Perfect Harmony || l.t.

Chapter Six

A/N: THIS CHAPTER IS PURELY A WORK OF FICTION. I DO NOT BELIEVE ANY OF THE THINGS WRITTEN ABOUT MAX NOR HER HOME SITUATION.

    Tired once again after a concert, Max and the five boys were barely able to make it to the car waiting for them. They tried to appear awake while signing things for a few fans, but more than a few yawns escaped their mouths. Some fans shooed them away, giving up the opportunity for an autograph just to make sure their idols were healthy. But there were still a few that shouted insults at them because they chose to sleep instead of sign things.

    One such insult was directed particularly at Max. "Oh, you're leaving to go fuck that slut, right?" That was one of the more nicer ones, as the ones that followed included much more vulgar words. Tears were already beginning to prick at her eyes, her brown eyes now glistening from the tears. Still, Max kept her head down, not wanting to meet the eyes of any of the fans.

     The shouts she heard directed at herself were much more worse than the ones she hurt back home. Still, a few triggered memories that she tried so hard to hide; ones she never wanted to relive again.

    "You can't even sing!" The shouts of her mother brought the familiar sense of tears to her eyes, but Max tried to ignore them. She wanted to show no weaknesses in front of her mom, who always picked on them. "Aren't gonna talk, huh?"

    Looking up into the face of her mom, which was twisted into a sneer, Max remained mute. She didn't want to speak for fear of sobs and she barely wanted to break eye contact, as the green eyes her mother possessed seemed to ground her to that spot, but it kept her from crying. "N-No." Max stammered out, her heart pounding.

    "Aren't you a good little girl, talking to your mumsy again," she cooed in that mockingly-sweet tone. Straightening up, her tone changed again. "Clear up the kitchen and go to your room. Don't you dare start singing, darlin'. You aren't Cinderella." And with that, Max's mother left the kitchen, brushing her black hair over her shoulder.

    The memory caused Max to gasp, and she looked up and out into the crowd. It was a huge mistake on her part, as the crowd surged forward with malicious grins on their faces. Blinking rapidly, she wished for them all the disappear as she averted her eyes once more. But the crowd continued forward, one even reaching out to pull on her coat. Max stated to shrink into herself, wanting the get out of there, fast.

    A hand grabbed onto the crook of her elbow, pulling her forward. Max stumbled along behind whomever it was, blindly following them while her eyes looked towards the ground, concentrating on stepping over the cracks. But then the nursery rhyme occurred to her, Step on a crack, break your momma's back. With that thought running through her head, Max stomped on the biggest crack she saw.

    The person she was following faltered slightly before pulling her into the bus. For the past few nights, Max had taken to sleeping in the boys' bus instead of the one she was originally intended to stay in. There was really no reason for it, but Max knew that she slept better knowing Louis was closer to her.

    "Are you okay?" The owner of the hand asked her. Max nodded, finally looking up and into the eyes of Louis. She wasn't sure why it was a surprise that it was him; he had always come to her rescue. "C'mon," he said, pulling her towards the bunks.

    Max grabbed her pajamas once their and changed in the bathroom. While inside, she could hear the soft tapping of Louis' foot against the fake plastic wood. It only encourage her to dress twice as fast, and when she was done, Max opened the door, too eager to do so, and stumbled into Louis.

    He grabbed onto her waist to steady her, his palms against her hipbones. Max's breath caught in her throat, and she looked up into Louis' face. He stared back, really looking at Max now. He looked at her brown eyes, how the irises actually held signs of gold and green in them, making them look hazel. His eyes devoured every inch of her face, noting the small nose on her face with the light, so very light dusting of freckles over it that were almost invisible.

    Then he looked at her lips. Louis' eyes flickered between Max's eyes and her lips, and her heart fluttered even more. She rose up on her toes to close the height difference between them, and their breaths mingled together. Still staring at each other, they didn't notice that their faces were nearly centimeters apart; they were that caught up in their moment.

    Louis' eyes flickered to her lips one more time, and Max gave him a slight nod. Then his lips were on hers, and Max's eyes fluttered close. They just relished this moment. They were free of all emotion but one, and they didn't have to tell each other what it was. They just knew.

    Max was the first to break the kiss. She pulled away, a blush rising to her cheeks, making them a bright red. She averted her gaze again, looking at her hands which were somehow in Louis'. He smiled at the girl in front of him, the one that he didn't know that to feel for her at times, but there was always one emotion. This girl was someone he wanted to remember - and he was sure he would.

    "Max," Louis began, his eyes crinkling with his smile. "Do you want to sleep with me tonight?" She nodded, walking behind Louis as they got to the bunk he was sleeping in. Max hoisted herself up, crawling under the covers with much maneuvering to avoid hitting her head. Louis got in after her, pulling the covers over them. He turned onto his side just so he could face her, and she did the same.

    That's how they fell asleep; entranced in each other's eyes.

    When she woke up, Louis was missing from the bunk. Having a sense of déjà vu from the last time they slept in a bed together (he disappeared from it as well), Max wasn't exactly annoyed by his disappearance. Not to say that she wasn't, but she didn't care as much as she did the first time. Now, she stared at the bottom of the bunk above her, looking at the wooden slats.

    "Good morning," a voice chirped to her right and she looked over. Louis stood there, a smile present on his face in the daylight for once. Max accepted the glass of orange juice he held out to her, drinking it quickly. He laughed slightly, watching as she drank to fast and almost spilled some of the drink on her gray shirt.

    Max followed Louis towards the kitchenette, where Liam and Harry were. She grabbed a box of cereal and a bowl, using the spoon and milk that were already at the table. She poured herself a generous amount of both, much to the amusement of the three guys around her. "What?" She demanded around a mouth of cereal.

    "It's just that . . . You have enough cereal there?" Liam teased. Max flushed, but did not deny it as she knew she poured maybe a little too much.

    "No need to joke about it," she muttered. Even though she was joking, she said it so seriously that their eyes widened in fear.

    "Sorry, I didn't mean to-" Liam was gushing out an apology when Max interrupted him, laughing.

    "Don't worry; I'm not mad," she reassured him, and he sighed with relief. Louis and Harry just watched the exchanged, smirks ever-present on their faces.

    Max finished the bowl of cereal quickly, and while she was putting it in the sink to clean later, Niall tumbled in. His hair a mess and his eyes still clouded with sleep, he looked slightly drunk. Max helped him towards a chair, biting the inside of her cheek to keep her from laughing at the state he was in. Still, she somehow managed to keep the laughs inside.

    She made her way to her bunk where her suitcase was, picking out an outfit for today. It consisted of skinny jeans and a random band shirt, her usual attire. Putting both in, Max brushed her hair before it decided to tangle anymore and walked out. She could hear Zayn in the kitchenette, where he must've joined the others.

     Max stopped where she was, and let one good memory replay through her head. The one of last night, where Louis kissed her in the very same spot. And with that thought on her mind and a smile on her face, Max continued towards the kitchenette, where laughter could be heard.