Hide And Seek (Liam Payne)

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"She has no idea. The effect she can have on me." - The Hunger Games

I bring the cup to my lips and sip the tea, savouring the symphony of ambrosial creaminess and the lightness of herbs singing on my tongue. It's common knowledge that Jenny's has the best tea. And muffins. And biscuits. And... you get the point. Jenny's has the best everything. Even the ambience makes you feel good. It's homey, with simple furniture which makes you think of the countryside. A big plus is that they're a 24/7 cafe, which led to my midnight affair with it.

I'm a regular insomniac. This is my preferred haunt when I can't sleep, like right now. It's also intriguing to observe the people still strolling on the streets at this time.

One catches my eye. She's beautiful, with flowing auburn locks and deep brown eyes that almost coruscates violet in the effulgent moonlight. She wears a sweater with a dangling hood. I can't blame her; winter's frigid in London.

Our eyes meet for a second. She makes her way to me. Instinctively, I stand up and pull out a chair for her to sit in.

She raises an eyebrow at me. Almost as if mocking me, she pulls out another chair and takes a seat.

Well, I tried to be a gentleman.

"Why are you walking around at this time?" I can't help but sound a little irked. I mean, a girl isn't safe out here! She might've gotten kidnapped, or..

Wait. I'm being a worrywart over someone I just met.

That is not good.

My lack of sleep must be acting up.

Yep, that must be it.

"Ooh, Mr Touchy." She flashes me a temerarious half-smile. "I can see white traces in your hair already." Self-consciously, I reach up to touch my head, then realizing that I was twenty. I groan. "Crap."

"Do not pull a Peeta on me and say that 'You have no idea what effect you have on me' cos I do know." She smiles. "I'm the hypnotizer of the week."

I roll my eyes at her. She's aggravating. "I wasn't going to."

She winks. "You were. I can see it in your eyes."

"You are a total cheese ball," I remark.

"Heh." She smiles cheekily. "Leona Maine." She holds out a hand.

I take it and squeeze firmly. "Liam Payne."

It's obvious then that she either doesn't know me or she's waiting for me to tell her myself, because she just comments, "Cute. Our names rhyme." She winks at me. "Your fans are going to have a hard time thinking up of a ship name."

I almost spew my tea into her face. "What?" I say incredulously. Her audacity is ludicrous.

Well, now we know that Leona knows that I'm a famous member in a boy band.

"Your fandom explodes when you have a picture with any girl, right?" She flippantly flicks a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"Do you know who I am?" I find myself asking.

"God." She shakes her head with disapproval. "Do you really think I have that a short memory span? Of course I know. You're Liam Payne, a hot man I serendipitously found sitting at Jenny's in the middle of the night. Also known as Liam Payne, member of boy band One Direction."

Leona grins and crosses her arms.

"Oh." Great comeback, Payne. Great comeback. You'll get awarded for "Most Witty" at this rate.