10 Years Later (Larry Stylinson)

Chapter 12

Louis grinned and chatted, buzzing from the high of meeting the fans, while the hairdresser styled his hair and the make-up artist sponged foundation in different shades onto his face to even out his complexion and add definition, running a liquid liner over the tips of his top and bottom lashes to darken them, and not even scowling when they put that awful clear mascara on his lashes and eyebrows, which he'd always hated. When they were finished, he changed into the shirt and trousers the wardrobe lady gave him, checking the mirror quickly to muss up his hair a little from the neat style the hairdresser had created. Melanie led him into the studio, which was set up with a small couch and a neutral backdrop, with four cameras pointing at the sofa.

He smiled, shook the hands of each of the small crew, and sat on the sofa. While the lighting was adapted, Melanie told him to just relax, tell the truth, and they'd let him know if there were any answers he needed to expand upon or revise. Louis inhaled deeply and sank into the couch, fidgeting slightly before settling into a comfortable position.

The director shouted, "Action!" and started asking his questions, beginning with Louis' time on the X-Factor. Louis recapped his time on the show; how nervous he'd been auditioning; meeting Harry in the bathroom; his first impression of the other guys at boot-camp; his heartbreak at not being selected for the judges' houses; the elation when he'd been put together with the lads; the week at Harry's step-dad's bungalow getting to know each other; the first performance as a band at Simon's house after he'd hurt his foot on a sea urchin; and the joy of Simon putting them through to the live shows.

He glanced at Melanie, who nodded and smiled at him, reassuring Louis that he was doing okay, and he continued reliving the memories of moving into the X-factor house; the hi-jinx and video diaries; the first time he'd seen the fans outside and the awe as he realised that some of them were there for him; how the live shows were terrifying and the eliminations even worse; the absolute roller-coaster of it all; how devastated he'd felt when it had ended so abruptly in the final; and the relief and happiness when they'd been offered a record contract regardless of their coming third

The questions moved on to the post-X-factor era, and Louis talked about the amazing places he'd seen; writing songs and recording with the lads; making the videos; all the interviews; the live shows; and the euphoria he'd felt after. He paused before quietly admitting how hard it had been to be on the road for so long away from his family; that he was never really prepared for the level of success they had; that he'd never really felt like he'd deserved the adoration he received. Although the attention from the fans had been amazing at first, it soon became frightening and overwhelming.

Louis was quick to say that, of course, he was so incredibly grateful to the fans and everything they did for him; but it had just gotten to the point, after a few years, where he was so famous that he couldn't leave the house without multiple bodyguards. He was regularly frightened for his life when he was locked in shops and crowds were pressing in from the outside. He haltingly spoke about how often he would have panic-attacks after being almost crushed by fans and how miserable it was to not be able to do or say anything that hadn't been pre-scripted by Modest! All because of the Larry Stylinson speculation; how he always had to be hyper aware of where Harry was, so he didn't look at him too much or touch him, all to avoid long lectures from their then-management team; how lonely and jealous he'd felt when Harry had dropped him for his cool indie friends; and the slow realisation that he'd lost his best friend because they weren't allowed to be friends in public.

He talked about becoming closer with Zayn, Liam and Niall after Harry had made his new, cooler friends, which was a change because while he'd always been close with the other lads, it had been 'Louis and Harry' for so long, with the other three being best friends together. The natural divide in the group hadn't caused tension; it was just the way it was; until, of course, everything changed and Louis was pushed away by Harry and joined the other three. Once it was just the four of them and Harry was off doing his own thing, the band's atmosphere became a lot more tense.