Status: Active =)
Don't Give up on Me
When You Lean In I Get A Crazy, Crazy Good Kind Of Feelin'
“Welcome to Late Night Entertainment! I’m Richard Arnold and I’m here with One Direction.” The man smiled falsely into the camera and I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. “So lads, how has life been treating you as of late?”
“It’s been good.” Liam spoke for the group. “We’ve had some time off and been able to catch up with friends and family. We’re excited to get back in the studio though. It’s always good being able to do what we love.”
“Will you be working on another album then?” He asked with feigned interest.
“Yes.” Harry interjected. “We’re doing a lot of writing on this one, most of the songs will be our own lyrics. It’s a different sound for us but we’re looking forward to our sound growing and evolving as we do.” Louis muttered something under his breath to Niall who burst into loud laughter.
“Something you’d like to share Niall?” Richard asked.
“Louis just made a crack at Harry here. Harry, growing and evolving?” The boys all laughed together, including Harry.
“That doesn’t bother you?” Richard asked Harry pointedly.
“It’s all in jest. I’ll grow up when I have to.” He shrugged noncommittally. “Who knows, I may grow tonight!” He winked at the camera and Lily let out an indignant shriek. Luckily we were in the back room and nobody could hear us.
“Unbelievable. If that boy thinks he’s getting lucky after this he has another thing coming to him.” She muttered angrily. I snorted and shook my head, knowing full well that she’d have a hard time turning him down.
“We’ll just ignore that and move on. You all have been in the spotlight for a while now but one of you less than the others. I guess until now. Niall,” he looked at Niall intently. “You’ve been in the press a lot recently with a girl. Care to explain?” I held my breath as red flushed quickly to my cheeks.
“Yes, I guess we’ve been photographed a lot lately.” Niall started cautiously. “It’s a new relationship and I haven’t known Alexis very long. We’re both trying to adjust to the extra attention and the rumors flying around.”
“That’s right!” Richard sank back in his chair slightly. “We’ve got a baby on the way, the first for One Direction possibly?”
“No sir.” Niall burst out as the other boys laughed. “That’s far from the truth.”
“That’s true.” Louis put in through his chuckles. “Alexis has made it very clear that Niall won’t be getting any.” Niall’s cheeks flared red and he let out a small grin.
“So there’s no baby?” Richard’s disappointment at the lack of gossip was far too evident for me. “Why don’t we bring her out here and see for ourselves? I know she’s in the back.”
“They told me I wouldn’t have to.” I gritted through my teeth.
“I’m not sure if she’ll come out here.” Niall began. “We’ll talk with her. She isn’t used to all the attention yet.”
“Well let’s cut to commercial and we’ll be right back, possibly with the girl who took Niall off the market.” Richard smiled into the camera, enjoying this far too much. He shuffled the cards in front of him as the filming stopped momentarily. Liam was the first backstage.
“Lex, you don’t have to.” He approached me nervously, sensing the anger radiating from my body. “Nobody will be upset if you don’t.”
“That’s not true.” I countered, biting off the words. “Your management will be furious if I refuse.”
“They’ll get over it Lexy.” Niall smiled softly at me. “You don’t have to do this.”
“That may be true.” I sighed, dropping my eyes to the floor. “But I will.”
“Are you sure Alexis?” Harry moved to Lily, noting her face. “You don’t have to.”
“I’m sure.” I replied, nodding slightly.
“Lil, I’m sorry.” I heard him whisper to her. “I didn’t mean to insult you by my quip. I don’t expect anything from you okay?” She smiled gratefully at him and raised herself up to kiss him sweetly. I smiled, turning my attention back to Niall.
“Alright, come with me.” He pressed his hand against my lower back, guiding me to get a mic and a little stage make-up for the lights.
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“Welcome back to the show!” Richard announced. “We’re joined by One Direction and the lovely Alexis Prince!” I blushed faintly as he mentioned my name, first and last. “You’re stunning Alexis. Where did you come from?”
“I’m from Minnesota.” I replied, allowing a soft smile to stay on my lips. “I never expected my life to turn out this way.” Niall intertwined our fingers, rubbing his thumb sweetly across the back of my hand.
“You two are very cute.” He remarked. “You know, we were just talking about the rumors spreading about you and Niall. Care to say anything?”
“I would actually.” I smiled gratefully. Liam drew in a sharp breath worriedly. I glanced at him before speaking again. “Niall and I are not pregnant. There’s no way I could be, so I think the whole thing is kinda funny to be honest.”
“What do you mean by ‘there’s no way you could be’?” Richard asked, mischief in his eye. I knew he wanted me to admit to something that I may find embarrassing but I wasn’t bothered by it.
“I don’t have sex.” I replied, straight-faced. The boys around me burst into laughter as Richard sputtered for a response. “That may have been a bit too blunt.” I added softly. “I’m sorry if I caught you off guard,” Niall kissed the top of my head as I twisted my fingers in my lap. “But you did ask.”
“Yes I did.” He finally sputtered out. “I guess I wasn’t expecting that much honesty.”
“Sorry.” I grinned ruefully.
“So why not?” He asked, genuinely curious.
“That seems a bit inappropriate to me.” Liam put in thoughtfully.
“It’s okay Li.” I patted his arm gently. “I believe that it should wait. I wouldn’t have sex with somebody when I barely know them. It’s not who I am. Sex isn’t just some pointless act to make me or whoever feel good. Not to me at least. It’s an expression of how much I love a person and my total gift of self. I refuse to give that away lightly.”
“So it’s safe to assume you’re a virgin then.” Richard practically sneered at the word. I hesitated, not knowing how to answer his question.
“Why do you say it like that?” I cocked my head to the side slightly. “Like it’s a bad thing to be?”
“It’s weird.” He responded. “It’s abnormal now.”
“Not really.” I shrugged. “It’s far more common than you’d think; it’s just not talked about. Most people think that others their age are having sex but in reality most aren’t. Most adults and teens think it’s best to wait until at least after high school and many believe sex belongs in marriage. Society and the media may not promote it, but it’s a growing phenomenon that has existed for years. Look, this whole topic derailed more than I wanted. In all honesty, I just wish Niall’s image and reputation weren’t under attack.”
“That’s fair.” Richard assessed. “I guess since we’ve got you here we’ll ask a few questions.” He leaned forward, smiling at me. “What brings you to our country?”
“Uni.” I replied softly, leaning into Niall for strength. “I attend King’s College.”
“Good for you!” He sat back, clearly a little shocked. “Why here though, why not somewhere in the States?”
“Well, King’s is an amazing university and I wanted to experience a culture similar enough to my own but also challenged me to adapt to its own customs and phrases.” I replied, a fake smile on my lips. “I also had nothing tying me to America so I figured why not move?”
“How are you liking it here?” He asked.
“It’s been good for me, challenging and fun at the same time. I’ve been keeping pretty busy, but my roommate pulls me out of my shell and that’s how I met these guys.”
“Where exactly did you meet?” Richard asked curiously.
“Some dance place.” I responded with a shrug. “All I know is I didn’t want to be there and they gave me a reason to leave. I’m glad they did though. They’re a huge part of my life now and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“We love you too Lex!” Louis launched himself from the other couch to slam into me. “Group hug!” I giggled as the others piled on top of me.
“I guess we’ll be back after they let Alexis breathe again. Stay tuned.” Richard chuckled as they cut to commercial again. “Alexis, I hope you don’t feel like I attacked your beliefs.” He spoke quietly to me. “I actually appreciate what you stand for.”
“It’s okay.” I replied quickly. “There’s no harm done.” I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that I wasn’t being filmed.
“You really hate being the center of attention, don’t you?” He asked me. “Ironic isn’t it? Now that you’re dating one of the most famous people around?”
“I know.” I muttered, a wry smile passing my lips. “I think it’s worth it though. Niall’s pretty amazing.” I bit my lip, watching the lads’ banter bemusedly. “Thank you for talking with me, but I think I’ll let you interview the guys now.” I winked as I began to walk away.
“Alexis?” Richard called, alerting the lads to my leaving. “Thanks for being yourself.”
“It’s all I know how to be.” I replied gently before Niall approached me.
“You’ll wait for me backstage?” He asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
“Of course worrywart. I’ll be there.” He grinned widely at my response, pecking my lips gently.
“I’ll see you soon.” He squeezed my hands before flopping down on the couch with the others. I threw a wink over my shoulder before walking off. I swung my hips a bit more, knowing he’d be watching and grinned as I glanced back to catch his look of desire.
“You two are ridiculous. You should have seen his face when you were talking. It was like he couldn’t get enough of you.” Lily laughed. I rolled my eyes and flopped next to her on the couch backstage. “You’re adorable, and way too cute.”
“Stop! He did not.” I blushed, turning my gaze to the screen to watch my boyfriend, though I didn’t pay attention to anything they were really saying. Every once in a while the laughter perked my ears but I still missed the conversation.
“He totally did. He couldn’t look away from you.” She looked at me worriedly. “Are you okay though? You had to defend yourself and avoid the David and James topics.”
“Well you don’t hold back.” I muttered, crossing my arms tightly. “I’ll be okay.” I responded. “It’s easier to talk about each day, but I’m not sure it’ll ever be easy.” I bit my lip. “Lil,” I began, so softly I wasn’t sure she heard me.
“Yeah?”
“Tell me if I’m being crazy okay?” I turned to face her. “I never told David where I was going. I just left one day.”
“And now you worry he may find you?” She added softly. “I don’t think you’re crazy. I think it’s a real worry for you. But I think you’ll be okay. Everywhere you go is public so he can’t get you anymore. You’ll be safe, I promise. And if anything did happen you have an entire family here that will fight for you.” She pulled me in for a side hug. I sank into her arms, a single tear trailing down my cheek. I pushed it angrily aside.
“Thanks Lil, I love you.”
“I love you too, goof.” She laughed. “Stop worrying so much. You’re gonna be okay.”
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“My gosh, did you see his face when Lex told him she doesn’t have sex!” Harry burst into laughter as we all piled into the car. “Priceless!”
“Shut up! It wasn’t that funny. I felt so bad! He didn’t even know how to react.” The rest of the car let out peals of laughter as I tried to defend the guy. “Besides, that was terrifying. How do ya’ll do that all the time?”
“You did great Lex.” Niall kissed my cheek lightly. “Don’t worry about a thing.”
“You really did. You handled his questions well and kept yourself a mystery.” Liam added. “I’m proud of you.”
“What will management think?” I asked worriedly. I knew this was a big deal and I had to represent a certain image for everybody to see. I was concerned that I had messed things up already, too soon after they approved of me.
“Let’s find out.” Niall murmured, looking at the screen of his phone. “’Lo?” He answered quietly. “Yes sir.” He responded, his back straightening as the other person replied. “She’s right here if you’d like to talk to her.”
“What?” I tugged on his shirt.
“They want to talk to you Lex.” He murmured, holding the phone out to me.
“Hello?” I asked nervously, chewing on my lip. Niall groaned softly, pulling me into his body. I held in a gasp as he pressed his lips to my neck.
“Hello Alexis. We wanted to tell you that we were extremely nervous about you talking on the show but you held your own. We appreciate that you were willing to talk on the show in the first place. We also are quite pleased about your responses. You represented what you believed in a diplomatic way but also helped maintain Niall’s image. We think people will like you and wanted to thank you for your hard work.”
“Thank you!” I gulped as Niall’s fingers sought purchase on my waist. “That means a lot to me.” I replied.
“Thank you and have a good day.” The line went dead as they ended the call.
“You suck.” I murmured into his lips as I slid the phone into his pocket. I gripped one of the loops on his pants and yanked him closer, rolling my body lightly against his. “Kiss me.” I begged, clutching on to his shirt.
“Yes my darlin’.” He smirked at me before pressing his lips to mine. His lips were sweet and soft, barely touching mine.
“You two are sickening.” Zayn muttered, drawing our attention away from our own world.
“Sorry.” I grinned ruefully, skipping to the open spot next to Zayn. “How are you?”
“I’m good.” He replied softly. “I hate doing interviews actually. It’s worth it because it keeps our dreams alive, but I don’t like having to share my life with strangers.”
“I think everybody understands that. It’s weird isn’t it? Like, your life that you have is all because you have to share your life with strangers. All your success is based on the amount of popularity you have which is determined by people who have the preconceived notions about who are you. It’s weird.” He turned and looked at me.
“You think weirdly.”
“Thanks?” I laughed quietly, avoiding attention.
“It’s a good thing. I’m glad you get it. Sometimes I think these guys like all the attention. I generally just want to avoid it.”
“Well, we’ll just have to be buddies then.” I grinned at him. “Deal?”
“Deal.” He responded quickly, flashing me a genuine smile.
-----------------------
We made it to Liam’s place, just hanging out and eating as a group while we waited for the other girls to show up. “Lex.” Zayn murmured softly. “Come with me.”
“Okay.” I shrugged, hopping off the stool I’d perched on. “Where are we going?”
“Outside.” He replied, holding the door to the balcony. “I need a smoke.” I wrinkled my nose as a response, but followed him anyway. As he shut the door he pulled me to the rail. “I’m not smoking, I just wanted to talk to you away from the others.”
“Why?” I arched an eyebrow, looking up at him.
“I didn’t want them to hear me.” He grinned sheepishly. “I have to admit something I’m not proud of.” I didn’t say anything but faced out into the darkness of the sky as I waited for him to speak. He took a deep breath before letting the words slip from his mouth. “Alexis, I’m sorry.”
“For what?” I turned my head slightly, watching his body slump against the rail.
“I haven’t been fair to you.” He sighed. “I’ve withheld my approval, demanding unfairly that you never mess up with Niall before you earn it. I’m sorry. I’m protective of Niall and I don’t want to see him hurt. So, I kept looking for reasons to not like you. You’ve never given me a reason and instead proved how big your heart truly is. You’re kind and caring, open and honest.” He glanced over at me to find me staring out into the street. “You okay?”
“Of course I’m okay.” I replied softly. “You’re forgiven, even though I think the way you acted was totally justified. I don’t hold anything against you.”
“Then why won’t you look at me?” He questioned.
“There’s something down there.” I leaned over farther. “Come with me.” I began to climb down the fire escape.
“Alexis! You can’t just go down there late at night!” Zayn called.
“Yeah I can! And you’re coming with me.” I kept moving, trusting him to follow. He sighed but began down after me. “Zayn look!” I whispered, pointing into the darkness as we reached the bottom.
“Lex, what are we doing here?” He asked exasperatedly.
“There’s a puppy.” I murmured, holding out my hand. “Here boy! It’s okay!” I called gently as the puppy trotted toward me. I scooped it up in my arms after the puppy sniffed my fingers. “See Zayn? This poor little guy got lost!”
“I don’t think he got lost.” Zayn murmured. “He’s got a bit of blood on him. Let’s get him inside and clean him up.” We quickly climbed the stairs and rapped on Liam’s door.
“Li!” I called hurriedly, noting the puppy shaking in my arms. “Open up!” He opened the door, a confused look stuck on his face.
“How the ‘ell did you end up out there?” Harry called from inside.
“Alexis went on a rescue mission.” Zayn laughed. I revealed the puppy cradled in my arms.
“He’s bloody. Li, do you have a tub in here?” I spoke quietly so the puppy wouldn’t jump.
“Yeah, follow me.” He led me down the hall to a bathroom and turned on the water. “How do you see them?” He asked just as quietly.
“What do you mean?” I let the puppy down into the warm water, keeping one hand on him.
“You see the lost and the broken so easily.” He replied. “I just don’t understand how.”
“I dunno.” I sighed. “I guess I see them because I used to be one of them. I always wanted somebody to see me but nobody ever did. So I try to be that person for others stuck in sadness or pain.”
“You really are one of a kind.” He smiled, kissing the top of my head. “We lucked out when we met you.”
“Thanks Liam.” I blushed, not comfortable with the praise. “I’m gonna be here for a bit, taking care of him.”
“Sounds good. If you need anything just yell okay?”
“Okay!” I laughed loudly, grinning down at the nervous puppy. I leaned over, gently rubbing his fur to get the matted blood out. “You poor baby! Who hurt you so badly, huh?” I cooed softly. The puppy craned its neck and licked my hand gently. I giggled but continued to try to get the puppy’s fur clean.
“Darlin’.” Niall’s voice sounded next to my ear and I shuddered as heat radiated off his body.
“Ni.” I breathed in response.
“Did he have a collar?” He asked, moving next to me and crouching down.
“No. I’m thinking about putting up flyers or something. Would that help find his owners?” I looked at him worriedly.
“Lex, I’m not sure we should find his owners.” He bit his lip as he noted the condition the puppy was in. “I think he’d end up on the streets like this again, but next time I’m not sure he’ll find help.”
“But somebody owned him.” I argued. “It’s be stealing.”
“Lex, look at him. He’s terrified and in pretty bad shape.” Niall reached down slowly, letting the puppy come to his hand to sniff it. “I don’t want to see him hurt again.”
“Well what do we do then?” I asked, gnawing on my lip. The puppy head-butted my hand and I ran my fingers through its wet fur absentmindedly.
“Lex.” He admonished with a sigh. “You keep him.”
“Me?” I squeaked. “Why me?”
“The puppy already chose you. He came to you for safety, he trusted you to take care of him, and he just tried to comfort your worry. How could you not see this?” He laughed quietly.
“I’ve never taken care of a puppy before. I don’t know how to do any of this.”
“You’ll be fine Lex. We’re all here for you and there’s this fantastic invention called the internet. Don’t worry okay?” He kissed my cheek lightly and my cheeks flushed. I bit my lip, leaning down into the tub.
“What do you think little guy?” I asked him softly. “You wanna come live with me?” The puppy barked in response, wiggling excitedly. I giggled as soap suds flew at us. Niall let out a loud laugh before turning my face toward his.
“Thank you for being you Lex. I hit the jackpot with you.” I ducked my head but he lifted it back up. “You’re amazin’.” He pressed his lips to mine gently once before turning his attention back to the puppy. “You’re going to have to name him you know.”
“Ni.” I let out softly. “Not fair.”
“What?” He grinned at me. “I just kissed you.”
“And you know that kissing me makes me want you more.” I groaned, closing my eyes briefly. I opened them to a smug look from Niall. “You proud Irishman. I kinda like you.” I grinned before looking down at the puppy. “Alright, name.”
“What about Lucky?” Niall suggested, his fingers raking through the puppy’s fur.
“Lucky.” I mused. “I like that. What do you think boy, you wanna be called Lucky?” He leaped up at me and I giggled as he knocked me over. His tongue raked across my face and my shirt was soon soaked. I grabbed a towel, drying him off as best as I could. “Alright guys.” I called as I walked out to the group in the other room. “Say hi to the newest addition to the family, Lucky!”
“It’s been good.” Liam spoke for the group. “We’ve had some time off and been able to catch up with friends and family. We’re excited to get back in the studio though. It’s always good being able to do what we love.”
“Will you be working on another album then?” He asked with feigned interest.
“Yes.” Harry interjected. “We’re doing a lot of writing on this one, most of the songs will be our own lyrics. It’s a different sound for us but we’re looking forward to our sound growing and evolving as we do.” Louis muttered something under his breath to Niall who burst into loud laughter.
“Something you’d like to share Niall?” Richard asked.
“Louis just made a crack at Harry here. Harry, growing and evolving?” The boys all laughed together, including Harry.
“That doesn’t bother you?” Richard asked Harry pointedly.
“It’s all in jest. I’ll grow up when I have to.” He shrugged noncommittally. “Who knows, I may grow tonight!” He winked at the camera and Lily let out an indignant shriek. Luckily we were in the back room and nobody could hear us.
“Unbelievable. If that boy thinks he’s getting lucky after this he has another thing coming to him.” She muttered angrily. I snorted and shook my head, knowing full well that she’d have a hard time turning him down.
“We’ll just ignore that and move on. You all have been in the spotlight for a while now but one of you less than the others. I guess until now. Niall,” he looked at Niall intently. “You’ve been in the press a lot recently with a girl. Care to explain?” I held my breath as red flushed quickly to my cheeks.
“Yes, I guess we’ve been photographed a lot lately.” Niall started cautiously. “It’s a new relationship and I haven’t known Alexis very long. We’re both trying to adjust to the extra attention and the rumors flying around.”
“That’s right!” Richard sank back in his chair slightly. “We’ve got a baby on the way, the first for One Direction possibly?”
“No sir.” Niall burst out as the other boys laughed. “That’s far from the truth.”
“That’s true.” Louis put in through his chuckles. “Alexis has made it very clear that Niall won’t be getting any.” Niall’s cheeks flared red and he let out a small grin.
“So there’s no baby?” Richard’s disappointment at the lack of gossip was far too evident for me. “Why don’t we bring her out here and see for ourselves? I know she’s in the back.”
“They told me I wouldn’t have to.” I gritted through my teeth.
“I’m not sure if she’ll come out here.” Niall began. “We’ll talk with her. She isn’t used to all the attention yet.”
“Well let’s cut to commercial and we’ll be right back, possibly with the girl who took Niall off the market.” Richard smiled into the camera, enjoying this far too much. He shuffled the cards in front of him as the filming stopped momentarily. Liam was the first backstage.
“Lex, you don’t have to.” He approached me nervously, sensing the anger radiating from my body. “Nobody will be upset if you don’t.”
“That’s not true.” I countered, biting off the words. “Your management will be furious if I refuse.”
“They’ll get over it Lexy.” Niall smiled softly at me. “You don’t have to do this.”
“That may be true.” I sighed, dropping my eyes to the floor. “But I will.”
“Are you sure Alexis?” Harry moved to Lily, noting her face. “You don’t have to.”
“I’m sure.” I replied, nodding slightly.
“Lil, I’m sorry.” I heard him whisper to her. “I didn’t mean to insult you by my quip. I don’t expect anything from you okay?” She smiled gratefully at him and raised herself up to kiss him sweetly. I smiled, turning my attention back to Niall.
“Alright, come with me.” He pressed his hand against my lower back, guiding me to get a mic and a little stage make-up for the lights.
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“Welcome back to the show!” Richard announced. “We’re joined by One Direction and the lovely Alexis Prince!” I blushed faintly as he mentioned my name, first and last. “You’re stunning Alexis. Where did you come from?”
“I’m from Minnesota.” I replied, allowing a soft smile to stay on my lips. “I never expected my life to turn out this way.” Niall intertwined our fingers, rubbing his thumb sweetly across the back of my hand.
“You two are very cute.” He remarked. “You know, we were just talking about the rumors spreading about you and Niall. Care to say anything?”
“I would actually.” I smiled gratefully. Liam drew in a sharp breath worriedly. I glanced at him before speaking again. “Niall and I are not pregnant. There’s no way I could be, so I think the whole thing is kinda funny to be honest.”
“What do you mean by ‘there’s no way you could be’?” Richard asked, mischief in his eye. I knew he wanted me to admit to something that I may find embarrassing but I wasn’t bothered by it.
“I don’t have sex.” I replied, straight-faced. The boys around me burst into laughter as Richard sputtered for a response. “That may have been a bit too blunt.” I added softly. “I’m sorry if I caught you off guard,” Niall kissed the top of my head as I twisted my fingers in my lap. “But you did ask.”
“Yes I did.” He finally sputtered out. “I guess I wasn’t expecting that much honesty.”
“Sorry.” I grinned ruefully.
“So why not?” He asked, genuinely curious.
“That seems a bit inappropriate to me.” Liam put in thoughtfully.
“It’s okay Li.” I patted his arm gently. “I believe that it should wait. I wouldn’t have sex with somebody when I barely know them. It’s not who I am. Sex isn’t just some pointless act to make me or whoever feel good. Not to me at least. It’s an expression of how much I love a person and my total gift of self. I refuse to give that away lightly.”
“So it’s safe to assume you’re a virgin then.” Richard practically sneered at the word. I hesitated, not knowing how to answer his question.
“Why do you say it like that?” I cocked my head to the side slightly. “Like it’s a bad thing to be?”
“It’s weird.” He responded. “It’s abnormal now.”
“Not really.” I shrugged. “It’s far more common than you’d think; it’s just not talked about. Most people think that others their age are having sex but in reality most aren’t. Most adults and teens think it’s best to wait until at least after high school and many believe sex belongs in marriage. Society and the media may not promote it, but it’s a growing phenomenon that has existed for years. Look, this whole topic derailed more than I wanted. In all honesty, I just wish Niall’s image and reputation weren’t under attack.”
“That’s fair.” Richard assessed. “I guess since we’ve got you here we’ll ask a few questions.” He leaned forward, smiling at me. “What brings you to our country?”
“Uni.” I replied softly, leaning into Niall for strength. “I attend King’s College.”
“Good for you!” He sat back, clearly a little shocked. “Why here though, why not somewhere in the States?”
“Well, King’s is an amazing university and I wanted to experience a culture similar enough to my own but also challenged me to adapt to its own customs and phrases.” I replied, a fake smile on my lips. “I also had nothing tying me to America so I figured why not move?”
“How are you liking it here?” He asked.
“It’s been good for me, challenging and fun at the same time. I’ve been keeping pretty busy, but my roommate pulls me out of my shell and that’s how I met these guys.”
“Where exactly did you meet?” Richard asked curiously.
“Some dance place.” I responded with a shrug. “All I know is I didn’t want to be there and they gave me a reason to leave. I’m glad they did though. They’re a huge part of my life now and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“We love you too Lex!” Louis launched himself from the other couch to slam into me. “Group hug!” I giggled as the others piled on top of me.
“I guess we’ll be back after they let Alexis breathe again. Stay tuned.” Richard chuckled as they cut to commercial again. “Alexis, I hope you don’t feel like I attacked your beliefs.” He spoke quietly to me. “I actually appreciate what you stand for.”
“It’s okay.” I replied quickly. “There’s no harm done.” I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that I wasn’t being filmed.
“You really hate being the center of attention, don’t you?” He asked me. “Ironic isn’t it? Now that you’re dating one of the most famous people around?”
“I know.” I muttered, a wry smile passing my lips. “I think it’s worth it though. Niall’s pretty amazing.” I bit my lip, watching the lads’ banter bemusedly. “Thank you for talking with me, but I think I’ll let you interview the guys now.” I winked as I began to walk away.
“Alexis?” Richard called, alerting the lads to my leaving. “Thanks for being yourself.”
“It’s all I know how to be.” I replied gently before Niall approached me.
“You’ll wait for me backstage?” He asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
“Of course worrywart. I’ll be there.” He grinned widely at my response, pecking my lips gently.
“I’ll see you soon.” He squeezed my hands before flopping down on the couch with the others. I threw a wink over my shoulder before walking off. I swung my hips a bit more, knowing he’d be watching and grinned as I glanced back to catch his look of desire.
“You two are ridiculous. You should have seen his face when you were talking. It was like he couldn’t get enough of you.” Lily laughed. I rolled my eyes and flopped next to her on the couch backstage. “You’re adorable, and way too cute.”
“Stop! He did not.” I blushed, turning my gaze to the screen to watch my boyfriend, though I didn’t pay attention to anything they were really saying. Every once in a while the laughter perked my ears but I still missed the conversation.
“He totally did. He couldn’t look away from you.” She looked at me worriedly. “Are you okay though? You had to defend yourself and avoid the David and James topics.”
“Well you don’t hold back.” I muttered, crossing my arms tightly. “I’ll be okay.” I responded. “It’s easier to talk about each day, but I’m not sure it’ll ever be easy.” I bit my lip. “Lil,” I began, so softly I wasn’t sure she heard me.
“Yeah?”
“Tell me if I’m being crazy okay?” I turned to face her. “I never told David where I was going. I just left one day.”
“And now you worry he may find you?” She added softly. “I don’t think you’re crazy. I think it’s a real worry for you. But I think you’ll be okay. Everywhere you go is public so he can’t get you anymore. You’ll be safe, I promise. And if anything did happen you have an entire family here that will fight for you.” She pulled me in for a side hug. I sank into her arms, a single tear trailing down my cheek. I pushed it angrily aside.
“Thanks Lil, I love you.”
“I love you too, goof.” She laughed. “Stop worrying so much. You’re gonna be okay.”
-------------------
“My gosh, did you see his face when Lex told him she doesn’t have sex!” Harry burst into laughter as we all piled into the car. “Priceless!”
“Shut up! It wasn’t that funny. I felt so bad! He didn’t even know how to react.” The rest of the car let out peals of laughter as I tried to defend the guy. “Besides, that was terrifying. How do ya’ll do that all the time?”
“You did great Lex.” Niall kissed my cheek lightly. “Don’t worry about a thing.”
“You really did. You handled his questions well and kept yourself a mystery.” Liam added. “I’m proud of you.”
“What will management think?” I asked worriedly. I knew this was a big deal and I had to represent a certain image for everybody to see. I was concerned that I had messed things up already, too soon after they approved of me.
“Let’s find out.” Niall murmured, looking at the screen of his phone. “’Lo?” He answered quietly. “Yes sir.” He responded, his back straightening as the other person replied. “She’s right here if you’d like to talk to her.”
“What?” I tugged on his shirt.
“They want to talk to you Lex.” He murmured, holding the phone out to me.
“Hello?” I asked nervously, chewing on my lip. Niall groaned softly, pulling me into his body. I held in a gasp as he pressed his lips to my neck.
“Hello Alexis. We wanted to tell you that we were extremely nervous about you talking on the show but you held your own. We appreciate that you were willing to talk on the show in the first place. We also are quite pleased about your responses. You represented what you believed in a diplomatic way but also helped maintain Niall’s image. We think people will like you and wanted to thank you for your hard work.”
“Thank you!” I gulped as Niall’s fingers sought purchase on my waist. “That means a lot to me.” I replied.
“Thank you and have a good day.” The line went dead as they ended the call.
“You suck.” I murmured into his lips as I slid the phone into his pocket. I gripped one of the loops on his pants and yanked him closer, rolling my body lightly against his. “Kiss me.” I begged, clutching on to his shirt.
“Yes my darlin’.” He smirked at me before pressing his lips to mine. His lips were sweet and soft, barely touching mine.
“You two are sickening.” Zayn muttered, drawing our attention away from our own world.
“Sorry.” I grinned ruefully, skipping to the open spot next to Zayn. “How are you?”
“I’m good.” He replied softly. “I hate doing interviews actually. It’s worth it because it keeps our dreams alive, but I don’t like having to share my life with strangers.”
“I think everybody understands that. It’s weird isn’t it? Like, your life that you have is all because you have to share your life with strangers. All your success is based on the amount of popularity you have which is determined by people who have the preconceived notions about who are you. It’s weird.” He turned and looked at me.
“You think weirdly.”
“Thanks?” I laughed quietly, avoiding attention.
“It’s a good thing. I’m glad you get it. Sometimes I think these guys like all the attention. I generally just want to avoid it.”
“Well, we’ll just have to be buddies then.” I grinned at him. “Deal?”
“Deal.” He responded quickly, flashing me a genuine smile.
-----------------------
We made it to Liam’s place, just hanging out and eating as a group while we waited for the other girls to show up. “Lex.” Zayn murmured softly. “Come with me.”
“Okay.” I shrugged, hopping off the stool I’d perched on. “Where are we going?”
“Outside.” He replied, holding the door to the balcony. “I need a smoke.” I wrinkled my nose as a response, but followed him anyway. As he shut the door he pulled me to the rail. “I’m not smoking, I just wanted to talk to you away from the others.”
“Why?” I arched an eyebrow, looking up at him.
“I didn’t want them to hear me.” He grinned sheepishly. “I have to admit something I’m not proud of.” I didn’t say anything but faced out into the darkness of the sky as I waited for him to speak. He took a deep breath before letting the words slip from his mouth. “Alexis, I’m sorry.”
“For what?” I turned my head slightly, watching his body slump against the rail.
“I haven’t been fair to you.” He sighed. “I’ve withheld my approval, demanding unfairly that you never mess up with Niall before you earn it. I’m sorry. I’m protective of Niall and I don’t want to see him hurt. So, I kept looking for reasons to not like you. You’ve never given me a reason and instead proved how big your heart truly is. You’re kind and caring, open and honest.” He glanced over at me to find me staring out into the street. “You okay?”
“Of course I’m okay.” I replied softly. “You’re forgiven, even though I think the way you acted was totally justified. I don’t hold anything against you.”
“Then why won’t you look at me?” He questioned.
“There’s something down there.” I leaned over farther. “Come with me.” I began to climb down the fire escape.
“Alexis! You can’t just go down there late at night!” Zayn called.
“Yeah I can! And you’re coming with me.” I kept moving, trusting him to follow. He sighed but began down after me. “Zayn look!” I whispered, pointing into the darkness as we reached the bottom.
“Lex, what are we doing here?” He asked exasperatedly.
“There’s a puppy.” I murmured, holding out my hand. “Here boy! It’s okay!” I called gently as the puppy trotted toward me. I scooped it up in my arms after the puppy sniffed my fingers. “See Zayn? This poor little guy got lost!”
“I don’t think he got lost.” Zayn murmured. “He’s got a bit of blood on him. Let’s get him inside and clean him up.” We quickly climbed the stairs and rapped on Liam’s door.
“Li!” I called hurriedly, noting the puppy shaking in my arms. “Open up!” He opened the door, a confused look stuck on his face.
“How the ‘ell did you end up out there?” Harry called from inside.
“Alexis went on a rescue mission.” Zayn laughed. I revealed the puppy cradled in my arms.
“He’s bloody. Li, do you have a tub in here?” I spoke quietly so the puppy wouldn’t jump.
“Yeah, follow me.” He led me down the hall to a bathroom and turned on the water. “How do you see them?” He asked just as quietly.
“What do you mean?” I let the puppy down into the warm water, keeping one hand on him.
“You see the lost and the broken so easily.” He replied. “I just don’t understand how.”
“I dunno.” I sighed. “I guess I see them because I used to be one of them. I always wanted somebody to see me but nobody ever did. So I try to be that person for others stuck in sadness or pain.”
“You really are one of a kind.” He smiled, kissing the top of my head. “We lucked out when we met you.”
“Thanks Liam.” I blushed, not comfortable with the praise. “I’m gonna be here for a bit, taking care of him.”
“Sounds good. If you need anything just yell okay?”
“Okay!” I laughed loudly, grinning down at the nervous puppy. I leaned over, gently rubbing his fur to get the matted blood out. “You poor baby! Who hurt you so badly, huh?” I cooed softly. The puppy craned its neck and licked my hand gently. I giggled but continued to try to get the puppy’s fur clean.
“Darlin’.” Niall’s voice sounded next to my ear and I shuddered as heat radiated off his body.
“Ni.” I breathed in response.
“Did he have a collar?” He asked, moving next to me and crouching down.
“No. I’m thinking about putting up flyers or something. Would that help find his owners?” I looked at him worriedly.
“Lex, I’m not sure we should find his owners.” He bit his lip as he noted the condition the puppy was in. “I think he’d end up on the streets like this again, but next time I’m not sure he’ll find help.”
“But somebody owned him.” I argued. “It’s be stealing.”
“Lex, look at him. He’s terrified and in pretty bad shape.” Niall reached down slowly, letting the puppy come to his hand to sniff it. “I don’t want to see him hurt again.”
“Well what do we do then?” I asked, gnawing on my lip. The puppy head-butted my hand and I ran my fingers through its wet fur absentmindedly.
“Lex.” He admonished with a sigh. “You keep him.”
“Me?” I squeaked. “Why me?”
“The puppy already chose you. He came to you for safety, he trusted you to take care of him, and he just tried to comfort your worry. How could you not see this?” He laughed quietly.
“I’ve never taken care of a puppy before. I don’t know how to do any of this.”
“You’ll be fine Lex. We’re all here for you and there’s this fantastic invention called the internet. Don’t worry okay?” He kissed my cheek lightly and my cheeks flushed. I bit my lip, leaning down into the tub.
“What do you think little guy?” I asked him softly. “You wanna come live with me?” The puppy barked in response, wiggling excitedly. I giggled as soap suds flew at us. Niall let out a loud laugh before turning my face toward his.
“Thank you for being you Lex. I hit the jackpot with you.” I ducked my head but he lifted it back up. “You’re amazin’.” He pressed his lips to mine gently once before turning his attention back to the puppy. “You’re going to have to name him you know.”
“Ni.” I let out softly. “Not fair.”
“What?” He grinned at me. “I just kissed you.”
“And you know that kissing me makes me want you more.” I groaned, closing my eyes briefly. I opened them to a smug look from Niall. “You proud Irishman. I kinda like you.” I grinned before looking down at the puppy. “Alright, name.”
“What about Lucky?” Niall suggested, his fingers raking through the puppy’s fur.
“Lucky.” I mused. “I like that. What do you think boy, you wanna be called Lucky?” He leaped up at me and I giggled as he knocked me over. His tongue raked across my face and my shirt was soon soaked. I grabbed a towel, drying him off as best as I could. “Alright guys.” I called as I walked out to the group in the other room. “Say hi to the newest addition to the family, Lucky!”
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Love you all so much! Sorry it's been a while, I had a little bit more writer's block but hopefully I can get this back on track soon! :)Lex's outfit: http://www.polyvore.com/lex_13/set?id=126950448