Behind the Cameras

Actually, it was Cascada

April 2013- New Jersey

I hope y'all remember this one and I don't have to explain it.

The interviewer turned off the camera. "Thanks, guys," she said. She came around to shake each of the boys' hands. Zayn stood and dusted himself off.

"So can I eat the cookies or..." Niall asked her.

"Of course! They're all yours, boys," she offered.

Niall grinned and grabbed the Chips Ahoy cookies and ripped them open. He seemed oblivious to the thick tension in the air.

Louis was purposely avoiding Harry's gaze. He was so angry, and honestly wasn't sure why. Sure, they had a little riff before the interview about Harry's height. Louis said he should apply for a world record of growing faster than the entire damn world and Harry had jokingly flipped him off.

He couldn't help but make fun of Harry's 'my first concert was Nickelback' comment. He was a bit annoyed that Harry had flipped him off, and just wanted to be pissy about it. He knew it was really just because he was pissed Harry was taller than him.

Then, Harry got all annoying and kept interrupting Zayn as he was trying to talk. Ugh. Louis was just extra pissed now. They almost never fought, so it was weird. Louis wasn't sure if he wanted to ignore Harry for the rest of the day or fuck some sense into him.

Paul came over to tell them they had an hour lunch break, then some fan signings later. Louis got up and left the room. His heart was beating really fast, and he needed to calm himself before he started screaming at someone.

He found a door to exit the back of the building and pressed the bar, wincing and hoping no alarms went off. They didn't, so Louis headed out. He heard footsteps behind him and turned quickly, preparing for a fight with Harry.

It was Zayn. Louis breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Hey, mate, was going for a smoke," Zayn told him. "Want to join?"

Louis nodded, and held the door open for him. Outside, the air was warm. It was that point in spring where the weather wasn't sure if it should be cold or hot yet. Louis took a deep breath.

Zayn offered him a cigarette and he declined. Zayn lit his and took a long drag. They were both silent for a moment.

"So what's with the elephant in the room?" asked Zayn.

Louis rolled his eyes. "It's nothing," he muttered. He picked at a thread in his jacket. "Hey, since when is Harry taller than me?"

Zayn gave him a look. "Like, for the past two years?" said Zayn.

Louis groaned. "I didn't notice. It's annoying." He pressed his palms into the rough tile of the building.

"Yeah, cuz you're too busy bending him over to notice," Zayn muttered to himself.

Louis frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. Then he reached out and flicked Zayn's cigarette out of his fingers so it fell onto the gravel beneath them.

"Hey!" exclaimed Zayn.

"Fuck you," said Louis. He went to grab to door, expect of fucking course it didn't open from the outside. He huffed and started to walk away, turning at the edge of the building so Zayn was out of view. Well, not the dramatic exit he was hoping for.

He continued walking around the building and found a random glass door. He saw Liam on the inside, so he knocked. Liam came over to open the door for him.

"Hey, mate," Liam said. Louis huffed in response and came in. Niall was there too, still eating his packet of Chips Ahoy.

"You look sad," said Niall. He handed Louis a cookie.