More Than This // Louis Tomlinson

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A silence fell between us and his brown eyes were staring into mine. I couldn't read them. Was he shocked, scared, confused? I cried harder. He didn't believe me. I never would've expected what happened next.

He hugged me. Liam hugged me. His strong, warm arms wrapped around me and he held me tight. I hadn't been hugged in so long, and I didn't resist. I cried onto his shoulder as Ella looked up confused. Some fans stopped to see what was happening and even the boys looked confused, but didn't interfere.

"Y-You believe me?" I managed to choke out, hiccuping a bit as he stroked my hair. I always hiccuped after I cried. Just a little fact about me.

He pulled back and looked at me, giving a small smile. "You look like you could be my sisters." He leaned down to Ella and playfully ruffled her hair. "Same curly brown hair. Big brown eyes." Ella giggled at his funny expression and I couldn't help but smile too. He looked up and turned back to me, "And I think Dad mentioned you before he passed."

I lit up a little. "Geoff? He did? Really?"

Liam chuckled a bit and nodded. He was about to say something until security had sent another girl to talk to him. I wiped my tears up quickly, not wanting anyone else really to see me cry. I knew I was a mess when I cried. Mascara running, hiccuping like crazy. I did not look my best when I was crying.

"Would you mind waiting until were all finished? There's just a lot we have to catch up on."

I scooped Ella up in my arms and nodded. "Definitely. Where should I meet you?"

"There's a park across the street. How about there afterwards? I'll introduce you to the lads."

I nodded, gave him one last hug, let Ellie give him a hug, and we walked away from the big crowd, a happy feeling coming over me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Liam believed me. He really did! Geoff, my real dad, mentioned me. He talked about me. Even if it was just once, it was just nice to know that he still talked about me. I looked at Ellie and gave her a kiss on the cheek, making her squeal and try to squirm out of my grasp. I laughed at her actions and she giggled sweetly. I hadn't heard her laugh like that in so long.

We were free now. We'd be okay.

Louis' POV:

"Can I get an autograph?!" A girl in front of me squealed.

"Yeah, what's your name, love?" I said, taking the picture she handed of me and the lads. I was really trying to focus, but a girl and her little sister had just walked past and towards Liam. She was gorgeous and she was wearing stripes. She made those look good. "There you go!" I signed it and handed it back to her. She thanked me several times, a big smile on her face. Our fans were the best. They supported us through everything. Even after my breakup with Eleanor.

The fans always thought we'd be perfect together. I mean, I thought so too, but I guess being famous has it's downfall. I never had time to be with Eleanor, always having to postpone our dates. Finally, she just couldn't take it anymore. We broke up. Elounor was officially over. I wasn't too sad about it. It was for the best, and I'll admit I was a bit unhappy with our relationship. She just kinda got so demanding that I couldn't really focus on what I wanted. I couldn't really focus on my music. The lads had really helped me through it, helping me get my mind off it. It'd been around a month since we split and I think I was ready for love again.

"Lou," Harry whispered to me. "What's going on with Liam and that girl?"

I looked over into the direction he was pointing in and saw the girl crying on his shoulder. He was stroking her hair soothingly and her little sister was confused at the scene.

What happened?

When they finally pulled back, the girl's face had dried tears on her cheeks. Her sparkling brown eyes had lost their shine. She was hiccuping frequently, but all the while she still looked beautiful.

"Lou! Louis? LOUIS!" I heard Harry say and I snapped out of my trance.

I yelled something in his face and the fans started laughing. Harry rolled his eyes, chuckling.

"And another random outburst from Louis Tomlinson." Zayn said, sarcastically after signing a poster.

"Shut up, Malik." I sighed and shook my head. "I'm surrounded by idiots I swear." I mumbled to a security guard nearby. He laughed as I smirked a bit.

"Don't be such a diva." Niall said, laughing at me.

I laughed, nudging him hard so he almost knocked over.

"Here we go..." The boys said, laughing. I wasn't really paying much attention to the boys after that. I was staring at that same girl that Liam was talking to. She was smiling as she was walking away, like the weight of the world was just lifted off her shoulders. I could tell she was running from something. All the while, I occasionally saw her looking around, like someone was chasing her.

I was going to find out what she was running from exactly.

Megan's POV

"Ellie!" I chased after her as she took off running, seeing the swings at the park in sight. She loved the swings. We never really got to go to the park, since he always kept us on a tight leash. My leg was still hurting a bit so it was hard to catch up with her, but eventually I did and saw her by the swings.

"SWINGS!" I heard someone yell. It definitely wasn't Ellie. It didn't sound like a kid, but whoever it was sure acted like one. I turned around quickly only to see the boy wearing stripes back at the signing. Louis Tomlinson.

"LOU!" A chorus of boys shouted after him, and he ran past me, almost knocking me over. I laughed softly at his craziness. He was just a big ball of fun. I liked that about him. I turned around to see Liam and three other boys. One had a mass of curly hair and a light smirk on his face, another had dark hair and gave me a small smile, and the last one had fluffy blond hair and a cheeky grin.

"That's Louis. I'm Harry Styles." The boy with a curly hair offered a hand and I shook it.

"I'm Niall Horan." He said in his cute Irish accent. I shook his hand and then looked at Zayn. He seemed like the strong and silent type so I wasn't expecting him to be as loud as Louis.

"I'm Zayn Malik." He said casually and I cracked a smile as the boys laughed. I knew it was his catchphrase.

"I'm Megan. I don't know if Liam told you yet, but he's my older brother." I said quietly as Liam nodded as the boys' eyes widened.

"Little Payne!" Harry immediately gave me a nickname and hugged me, curls brushing across my face. I laughed softly and Liam took over, explaining what had happened earlier back at the signing.

"So that's Ella? Littler Payne?" Zayn said a bit unsure.

Liam and I both nodded laughing. "Long lost siblings have been reunited!" Liam gave me a kiss on the forehead. "I think we have some catching up to do."

"Liam!" Louis yelled again. I couldn't help but laugh at him, seeing that he was trying to get into those swings for the babies. He was looking at Ellie who was comfortably sitting in hers, no problem getting inside. "It's not fair!"

"You're twenty years old, Lou. These swings aren't for you." Liam said, a bit annoyed. The other boys and I were cracking up.

"Oh, but there for her? That's just messed up!" Ellie was even laughing.

"That's r-racist!" Niall choked out before doubling over in laughter.

"Just get out of the swing!"

I watched him quickly try and pull his legs out of the small holes. It was quite amusing to watch actually. It took him about ten minutes and a lot of weird looks form strangers until he was finally out. Ellie had chased after him obviously liking Lou. I watched as Louis knelt down and talked to Ellie, making her laugh and smile and eventually giving her a piggy back ride to the slides with the boys. Guys playing with little kids was the most attractive thing ever in my opinion.

"Lou has four younger sisters. He's good with kids." Liam must've noticed where I was looking as he explained. We sat on some swings next to each other as the boys started a game of tag, running around the playground and screaming. When these boys got tagged, they screamed like they just got shot. This was not the Hunger Games, boys! It was hilarious.

"Tell me about yourself Megan." Liam said and suddenly my shoes looked a lot more interesting.

"What do you wanna know?"

"Just anything. Start with the basics."

I took a deep breath. The basics. All right. I could do this.

"My full name is Megan Diana Payne. I'm 18 years old. I just turned 18 actually and I love to dance and paint. I don't get to do either of them that much anymore, but it's still a passion of mine. Mum loved to dance. She stopped after Dad died. When she remarried, there was never time for that anymore. You know Ella. I call her Ellie sometimes, but yeah, I love her to death. She's six years old and loves blue." I laughed softly. "On her fifth birthday, she found a cupcake book and begged me to make these blueberry cupcakes for her. Blue frosting, blue batter, blue everything!"

Liam smiled. "How did they turn out?"

"Let's just say I shouldn't be a baker when I grow up." Liam bursted out with laughter with this being said.

"You are so my sister. I'm a horrible cook. Louis sometimes cooks around the flat. He's a pretty good cook."

Louis. There was that name again. Oh, and did he say flat?

"You boys live alone?" I asked.

"Yeah, in a pretty remote location since the paparazzis. Would you like to stay with us?" I was screaming yes on the inside but I didn't want to seem so eager. He might suspect something. I didn't want his to know about Walter. If he asked, maybe I'd tell him. Maybe. I hate it when people pity me. It was the worst feeling in my opinion.

"Oh, but Ellie-"

"Mrs. Tomlinson is there with us. I'm sure she'd love to take care of her."

"Are you sure, Liam?" I bit my lip and looked over at him. I was nervous honestly.

"Of course, sis." He got up and hugged me once more. I didn't resist and he kissed my forehead. He actually called me sis. "Do you have to check with Mum or something? Didn't you say you had a stepd-"

"He wouldn't care if I was gone." I lied. I knew he would. He wouldn't stop until he found me really and if we got caught, we'd be dead. "Mum wouldn't either." Walter practically brainwashed her. She'd seen him beat me once, but didn't do a single thing.

"What do you mean?"

"Just drop the subject, Liam." I started to walk towards the boys to get Ellie. Their game was still going on. I think I was ready to leave.

"Don't you wanna-"

"No! I don't want to talk about it! Just. Drop. It. Please." I practically begged, holding back tears that were waiting to fall. I didn't realize how angry I sounded. There was a bit of edge in my voice. Even Ellie looked scared.

"Maybe I shouldn't have come..." I whispered and started to walk away. "I-I'm sorry..." I refused to look at any of them. I just felt so sick, and so tired. It was just the kind of tired sleep couldn't fix. I didn't want to go back to him. I didn't. I took a deep breath before running. I ran as fast as I could. I didn't know where I was going, but I just needed some air.

The boys and Ellie were screaming after me, but I only ran faster.

Don't you fret my dear,

It'll all be over soon,

I'll be waiting here,

For you...