Lost in London

Dusk had fallen when Reilly answered the knock at her door wearing only a towel. Her hair hung wavy around her shoulders and down her back. The two boys who stood in front of her looked nothing short of shocked at her lack of clothing, but stepped inside without a word, each greeting her with a soft kiss on cheek, a practice she was still trying to get used to.

"I have no idea what I'm supposed to wear," she said, taking in the boys' outfits. Both were dressed casually in jeans and t shirts, with Harry's outfit including a tan blazer.

She had found it nearly impossible to concentrate in class and had called Niall as soon as she returned to her apartment to tell him that she wanted to go to the show with him. He had responded positively, telling her that he would send Louis to get her. And since hanging up, she had been gone through her closet several times and had only come to conclusion that she hated all her clothes.

"Come on, Love, I'll help you choose something," Louis said to her.

She led him down the short hallway to her tidy room. The walls were bare, with the exception of a cork board next to her bed that had notes pinned to it and a couple pictures of Reilly with a pretty blonde haired girl. On the night stand next to her bed was a framed picture of a much younger Reilly with an older woman Louis could only assume was her mother.

Her closet was open and her clothes were hung by type and color. Louis stood in front of it for a moment and then pulled out a pair of black skinny jeans and a cropped dark gray shirt with a black foil zebra print design. He laid the pieces out on her bed and then turned back to the well organized closet, and chose a turquoise tank top and a black cardigan. Reilly watched as he arranged it on the bed the way it would be worn.

"I don't like this with it," he said, removing the cardigan and putting it back in the closet. "But without, I think we have a winner. What do you think?" he asked.

"Let me put it on, and I'll let you know," she said.

Louis stood with his back to her and turned his attention to her cork board. Most of the notes pinned to it were reminders of things she needed to do, items she needed to pick up from the store. A few were encouraging, one exclaiming in neat, loopy print, Smile! Today will be great! Another stated, When all else fails, dance. He found the snippets of her thoughts to be intriguing.

His eyes once again fell on the blonde girl in the pictures. "Who's this girl in the pictures with you?" he asked.

"That's my friend Lexie. I've known her forever," she said and then added. "She's more of a sister than my real sister."

"Really?" Louis said. "She's completely Harry's type. Keep him out of your room. He would fall right in love with her if he saw these."

"Oh yeah? I was talking to her on Skype once at the same time I was talking to Niall on the phone, and he could hear what she was saying, and he told me she sounded cool. I think that might mean he has dibs on her," she said. "Okay, this outfit is great. You're my savior."

Louis turned around and nodded in approval when he saw her. "It's perfect."

"It really is. Will you be my best girlfriend, Louis?"

He laughed. "Of course, Love. Anything for you," he said. She grinned at him before turning to pick out a pair of shoes. "But you know what? She's not Niall's type. Not even a little," Louis told her.

Reilly shrugged as she sat down to put on the black oxfords she had chosen. "What is his type, then?" she asked.

"Not her," Louis said evasively.

Lexie was everybody's type. Blonde hair, big hazel eyes, and legs that seemed to go on forever even though she was only a few inches taller than Reilly. To go along with that, she also had the warmest personality.

But Reilly didn't press the matter. Instead, she finished tying her shoes in silence and then stood and looped her arm through Louis'. They walked arm in arm down the hall to where Harry was seated at her table, concentrating intently on one of her open textbooks. He turned around when Louis cleared his throat.

"Wow. You look really nice. Shall we call this our first date?" he asked.

Reilly let out a tiny giggle, shaking her head. Harry had initially come off as a bit crude for her tastes, but had since apologized. He explained that he had a tendency to be a bit cheeky, but didn't really mean anything by it.

It wasn't long before Reilly was standing alone backstage. The boys had left her, 'just for a moment,' they'd said, to go find their friend, who's show they were at and would be going on stage shortly. All three had failed to mention that detail previously.

A small group passed her and she smiled politely at them as they walked by. Those who noticed returned the smile, and one of them turned around for a second look at her. Her cheeks tinted pink and she turned away to see the boys walking down the corridor toward her. When they reached her, she fell in step next to Louis, and he immediately put his arm around her shoulders as they walked toward the stage.

At the side of the stage, Niall replaced Louis at her side, though he didn't put his arm around her. Unlike Louis, who almost always had his arm around her or linked with hers, Niall seemed to shy away from physical contact with her. What she didn't notice was how often he would steal glances at her.

"I think I forgot to tell you earlier," he said to her, "You look really beautiful tonight."

The compliment took her by surprise and her stomach fluttered, but she managed to squeak out a 'thank you'. She was grateful that the lights had dimmed so he couldn't see that she was blushing. It took all her self control not to cover her face and run in the opposite direction.

The stage lights went completely dark and screams rose from the crowd. The same group that had passed her in earlier in the corridor walked by again, with the one who had turned back to stare at her bringing up the rear. She saw him turn back again as he walked onto the stage. A couple lights turned on as he reached the center. The music started and he took the microphone from the stand and walked back to the side of the stage.

"I don't think we've met," he said into her ear. Reilly shook her head and quickly shot a confused look at Niall, who shrugged, an equally confused look crossing his face.

"Um, Reilly," she said, extending her hand. He grasped her hand and began walking backward, pulling her onto the stage with him. She looked back at the boys. None of them seemed to have any idea what was going on.

He lifted the microphone to his lips and gave her hand a shake. "My name is Olly, nice to meet you. Can I tell you, baby, looked around there's a whole lot of pretty ladies, but none like you, you shine so bright," he sang. "I was wondering if you and me could spend a minute on the floor up close, getting lost in it. I won't give up without a fight," he continued and began to move his feet, "I just wanna, oo-oo, oh baby, I just want you to dance with me tonight."

Not knowing what else to do, Reilly followed his lead. It had been months since she'd danced in front of a crowd, but within moments all her shyness fell away. She felt the music all around her, and let her body move with it. Olly wasn't a very good dancer, but what he lacked in skill he made up for in enthusiasm.

Nothing mattered as she danced around the stage, with Olly during some parts, on her own during others. She felt free in a way she'd forgotten she could, even if only while the music played.

The song ended all too soon. Reilly turned to walk back to the side of the stage, but Olly caught her hand and she turned back as he went into the next song, which started much slower than the previous one.

"Oh my goodness, I can't hide it. You just smiled when you walked by me," he sang as he slowly walked toward her. "Oh, my goodness, warning signs that no one showed me. Lost control but please don't hold me back. Gonna go for it. I hope you're ready for it, oh," he continued. Still holding onto her hand, he lifted their arms into the air as he walked around her, and then lowered them so her arm was across her body when he stood behind her.

He gave a gentle tug on her hand. She took the cue and spun away from him as the music sped up. His hold on her hand released and she spun back toward him, up high on her tiptoes as he continued with the song. When the song slowed, he took hold of her hand again. The time, though, he followed her lead until the chorus, and let her go on her own.

She went back toward him when the music slowed again at the bridge. "At first sight, I believed in first sight. No second thoughts in my mind, just felt right. Oh, my goodness. Oh," he sang as he walked in her direction, meeting her in the middle. "'Cause I don't know if I can stop now," he continued, moving so close to her that there was almost no space between then. She looked up at him and he lowered his face until their foreheads touched. The microphone was the only thing between them. Reilly's breath caught in her throat as he took her hand and sang the next line. "I'm going too fast, heart first, my head just can't slow me down."

The music faded out, then came back again and Olly turned away from her. She breathed out, relieved, and resumed dancing even though he didn't let go of her hand. "And I don't care if you don't break my fall. You got me dreaming of a life that anybody would die for," he sang, lifting their arms so she could twirl. "You got me dreaming of a life that anybody else would die for," he continued, and then pulled her toward him.

He swiftly wrapped an arm around her waist and dipped her backward. The music slowed again and leaned forward as he sang the last line of the song. The music stopped entirely and he wrapped his other arm around her for added support. Without hesitation, he closed the space between them and pressed his lips to hers. He left them there for a long moment before he pulled back and brought both of them into an upright position once again.

It all happened so fast that Reilly wasn't even sure what exactly had happened. Her brain still hadn't completely processed everything when Olly kissed her cheek and took her hand once again. He lifted their arms into the air.

"Everyone give it up for this lovely, talented young lady."