Magic

“Liam? I miss Disney World.”

Elena looked up into the eyes of her boyfriend as she lay in his lap, the two of them watching an advertisement for the happiest place on Earth. His eyes glanced downwards, automatically finding hers.

“We can go sometime soon if you want.” He watched as the traces of a smile started to lift the corners of her mouth.

“I’d really like that. When do you have enough free time to go? Would it be after my next tour, during some weekend when you’re recording?” Elena looked to her hand as she started playing with the hem of his shirt, rolling the fabric between her first three fingers.

“Yeah, I’m sure that could work out nicely. I don’t think we have any interviews then, and no fan signings or anything like that.” Liam looked back at the telly as he quickly went through his list of upcoming events, and then focused on what the screen was showing. A gasp startled him after he’d gotten caught up for a few minutes on the programme.

“Liam! I’ve got it!” Elena’s eyes were wide, pupils dilated, as she sat up back onto the couch properly.

Liam turned to face her, eyebrows furrowing and quirking almost simultaneously. “What is it, love?”

“I know how we can give back to the fans.” A grin spread across both of their faces as she shared the scenario she’d just came up with.



Liam held onto the interlinked fingers of his girlfriend as they made their way through the airport. Both of them smiled at the cameras, excited to finally be going through with the plan they had concocted months back.

Liam genuinely didn’t know how he had gotten so lucky to have found a girl who loved to give back just as much as he did. The second he first laid eyes on Elena, he knew he’d fall for her, and the more he got to know her, the more he proved himself right.

Elena was the kind of girl who makes you want to be a better person. Liam knew he was a good one, but the fact that she made him yearn to be even better made him love her that much more. She had the kindest heart he’d ever found. If someone was upset, she’d know just what to say to make them burst out laughing, or lend a shoulder for them to cry on. She always showed her love of life through her eyes as well, which Liam loved, potentially most of all. Whether she was laughing with her friends, grinning at her fans, or simply smiling up into his eyes, the love that overflowed through her eyes astounded Liam, and he wanted her to know just how much she meant to him.

He squeezed her hand and she looked into his eyes. A smile spread across his face seeing the windows to her soul, and he saw exactly what he’d just reflected upon: love. He pulled her closer to him and rested his arm around her shoulders and his hand onto her arm. As he kissed the crown of her head, he told her “You know I love you, right?”

“To infinity and beyond, cowboy.” Liam’s heart melted. Honestly, how could he have found anyone better suited for him?

As the couple ascended the steps onto their plane, they looked around the tarmac around them, glad that they have the resources available to be able to go through with this beautiful idea. Liam placed his luggage behind his seat and clicked his seatbelt on. Elena took the seat right beside him and he knew that as soon as the seatbelt signal turned off, she’d be sprawled out onto the rest of the row, head in his lap, like usual. And when that was exactly what happened, he smiled from knowing the girl’s habits so well. Liam figured that Elena had the right idea to sleep the few hours in the air to make them fly by.

When they landed at Orlando Airport, it was chaos again. Honestly, they didn’t expect anything less because the press was having a field day with their charity story. Liam was perfectly fine with that, because it sent the message he wanted to get out. The couple smiled, but not quite as brightly as before due to their sleepy state, and continued to walk through the airport to the car awaiting their arrival.

They waited for their luggage to be brought to the car by signing a few autographs and taking photos with fans behind a barrier. The entire trip was about the fans and bringing happiness, and both Liam and Elena were getting a high off of doing something so purely good. As their belongings were stored safely into the trunk of the car, the two said their goodbyes to the mass of young people and some parents and climbed into the backseat. They glanced at each other, radiant smiles bouncing off of each other’s face, and made giddy noises: they were on their way to Disney World.



“Hey Li, can I have the water bottle?” Elena asked from her stool next to Liam’s. He handed over their gigantic, Mickey-shaped bottle and watched as she took a swig from behind her guitar.

“Liam, we need you to test out your mic. You can say anything,” called a technician from the soundboard on the left of the stage.

“I love Disney World, and I love my girlfriend, and this is the best place ever. I saw Woody and Woody’s Round Up, and after this we’re going on Space Mountain, and I love the world and everything about Disney and-”

“Okay Liam, you’re good. Elena?” the techie interrupted.

“Disney’s the best. There is nothing better in the world than this place, hence why it’s the happiest. I can’t wait to get a Mickey shaped ice cream because it’s really hot here, and then I’m gonna spend the rest of the day with my boyfriend because he’s ah-ma-e-ah-e-ah-azi-e-ah-e-e-ing!” Elena sang in a tune that she improvised. Liam was laughing, so she turned to make a silly face at him, which just made his chuckles even louder.

“Alright, we need the both of you, so if you’d sing something, maybe from the set, that’d be great.”

“Can You Feel?” questioned Elena. Liam nodded, knowing which song despite the lack of the full title, and the two broke out into the chorus from The Lion King.

They continued through processes like this for a few hours during the afternoon, messing with the volumes of their mics, the guitar, and the speaker system until they went through the set twice, and then once more with lighting cues. They didn’t perform it all out because they didn’t want anyone to properly hear it and record it, or else the couple would lose the gift they planned on giving.

Once they were done, they proceeded to go through the parks, doing the tasks they’d mentioned and more so. They went on all their favorite rides and saw as many characters as they could. For a quick snack, they went to Pizza Planet and ended up staying there for an hour playing a few crane games, constantly quoting “the claw!” whenever it went down to pick up their prizes. It never failed to set them into a fit of laughter, which made onlookers smile in appreciation.

A few fans came up to them, which they had no problem with, because nothing could ruin Disney for the couple. They had a blast visiting each park, ending in Epcot where they had dinner reservations in Italy. The dinner was delicious, but really what would you expect from professional chefs from the actual country and Disney’s standards? Once they were done with their meal, they went for a lazy walk around the lake and through the circle of countries. They discussed which music they liked most from the different cultures they heard, and gently swung their hands back and forth, intertwined in-between them. They agreed that it would be best if they got a bit of rest before their event was to take place, so they made their way to the bus that would take them back to the Grand Floridian and curled up next to each other.

A stylist knocking on their door is what woke them up on what could easily be the most comfortable bed on the planet. They smiled as butterflies started to stir in their stomachs. They were genuinely excited to be able to perform to this special group tonight, and especially for them to perform together. The stylist knew how to make them sparkle and shine, just like the Disney magic surrounding them. Their outfits were laid out on the freshly made bed for them and once they stylist left, the couple grinned at each other and embraced. They honestly couldn’t believe that the night was about to happen, and they were so happy to have each other there to share in the joy.

They changed into their matching clothes and walked towards the door, hand in hand. They stopped and said a few words to the paparazzi and gossip columnists awaiting them in the lobby of the hotel. They didn’t stay too long though, because they repeated themselves frequently and realized that the story would come out soon anyway, so not every magazine had to hear it firsthand.

A car was awaiting them yet again once they stepped into the night air. Liam opened the door for Elena and she smiled at him, igniting his insides. They were whisked away back into the Magic Kingdom where the crowd awaited them, unbeknownst to their presence.

“…And we here at Make a Wish foundation get many charitable sponsors, who want to be able to give you something that they love. Tonight, two very special people have come up with the funds to open up the park for you all and give you a very special treat that they hold near and dear to their hearts. I think you may know of them too. Can we all give a round of applause for Liam Payne and Elena Strauss?”

The two singers walked onto the stage from their spot in the wings and saw the faces of about one hundred cancer patients, shocked and crying. They were all under the age of 25 and had terminal variations of the disease. The wonder and amazement that clouded over each member of the audience’s faces struck both Elena and Liam. They knew they’d never forget this moment, or this entire night.

“Hey guys,” Elena welcomed into her microphone. “I’m so happy that I can finally see your faces. Liam and I have been planning this for months, we’re so glad that it’s finally here, and that we can do this for you all. It took quite a bit of planning, but the park is open to you all night long. After we do a little set for you all, Liam and I will be joining you in going on all of the rides and seeing the characters.”

“If you guys want to chat for a while, that’s great! We’ll also hang around for a bit to take photos and get to know you. But, the rides will be open just as soon as we finish, so we understand if you can’t contain yourselves. Make sure you go with your parents or aides though, because we don’t want anybody to get lost.” Liam informed them and then smiled warmly at the group.

“Since we are in Disney afterall,” Elena grinned and continued, “we figured that we’d do a Disney set list for you. Does that sound alright?” The sound of clapping and a few cheers responded to her. She walked back towards front-stage to pick up her guitar as Liam sat on his stool and spoke to the crowd once more.

“Are you lot fans of Beauty and the Beast? Because our first number comes from there.” He winked cheekily and waited patiently for Elena to adjust herself on her stool, getting her guitar comfortably under her arm. They looked at each other and Elena nodded to signal Liam to start. “Be. Our. Guest!” Liam looked back out into the crowd and watched as the kids faces lit up again and joined him.

Liam and Elena played many Disney classics, including Be Our Guest, I Wanna Be Like You (The Monkey Song), Under the Sea, A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes, You’ve Got a Friend in Me, I See the Light, Tigger Song, Bella Note, I’m Wishing/One Song, A Whole New World and lastly When You Wish Upon a Star. The crowd loved every single one of them, and quite a few of them were crying. By the end of the night, they weren’t the only ones.

Many of the children, families, and aides told the duo the stories of the kids’ struggles through cancer. None of them were going to make it past the age of 30, some not even making it until 10, according to the prognosis their doctors made. It broke their hearts to hear of all the pain that the children went through, but as they wiped the tears of joy off the kid’s faces, they knew that they’d never give the night up. These children planted a place in their hearts. Their joy at seeing their idols, going on rollercoasters with them, and experiencing Disney World before they pass was the most magical sight to behold.

And as Liam held Elena close to him in bed after all of the children left the park, he couldn’t help but feel that the love they shared was one of the purest types of magic. She was his wish upon a star.