And then a bit

I

Men måske er det her tiden
Hvor det godt må være lidt ude af kontrol
Måske er det her året
Hvor vi ikke lover mere end vi kan holde
Måske er de her dage
Nogle vi husker som dem der satte os fri
(Marie Key – "De Her Dage")

CHAPTER I:

Louis has always felt a bit like he was being summoned to a secret spy organisation when Modest! requested meetings like this, for some reason. Maybe it was the sort of mysterious call, the here's-the-time-and-place-but-don't-think-we'll-bother-to-tell-you-why-you're-being-summoned-call.

At any rate, he finds himself up bright and early, donning a maroon t-shirt and black skinny jeans cuffed at the bottom, showing off his tanned ankles and his "The Rogue" tattoo. On his feet he slips a pair of worn out black vans – no socks – and his hair is styled into a messy quiff. He grabs his sunglasses and jacket from a nearby chair, where he had recklessly disposed of them yesterday when he came back from a late night trip to Tesco, and makes his way out of his house, mentally checking that he hasn't forgotten anything of importance.

Keys? Wallet? Phone? Check. Check Check.

He turns on the radio as he pulls out of his garage, listening to the last few lines of Little Mix's newest single that is playing. He smiles slightly, remembering how lost Zayn had been when Perrie had really started working again after a year of domestic bliss. "But what am I supposed to do now, Louis?" He'd whined to Louis over the phone. Louis, the ever sympathetic chap that he is, had merely laughed at him and exclaimed that it wasn't like Perrie had died or anything, she'd still be around.

Lucky for the girls, they'd managed to make a successful comeback – when they released their newest album 14 months after their hiatus had begun, it didn't take long for them to be back where they'd been before their break, better even. It gave Louis hope that maybe the same would be the case for them. So far things were looking quite glum, though. They'd always prided themselves on having the best fans in the world. They were passionate and dedicated – if sometimes verging on the crazy – but above all else, they were loyal. Even though management had had plenty of worries regarding the fickleness of today's teens, Louis had been positive that their fans would still be there when they returned.

Unfortunately, it seems like management might have been right. And it isn't that people don't remember them, or that they don't still have fans, but it clearly isn't the same. Not that he'd expected it to be the same, but...

Ever since they began making their next album five months ago, PR has worked around the clock to amp up the boys, and gather the following they used to have. It seems, though, that people are over 1D. Little Mix had only been away for a year, and they'd managed to hold on to their fanbase pretty successfully, and those they'd lost they either won back once their newest album had been released, or they had gained new fans to make up for those who disappeared. It appears that a year is the limit for a teenage girl's attention span. One Direction is nearing two, and while things aren't exactly at "we-might-as-well-give-up-no-one-likes-us-anymore"-level, they are nowhere near the comeback the boys had hoped to make. And the thing is, it's not like the 12 years olds are their target market any more – they've grown up a lot since, they're no longer the teenage lads who sang Torn with great gusto. They're older, more mature, and so is their music. Ideally they'd like to attain an older audience, someone more their own age – but how do you do that when people still see you as an 18-year old with Justin Bieber hair?

Louis sighs as he pulls into the parking lot of the building where Modest! Management has their offices. He wonders briefly if that is what the meeting is about – a new PR strategy to get the band back to its former glory, perhaps. He'd like to see how they'd play that one.