Saving Larry [A Larry Stylinson + One Direction Story]

Ch. 9 - Opinions and Boarding of Flight BA0176

Vehicle 3 Liam’s POV

As Paul closed the door to our vehicle, I began to think over everything that has happened since I woke up in the plane this morning. A code WTF, Harry looking like shit when we boarded the plane, Lou going all sassy diva and then when I woke being he and Harry were all lovey dovey. Least of all was waking up to seeing a young woman, who I now know as Lexi, laughing with Harry and Lou over something that Niall had said. I thought that was as crazy as it would get; however, when Harry finally told us what has been causing his nervousness and quasi panic attacks these last few months, our situation escalated to a whole new level of craziness.

Then to top it off, Zayn lost it right before my eyes. He is the quietest and most sincere member of our group and I know from hanging around his family that he was brought up to cherish and protect the opposite sex. For him to go ballistic and grab a hold of Lexi’s wrist and to snarl when he spoke to her was so out of character, that the rest of us had been so bulldozed by his actions. It was like the band was imploding upon itself right before my eyes.

I have to do something to avoid this implosion continuing, as I know that was what Simon would want me to do. As I recall all the various private conversations that he and I have had. “Liam you are the most reliable and level headed of the group, in my eyes, so I felt that you should be the one that acted as a moral compass for the group” Simon had informed me during our first private conversation. Which meat that I pretty much had the dubious honor of advising him of any actions of/or amongst the band members that might raise a flag of concern, before it got to our management team’s attention at Modest. I remember when Simon asked me, “Liam, I have noticed how Lou and Harry act towards each other during your stay in the X-Factor house. With moving into the complex, and them sharing a two-bedroom flat do you see any relationship developing beyond them being just best mates?” Little did I realize that their actions were based off of their attraction to each other, both emotionally and physically. At the time, none of us realized how deep their feelings would eventually become. Nor did I realize how my feelings for Niall would develop so deeply, after I and Danielle had broken up either. Luckily, Harry and Lou realized what was happening with their feelings and once they realized what they wanted to be to each other, they approached Simon with a united front.

Needless to say, Simon wasn’t impressed that I hadn’t raised any concerns to him and I heard about it – quite a bit. However, he relented when he found out that I was the one that advised Harry and Lou to go speak to him, before they did something on the spur of the moment.

It was reaffirming to us as a group, when Simon went to our management with this issue and actually became a proponent for their relationship. Needless to say that all parties involved had to compromise in how this relationship was handled. Some restrictions were easier than others, like toning down the public displays of affection (PDAs), not sitting right next to each other in interviews and watching how they responded to certain questions without using innuendos that hinted at romance instead of a bromance. The hardest compromise that was placed on them was when management decided to hire Eleanor as a beard for Lou, it was like a slap in the face to both of them. This new ‘couple’ could be photographed in public holding hands and giving chase kisses on the cheek or forehead; however, the real couple couldn’t. Also, both Lou and Harry couldn’t celebrate certain special occasions together or go off on holiday just by themselves. Whenever, a romantic holiday came around such as New Year’s or Valentine’s Day they couldn’t celebrate it together. Even our fans started picking up that something was wrong, as they noted that Lou never looked genuinely happy when he was photographed with Eleanor; however, he seemed to be glowing when he was photographed with Harry. Then there was the whole Haylor incident and in almost every photo, Harry looked like he wanted to just cry. How can management be so insensitive to our feelings? It all came down to our earning potential and protecting their management fee percentage off of our blood sweat and tears.