity tolerating each other, they arrive at the side of the lake. Being late to your own Christmas party doesn't sound very promising.

They step out of the car, winding their way through the other vehicles parked in the same perimeter. The sun is going vanishing, dipping down below the array of trees. The atmosphere is already noticeably cooler.

Once the boys enter, they are greeted by their guests - family and close friends. Conversations buzz around inside the cabin and most people hand in late birthday presents to Louis. Whose smile just widens.

Liam says hi to his family, thankful that they don't bring up the dreaded topic. Like he thought they would. He did confess who he loves on live television.

Music then streams through the place and he glances up to see Zayn at a deck. He gives his friend a thumbs up before wandering around to say hi to others.

When he turns around, he sees a flash of brown hair and he can't help but think it looks familiar. The girl faces him and he feels all blood drain from his face.

Liam shakes his thoughts away. The excitement of the party may be playing games with his mind. After taking a deep breath, he steps out of the cabin and heads straight towards the lake.

Little does he know, he was right. It was Leisha standing there.