Modest Beginnings - Prequel to Modest Secrets

Chapter 2

It's Too Late (Ride On) - Evermore

Vegabond - MisterWives

Slow down, you're moving too fast

Louis opens the door from backstage, "Valerie?"

There is no reply.

A car pulls up and Luke opens the front door, "Come on, lads."

Zayn kicks the door wide and runs past Louis with a beer in one hand and a cold piece of pizza in the other, "Shotgun!"

"Could you make anymore fucking noise!" Louis hisses as he shakes his head.

"Shotgun!" Zayn screams even louder. He stumbles and nearly throws his beer into the side of the van, "Shit!"

Niall is in a fit of laughter as he slides into the backseat, he's wearing a white t-shirt with an illustration of a bear in a top hat and skin tight jeans. Niall throws back the rest of his beer and shoves the bottle into the back pocket of the seat. "Hurry up, ya grandma's!"

Liam slaps Louis ass as he runs past and out the door, Liam is in a grey button up shirt with a black snapback. He tips his hat at Louis and lets out a loud "Boys night!"

Niall is wiggling in his seat like an overexcited child, throws his arms in the air and begins to bellow and very crude limerick.

Harry stands at the door, he buttons up a short sleeve navy shirt with anchors all over it, his brown hair in complete disarray. Louis' arm brushes with Harry when he walks past and he sucks in a deep breath, Harry doesn't make eye contact.

Louis looks at Harry, who now refuses to look at him and lets out a long sigh. He runs a hand through his short hair, looks longingly at Harry and accepts defeat. Harry, his best friend is avoiding him. As he steps past Liam and Niall into the backseat and slides in, he can't help but wonder what the hell he could have done? He didn't make any overtly offensive gestures, didn't touch Harry in any way, didn't embarrass him on stage.

Harry climbs into the van and sits opposite Louis, next to Niall. His cologne fills the car and Louis almost stiffens from the smell. It's intoxicating and seductive. The aroma is sweet, minty and mingles with the smell of cigarette smoke.

Harry's long legs cause their knees to touch, Louis looks up at Harry with a smile. Harry stares back, tries to shift away. "I don't have the zombie virus," Louis remarks.

Harry raises an eyebrow, "Never thought you did."

"Why are you avoiding me like the plague then?" Louis asks, playfully smacking his short legs into Harry.

Harry shifts, "didn't realise I was."

Harry looks out the window, Louis tries to think of something to say. Anything that would break this tension between them, he wants to reach out for Harry's hand. Yearns to fit his small fingers between Harry's and squeeze, a silent gesture to remind him that he's not alone. Instead he folds his arms with a scowl, wondering if his underlying feelings are showing through. Maybe if you weren't in love with him he wouldn't be avoiding you, his mind chastised. You just had to ruin this friendship, with him of all people.

There is a banging as the backstage room door flies open, two guards are running next to a very red faced Manager.

Valerie is screaming, "Boys, wait!"

Her hair is in a tight bun, her cheeks burning red and she's struggling to run in such high heels. Valerie is pure perfection, everything anyone could imagine of an anal, strict and very organised Manager. She works hard, she doesn't let the boys mess her around like they do with nearly all other staff members, she's their mother on the road. She controls the media, all other staff and attempts to control the boys. She is in charge of their image, their careers and their media appearances.

The boys often joke that she's half dragon because of how scary she can be when she's angry. That being said, they're usually the reason she's so angry in the first place. Louis often jokes that sleeping with her would be the equivalent of having sex with Satan's mistress. He would never dare say that within her earshot, she'd probably kill him.

Her tight black dress clings to her toned body, her eyes wide as she screams at them. "Don't you dare leave this stadium!" Valerie turns to the guard on her right and gestures to the van, "Go and get them, they wouldn't dare."

"Oh we dare, baby!" Zayn hollers out the window.

"We have an appearance and acoustic performance at seven in the morning. I don't expect they'll be too pleased to have the five of you still drunk and making a fool of yourselves. Do you?" She taps her heel on the ground, her lips tight and eyes narrowed in a displeased expression.

"Cheers Valerie," Niall laughs and holds up his beer. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Yeah, thanks for having such high faith in our singing. We're the talent remember, t-a-l-e-n-t!" Liam says, "We pay your bills."

"Yes," She growls, "My psychiatric bills."

They all laugh, she even cracks a smile herself but quickly finds her resolve. "Get out of the car, we can go party some other time. I know you're all..." she raises her fingers in air quotation marks, "buzzed."

"Yep," Louis leans over Niall, "So buzzed in fact, we're going to go and enjoy ourselves, YOLO and all that."

She stops, puts one manicured hand on her hip and the other on her forehead. "You better stay out of the fucking papers!"

"Can't promise anything!" Zayn replies and blows her a kiss.

"You'll be the death of me," she growls and stares at the van in complete defeat.

"Go!" Liam and Niall shout in unison.

Luke laughs loudly and speeds off with the boys cheering and celebrating their escape.

"Midnight Parlour?" Niall calls over the music, "Or the Grand?"

"The Grand!" Liam and Zayn say, "The Grand," they repeat.

"The Grand it is," Luke says as he turns the corner. His phone begins to ring, he doesn't dare face Valerie's wrath and rejects the call.