Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Here We Go Again Or How Louis Tomlinson Followed Me To Work

My shift at the reception started out really boring with just a couple of incoming phone calls from people who wanted to book a room of which the most entertaining one sounded like a group of teenage girls who tried to convince me that they were Little Mix. Unfortunately for them, I had met Little Mix twice already when they had come in for meetings in one of the hotel's meeting rooms and therefore knew what they sounded like, plus there was way too much giggling involved for them to be taken seriously.

Two hours into my shift at around seven o'clock, more and more people started to pile up in front of the hotel, most of them being teenage girls who were all giggling among and talking excitedly. I assumed that some big celebrity was about to come in later that evening. Although we always tried to be as discrete as possible when it came to reservations and bookings at our hotel and the hotel-run restaurant, someone always let it slip when we expected a huge mega star and so we had to deal with crying and hysterical fans on quite often and were used to them.

I didn't have a clue who was expected to come in tonight but it had to be someone really exciting because the girls outside were slowly, but surely, losing it.

Just when I was about to check the booking list for tonight, the screaming outside increased dramatically and I saw a lot of flashes going off when two big fancy cars pulled up in front of the hotel entrance. I couldn't make out who got out of the car but it seemed to be multiple people. I put on my most convincing, relaxed smile –or at least I hoped that it looked relaxed- and stood up behind the welcoming desk. In came five people, four young men and a bigger, slightly older one who looked like he could be some sort of body guard or something like that.

They turned around and I had to bite my lip to keep myself from making any weird noises. One Direction and their body guard Paul Higgins were standing in the hotel lobby and I was the only person around ergo the first person to welcome them to the hotel. Praying that Louis wouldn't recognise me, although the chances were very slim that he wouldn't as I had just talked to him a bit more than two hours ago, I walked around the desk towards them.

"Welcome to the Rose Hotel. My name is Claire Winters and I am here to welcome you tonight. I am assuming you have a reservation for either the hotel or the restaurant?" I asked with a smile, while trying to keep myself from rolling my eyes at my stupid entrance and from looking at Louis. Instead I tried to concentrate on Liam. From the corner of my eyes I could see that Louis looked at me, surprise clearly written all over his face, and then he asked "Claire? What are you doing here?" He seemed genuinely pleased to see me which made me go slightly weak in the knees but I tried to act as if I wasn't suffering from a major fangirl stroke and replied –maybe a bit too sassily- "I work here, what do you think, Louis?"

Paul had wandered off to go somewhere else, presumably the loo, but the other three lads were looking at us curiously. "Hahahaha, mate, she got you there", sniggered Niall and padded Louis' shoulder while Liam seemed to be holding back his laughter as well. "So, you two know each other?" asked Harry with his deep, beautiful voice and I practically melted right there on the marble floor. "I wouldn't necessarily say 'know each other' but we briefly met on the train today." I explained to Harry and gave Louis a cheeky wink. "But I can assure you that he was very smitten with me straight away" I said while sending a cocky grin in Louis' direction. Louis cleared his throat. "Actually, she was so mesmerised by my beautiful, perfect appearance that she literally fell right into my arms."

I lightly slapped his arm. "Shush darling, you're ruining the whole story! And you're making me look bad. I don't even want to think about what my manager would say if he heard me talking to you guys like that." I shuddered and the other three boys howled with laughter. "I don't know what really happened, but it seems like you two have a bit of history" chuckled Liam. Niall still hadn't stopped laughing and Harry looked at me like I had just turned into a sparkly unicorn or something like that. Okay, maybe I was exaggerating, but he did gave me a weird look.

"I think I have just found my new best friend." He told excitedly us and threw an arm around my shoulders. "I have never seen anyone who could keep up with Louis' sass so well." I turned slightly red but quickly tried to overplay it by saying "Oh shush, Harry, I don't think I can take you up on that offer. This is simply too much for me. Such AN HONOUR!" I acted as if I was about to faint (which I was, but they didn't need to know that) and leaned onto Harry for support. The others laughed. "No but seriously, you don't want me as your best friend, trust me, I'm way too messed up for that and I think my best friend Lily would have a problem with that. Plus, aren't you here for something else rather than making new friends?" Harry fake pouted and Louis pulled him away from me and threw an arm around his shoulders. "Don't be sad, Hazza. You never had a chance with her anyway as she's been MY best friend since we met earlier. Maybe she has another beautiful friend you can be friends with." He winked at me and I rolled my eyes at him, secretly freaking out about him calling me beautiful.

Paul chose this moment to come back from wherever he had disappeared to. "You alright, boys? Why are you still standing here? You were supposed to wait INSIDE the restaurant for the producers!" he told them and then said with a smile in my direction. "My apologies for any inconvenience they have caused while I was gone. They sometimes still behave like children. Especially THIS one here" he said with a nod in Louis' direction. I chuckled and said "Yeah, I noticed that. Let me just check what table was booked for you." I quickly walked back around the desk and skipped through the booked tables for the night. One said "Styles, Tomlinson, Horan, Payne, Higgins, Cowell, Jordan, Fell, Sheppard" which I assumed was the right table and after checking the table number I let them over to the restaurant entrance, Louis right on my heels.

"If you would all please follow me." I said with a fake, polite smile in their direction, trying to ignore Louis' presence right behind me, but I was sure they could see the amusement in my eyes. "Most certainly, Miss Winters" said Louis with a mock bow and they all followed me to a big table at the back of the restaurant towards the rose garden of the hotel, well hidden from the big windows at the front and therefore also hidden for all the paps outside.

"This is your table, gentlemen. A waiter will be with you in a minute. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask any member of the staff and they will try to help you as best as they possibly can." I gave them a final smile and turned around, but was stopped by a hand which had a firm grip on my arm. "It was a pleasure to see you again, Claire" Louis said with a wink and let me go with a light squeeze of my arm.

I walked back outside into the lobby to welcome other guests who had just arrived. While trying to act as polite and normal as possible, I couldn't get Louis' flirty smile and Harry's beautiful eyes and deep voice out of my head. With Niall's and Liam's laughter still in my head I welcomed guests after guests while secretly hoping to run into the guys again, although a small voice inside of me was convinced that One Direction was probably the last thing I needed in my life right now.

Thanks for reading the third chapter! Please leave any comments/questions or ideas below! :) Have a great day!