Illusion

Chapter 3: Hash Tags, Nicknames And Chance Encounters

The train slowly rumbled to a halt at the designated platform, another train already pulled up along side them. Slowly everyone seated stood, and everyone shuffled towards the exit. Lottie held onto the hem of Louis' shirt with her left hand so as not to be separated in the crowd. Her right hand firmly gripped in Niall's.

Louis smirked at Lottie. She shrugged one shoulder at him casually, clearly not giving a damn about holding Niall's hand in public after only knowing him for just shy of an hour.

It didn't really bother Louis that Lottie and Niall had hit it off. He was funny and charming, with a nice smile and kind eyes. He thought maybe that someone like Niall would be good for Lottie. She was fun and outgoing around her family but could come across shy and reserved around people she wasnt familiar with. She needed someone to bring her out of her shell. To be the confident girl he knew she was.

She was like that around Niall. The complete opposite of what she usually was around strangers in fact. After her initial nerves had melted away she'd been happy, laughing at Niall's jokes and talking with him as if she'd known him for years.

Louis had noticed her blushing at things Niall said to her and playfully touching his arm or hand or shoulder and laughing while they talked. Louis was happy as long as Lottie was happy and he hoped that whatever it was between them lasted and wouldn't be just a one time thing.

After a few short minutes of shuffling and being jostled backwards and forwards by other passengers Louis, Lottie and Niall finally exited the train and stepped out onto the platform.

They were on the middle platform. The train next to them blocking the view of the platform adjacent. The station was a mixture of both history and modernity. The surrounding structures of the platforms and the overall all outside facade were still the same as they'd been when they were built. Maintained to their original standards even to this day. The steps and the clock at the entrance an iconic and well known landmark of the city.

They were towards the back of the platform, right next to the steep escalators that would take them up to the main part of the station where they needed to be to exit out onto Federation Square. As Louis was about to suggest they head up and find Niall's friends so they could get going it began, a sight Louis never thought he'd live to witness let alone be apart of.

Louis looked up then just as the train beside them started to pull away. Over a speaker somehwere towards the middle of the platforms the familiar opening bars of Rock Me could be heard. He was sure he'd never want to hear that song again by the end of tonight, but it was too catchy for him to care.

He scanned the platforms. His eyes not quite registering what he was seeing. When his eyes and his brain finally caught up with each other his eyes went wide and he was sure he could feel his chin resting on the platform, his mouth agape. A thunderous roar started to build, almost deafening. Slowly it drowned out the noise of the song being played on the speakers but no one really cared or needed it.

On all sides of Louis on both sides of both platforms, for as far as the eye could see were thousands of people. All of them stomping and clapping in time to the opening of Rock Me.

STOMP STOMP CLAP
STOMP STOMP CLAP
STOMP STOMP CLAP
STOMP STOMP CLAP

Before Louis realised what he was doing he'd joined in with the crowd, Lottie following suit. The crowd continued, undeterred by phones and cameras flashing in their faces as the people on other platforms stood to watch and record them all. At this rate they'd be trending no1 on Twitter before they even got to Hisense Arena. As if he could read his mind Niall whipped out his phone, keen to capture the magic unfolding. The crowd continued.