Anonymous

Although I’d presented the option casually, my body felt anything but chill. My heart was racing in my chest, my palms were sweating, and I felt slightly faint. But as I watched Jess’ face, I made sure that she couldn’t tell any of it.

A small smile appeared on her face as she nodded. “Yeah, I’ll meet up with you. I don’t see why not.”

I held back my celebration yell, substituting instead a massive grin that sent my eyes into slits. “Awesome. So I’ll text you with all my flight information later, and we can meet at the airport. Does that sound okay with you?”

“Nice public, well-lit place,” she laughed. “That’s okay with me.”

“Awesome. And then we’ll get a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.”

She let out a loud laugh and shook her head. “Oh my God, you were serious about that? That’s your idea of a great first date?”

“Has this graduated to a date?” I teased as my heart started to pick up the pace again. “I don’t remember approving that.”

“If you want it to be, anyway,” Jess rushed, her face turning a vibrant shade of red. “I’m not trying to pressure you into anything.”

“You’re not pressuring me into anything,” I assured her. “Do you want it to be a date?”

“Oh, no. Don’t you dare turn this back on me,” she shot back. “You can pick, and I’ll be okay with what you decide.”

I pretended to debate between the options for a second, tapping a finger against my chin before I said, “Alright, I guess if you’re so persistent about it, it can be a date.”

She flushed. “I’m not insisting anything. If you don’t want it to-”

“Jess!” I laughed and interrupted her. “Love, I was kidding around with you. I’d love to go out on a date with you.”

Her face deepened its color as she groaned. “God, just give me a heart attack, why don’t you?” There was the sound of shouting in the background, and Jess rolled her eyes as her eyes connected back with her webcam. “Alright, my mother says that I have to go downstairs and talk some sense into my sister. Whatever that means. I’ll talk to you later, though?”

“Definitely. And I’ll see you on Friday.”

She grinned and nodded. “Goodbye, Louis. And good night.”

“Goodnight, Jess.”

The screen returned back to the original Skype screen, and I let out a long breath, trying to keep myself from fanboying. I was so incredibly overwhelmed with emotion that I wanted to let out a scream or do something else insane that could get out some of my energy.

But knowing that the rest of the boys were not far away helped me control myself before I did anything insane.

Although, it certainly wasn’t easy.

Later that night, as an old episode of Friends played in the background, I looked up all my flight information and sent it in a text to Jess, the message punctuated with a little smiley face.

Thanks! I’ll be there a few minutes early to make sure I catch you. The times are in London time, yeah?

Ya they are. ill see you then.

I threw myself back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. In just a couple of days, I’d be back in England. I’d be able to see my family again, for the first time in what seemed like forever. Just thinking about the future, hugging my sisters again, and smelling my mum's familiar perfume gave me butterflies in my stomach.

But before I saw any of them, I’d finally get to meet Jess. The mystery girl that was nothing but a collection of pixels on my computer screen was going to become a real, tangible human being.

The thought should have made me excited, and while it did, it also made me nervous. What if I fell short of her expectations? What if I was shorter than she expected, and she got turned off? Or my clothes were wrinkled? Or my TOMS were too worn?

I made a mental note to make sure to iron my clothes and wear a newer pair of shoes. I hoped to God that my hair would cooperate when the time came.



“So do we get to see her?” Liam asked cheekily as we boarded the plane on the day of truth. “Because, personally, I want to know what this bird looks like.”

“Agreed,” Zayn piped up. “I want to know how hot she is. Tell me, how fit is she on a scale from one to ten?”

“A solid eight point five,” Harry piped up, nodding. “Although, I saw one picture where she was more like a nine.”

I turned and gave my best friend in the band a confused look. “What?” Harry shrugged. “I checked your internet history while you were sleeping a while ago, ‘cause I was curious. And I approve.”

Rolling my eyes, I threw my carryon bag into the overhead compartment before sliding into my seat. “But no, you guys can’t see her.”

“Well, if she’s waiting for you as we walk off the plane,” Niall voiced, trying to be reasonable, “then we’re going to see her whether you want us to or not.”

“Shut up,” I groaned. “I guess you can see her as you walk by, but don’t talk to her. I don’t want you to freak her out.”

“Oh, please,” Harry expressed sarcastically. “She’d love talking to us. After all, she’s a major fan, isn’t she?”

“She was,” I agreed, “but she hasn’t written much recently. I check, like, twice a day to see if that story has been updated, and it hasn’t since we started talking.”

“Of course it hasn’t,” Zayn scoffed. “Think of it from her point of view, mate. She’s talking to you, getting to know who you really are, and she’s realizing that it’s kind of silly to write a story about a real person. You’re no longer an untouchable character.”

“Wow, look at that,” Liam teased. “Zayn just turned our lives into a philosophy problem.”

The two of them started to bicker back and forth, but I worked on tuning them out, instead putting my head against the wall of the plane. The side vibrated as the engine kicked to life, making my teeth chatter together uncomfortably.

Zayn, who was sitting next to me, immediately started to squirm as he worked to get comfortable, his consciousness already starting to fade.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, my body started to rev with anxiety. I braced myself for takeoff, trying to take deep breaths in a futile attempt to calm myself down a little bit. My hands latched onto the armrests, my knuckles turning white from the strain.

“Louis,” Zayn groaned. “I can hear you hyperventilating. I’ve told you a million times, you’re way more likely to get into a car crash than you are to get into a plane crash.”

“Too bad my sanity isn’t listening.” I grimaced, clenching my teeth together with all my strength just as the plane started to level out. My entire body relaxed, releasing the bad energy, and I turned to face Zayn.

But he was already snoring lightly, his mouth hanging open, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.

So I followed suit, figuring that the plane ride would go by much faster if I got in a nap before we landed.