SIX - One Direction

35

After getting back to London, the boys wasted no time turning their flat into a chaotic, makeshift studio. Guitars, amps, and notebooks were strewn across the room, mugs of tea in every corner, and the walls were lined with scribbled lyric sheets. Even finding a clear spot to sit was a mission – if it wasn't a stack of records in the way, it was someone's half-eaten bacon sarnie.

Harry kicked off a new song, his guitar strumming low and steady as he mumbled through the lyrics he'd been working on. The others gathered round, all ears. Alex leaned back, letting herself soak in the roughness of it. There was something about the way he played – rough around the edges but so full of heart.

"Bloody brilliant, Haz," she said when he finished, trying not to sound too impressed but failing a bit.

Harry rubbed the back of his neck, a little bashful. "Cheers, Alex. Bit personal, innit? But I reckon it's got the right vibe for this one."

From that point on, every day was full throttle. They'd break only for endless cups of tea or the odd Tesco meal deal, chatting in between about everything and nothing. Someone would make a run for chips, and Niall would always be angling for a late-night Nando's. The flat was buzzing – ideas were getting thrown around as fast as the empty biscuit packets piling up on the table.

One afternoon, as they were sitting around the kitchen table buried in notebooks, Niall piped up with his thick Irish accent, "Oi, how 'bout we do a track that's about all of us? Proper reflect all the stuff we've been through, yeah?"

Zayn nodded, flipping through some sketches he'd done for the album cover. "Yeah, something that's about sticking together, innit? Not just the glam bits. Proper stuff."

Louis grinned, chucking a crumpled biscuit wrapper at him. "Or we could just call it Never Going Solo and be done with it." The lot of them dissolved into laughter, Harry practically spilling his tea as he tried to keep it together.

As the conversation died down, Alex noticed Harry zoning out a bit, staring into his tea like it held all the answers. She nudged him with her elbow, shooting him a questioning look. "Oi, where's your head at?"

He blinked, like he was snapping back to reality. "Just thinkin' about all the mad stuff we've been through. Feels a bit like yesterday, us all just muckin' about on tour, and now here we are." He let out a low chuckle. "Bit overwhelming sometimes, innit?"

Alex just nodded, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze. "Look, we're all just winging it here. That's kinda the point, right? We've made it this far, haven't we?"

Harry flashed her a quick smile, more relaxed. "Yeah, guess you're right. Couldn't do it without you, though. Don't go getting all big-headed, though," he added with a wink.

As the days went by, they kept hammering out new ideas, every session a mix of bad jokes, spilled tea, and half-finished tunes. They'd stay up late, sprawled around the flat – Louis strumming random chords on his guitar, Niall humming along in some half-sleep state, and Zayn sketching on any scrap of paper he could find. Liam would be on the phone ordering a late-night curry, always coming back with twice as much as they needed.

"Right, lads, who's up for a takeaway?" he asked one night, already dialing.

"Get extra poppadoms this time!" Zayn called from the other room.

In between all the noise, Alex looked around, realizing that these moments – just the lot of them, eating cheap takeaway and bouncing ideas around – were what made everything worth it. No frills, no spotlight. Just them, a bit messy and maybe a bit mad, but somehow, it felt exactly right.