"First stadium of the first show of the first tour in our lives."
Calum says, his hold on my hand tightening as he chews on his bottom lip.
"That was a confusing sentence."
Mikey responds with a laugh, although there's a slight nervous hitch in his tone that he can't hide. I smile across the backseat of the car at Ashton. He is drumming his thighs with his thumbs and glancing around frantically.
"You guys will be amazing. People pay to see you for a reason you know."
I say in a small voice with a quick glance at Calum's profile. His jaw slacks as he smiles at me, placing a gentle kiss to my temple that sends warmth down my spine. He looks gorgeous, his dark brown hair ruffled to perfection, his white tank contrasting with his tanned skin. I can't help but smirk when I think about all the girls that want him the way I have him. How did I get so lucky?
"I don't deserve you."
I feel his words rumble through my hair as he pulls me tight against his chest. He always seems to speak my mind for me, another thing I love deeply about him.
"You deserve everything you have. Including that enormous crowd of fans waiting for you."
I smile against his collarbone, cringing mentally at how cheesy that was, but he just giggles and pulls me back to press his plump lips to my own. I sigh contently through my nose, knowing he's probably trying to calm his nerves and also knowing I'm usually one of the only ways he can. The fact that my simple touch brings him so much comfort makes me fall even more in love with him.
The van pulls up to the curb behind the back entrance to the stage. The moment the wheels come to a stop, each boy in the car sucks in a deep breath. I almost laugh at the awkward and unintentional unison of the tightly knit group. Calum waits till everyone goes through the door, holding me and letting me know to hang back.
"I'm nervous."
He utters pathetically. I place my hands on his shoulders, facing him towards me.
"Pep talk?"
"Pep talk."
"Okay. Calum Thomas Hood, you are the most talented bass player and vocalist I've ever met-"
He huffs with a tiny grin and rolls his eyes. I take one hand and squish his cheeks together, forcing him to look at me. At this gesture he grins so hard to makes his face wrinkle and I can't help but laugh at him.
"I'm serious! Screw Luke and Mike, I think you're the best and I'm sure half your fan base does to. You know very well that you could go up there and fuck up every single solo, and all the people in the audience would still walk through hell for you. But guess what? You're amazing, so you're not gonna mess up any solos and you're gonna blow their fucking minds. Just like you always do."
He places a gentle hand behind my neck and pulls me into a sweet kiss. We climb out of the van after the others, hands clutched tightly together as Calum's nerves slowly turn into pure excitement. He's practically jumping. We weave through the security guards and members of the crew, trying to follow the three jumpy boys ahead of us. Michael and Luke grab their guitars from off the nearby stand and walk straight into the dressing room to practice. Calum stops in front of his bass, smiling widely at it before taking it down.
"Ain't she a beaut?"
He whispers, and I just nod, letting my fingers run down the strings and pluck at them lightly. He places a swift kiss to my head before turning in the direction of the dressing room.
"Not as pretty as you though."
He says, hefting the instrument's strap over his shoulder and lacing our fingers again. I roll my eyes, letting him tow me with him as he closes the door behind him. Michael is sitting cross legged on the floor, his guitar in his lap, with Luke directly beside him. Ash is on his cajon, beating to their voices. They hum lyrics softly together, and I release Calum's hand so he can join them. As the sounds of Long Way Home fill the air, I take a seat in a nearby swivel chair, watching intently. Michael's fingers grace over the strings and the three voices mingle perfectly. Calum's voice is pure gold and sometimes I can't believe how little confidence he has in it. All four of them stop at the end of the song and stare at each other, lip splitting smiles on their faces and passion in their eyes. I can't help it when a few tears form in my own.
A security guard peeks inside the room, drawing the attention of everyone instantly.
"The countdown started, boys. Almost showtime."
Calum sucks in a breath, his hand curling around the neck of his bass. Ash stands up and fixes his shirt, shaking out his arms and bouncing a few times.
"We've been dreaming of this our whole lives. Let's fuckin' kill it."
He says, causing Luke and Michael to chuckle and join him. Calum, however, stays seated. I make my way over to him with a hand outstretched to help him up. He seems to break out of a trance, looking up at me and grinning gently, taking my hand and towering over me once again.
"What am I going to do without you up there with me? You're my good luck charm."
I roll my eyes, squeezing his hand tightly.
"I'll be right here backstage for you. You don't need me. YOu don't need anyone. You could literally drop these idiots and go solo."
"Shut up."
He giggles as we follow everyone to the black curtain separating us from the stage and view of thousands.
"Love you."
We exchange quietly. Michael stands just in front of me and Cal, while Luke is a little to our left, doing tiny hops to prepare himself for an energetic night. Calum turns to me one last time, kissing my nose and adjusting his hair in the camera lense directly beside me. He gives us a thumbs up and follows his best friends on to the stage.
The second they disappear from my sight, I get an earful of screaming.
It only brings an even bigger smile to my face.
This many people love my boy almost as much as I do.
Almost.
