The Lift (A One Direction Fanfiction)

Chapter Eight

   "Oi!" Niall shouts, rapping on another door. "Louis are you naked?"

   "Yes I am!" Louis' voice replied faintly through the thick wall. "One moment for me to put my trousers on, please!"

   Niall smirks at me as I lean against the wall. A full minute later, the door swings open with Louis standing there in full concert garb.

   "Why are you wearing that stuff?" Niall asks confused. "The concert's over. Just get into sweatpants or something."

   "It seems some hooligan has stolen my sweatpants." Louis blows his bangs out of his face. "I suspect Harry is behind this."

   "We're gonna go to him soon," Niall mentions. "If he's got your trousers I'll bring them back to you."

   "Thanks, mate." Louis turns to me, folding his arms across his chest and smirking playfully. "So this is the girl that's caused all that Twitter drama. Nice to properly meet you."

   "Thanks," I stammer, trying not to shake. On camera, Louis seems hard to please. I've actually been most afraid of meeting him because he seems to have high standards when it comes to the people he surrounds himself with. I can't mess up. That would kind of suck.

   "Come in, guys," Louis beckons, turning the knob of his dressing room. "It's so... bleak out in this corridor."

   Niall and I enter the room and Louis shuts the door. I suppress a giggle when I notice a pair of Louis' heart-covered boxers hanging off a chair. He notices this and subtly pushes the boxers out of sight.

   "So." Louis clears his throat. "Is Niall telling the truth? You two didn't fuck in that lift?"

   My face immediately turns the color of that pair of underwear. How can he ask that without feeling some sort of embarrassment?

   "Lou, man," Niall frowns at Louis. "Be nice. Erin's cool."

   "Sorry," Louis shrugs. "Just wanted to validate it. The fans are thinking the same thing."

   "Well we didn't do anything," I blurt. "And even if we did, that's a rude question and you shouldn't have asked it." I mentally smack myself for letting my anger get the best of me. Did I really just sass the sassmaster? What is wrong with me?

   Louis narrows his eyes and stares at me for a moment. Retreating back into my shell of a self I avoid his gaze, admiring my freshly-bitten nails.

   "I like her, Nialler," Louis smirks. "She's got... something. Shame you two aren't an item."

   Relief floods through me. I've just been accepted by 1/4 of the boys I need to impress. Maybe they all like a bit of spunk. Too bad I can't always deliver it.

   Niall, Louis and I chat a bit more, mostly about random crap. I make Louis laugh multiple times and, judging by how little he laughs in interviews compared to the other boys, makes me extremely proud of myself. My humor is a sort of acquired taste. People normally have to get used to it before it makes them laugh. In Louis' case, I barely had to make an effort and he just found everything I said to be funny.

   As Niall and I leave the dressing room, I bid Louis goodnight.

   "I hope to see you around, Erin," Louis waves back. "You made last night's concert much more interesting."

   I blush and Niall closes the door.

   "That was impressive," Niall lets out his breath like he's been holding it this whole time. I give Niall a quizzical look.

   "I mean, he's a bit hard to please." Niall starts leading me down the hallway to another door. "It took me weeks to get him to even smile at any of my jokes while it took you less than five minutes."