Love in Music

I shivered in the cold air that filled the bathroom, hurriedly wrapping the towel tighter around my body. The heat from the hot shower wasn’t enough and goose bumps crept their way over my body. I scrambled out of the shower while trying to rub myself dry as quickly as possible. I grabbed for a pair of Louis sweats when the door to the bathroom burst open.

“Louis!” I screamed, pulling the towel tighter around my body. He widened his eyes and stopped in his tracks, his eyes sliding further down my barely covered body. “I swear to God I’m going to hurt you if you don’t leave right now.”

“Sorry, sorry! I forgot.” I could see him grin wickedly while quickly covering his own eyes and backed out of the door.

“You’re a bloody idiot Louis Tomlinson.” I called out after him. Grumbling, I grabbed Louis pants and shirt and yanked them on, tying the sweatpants up as tight as possible so they didn’t slide off before heading out the door after him, the towel in hand to dry my hair.

He hummed loudly while he putted around the kitchen, searching through cabinets and dumping bags on the counter. He refused to meet my eye while I glared at him in the doorway. The smile playing on his face gave him away.

“Was there something you wanted?” I asked him pointedly. He turned to me, his lip twitching like he was preventing his grin from growing any further.

“Just wondering if you liked pasta?” He held up the bag of dried pasta, I glared at him before shaking my head.

“Tosser.” I growled out. He grinned.

“You know you love me.” He yelled as I turned around and headed back to the bathroom flipping him off while he could still see me.

I dumped the towel in the bathroom and ran my finger quickly through the knots in my hair before walking back out to the kitchen where Louis was chucking dried pasta into boiling water. I scrambled up onto one of his high stools and began grating cheese.

“Did you guys have more meetings today?” I asked him, I hadn’t seen him at the studio but he said he had been there.

“Yep.” He popped the ‘p’ and scooped some cheese into his mouth before pulling out a frying pan. “Meetings, meetings and nothing but meetings.” He grumbled to me. I giggled and shoved some of the cheese into a bowl before grating more.

“What about?” I asked curious. He shrugged non-committedly.

“Just the usual, what’s up and coming, working on our fourth album, stadium tour coming up the usual.” He sighed almost like the though of the year to come was tiring. I frowned at him and finished grating the cheese, standing up to dump the grater and board in the sink.

“You okay?” I asked him cautiously. He frowned down at the sizzling meat and poured the sauce all over it before turning around to me.

“I think I need a holiday.” He smiled at me and grabbed my arm tugging me against his body and into the circle of his arms. His warm hand settled on my hips, slipping under the shirt I borrowed of his so his thumb could trace warm distracting patterns on my hipbones. “Somewhere with lots of sun, sand and surfing.” He continued, nuzzling into my shoulder. I laughed and pushed his face away.

“Sounds good. You all should, take the boys with you and relax before your big tour.” Louis stiffened around me and sighed before pressing a kiss to my hair and releasing me, turning his back to stir the mince. I frowned and pressed a kiss to the back of his neck before moving to the pasta. I was beginning to realise I wasn’t very good at making Louis feel better.

-

I flashed my key card and pushed me way through the suite doors. The suite was extremely quiet for this time of morning. Frowning I glanced around the kitchen and living room for a note but found none. Usually we left each other a note or texted if any of us were going out anywhere.

“Anyone home?” I called out and didn’t receive an answer. I walked past Gracie and Kate’s door and peaked in but no one was there. I threw my bag into my own room before walking across to Frankie’s door. I knocked and peeked in, almost shutting it behind me before I noticed something move under the pile of blankets on the bed.

“Frankie?” I questioned softly, moving over to the blankets wondering if she was sick to be in bed this late in the day. “Are you awake?” I asked when she didn’t respond. I rounded the bed just as a small sob came through the blankets.

I moved quicker and sat down next to the pile and lightly rested my hand on what I assumed was her shoulder. “Hey, what’s wrong? Did something happen?” I was beginning to worry and none of the other girls seemed to be home.

I reached up and moved some blankets around until I found the top of Frankie’s head, her hair a mess, spread across the covers. I pulled the blanket down further to reveal her splotchy red face, she was crying.

“What happened?” I asked instantly. Brushing my fingers gently through her hair. She sniffed a couple of times before turning to look at me.

“I was t-talking to Noah and h-he broke up with me.” She forced out, her eyes watering further and her words broken and shaky. I frowned and sighed before pulling my legs up on the bed to lay with her properly, wrapping my arms around her shaking body and letting her bury her face into my neck. Her slender fingers came up to wrap tightly into my shirt.

I stayed there with her until her cries died down and only an occasional sniff and hiccup could be heard through the room.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked her softly when she seemed to have finally calmed down enough. She pushed her face out of my arms and rolled over, kicking a few blankets off in the process. I got up and grabbed a tissue box from her dressing table and handed them to her. She sighed before blowing her nose loudly. I discreetly took a few to wipe down my shoulder and neck where she had cried and rubbed her nose on. She noticed and let out a small laugh before apologizing; I waved her off waiting for her to speak first.

“We were Skyping like we usually do every week and everything had been going fine. We haven’t fought in ages a-and we’ve been getting along great.” She played with the tissue in her hand miserably for a moment before looking up at me; she looked utterly wrecked and broken.

“Then he started saying how hard it was for him, that he wished he could see me. Like I wasn’t missing him either, like I wasn’t wishing I could see him too.” She narrowed her eyes now and wiped more harshly at her face with a fresh tissue. “Then he tells me that he thinks we need a break at least until I finish up here and come back.” Her eyes turned furious and she got out of the bed pacing the floor in front.

“Like he actually thinks what we’re doing here is just a phase, that we won’t make it. Argh, I’m so annoyed at him.” She growled out, her hand shaking. I let her pace and rage knowing that she needed to get it out of her system. “He’s my boyfriend. He was. He should be there for me, he shouldn’t be doubting me or acting like the best thing in my life was just some phase that I would fail and eventually come back to him. God I’m just so pissed off.” I reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her down to sit back on the bed. She started tearing up again.

“I’m so angry but I loved him and he just, I mean I thought we were going good. And did I do something?” I shook my head as she began shaking with her tears again. I let her forehead rest against my shoulder and pressed a kiss to her temple.

“Of course you didn’t do anything sweetie. You didn’t do anything wrong. He’s the one who couldn’t stick around for you and that’s on him okay? He’s the one who’s leaving so there’s something wrong with him. There’s nothing wrong with you.” I told her honestly, wishing the other girls were here. I could barely comfort Louis let alone deal with Frankie when her emotions were so haywire.

“Let me get you a drink.” I told her softly, she nodded and flopped back down on the bed while I quickly headed to the kitchen, sending the other girls a quick text to come back as soon as possible. I sighed and grabbed a bottle of water trying to think of anything I was supposed to say to make Frankie feel better.

Frankie was in the same position as when I left and didn’t even sit up to drink the water I gave her.

“What if Noah’s right? What if this is just a phase and we don’t make it, at all? What if this all crashes and burns?” Frankie didn’t look at me and I didn’t answer. I honestly didn’t know what I was supposed to say to her.

-

“You’re exhausting yourself to early. You need to be ready for the high note.” Zayn corrected me before getting me to sing the line again. We were practicing the high notes to their song “Gotta Be You” by request of Tony and so far Zayn had mentored me and Harry had sung badly while lounging upside down on the couch.

“Better.” Zayn commented before looking to Harry who clumsily rolled off the couch in a pile of too long limbs before standing like a baby deer. It surprised me that he could actually put on enough charm to have millions of people see past the awkward mess that he was.

“Now try the next note up.” I obliged them while glancing at the time, we had been singing for the last hour and my throat was beginning to hurt.

“Can we take a break, I’m really sore.” I pleaded, reaching to grab my bottle of water. Zayn nodded and sat down on the chair next to me while Harry began raiding through the fridge that was in the room.

“I have no idea how you guys can sing for so long at a concert then do it all again the next night, with barely any sleep.” Zayn shrugged and wrapped an arm around my shoulder in comfort while Harry mumbled something about what was in the fridge.

“Lots of practice, lots.” Zayn told me seriously before pulling a face and squeezing tighter then letting me go. I laughed at him.

“Then I really need to practice more. Just like never stop singing. Maybe I’ll just sing everything I say from now on.” I mused, putting my feet up on the coffee table.

“Please don’t love. You’re not that good of a singer.” I gaped in surprise at Harry’s comment while he grinned wickedly and shut the fridge door, nothing in his hand.

“So did Louis talk to you, about his holiday plans?” Harry asked, sitting on the coffee table next to my feet. I nodded at him and stretched my arms above my head before tapping the tops of my boots together.

“Yeah sounds like heaps of fun. He really does need a break; you all do. You’re all starting to look stressed out and thin.” I poked Zayn’s stomach and he slapped my hand away half-heartedly. “Are you all going together?” I asked. Harry and Zayn shared a look before shaking their heads.

“Nah I think we’re all going to take a break from each other before the tour. Harry here gets annoying real fast.” Harry reached over and tried to smack Zayn in the nuts but just managed to get his thigh. I withdrew my legs before they started scrambling over me to get to each other.

“So did you say no to him?” Harry asked after a short scramble with Zayn.

“Say no to what?” I asked him, confused.

“To Louis. No to going away with him?” Zayn persisted, his hands wrapped tightly around Harry’s wrists to stop him from hitting anyone.

“He didn’t ask me to go…” I trailed off, staring between the both of them.

“He didn’t ask.” Harry repeated bluntly, his eyes boring into mine. I just shook my head.

“Why would he, he said he wanted a quiet relaxing holiday with water and beach or something, that’s all. It’s not like I could go on a holiday anyway, I’ve got the girls and we’re getting ready for our own tour, hopefully soon and I have appearances coming up as well as rehearsing the new songs we finally finished writing. I do not have time for a holiday with Louis.” I tried to stop my hands from shaking with nerves with how much stuff we had to do in such a short amount of time.

Harry and Zayn shared another look before pulling apart. Harry frowned and reached for his phone while Zayn continuously stared at me like I was the last piece of the puzzle yet I still wasn’t fitting right.

I looked between them both, settling on the familiar feeling that everyone seemed to understand Louis and I better then we did. For some reason we never ended up on the same page.