Before One Direction

A heart two sizes too big.

To anyone who met him......he was the sweet guy you just wanted to make smile. Not because he would hopefully give you more than one glance..but because happiness looked so damn good on him.

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                                                                 Liam Payne

                                              A Coffee Shop  - 7:30 pm, 2009.

Liam laughed along with his friends, sitting around the comfy corner surrounded with many chairs and pillows stacked around. The boys had adopted the corner as their own on Friday nights like this. They enjoyed watching the open mic nights the cafe put on one in a while or the poetry contests they took turns participating in just for the fun of it. Not only to laugh, but also to study or just lay back and watch the seasons change.

But of course this corner was a bit more sacred than some ordinary study hall. The boys often came to that specific corner when they needed time to think about things, which came in handy as the cafe staff knew them all by name. Their usual server Sandra would simply walk over with s pile of napkins, spreading them all over the table. The boys would be either talking, studying, or reading with their heads buried in books so she never disturbed as she knew what they liked.

She would smile at them and bring back the same thing they always ordered, then walk away quietly so she wouldn't bother them. A few times they had confided in Sandra, but usually if it was dark out, she was pretty busy so the boys tried to ask each other instead.

Luckily tonight however, it was another open mic and the boys gathered around for some inspiration. They glanced around with excitement dancing in their eyes noticing a few newcomers who hadn't been in the cafe before, at least while they were there. Sandra walked by, a quiet laugh escaping her as she gave the boys their hot chocolate. 

"Excited I see?" she would tease them and they would laugh.

"Always." Liam would tease back. His mind was elsewhere tonight though, and that bothered him. He was usually so interested in listening to people read their thoughts because the world was so different and everyone had something different to say. Maybe it was just that he had been stressing over exams lately? That had to be it. He figured he would wait a little to see what happened before starting to freak out over something so small. 

And he did wait.

He listened to every single person in the cafe go up on stage, but he was still bothered. The Cafe was clearing out as it was getting darker outside, chillier too, so he slid his backpack onto his back after wishing everyone a goodnight and trudged home. Winter was approaching faster than it had left months ago which meant snow, and that made Liam smile a little.

It was around eight thirty once he got home and safely inside. Usually he would join his sister for a scary movie or his parents just to ask how their day was, but he didn't really know what to say today so he just said hello and hurried upstairs to the comfort of his room.

A soft knock on his door made him shift a little quicker than necessary. "Honey?" his mother called.

He yawned in the process, then replied. "Yeah?"

"Everything alright lovebug? You're awfully quiet tonight." she poked her head in the doorway as her son moved around his room, setting down his back pack then walking over to his closet.

"I'm okay mum. Just tired I suppose. Practice has been killer this week." he gave his mother a small smile not wanting to worry her more than she already was. She nodded and crossed the room, swiftly leaving a kiss on his forehead then turning and heading out the room back downstairs after closing the door quietly.

He yawned again, for the second time as he grabbed a random pair of jumpers to wear to bed. He thought for a moment as he changed for bed. Was that his problem? That could be it, he was just tired. The cross country couch had been running him bonkers with all the extra practice before the upcoming meet.

He relaxed a bit, settling into bed. He was just tired. He just needed a good nights rest and in the morning he wouldn't feel so bothered or irritated at himself. He laid back, slipping his arms behind his head as he looked up at the ceiling. 

Apparently sleep wasn't the answer. He couldn't fall asleep because he wasn't that tired. Not yet anyway. He frowned in the darkness, turning over on his side facing the window where the moon waved back at him. What was it? He though for a while.

Had he missed someone's birthday recently? No. Was someone's birthday coming up he had forgotten about? No. He was confused but didn't know why. The only thing he could think of was that it was about to be a new year. January 1st was slowly approaching. There wasn't anything special about that though. He still had five...no six months of school left. 

Well unless he decided to try his luck again.. 

The it clicked. The new year meant it was another chance to try and live his dream if he got all the way to the top again. He sighed loudly, rubbing his face a bit. This would be his second time if he chose to risk what could possibly be his future. After that last thought, he involuntarily decided not to worry about it any longer, at least not for now. 

Slowly, he drifted off to sleep. His mind was still reeling about the conclusion as to why he was so out of it earlier. But then he smiled. He wasn't born to be a quitter, nor would he ever be. But when the new year came, he would once again give his all to everything he wanted to accomplish, starting with trying out as he had before.

Only this time, he would make it to the finals. That is, if he survived his track meet tomorrow morning.