the traveller // louis tomlinson

chapter five // loneliness.

Mia's POV

"Mia! Another box of posters, please!" I hear Tyler yell the minute my butt hits a seat.

You've got to be kidding me!

I wipe the sweat from my forehead as I gaze at the heavy boxes I had just lugged in from the merchandise truck, all full of stupid little t-shirts and bags with the faces of One Direction on them. At the moment, they're literally the last people I want to see.

Muttering every swear word I know under my breath, I get to my aching feet once again. I've been running around non-stop for the past several hours, all while the boys do meet and greets for an insane amount of adolescent girls.

Using what muscles I have, I bend down to pick up a large box labeled 'posters'. Blowing the hair that's fallen out of my messy bun out of my face, I venture into the crowded mall rotunda.

The long, winding line of tweens that wrapped around the mall hasn't gotten any smaller. I drag my feet across the ground as I drop the box down next its several empty counterparts. Tyler gives me a look of warning, as he always does when I do something with an even hint of attitude.

"Thank you, Mia," Louis' voice grasps my attention.

I glance over to where he's seated - right between Harry and Liam - and show him exactly how enthusiastic I am to be doing all this manual labor. In return, he flashes me an encouraging smile, reaching all the way up to his bright blue eyes.

The fan that's fighting for his attention in front of him gives me a deathly glare. A small laugh bubbles in my chest as I watch how insanely jealous this girl - who can't be any older than 12 - is getting from the mere smile I'm receiving for Louis.

I feel awful for the other boys' girlfriends.

Another couple hours pass of me doing the same thing; lugging heavy boxes full of merchandise for the boys to sign out in front of the large crowd. Each time I come out, I see the exhaustion dragging the boys slowly down. Gone is the energy they were brimming to the top with when this event started. Everybody's starting to get cranky; fans, staff, everyone.

Just when I thought I was going to pass out, Tyler announces the meet and greet is over and that it's time for fan questions. The boys get a small bathroom break as I get situated with Tyler in the sound booth towards the back of the venue.

My legs burn with relief as I take a seat on an uncomfortable metal folding chair. I slump into it as if we were destined for each other. Tyler puts on a headset and takes a seat beside me. He looks like he's getting to his breaking point as well. I wouldn't be surprised if he just keeled over at any moment.

"I don't know how you do this," I mutter as I lay my head down on the table, wishing I were back in my small, cramped bunk.

Tyler gives me a pat on the back and a small laugh,

"It's all worth it, you'll see," He says, sounding much more serious and sentimental than I thought possible.

Tyler's very much like the boys, but just a few years older. He's always joking around and never seems to run out of energy. There's no way in hell I'm going to be able to keep up with them all. I always thought I was mildly energetic, but compared to them, I'm a stick in the mud.

"Boys, you're on," Tyler says into his microphone.

I prop my head up on my hands as I watch the boys walk on stage. The noise level across the audience reaches a new high, forcing me to cover my ears. I'm sure that's incredibly intimidating to be facing, but the boys look right at home.