Status: Active =)
Don't Give up on Me
Something In The Way You Move
***quick note. The links needed for watching her dances are in the Author's Note!***
"I'll just get ready and then we can leave.” Niall commented as he walked into his flat.
“Hurry Nialler!” Louis called. “We have big plans.”
“Alexis?” Harry spoke quietly from behind me. I turned to face him. He shuffled his feet anxiously.
“What’s up Harry?” I lifted an eyebrow.
“Come with me.” He pulled me into the kitchen, away from the others. “Why’d you give her to me?”
“Who, Isabella?”
“Was that the little girl’s name?’ I nodded. “Oh. Yeah, then Isabella. You had any of the others, especially Lou. Why’d you send her to me?”
I smiled. “I trusted everybody with her, but you looked like you were about to step in and take out Liam for yelling at me. You saw her too, right?” He looked down, averting his eyes. “I thought so. You wanted to help her as much as I did which is why you reacted stronger than any of the others. I knew holding her would calm you down and distract you enough so that I could deal with Liam.”
“Oh.”
“Plus, you seem like you’re great with kids and I wanted to see that side of you.” I grinned impishly up at him.
“By the way, Liam really wasn’t mad. He was just worried about you and the lads.”
“Thanks Haz.” I gave him a hug, tucking my head beneath his chin. “I’m glad you had my back.”
“Would you have punched him?” Harry asked, pulling away from me.
“No.” I whispered. “I may have come off tough, but that was just an act. When people are actually mad at me then I shut down.” I bit my lip and stared at the floor.
“What happened?” Harry’s fingers gently lifted my chin and I didn’t fight him, but kept my lips pressed together. “Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be here.” He dropped his hand and we walked back out to the rest of the group.
“There you are!” Louis launched himself across the room at me. He picked me up, draping me over his shoulder.
“Lou! Let me down!” I groaned, lightly hitting his back.
“Never!” He climbed on top of the coffee table. “You are my prisoner and I am King. You have to do what I tell you!” I rolled my eyes, and went limp. “That’s not fair.” He pouted and climbed down. “But I’m still not letting you down.” I didn’t reply and focused on becoming dead weight on his body. The guys leapt into action, trying to help me off Louis.
“You guys ready?” Niall came into the room and froze, looking at the scene before him. Harry had grabbed my hands and was pulling me one way, Zayn was tugging on my feet in the other direction. Liam was pulling Louis’s hands off of my body. Louis was fighting with all of them and I was laughing hysterically while unintentionally fighting all of them. “Wow. I leave for 5 minutes and you all go nuts. Besides,” he walked over, calmly pulling me down and pulling me close. “She likes me best anyway.” His hands gently gripped my hips and pulled me into him. I rested against his chest as his arms casually looped around my waist.
“Yeah yeah, whatever. Let’s just get going.” Louis cheered as we exited the flat.
“Lou, where are we going?” I asked quietly.
“It’s a surprise.” He winked at me and opened the door to head outside. “This time, stay with us.” He murmured in my ear. I flushed and nodded, letting Lou lead my through the crowd. We made it to the car with no problems this time. We slid into the seats and buckled up. Harry drove to a theater and parked the car. I looked over at them.
“Guys, what’s going on?”
“We’re all auditioning for a dancing show.” Louis laughed as we got out of the car. “We’re going to utterly fail and it’s going to be so much fun.” I smiled wryly and shook my head.
“I don’t know about this.” I muttered, but followed them inside anyway.
“Lex! Thank goodness you’re here. My partner fell through and I need somebody.” My old dance partner nearly cried when he saw me walk in.
“Wait, you’re auditioning?” I asked him.
“Well yeah. I’m surprised you aren’t.”
“Alexis, what’s going on?” Louis asked, confused.
“Jonny, you know I don’t dance anymore.” I replied, my tone clipped.
“You should though. Please, just help me with one dance.” His eyes begged me for help. I sighed and he pumped his fist in the air. “Seriously you’re the best!” He kissed my cheek. “We’re up in a couple dances so let’s get ready.”
“Hang on a sec here.” Harry stopped Jonny from whisking me away. “Who are you?”
“I’m her old dance partner.” He said, tugging on my arm.
“Well we’re her friends.” Harry replied, tugging on my other arm.
“Guys, please don’t. I don’t wanna get pulled apart for the second time today.” I grinned at them as they let me go. “Harry, guys, it’s okay. I’ll help Jonny out and then I’ll audition like you guys want me to.”
“Okay.” Louis nodded in approval. “We’ll be watching.”
Jonny pulled me off to the side. “Do you remember?”
“How could I forget it Jonny.” He smiled at me and hugged me tightly. “Let me go change quickly. Good thing I brought something for this.” I laughed and walked quickly to change. I slid on my dancing clothes and ran back to Jonny.
“I owe you.” He winked as we walked on the stage
“You always do.” I smirked at him and waited patiently for the judges to start us.
“Well you two are a lovely couple.” One of them remarked. I turned beet red at Jonny cracked up with laughter.
“We’re not dating sir.” He managed between laughs. I buried my face in my hands.
“My mistake. Well, are you two ready?” I glanced at Jonny who nodded at the judge. I turned back and flashed the judge a smile before getting into position. I could see One Direction at the back of the room, watching impatiently for me to dance.
NIALL’S POV
“Just wait for it.” I remarked, a large smile settling onto my face.
“Wait for what?” Liam asked.
“You’ll see.” I pointed to the stage as Alexis walked on. She looked stunning and fierce. I felt my heart leap into my throat. The lads started talking around me and blocked out the sound of the judges voice. Alexis blushed wildly on the stage and I laughed loudly at the utter embarrassment written throughout her features. She and Jonny got into position and the music started. ( 1 ).
“Oh my giddy aunt.” Harry whispered. “How the hell is she that good?”
“I don’t know.” I replied. “But she’s so sexy it’s not even funny.”
ALEXIS’S POV
“That was quite good.” One of the judges commented, hesitating. “We’d like to see you two dance something else. Do you have another routine?” I looked over at Jonny and nodded.
“Yes sir.” He replied for the both of us. “Would you like a different style of dance as well?”
“Please.” The judge responded.
“Okay. Would you like hip hop or contemporary.”
“We’d love to see both if you have the time.” The female judge piped up.
“Yes ma’am.” I replied for Jonny, smiling at the judges. “We’re ready whenever.”
“Alright, cue the music please.” It began and I felt my body slip into the story of the dance and invested my heart into it. It was easy to do. I’d spent years fighting love. Even if I wanted it, even if I found it I shoved it away. There was always some part of me that fought against it. ( 2 ). We finished and the music morphed into a hip hop beat. I sank into a new character, ready for the dance. ( 3 ). We finished and the crowd was standing and cheering for us.
“We have a selfish request.” One of the judges spoke over the noise. “Will you dance one more hip hop routine, as well as a contemporary one for us? Something with a deeper meaning that really speaks to you. You both have the talent, but we want to see your hearts.”
“We can do that.” Jonny replied, nodding to me. “Are you able to do these two?” He whispered.
“I think so. It’s worth it if it helps you.” I gave him a hug and stepped to the side of the stage. The music began and I lost myself in the movement. ( 4 ). The dance ended and I felt tears forming in my eyes. I took a deep breath and blinked them away before looking out at the crowd. One Direction had moved closer to the stage and I could see awe in their eyes. The judges smiled at us.
“Thank you for that work of art. Do you have a hip hop routine that you can do as well?”
“Yes we do.” Jonny replied.
“Is there a story behind it?” One of them asked.
“Well,” Jonny hesitated, squeezing my hand gently.
“Yes.” I replied, looking at them. “It represents a relationship I witnessed.”
“Okay. Off you go then.”
“Actually, can I change first? I’ll only take a minute.” I asked.
“Sure. When you come back we’ll start.” I headed off stage to change. I threw on my normal clothes and hurried back to the stage. The music began and I let the memories fill my motions. ( 5 ). The song finished and I stood in place, tears softly falling down my cheeks.
“Alexis.” I heard Niall say softly behind me. I spun, crashing into his chest. My fists grabbed handfuls of his shirt as my body racked with sobs. "Shhhhhh.” He murmured quietly into my hair as he held me close. “It’s going to be okay.” I could hear the cheers of the crowd but all that mattered to me was putting my walls back up. “I’ll stay up here with you okay?” I nodded into his chest, pulling away from him. I wiped the tears from my eyes, facing the people who filled the stadium.
“You were fantastic.” Jonny said. “Thank you so much for helping me.”
“You’re welcome.” I managed a small smile for him.
“What are your names?” The judge who asked for more from us spoke first.
“I’m Jonny.”
“I’m Alexis.”
“You two could be the next sensations in London, maybe even the world.” The crowd cheered but I bit my lip.
“I’m sorry sir, I’m not dancing as a career. I’m going to college for my degree.” I spoke out. “I’m honored that you think that highly of me though. Jonny, however, would love that opportunity. I must respectfully decline.” I bowed my head slightly.
“Are you sure? You’re flawless in your dancing.”
“I am honored, truly I am. I’m just not pursuing dancing at this point. Maybe someday I will, but right now I want to finish my degree. I’m very close to finishing.”
“If you change your mind, please come find us.”
“I will. Thank you so much.” I flushed as I walked off the stage after giving Jonny a hug. “You deserve this Jonny. I’m so proud of you and I couldn’t be happier.”
“Are you sure about not dancing Lex? I can see how much you love it.”
“I know I love it, I just don’t want to be that vulnerable yet.”
“Alright Lex. If you do change your mind though, find me. I’ll always choose you as my partner.” He smiled at me before letting me go.
“Thanks Jonny, for everything.” I walked off the stage and joined the rest of One Direction. I jumped onto Louis’s back and yelled “giddy up horsey!” I giggled as he neighed and galloped out of the room. We all climbed in the car and I leaned against Louis who sat beside me.
“I’m sorry Alexis. I didn’t know that was going to be hard for you.” He broke the silence that had enveloped the car. “I just thought it would be something fun for us to do.”
“None of you auditioned! I’m sorry I ruined it.”
“You didn’t ruin it.” Zayn replied. “You actually saved us from quite a bit of embarrassment there.”
“And Lou, it was really sweet of you to plan this. I actually miss dancing. It’s just hard for me to dance sometimes. It’s emotional and a lot of routines bring up painful parts of my life. But it was good to be able to dance again.”
“I don’t know how you danced like that.” Harry commented. “You were fantastic!”
“Thanks Haz.” I smiled, relaxing against Louis.
“So where do you live?” Liam asked from the driver’s seat.
“That’s all you had planned?” I furrowed my brow in confusion. “You made it seem like we’d be gone the whole day.”
“You still want to hang out with us? I guess we figured that you’d want to go home after what just happened.”
“No, I’d rather hang out with you guys if that’s okay.”
“Really?” Harry asked.
“Absolutely. I love hanging out with you guys. I didn’t have any plans anyway. You have more in store for me?” I looked over at Louis.
“You have no idea.” He winked at me cheekily and I giggled, settling in for a fun day with the guys.
"I'll just get ready and then we can leave.” Niall commented as he walked into his flat.
“Hurry Nialler!” Louis called. “We have big plans.”
“Alexis?” Harry spoke quietly from behind me. I turned to face him. He shuffled his feet anxiously.
“What’s up Harry?” I lifted an eyebrow.
“Come with me.” He pulled me into the kitchen, away from the others. “Why’d you give her to me?”
“Who, Isabella?”
“Was that the little girl’s name?’ I nodded. “Oh. Yeah, then Isabella. You had any of the others, especially Lou. Why’d you send her to me?”
I smiled. “I trusted everybody with her, but you looked like you were about to step in and take out Liam for yelling at me. You saw her too, right?” He looked down, averting his eyes. “I thought so. You wanted to help her as much as I did which is why you reacted stronger than any of the others. I knew holding her would calm you down and distract you enough so that I could deal with Liam.”
“Oh.”
“Plus, you seem like you’re great with kids and I wanted to see that side of you.” I grinned impishly up at him.
“By the way, Liam really wasn’t mad. He was just worried about you and the lads.”
“Thanks Haz.” I gave him a hug, tucking my head beneath his chin. “I’m glad you had my back.”
“Would you have punched him?” Harry asked, pulling away from me.
“No.” I whispered. “I may have come off tough, but that was just an act. When people are actually mad at me then I shut down.” I bit my lip and stared at the floor.
“What happened?” Harry’s fingers gently lifted my chin and I didn’t fight him, but kept my lips pressed together. “Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be here.” He dropped his hand and we walked back out to the rest of the group.
“There you are!” Louis launched himself across the room at me. He picked me up, draping me over his shoulder.
“Lou! Let me down!” I groaned, lightly hitting his back.
“Never!” He climbed on top of the coffee table. “You are my prisoner and I am King. You have to do what I tell you!” I rolled my eyes, and went limp. “That’s not fair.” He pouted and climbed down. “But I’m still not letting you down.” I didn’t reply and focused on becoming dead weight on his body. The guys leapt into action, trying to help me off Louis.
“You guys ready?” Niall came into the room and froze, looking at the scene before him. Harry had grabbed my hands and was pulling me one way, Zayn was tugging on my feet in the other direction. Liam was pulling Louis’s hands off of my body. Louis was fighting with all of them and I was laughing hysterically while unintentionally fighting all of them. “Wow. I leave for 5 minutes and you all go nuts. Besides,” he walked over, calmly pulling me down and pulling me close. “She likes me best anyway.” His hands gently gripped my hips and pulled me into him. I rested against his chest as his arms casually looped around my waist.
“Yeah yeah, whatever. Let’s just get going.” Louis cheered as we exited the flat.
“Lou, where are we going?” I asked quietly.
“It’s a surprise.” He winked at me and opened the door to head outside. “This time, stay with us.” He murmured in my ear. I flushed and nodded, letting Lou lead my through the crowd. We made it to the car with no problems this time. We slid into the seats and buckled up. Harry drove to a theater and parked the car. I looked over at them.
“Guys, what’s going on?”
“We’re all auditioning for a dancing show.” Louis laughed as we got out of the car. “We’re going to utterly fail and it’s going to be so much fun.” I smiled wryly and shook my head.
“I don’t know about this.” I muttered, but followed them inside anyway.
“Lex! Thank goodness you’re here. My partner fell through and I need somebody.” My old dance partner nearly cried when he saw me walk in.
“Wait, you’re auditioning?” I asked him.
“Well yeah. I’m surprised you aren’t.”
“Alexis, what’s going on?” Louis asked, confused.
“Jonny, you know I don’t dance anymore.” I replied, my tone clipped.
“You should though. Please, just help me with one dance.” His eyes begged me for help. I sighed and he pumped his fist in the air. “Seriously you’re the best!” He kissed my cheek. “We’re up in a couple dances so let’s get ready.”
“Hang on a sec here.” Harry stopped Jonny from whisking me away. “Who are you?”
“I’m her old dance partner.” He said, tugging on my arm.
“Well we’re her friends.” Harry replied, tugging on my other arm.
“Guys, please don’t. I don’t wanna get pulled apart for the second time today.” I grinned at them as they let me go. “Harry, guys, it’s okay. I’ll help Jonny out and then I’ll audition like you guys want me to.”
“Okay.” Louis nodded in approval. “We’ll be watching.”
Jonny pulled me off to the side. “Do you remember?”
“How could I forget it Jonny.” He smiled at me and hugged me tightly. “Let me go change quickly. Good thing I brought something for this.” I laughed and walked quickly to change. I slid on my dancing clothes and ran back to Jonny.
“I owe you.” He winked as we walked on the stage
“You always do.” I smirked at him and waited patiently for the judges to start us.
“Well you two are a lovely couple.” One of them remarked. I turned beet red at Jonny cracked up with laughter.
“We’re not dating sir.” He managed between laughs. I buried my face in my hands.
“My mistake. Well, are you two ready?” I glanced at Jonny who nodded at the judge. I turned back and flashed the judge a smile before getting into position. I could see One Direction at the back of the room, watching impatiently for me to dance.
NIALL’S POV
“Just wait for it.” I remarked, a large smile settling onto my face.
“Wait for what?” Liam asked.
“You’ll see.” I pointed to the stage as Alexis walked on. She looked stunning and fierce. I felt my heart leap into my throat. The lads started talking around me and blocked out the sound of the judges voice. Alexis blushed wildly on the stage and I laughed loudly at the utter embarrassment written throughout her features. She and Jonny got into position and the music started. ( 1 ).
“Oh my giddy aunt.” Harry whispered. “How the hell is she that good?”
“I don’t know.” I replied. “But she’s so sexy it’s not even funny.”
ALEXIS’S POV
“That was quite good.” One of the judges commented, hesitating. “We’d like to see you two dance something else. Do you have another routine?” I looked over at Jonny and nodded.
“Yes sir.” He replied for the both of us. “Would you like a different style of dance as well?”
“Please.” The judge responded.
“Okay. Would you like hip hop or contemporary.”
“We’d love to see both if you have the time.” The female judge piped up.
“Yes ma’am.” I replied for Jonny, smiling at the judges. “We’re ready whenever.”
“Alright, cue the music please.” It began and I felt my body slip into the story of the dance and invested my heart into it. It was easy to do. I’d spent years fighting love. Even if I wanted it, even if I found it I shoved it away. There was always some part of me that fought against it. ( 2 ). We finished and the music morphed into a hip hop beat. I sank into a new character, ready for the dance. ( 3 ). We finished and the crowd was standing and cheering for us.
“We have a selfish request.” One of the judges spoke over the noise. “Will you dance one more hip hop routine, as well as a contemporary one for us? Something with a deeper meaning that really speaks to you. You both have the talent, but we want to see your hearts.”
“We can do that.” Jonny replied, nodding to me. “Are you able to do these two?” He whispered.
“I think so. It’s worth it if it helps you.” I gave him a hug and stepped to the side of the stage. The music began and I lost myself in the movement. ( 4 ). The dance ended and I felt tears forming in my eyes. I took a deep breath and blinked them away before looking out at the crowd. One Direction had moved closer to the stage and I could see awe in their eyes. The judges smiled at us.
“Thank you for that work of art. Do you have a hip hop routine that you can do as well?”
“Yes we do.” Jonny replied.
“Is there a story behind it?” One of them asked.
“Well,” Jonny hesitated, squeezing my hand gently.
“Yes.” I replied, looking at them. “It represents a relationship I witnessed.”
“Okay. Off you go then.”
“Actually, can I change first? I’ll only take a minute.” I asked.
“Sure. When you come back we’ll start.” I headed off stage to change. I threw on my normal clothes and hurried back to the stage. The music began and I let the memories fill my motions. ( 5 ). The song finished and I stood in place, tears softly falling down my cheeks.
“Alexis.” I heard Niall say softly behind me. I spun, crashing into his chest. My fists grabbed handfuls of his shirt as my body racked with sobs. "Shhhhhh.” He murmured quietly into my hair as he held me close. “It’s going to be okay.” I could hear the cheers of the crowd but all that mattered to me was putting my walls back up. “I’ll stay up here with you okay?” I nodded into his chest, pulling away from him. I wiped the tears from my eyes, facing the people who filled the stadium.
“You were fantastic.” Jonny said. “Thank you so much for helping me.”
“You’re welcome.” I managed a small smile for him.
“What are your names?” The judge who asked for more from us spoke first.
“I’m Jonny.”
“I’m Alexis.”
“You two could be the next sensations in London, maybe even the world.” The crowd cheered but I bit my lip.
“I’m sorry sir, I’m not dancing as a career. I’m going to college for my degree.” I spoke out. “I’m honored that you think that highly of me though. Jonny, however, would love that opportunity. I must respectfully decline.” I bowed my head slightly.
“Are you sure? You’re flawless in your dancing.”
“I am honored, truly I am. I’m just not pursuing dancing at this point. Maybe someday I will, but right now I want to finish my degree. I’m very close to finishing.”
“If you change your mind, please come find us.”
“I will. Thank you so much.” I flushed as I walked off the stage after giving Jonny a hug. “You deserve this Jonny. I’m so proud of you and I couldn’t be happier.”
“Are you sure about not dancing Lex? I can see how much you love it.”
“I know I love it, I just don’t want to be that vulnerable yet.”
“Alright Lex. If you do change your mind though, find me. I’ll always choose you as my partner.” He smiled at me before letting me go.
“Thanks Jonny, for everything.” I walked off the stage and joined the rest of One Direction. I jumped onto Louis’s back and yelled “giddy up horsey!” I giggled as he neighed and galloped out of the room. We all climbed in the car and I leaned against Louis who sat beside me.
“I’m sorry Alexis. I didn’t know that was going to be hard for you.” He broke the silence that had enveloped the car. “I just thought it would be something fun for us to do.”
“None of you auditioned! I’m sorry I ruined it.”
“You didn’t ruin it.” Zayn replied. “You actually saved us from quite a bit of embarrassment there.”
“And Lou, it was really sweet of you to plan this. I actually miss dancing. It’s just hard for me to dance sometimes. It’s emotional and a lot of routines bring up painful parts of my life. But it was good to be able to dance again.”
“I don’t know how you danced like that.” Harry commented. “You were fantastic!”
“Thanks Haz.” I smiled, relaxing against Louis.
“So where do you live?” Liam asked from the driver’s seat.
“That’s all you had planned?” I furrowed my brow in confusion. “You made it seem like we’d be gone the whole day.”
“You still want to hang out with us? I guess we figured that you’d want to go home after what just happened.”
“No, I’d rather hang out with you guys if that’s okay.”
“Really?” Harry asked.
“Absolutely. I love hanging out with you guys. I didn’t have any plans anyway. You have more in store for me?” I looked over at Louis.
“You have no idea.” He winked at me cheekily and I giggled, settling in for a fun day with the guys.