The Luckiest Person in the World

Chapter 2--Backstage

"Oh, the boys are over there!" Arden takes my hand and quickly leads me over to an area with about twenty other girls. The boys are in the middle of the crowd, trying to talk to everyone at one time. I can't help but giggle at their obvious distress. Suddenly, a body guard comes over. 

"All right, ladies, the boys are getting a little overwhelmed, so I'm gonna have to ask some of you to leave," he says, not rudely, but firmly. As he and several other body guards start escorting people out there are groans and tears. The boys look a little guilty watching their upset fans walking, or being dragged in a few cases, out. However, when they turn back to the remaining ten girls, their worry quickly disappears. 

"Did you ladies like the show?" Harry asks with a broad smile. 

A chorus of "Yes"s and "It was amazing"s erupt from the girls and I'm actually shocked that these ten girls can be almost as loud as the entire crowd from the concert. 

"Well, we're gonna answer any questions you might have now," Louis says, "So, ask away!" 

As the girls start asking question after question, I sneak away. I find a nice little nook by the sound equipment where I can sit in quiet without having to worry the obsessed fans finding out that I'm not one of them. I text Arden to let her know where I am and to tell her to come get me when she's ready to go, then decide to try to take a short nap. 

"I'm not interrupting, am I?"  

I open my eyes and look up; the bright blue eyes are almost familiar now. I shake my head, "Not at all." 

"Do you mind?" he asks, motioning to the small spot next to me. 

"Of course not," I scoot over a little so he has enough room to sit next to me, "How'd you get away from the crowd?" 

He laughs, "I told Harry to tell them I had to call my mum and ask her how Jess is doing." 

"Oh... Jess is your girlfriend?" I ask slowly. 

He raises an eyebrow, "No, my cat. You didn't know that?" 

"No," I blush, "I'm not exactly a fan. I mean, don't get me wrong, I think you guys are great," I say quickly, "I just don't normally listen to your music. My sister won two tickets and neither of my parents wanted to come so I got signed up. Not that that's a bad thing of course, but--" 

He's practically hysterical, "You don't have to explain. It's just weird to meet someone who isn't an obsessed fan." 

"Arden's been trying to convert me for forever, but I've never really been into the whole 'fandom' thing." 

"Arden?" he asks. 

"Oh, sorry. She's my little sister, the one I was dancing with. She's the reason I was dancing, too." 

He smiles, "You must really love her. Letting her drag you to concerts and making you dance for backstage passes." 

I shrug, "She's my sister. By the way," I say suddenly, "what are you doing over here? Shouldn't you be over answering the fans' questions?" 

"Well, I couldn't let you be lonely, could I?" he tilts his head to the side. 

I bite my lip, "Oh, don't worry about me. You've got more important things to do." 

"Nah, they're only gonna ask me to say 'potatoes.'" 

I laugh, "I can see why." 

He chuckles softly, "Besides, they’re probably all asking Harry or Zayn to marry them right now." 

"Are they the favorites?" 

He nods, "Everyone loves Harry's hair, and Zayn... Well, Zayn's just damn sexy." 

I laugh, "What about you other three?" 

"Liam's pretty shy, and Louis's got a good thing going with Eleanor, otherwise I'm sure all the girls would be all over him." 

"And you?" I raise an eyebrow. 

"I'm Irish, it's pretty intimidating," he winks.

I laugh, "Oh, yeah, I'm feeling completely intimidated."

He leans in so his nose touches mine, "I have that effect on people.

"Oh, really?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Mmhmm, quite often," he smiles softly.

"Niall!" a voice calls and I jerk my head away. Louis comes around the corner, sees us sitting so close together, and smiles mischievously.

"Nice," he chuckles, causing me to turn bright red.

"What do you want, Lou?" Niall sighs.

"The, uh, the ladies are asking for you. You seem to be very popular tonight," he winks.

"Go away, Lou," Niall rolls his eyes, "I'll be there in five."

"Okay!" Louis grins and skips away.

"I'm--" he sighs and runs his hand through his hair, "I'm so sorry about that."

I shake my head, "Don't worry about it. You have other obligations," I stand to leave.

"Hey," he grabs my hand, "Here. It's my number. Text me anytime."

I look at the hastily scrawled numbers on my palm, "I-- Really?"

He nods and stands next to me, "I don't think we were quite finished here."

"No, I guess not," I smile.

"Before I go, tell me your name."

"Now where's the fun in that?" I giggle.

"C'mon," he laughs.

"All right," I nod, "Lila."

"Lila," he whispers and the way my name sounds on his lips sends a shiver down my spine, "I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah," I whisper as he walks away, "Later."