Truly Madly Deeply

Chapter 11: The Pub and the Missing Wardrobe

After the chaos of the concert, the lads decided they deserved a drink—or five. Louis led the charge, practically dragging everyone towards the nearest pub, his sassy diva energy at an all-time high. Savannah followed with a smirk, knowing Louis was about to turn this night into an event to remember, like only he could.

Inside the pub, the lads were in full spirits, laughing and joking around, each one of them the very definition of exhausted but elated. Louis, of course, was the life of the party, recounting every detail of the concert's water war to the few bewildered pub-goers who seemed half in awe, half wondering why a bunch of half-dressed lads were running wild in their local.

"Louis, seriously," Savannah chuckled, as Louis downed a shot and grabbed her by the shoulders. "I haven't seen you this hyper since you tried to dye your hair bright red in Year 10 and nearly set the bathroom on fire."

Louis just grinned, shrugging. "A man's gotta keep life exciting, Sav." He threw a dramatic glance towards the lads. "Right, boys?"

Liam raised his glass with a laugh. "To excitement, then. And Louis nearly getting us kicked out of every venue on this tour."

They toasted, clinking glasses, laughing as Niall tried to down his beer in one go, managing to spill half of it down his front. "Ah, damn it," he groaned, dabbing at his shirt with a napkin.

"Nice one, Niall," Zayn smirked, though he didn't look much better with his hair completely mussed up from fans tugging at it all night.

They all laughed, shoving each other playfully, until finally, they were too tired (and slightly too tipsy) to carry on, so they stumbled their way back to the bus.

But not without a few casualties along the way.

By the time they reached the bus, they were all slightly worse for wear. Niall was missing one shoe entirely, mumbling something about it getting "swallowed by the bloody sidewalk." Louis had somehow lost his jacket, and Zayn and Harry were each down a shoe as well, both of them shrugging and laughing about it.

And Liam? Well, Liam had gotten mobbed so hard, he'd had his shirt entirely ripped off by one particularly eager fan, leaving him walking back to the bus shirtless, flashing an unbothered grin like he was on a bloody catwalk.

Savannah, for her part, was trying very hard not to stare, though it wasn't exactly easy with the way his abs caught the glow of the streetlights. She was doing her best to play it cool, but Louis, of course, caught her looking and raised an eyebrow, a smirk forming on his lips. "Oi, Sav, you want me to get Liam to sign a shirtless photo for you later?"

Savannah shot him a glare, cheeks flushing. "Shut up, Louis. Just because you'd get your face tattooed on his abs if you could."

Louis laughed, unfazed. "Hey, I would look good as a tattoo, actually. Right on his left pec, maybe?"

Harry leaned in, grinning. "That's right, Louis, you'd be the best accessory Liam's ever had."

When they finally made it onto the bus, they all collapsed into seats, still laughing and breathless. Niall immediately dove into a bag of crisps, stuffing his face as if they'd just completed a triathlon. "God, I could eat an entire bloody Nando's right now," he mumbled, grabbing a soda from the stash on the counter.

"Then it's a good thing we picked some up on the way back, you absolute goblin," Savannah teased, grabbing the bag of takeout and tossing it his way.

They dug in, everyone grabbing boxes and passing drinks around as they recapped the night, the chaos of the fans, the music, the mad water fight. Savannah glanced around the group, and she couldn't help but smile. For all their quirks and chaos, these boys were something else, each of them exactly who Louis had always needed in his life.

As they finished eating, the lads started winding down, rubbing their eyes and stretching as sleep started to pull them under. Savannah reached for her bag to grab her pajamas and head to the bathroom to change when Liam spoke up.

"You can crash in my bunk again tonight, Savannah," he offered, smiling that damn charming smile that made her heart skip just a bit. "I'll just bunk up with Niall or Harry."

Savannah shook her head, trying not to look too eager. "You sure, Liam? I can always—"

"Oh, trust me," Louis interrupted, smirking, "he's more than happy to give up his bunk for you, Sav. Isn't that right, Liam?" He gave Liam a very unsubtle nudge, earning him a scowl from Liam.

"Right," Liam replied, ignoring Louis' smirk, his gaze lingering on Savannah. "It's no trouble."

Savannah cleared her throat, muttering a quick thanks before heading to the bathroom to change. She slipped into her favorite pair of sweatpants and one of Louis' old shirts that she'd claimed years ago. Not a chance she was putting herself in anything remotely revealing on a bus with five teenage boys who could barely manage a normal conversation without cracking some inappropriate joke.

When she came back out, the lads were mostly dozing off, sprawled in bunks or curled up under blankets. Louis gave her a thumbs-up, eyes half-closed as he muttered, "Get some rest, superstar's best friend. You'll need it for tomorrow's chaos."

Rolling her eyes, Savannah climbed into Liam's bunk, pulling the blanket over her shoulders and settling in. She couldn't help but sneak a glance over to where Liam was—now squeezing himself into Niall's bunk, somehow both of them managing to fit in the small space without kicking each other out.

As she drifted off, Savannah thought back on the night—the insane concert, the pub, the missing clothes, and Liam's easy smile as he'd offered her his bed. The world of One Direction was absolute madness, but somehow, she was more than ready to see what insanity tomorrow would bring.