Summer (A 1D Love Story)

Chapter 5

Chapter 5- Zoë’s POV

I wake with a start as the plane bounces on the runway, jostling its passengers. I see Sophie starting to gather her belongings as I struggle into an upright position. As my brain fully wakes up, I hear the pilot announcing that we had arrived in London and that the weather was cloudy but warm. I look out the window, and I can see stars. I grab my carry-on bag and a boy in our row smiles at me. The excitement of seeing Liam again washes over me and I can’t wait to get off of that plane. Sophie greets me with a smile, seeing that I’ve woken up.

People start exiting the plane, and I grab our suitcases from the overhead bin, handing Sophie hers. Slowly we filter out into the London airport and I hear Sophie saying goodbye to someone named Edward. I pull out my phone to see if Liam has texted me, since he’s the one who’ll be picking us up. Moving through the sea of people I try to identify my childhood friend, while staying close to Sophie and all of our stuff. I decide to keep walking in search of Liam, not knowing my way around the huge terminal. Following a sign labeled “Baggage Claim”, we begin to feel lost and I think about calling Liam, but stop short when someone grabs my arm. I spin around and am enveloped in a huge hug.

“Liam!!” I squeal, and can tell he’s missed me too.

“Hey love! And who’s this?” He asks. We turn and I wave Sophie over.

“This is my friend Sophie.” Sophie reaches out her hand but Liam pulls her into a hug. After the slightly awkward introduction, Liam grabs our suitcases and smiles.

“Shall we then?”

On the way to his car I pick up a caramel frappuccino at Starbucks. The parking lot isn’t far and we arrive in minutes. He drives a convertible, sporty looking car now, I can’t help but notice the difference between it and his family’s old car, a 1996 Toyota Corolla... How could he afford something like this? After we load up our stuff, Liam goes to open the drivers’ side door and motions for me to hop in.

“I thought you were driving...” I look at him, confused.

“I am. We’re in England, remember?”

I look more closely at the car and realize that, of course, the steering wheel is on the other side. I laugh at myself and Sophie jumps into the back while I slide into my seat. We start to babble on about all the lost time between us, and I thank him repeatedly for the amazing birthday gift. Apparently his life’s been really busy and changing a lot but I feel like he’s holding something back. I ignore my instincts and try to enjoy my time with him. Him and Sophie hit it off, and it makes me happy. They talk about sports and how Liam is trying out for the Olympic reserve for track. I knew he was into running but always thought music was his true passion. I can remember sitting in his beach house attic listening to my pink Walkman and singing so loud that Liam’s mom had to put in earplugs to sleep. I chuckle at the memory, and ignore Liam when he asks me what I’m thinking about.

“Everyone can’t wait to see you,” Liam announces, fiddling with his hands on the steering wheel.

“Oh, your parents are there? I thought they just visited to see your new flat.”

He gives me a confused look. “Your parents didn’t tell you? The boys’ve been staying with me for a bit.”

“You have children?!” Sophie sputters, an appalled look masking her face. Liam bursts into laughter but I’m so confused that I don’t really find it funny...

“Y’know, the boys. Zayn, Niall... From the show?” He continues. Our faces remain the same, completely and utterly lost.

Liam groans. “They really didn’t tell you.” he sighs. “Okay, well I auditioned for this singing show... That one with Simon Cowell.”  I can tell he’s trying to dumb it down for us. “The X-Factor. You may have heard of it.” I can’t tell if he’s being sarcastic or not, but Sophie gasps.

“Oh my god! That’s like really big here, though, right?? I have heard of it... Were you seriously on the show?”

Liam chuckles and nods. “I didn’t make it solo but the producers of the show thought to put me and the lads together.”

“Like in a band?” Sophie asks, while I’m struggling to take in all of this information.

“Yep. Thus One Direction was born. There are five of us. I think you’ll both get on with them quite well.” Liam notices me sulking a bit and softens his tone.

“Hey, look at me.” He takes one hand off of the wheel to turn my face towards him. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. The show had us locked down pretty tight from communication, with the fans and all...” He trails off. I don’t respond.

Sophie, wanting to break the tension, buts in with “...so the band is doing well?”

Liam hesitates. “You could say that... We’ve just recorded a single and it drops on Tuesday. I wanted you to be here to celebrate with me.”

Knowing that, I was a little starstruck, although he’s my best friend, and my dad works in the music industry so I should be used to it. I look at Liam and remember our summers together, letting everything else melt away. This gives me a clearer perspective- and I break into a smile.

“That’s great, Liam. Congratulations!! I mean, this is what you used to dream about when we were kids... It’s crazy...” I trail off and Liam grins, glad to see that all is forgiven. Sophie is obviously excited to meet the rest of the boys and I can’t help but get excited too.

We pull onto a small side street of gravel, which makes the car bounce uncomfortably. Sophie falls into a fit of giggles. I can see Liam smiling from the corner of my eye. When the car stops and we get out, Liam unlocks a side door and starts lifting out our luggage. He steps aside to let Sophie and I through. I roll my eyes. Always the gentleman.

We walk in and up a flight of stairs, Liam and Sophie in the lead. When we get to the apartment door, I pause to shift my bags around. I overhear some shouts and a few greetings before I meet the boys myself. An dark haired, olive-skinned boy greets me first, his voice deep and with a thick accent.

“Vas happenin?” The boy says and I giggle. I’m about to reply when the rest of them rush to say hello. There’s a small commotion, blonde hair, blurred stripes and yelling. And that’s when I see those familiar green eyes. That’s when it all comes flooding back.