Hotel {L.S.}

Chapter 12

"Are they ready?" Sasha called.

The Climb by Miley Cyrus started playing, and I walked on stage slowly, purposefully looking unsure of what I was doing. I glanced at the judges for only a second before looking down and walking to where were supposed to stand if you didn't have anything worked out for the song. Right before the verse started I took a deep breath and let it out before raising the microphone to my lips.

"I can almost see it, that dream I'm dreaming, but there's a voice inside my head sayin' I'll never reach it. Every step I make feels lost with no direction. My faith is shaking."

"You, you gotta be strong," I turned around and Louis walked out behind me, much more comfortable and relaxed with his movements. "You gotta keep your head held high. There's always gonna be another mountain, you're always gonna want to make it move. Ain't about how fast you get there, ain't about what's waiting on the other side. It's the climb."

Ad he sang he walked closer to me, and I nodded slowly, like I was taking his advice.

I started the next verse again, turning towards the crowd while Louis stood next to me. "The struggle I'm facing, the chances I'm taking, sometimes might knock me down, but no I'm not changing."

"You may not know it, but these are the moments that you're gonna remember most yeah. Just got to keep going."

Louis and I started singing together for the chorus, I would say I like in the song, and Louis said you instead, referring to me.

"But I (you), I gotta keep tryin' gotta keep my (your) head held high. There's always gonna be another mountain, I'm (you're) always gonna want to make it move. Ain't about how fast I (you) get there, ain't about what's waiting on the other side. It's the climb."

We finished the song and everyone went crazy. The judges seemed absolutely shocked, hiding by their constant glancing back and forth between us and each other.

Louis lowered his mic and I did too, and he turned so he could whisper in my ear. "That was perfect."

I nodded excitedly. "Did we really-"

"We did," Louis answered with a grin. As soon as we were off stage, I was attacking him with kisses, it was a done deal sealed in my head. He looked so happy and excited and adorable and just... everything about him screamed kiss me.

"Okay, you can't have a connection like that, perform like that, and not kiss after. Like what the actual hell. You're both breaking some major rules here," Sasha sassed with a grin.

I turned to look at Louis, and he was already watching me, trying to judge my reaction. I pushed myself onto my tip toes and kissed him, which of course everyone screamed at. Louis kissed me back and wrapped his arm around my waist like he had been doing this for a lot longer than two days, then I pulled away and looked at him happily before turning to the judges.

"Alright, full points restored," Sasha mumbled as she pretended to write on her paper before dropping her pen. "Anyways, back to the real stuff, that was fucking amazing."

"Do you believe us now?" Louis questioned with a laugh. I smiled as he kept his arm wrapped around my waist. I took a half step closer to Louis, and he kissed my head.

"Honestly, no," Simon answered. When the crowd groaned, he raised his hands in surrender. "Seriously, it's so well done it a hard to believe you did it on the spot. You got to practice..." he motioned with his hands for us to finish the sentence.

"Once," Louis answered. "We went through it once and used the rest of the time deciding the little story thing."

"Five minutes isn't a lot of time," I said jokingly.

"Well, that was done perfectly. Very, very well done job," Mitchell complimented.

We both thanked them before walking off stage. I started walking backwards as soon as we were behind the curtain and Louis grabbed my waist and pulled me to him. "That was..."

"I know." I hugged him tightly. "We did that. Did we really do that?"

"You did," Mr. Gridley answered as he walked over to us, a giant grin spread across his face. "That was... beyond expected."

There was a small break before I went back on stage. Louis kissed me multiple times while we just talked, and I had to admit, I was falling hard for him. He was everything I needed.

Mitchell came up to us, a huge grin on his face. "I need to talk to you both for a second."

"What's up?" Louis asked, linking our hands and using the other to brush hair out of his face.

"You've been through this before," he told Louis. "But it's slightly different."

"Slighty different how?"

Mitchell looked back and forth between us. "We want to sign you both, but with two contracts each." Louis looked confused, and I was too. Two contracts? What did that mean? He continued talking before either of us could question. "Both of your voices are amazing as solos, as well as when you duet, and instead of singing you to one and having to try to work out getting you either solo songs or collabs, we came up with this idea. You have two weeks to sit on the idea before it's off the table, staring the day the competition ends."

I squeezed Louis' hand, staring at Mitchell in shock. He still had a grin on his face. "Any questions?"

"We'd stay together?" Louis asked to clarify. Mitchell nodded his head. "Like seriously, actually stay together?"

"Yes," Mitchell laughed.

"Do we need our parents to agree?" I asked.

"Are you 18 or older?" I nodded my head. "Then no, you do not. Anything else?"

Louis looked at me and I shook my head. Mitchell nodded. "You're on in just a few, Harry."

I nodded as he left, then slowly turned to Louis. "They're-"

"Fucking amazing," Louis finished for me. "That's..."

Both Grindley and Yeets walked over to us. "What was that?" They asked, both looking slightly nervous.

"They already offered us contracts," Louis answered.

Yeets looked at me, then Louis. "They never offer them this soon."

I shrugged while Louis said "They really want us. There's two contracts each. One for each of us, then one to keep us as a pair."

Grindley bit his lip to stop a smile from growing on his face. "That's... I told you they would love you." I smiled and leaned into Louis, kissing his shoulder. "Are you still going?"

I nodded. "Two Ghosts."

He nodded and I closed my eyes. Luke didn't know the song was about him, but it wouldn't be that hard to figure out. And I wasn't planning on meeting Louis during all of this.

"Come talk with me a mimute," Grindley said. I nodded and pulled away from Louis, walking a few feet away with Grindley. "Remember, this is your song, H. No one else has heard this before and you don't have to explain it if you don't want to."

"What if Luke figures it out? I don't want him to think-"

"It's a song, Harry. A million people are gonna think a million different things about it. And honestly, Luke probably will realize it's about him. He was your only serious relationship, from what you've told me." I nodded again. "And after this, you can just go back to the hotel and stay in your room, or go do something."

I nodded again. "Thank you."

Grindley nodded. "Now, get out there and sing your heart out, kid."