Journaling our love | Liam Payne x Marie [Oc]

Chapter 2: Aftershock

Marie barely remembered walking back to the media tent. Her heart was still racing, her mind replaying the encounter over and over. Liam Payne. Liam actual Payne. And not just from a distance or across a stage—she had talked to him. Laughed with him. Spilled coffee on him.

She collapsed into a folding chair in the corner of the bustling tent, setting her bag down with a thud. Around her, reporters typed furiously on laptops or spoke into phones, chasing stories that were likely much bigger than hers.

Her editor, Jen, spotted her from across the tent and marched over. “You’ve been gone for hours,” she said, folding her arms. “Please tell me you’ve got something worth writing.”

Marie opened her mouth to respond but hesitated. Did she tell Jen what just happened? It felt… too personal. Too unreal. And Jen would probably tell her to write something “hard-hitting” about celebrity culture, which wasn’t the vibe Marie wanted at all.

“Still working on it,” she said finally.

Jen sighed, rubbing her temple. “Marie, come on. You’ve got until tonight to give me something good. We can’t just run another fluffy ‘festival highlights’ piece. We need a hook.”

“Got it,” Marie mumbled as Jen walked away.

She pulled out her notebook and stared at the blank page. Her pen hovered, but her thoughts were a jumbled mess of half-formed ideas and lingering adrenaline.

Maybe she should’ve asked Liam for a real interview. Maybe she should’ve—

“Marie!” a voice interrupted her spiral. It was Natalie, one of the photographers she’d met that morning. She slid into the chair next to Marie, her camera slung across her chest. “You look like you just saw a ghost. What happened?”

Marie hesitated again, then blurted, “I met Liam Payne.”

Natalie’s eyes widened. “Wait. What?”

“I spilled coffee on him,” Marie added quickly, cringing at the memory.

Natalie slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. “You what? Oh my God, please tell me you got a picture of his face when it happened.”

“No, I didn’t,” Marie said, groaning. “But I did talk to him. Like, an actual conversation.”

“Holy crap,” Natalie whispered, leaning closer. “What did he say? Was he nice? Did he smell good?”

Marie let out a breathy laugh. “Yes, he was nice. And I wasn’t close enough to smell him. I just—ugh, I don’t know. He was really… normal. Funny, even.”

“Liam Payne. Funny.” Natalie smirked. “The headline writes itself.”

Marie shook her head. “I can’t write about him. It feels weird, you know? Like, it wasn’t an interview or anything.”

“So?” Natalie said, shrugging. “You’re not writing his biography. Just use it as a jumping-off point. ‘A chance encounter with fame’ or something.”

Marie frowned, tapping her pen against her notebook. Natalie had a point, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to dig into that yet. The encounter felt too raw, too fresh.

“I don’t know,” Marie admitted. “I need time to think.”

“Well, don’t think too long,” Natalie said, standing up. “Festival ends tomorrow, and Jen’s breathing down everyone’s neck. Just saying.”

Marie nodded, watching Natalie disappear into the chaos of the tent. She leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes for a moment.

What was she even doing here? Chasing a story she couldn’t find, accidentally meeting her favorite member of One Direction, and now… what? She felt like she was standing on the edge of something big, but she had no idea what it was.

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The festival grounds were even busier by the evening. Marie wandered aimlessly, her press badge granting her access to areas most fans couldn’t reach. She stopped by the main stage, where a smaller band was performing their set, the crowd swaying along to the music.

She couldn’t stop scanning the faces around her, half-hoping she’d spot Liam again. It was a ridiculous thought—he was probably backstage or in a private VIP area, not wandering around like a normal person. But still, the idea lingered.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, snapping her back to reality. It was a text from Jen.

Deadline is tomorrow noon. No excuses.

Marie sighed, shoving her phone back into her pocket. She needed a plan. Maybe Natalie was right—maybe she could write about her encounter with Liam, as long as she framed it the right way.

But before she could dwell on it, a ripple went through the crowd nearby. Heads turned, whispers spread.

Marie’s stomach dropped.

It wasn’t hard to see why everyone was reacting—Liam Payne had just stepped into view. He was with a small group, a baseball cap pulled low over his face, but there was no mistaking him.

Marie froze, torn between ducking away and… what? Saying hi again? Would he even recognize her?

As she debated, Liam glanced in her direction. For a second, she thought their eyes met, but it was probably just her imagination. He was surrounded by people—security, maybe some friends—and he looked like he was heading toward a private area.

Marie bit her lip, the urge to follow him battling with her sense of professionalism. She couldn’t be that person, could she?

But then, just before he disappeared into the crowd, he paused. Turned.

And he was looking right at her.

Her heart stopped.

Liam tilted his head slightly, as if trying to place her. Then his lips quirked into a small, knowing smile.

Marie didn’t move, didn’t breathe, until he was gone again.

And all she could think was: what the hell just happened?