The Pianist - One Direction

Chapter 31

I was confused, so I sat in pretty much silence on our way back. I can't say it was awkward because we didn't really have the awkward silences. None of us used to speak when we didn't have anything to say. When we were back at the buses that were placed outside the arena, Jared made me walk very slowly next to him, after Zayn who went straight to his bus to remove the small amounts of makeup Lou made him wear during the interview. He didn't like having makeup - or anything - in his face.

"You know, I'm not stupid." Jared said with his hands in his pockets. "Even though I gave the two of you privacy, I understand things. I'm happy for you. Preston, John, Sandy and I took a bet of how long it would take before the two of you got together." He told me. I stared at him. They had betted on this? Three bodyguards, that see almost everything that is happening and Sandy? Really?

"What?! Who won, what did you think?" I asked him. He laughed.

"I actually thought something would happen when he got you out of the dinner with management. You know, when that Scott was being inappropriate. So I lost, but I think Sandy got pretty close. John didn't think it would happen until much later. He thought we would go around and hope for it for another month or two." He chuckled. I looked down at my feet as I walked. We were very close to the buses by then.

"I can't believe you took bets on something like that. It wasn't obvious, was it?" I asked him. That would be embarrassing.

"Oh, everybody knew. You were the only one that didn't understand, really. I thought you were smarter than that." He joked and patted my head. My hands flew up to fix my hair even though he didn't mess it up. Really? Everybody knew? Or did they just believe? Or hope maybe? Why would they do that?

+++++

I walked up the steps to the bus and found it empty at first. I could hear the faint thumps from Josh's extra drums in the back. I walked through the lounge area and our bunk beds before I pressed the button to open the soundproofed door. The second I did, the sound was way louder and I flinched at the level of decibel they sat in.

Josh stopped drumming but Dan kept strumming on the guitar in his lap.

"Belle! That didn't take you long. How was the interview?" Dan asked. My head was spinning of the moment after the interview. I had forgot why I was out in the first place. So much had happened the last hour and I was very confused, as always.

"It was nice." I said and leaned my back against the wall. "The interviewer sucked but the backstage crew was nice."

Dan laughed and put his feet up on Josh's bass drum. "That's our Issy. Being more interested in the crew behind than the actual interview."

"They were friendly!" I protested. "I even got to sit in the camera man's..."

"Lap?" Josh interrupted and laughed.

"Chair." I corrected him, but couldn't help but smile at how they were laughing. It wasn't even funny, really.

It felt like they could see right through me. Like they could somehow see what happened. That he had kissed me. Could they see it in my blush? In the way I talked? Was I smiling too much? My lips couldn't be swollen just by that, could they? I felt awkward and uncomfortable, so I closed the door after me and climbed up in my bunk bed, thinking that some reading or maybe going through my facebook could make me think of something else or take the smile of my face that didn't leave.

Did the last hour really happen? I wasn't so sure. I got down under my covers and fluffed my pillow so I could sit up with my laptop in my lap. I could easily fall asleep there and then but decided to stay awake.