Walking in the Wind One Direction EDITING

25. This is me

After practicing for a few hours, my stomach growls loudly, interrupting the flow of lyrics.

"You need some food in there?" Liam chuckles, glancing at me with that familiar teasing smile.

"Yeah, I sure do," I admit, glancing at the time. "It's almost 10. We could grab a quick brunch or maybe just a snack? Want to see if the others are hungry too?"

"Good idea." Liam looks at the schedule in his hand. "Harry and Jade are practicing right next door."

"Perfect," I say, grabbing my water bottle. "Let's go."

As we walk down the hallway, I wonder aloud, "What song do you think they picked?"

"No clue," Liam replies.

When we reach their door, I raise my fist to knock, then pause and glance at Liam with a mischievous smirk. "Should we listen in first?"

Liam raises an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Mischievous now, are we?"

"Shh," I whisper, carefully cracking open the door just enough to hear the faint sound of Jade's voice.

"This is real, this is me. I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now," Jade belts out, her voice brimming with emotion.

"Let the light shine on me!"

I peek through the crack in the door, catching a glimpse of Jade singing dramatically while Harry stands with his back turned to us.

"Let me see," Liam whispers, leaning in close. His chest presses lightly against my back, his head resting just above mine as he peers through the opening.

"You're the voice I hear inside my head, the reason that I'm singing," Harry's voice comes through next, smooth and heartfelt.

"I need to find you. I gotta find you," he sings, stepping closer to Jade.

"You're the missing piece I need, the song inside of me," Jade harmonizes, their voices blending beautifully as they move closer together.

"They're good," I whisper, impressed.

Liam's warm breath fans against my neck as he replies softly, "Yeah, really good."

Suddenly, a voice whispers right by my ear. "What are you two doing?"

Liam and I both jump, startled by Louis, who's appeared out of nowhere. The door swings open as I let go in surprise, and Liam loses his balance, tumbling forward. He lands on top of me, and we both crash to the floor inside Harry and Jade's practice room.

"Are you okay?" Liam asks immediately, his face inches from mine, concern flickering in his eyes.

"I'm fine," I say, laughing despite myself.

Harry and Jade turn around, startled by the commotion, but their expressions shift to amusement as they see us sprawled on the ground.

"What's going on?" Jade laughs, turning down the music.

Louis bursts into hysterical laughter, pointing at us. "Got you! I got you two good!"

"What's happening?" Harry asks, chuckling at Louis's infectious laughter.

Liam rolls off me, muttering, "We, uh, just wanted to ask if you'd like to join us for brunch." He straightens his clothes and helps me to my feet.

"Don't let them fool you," Louis says, still laughing. "These sneaky little spies were eavesdropping on your duet!"

"Okay, guilty as charged," I admit, raising my hands in mock surrender.

"You were listening the whole time?" Jade asks, laughing as she grabs her purse.

"You were great, by the way," Liam says earnestly.

"Thanks, mate," Harry replies, clapping Liam on the back. "Now about that brunch—I could definitely use some fuel."

The boys walk out together, leaving Jade and me to follow.

"I don't want to lose too much practice time," Jade says, pointing toward a nearby snack table. "Let's just grab something quick from here."

"Good idea," Louis agrees, joining us at the table.

"Why were you in the hallway anyways?" Liam asks, picking up a donut from the snack table.

"My partner's off doing her interview anyway, and she wanted to call her boyfriend or something. I figured I'd check in with you guys while I waited." Louis says.

Harry grabs a granola bar while I pick up a cupcake. "So, what song are you two doing?" Jade asks between bites of M&M's.

I glance at Liam, and we exchange a look. It's like we're telepathically on the same page.

"It's a surprise," I say, smirking.

"Oh, come on," Harry groans. "You already know our song!"

"Sorry, mate," Liam says with a grin. "Top secret."

"Nicole's grand opening act," I add playfully. "Can't spoil it."

Louis raises an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You two feeling special now?"

Liam and I stay silent, biting back laughter as the others eye us suspiciously. A moment of silence stretches out, broken only by the rhythmic tapping of Liam's fingers on the table.

"Fine," Louis says dramatically. "I'll tell you mine. It's Summer Nights."

"Another Grease song?" Jade and I say in unison, surprised.

Louis shrugs. "It fits me."

"True," Liam agrees, taking a bite of his donut.

"I like it," Harry says, standing up. "Now, we should get back before one of the vocal coaches notices we're not practicing."

We all nod, grabbing our snacks and heading back to our respective rooms. As Liam and I walk back, he nudges me lightly.

"You think they believed we were serious about the whole grand opening act thing?" he asks, his voice laced with humor.

"Not for a second," I reply with a laugh.

We reach our practice room, and as Liam opens the door for me, he pauses. "By the way," he says softly, his voice suddenly serious.

"Yeah?"

"You're actually doing really great. With the song. And... everything."

His words catch me off guard, and I feel a warm flutter in my chest.

"Thanks," I say, looking down to hide my smile. "You're not so bad yourself, Culprit."

Liam chuckles, shaking his head as we step inside to continue our practice.