the traveller // louis tomlinson

chapter thirty // savor.

Louis' POV

I'm nearly bouncing with excitement as the lads and I race off stage after our performance. I've never felt more energized for a performance in my entire life and I know exactly why.

Mia smiled at me.

For some ungodly reason, completely out of nowhere, she's not upset with me anymore. Just minutes before we rushed on stage she turned my sullen mood completely upside down by merely showing me that beautiful grin of hers.

Something happened in that small little room with Simon. I'm not sure if I'll ever find out, but I could care less. I've gotten a bit - even if it's only a small bit - of the Mia I love back.

"What's going on, mate?" Harry demands, repeating the question that was whispered to me several times on stage tonight.

And again I answer it the same way I have been all evening. I simply smile and shrug my shoulders, stripping out of my sweaty clothes as quickly as possible.

The boys all watch me carefully, probably worried that I've completely fallen off of the deep end. They share concerned glances as I nearly fall on my face and burst into a fit of laughter over it. I need to just slow it down.

After having to help Harry get out of his skin-tight skinny jeans, the lads and I grab our things to load back up on the tour bus.

The minute we exit our stuffy dressing room, my eyes search for her. Fortunately for me, I don't have to do much searching. She's leaning up against the wall, talking to Tyler about something that's making her smile. It's been awhile since we've all been blessed with that smile of hers.

When we enter the room, her attention is tore from Tyler and lands on the five of us. She smiles at the boys with a friendly demeanor, but when her eyes land on mine, her grin grows ten times the size. I can feel my stomach doing flips.

"Great show, boys," She smiles at us, reaching out to give us each a hug.

The boys all shoot each other worried glances, confused by this behavior that's very much not like hers. She pretends not to notice the peculiar looks as she works her way through the group.

When her arms land around mine, I can't help but to hold on tightly. I wonder if it's all in my head, or if her hug for me lasted twice as long as everyone else's.

"Hi," She whispers to me as she pulls away, like two friends being reunited once again.

Feeling the strong urge to grab her by the back of the neck and plant another kiss on her, I struggle to keep my urges to myself.

"Hi," I respond simply, my smile evident in my cheerful tone.

And just like old times she falls in step beside me as we make our way out the back exit, back onto the tour bus. The lads all feed into this new positive energy, each grinning like mad men. They laugh loudly over the stupidest things.

That's one thing I love most about this group. When one person is exceptionally sad; we're all sad. But when everything is happy for a moment; everything is perfect. We feel things as a unit.

Tyler ushers us all onto the bus, completely overjoyed over the fact that Simon did not fire him and throw him to the curb. What started out to be one of the most stressful days of our lives has ended to be not so bad.

Complaints of serious hunger go around, so Mia and Tyler write down orders for everyone. Harry and I head back to our bunks to change into our cool pajamas, seeing as tonight has been one of the hottest nights of the summer.

"So, Mia and you are back on speaking terms it seems," Harry says quietly, as if he could be heard over the incredibly loud and rambunctious group in the other room.