Humane (Liam Payne)

Chapter 1 ~ Liam

Chapter 1 ~ Liam

“You’re on in five!"

I stood in front of the mirror and struggled to put on my belt to secure my black jeans. The tank top I was wearing was off one shoulder, the sweat already forming on my skin as a sign of anticipation.

“Need some help, there Liam?” Lou—our stylist—laughed.

“Yes, please.” I sighed. “I’m just nervous.”

“Aren’t you always nervous? Not that I could blame you, your job is pretty nerve-wracking I bet.”

I laughed as Lou fixed my belt and stood up. “You have no idea. It’s the first show of the North American Tour. Why wouldn’t I be nervous?”

“Good question. Now go, the boys are already to go and are probably looking for you.” She brushed an invisible speck of something off my shoulder and pushed me in the direction of the stage.

“There you are!” My band mate Harry Styles exclaimed when he saw me. Niall, Louis and Zayn looked up as well and gave me a pat on the back before a stage crew member handed us our microphones and counted down until we ran on stage.

Just like before every show, adrenaline rushed through my veins and gave me super-human strength. I felt like I could do anything. And the fact that I was doing something so amazing—and that I was getting paid for it—made it so much more enjoyable. The crowd erupted in cheers and screams as the five of us ran out and began the intro to our song “They don’t know about us.” It was a massive success and I loved how the fans reacted, holding up signs, waving neon glow sticks and taking pictures with their phones and cameras. It gave me such a rush knowing that they appreciated what I loved to do every day. It was such a blessing to have so many people supporting not only me, but my band mates as well.

As we sang, I could tell they loved this as much as I did. When we first met on the X-Factor, it took a while to get to know them. At first, I just saw four guys standing next to me, singing the same song. But now that they are like my brothers, I see in their eyes and the way they pour out their souls into these songs that I know this is their passion. And for that, I admire them.

When Harry is singing his solo in Heart Attack, I look more closely at the crowd, but I can only see the first few rows. Every girl—and the occasional male here and there—have looks of pure joy and happiness written all over their faces. It almost looked like they wouldn’t want to be anywhere but here. And the way they sing along to our songs, the way they know the lyrics by heart is life-changing. The lads and I have done countless shows, done so many performances, you would think that I get used to them singing along with us. But I can’t. It’s mind blowing every time to see that they are that committed to our music.

My eyes focus on a girl with pin straight chocolate brown hair that went about to the middle of her back. She was absolutely beautiful, the kind of gorgeous that stopped you dead in your tracks if you saw her at the market. It was breath-taking. She seemed to be having a good time, dancing and singing along. I shot her a smile, and all the girls in a 3-foot radius screamed even louder. She smiled back, and my heart stopped beating for a second.

It disappeared when her attention was captured by something…her phone. But I couldn’t stare for long; my solo was coming up. I sang it while keeping one eye on her, but she wasn’t paying attention anymore.

The song was finished, so we sat down on the couch that was on the stage and answered some Twitter questions. Someone asked who was single, and Harry answered that question a little too eagerly.

“I am taken by my beautiful girlfriend, Amabel.” He said, and some fans cheered, but others booed. That’s something I don’t understand: if you are such a fan, wouldn’t you support us and love who we love?