Back for More // louis t.

Sixteen - Drag Me Down

It was only a 2-hour drive to Birmingham. On the way over I played poker with the boys and kept an eye on my phone in case Louis texted me, but he was probably too busy entertaining his young son with Lottie.

We arrived at the arena around 2:30pm and everyone made their way quickly backstage. The crew was setting up the stage for tonight, our dressing rooms were getting their finishing touches as we walked in. Louis carried his son on his hip, with one of his ball caps covering the little boy's face from the cameras of the fans and paparazzi waiting for us when we got off the buses. I didn't get to talk to him until we were inside and he had handed Freddie off to Lottie.

Management had made a formal statement twenty minutes ago while we were on the road about Louis' family situation, and I wanted to make sure he was okay.

The statement read: Louis Tomlinson's son Freddie Reign Tomlinson will be joining One Direction for the foreseeable future of the tour due to the unexpected detaining of Brianna Jungwirth early this morning by London Police. Louis asks that his son Freddie not be asked for pictures due to his young age. Charlotte "Lottie" Tomlinson will be joining the tour as the official nanny for Freddie for as long as he is on the tour. Louis asks that Lottie not be asked for pictures when she is with Freddie.

I had read the tweet fifteen times before getting off the bus, as had Liam, Harry, and Niall. I caught up with Louis as he walked into the designated vocal warmup room.

"Are you feeling okay?" I questioned sincerely, grabbing his arm in my hand gently.

"No." He croaked. "Freddie is still confused about why his mum isn't coming back to get him. She promised she'd be back to get him today and he's a smart lad." I could tell Louis was nearly at the brink of tears again. "I have to tell him the truth, that his mum 's been arrested and might not come back."

"You don't have to tell him anything yet." I caressed Louis' scruffy cheek in my hand. "It hasn't even been twenty-four hours yet, Louis. This could all be some big mistake. She could have just gotten caught up with some bad people."

"I hope so, for Freddie's sake." He sniffled, reaching up to cradle my hand in his.

"He'll be okay, Louis." I leaned in to kiss his lips softly. "He's strong, just like his dad."

Louis hummed and leaned in to kiss me again, this time holding my waist in his large hands to hold me in place. I kissed him back, moving methodically against his lips.

"'M sorry I left you alone on the bus." He finally broke away.

"I'm not alone," I reassured him. "I have three great friends right there if I need them. And you're just a phone call away."

"Harry and Liam I'm okay with." Louis chuckled.

"Niall and I were just dancing this morning." I giggled, hitting his chest playfully. "I was listening to his music when he walked onto the bus."

"I still think he likes you."

"Well, I love you, Tomlinson." I teased.

"I love you too, Harris." He pecked my lips again before letting me go, knowing we both needed to do our vocal warm-ups and that the other three boys would be there any moment. As if on cue, Harry and Liam walked in laughing, presumably at a joke one of them had told moments before.

A knock came at the door before Thomas swung it open, still on the phone. "Cassidy, can I talk to you for a minute?" I nodded, following him into the hallway.

"Your friend...Katie? She played guitar in the same talent show as you correct?" I raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him before nodding. Where is he going with this? I don't need a guitar player, I need a bassist.

"Mark is gonna play the bass from now on, Management just signed on Katie for your tour as your guitarist." He finished. My jaw about hit the floor.

"Why didn't you tell me they were talking to her?" I yelled, hitting his arm, though I knew I could never hurt Thomas. 

"Surprise?" He chuckled, rubbing his bicep. "She's on a plane right now to Manchester, she'll be ready for tomorrow's show. Sandy is gonna continue to fill in tonight." I was in complete shock, how could she not tell me management was talking to her? We talked every day.

"Okay." Was all I could get out.

"Go warm-up, we can talk about this more later." He patted my shoulder before heading down the hallway, still on the phone with management. I screamed with excitement before quickly composing myself and walking back into the room to do my vocal exercises. 

After the concert, Louis was completely involved with Freddie and Lottie, and I decided to leave him alone with his family, opting to head back to the bus. I told Harry, Liam, and Niall about Katie and how she would be joining my band. 

"Would you want her to bunk with us?" Harry offered. "That way you're not the only girl on the bus since Louis is gone and all?"

"You'd all be okay with that?" I looked over Niall and Liam's expressions for their approval and they seemed to be in agreement with Harry that she was welcome. "Thank you!" I squealed, pulling each of them into a hug. "You guys are the best!"

"Aw, it's nothing, Cass." Niall chuckled as he hugged me tightly. I couldn't help but think of ways to get Katie and him together, they would be the perfect match. Harry would have to be my next pet project after Niall and Katie. "We've loved having you here, and if she's anything like you, I'm sure we'll all get along great." His big goofy smile was shining out as I pulled away, feeling the bus pull out of the parking lot. 

Tomorrow we would be performing in Manchester, but for tonight we could stay up late. Harry and I teamed up against Liam and Niall on the boys' Wii for Mario Kart, one of many gaming devices they had hooked up on the bus. 

"How did ya'll do this when there were five of you?" I laughed out loud as I hit Niall with a blue shell. 

"We got really good at taking turns!" Harry shouted happily, taking first place from Harry. 

After three rounds, Harry and I had won two of the races and claimed victory over Niam. Me calling them Niam prompted Liam to try and come up with a ship name for Harry and I. Niall spent the better part of 5 minutes on twitter finding my ship name with each of the boys to declare which was the best, so far the most popular ones were Lousidy, Nassidy, Casiam, and Carry. 

"The real question is who is carrying Team Carry?" Harry wiggled his eyebrows at his terrible pun, prompting Liam to roll his eyes. I let out a small chuckle and Niall cackled. 

"Obviously me." I teased, poking Harry's side, getting a not-so-manly giggle out of him. 

We played Super Smash Bros Brawl Niall and me versus Lirry, best out of ten. Harry and Liam won 6-4 with it coming down to a heated final round. I yawned before leaning my head against Niall's shoulder. "I think I'm done for tonight, boys."

"Aw c'mon Cassidy!" Liam whined. "One more game!"

"I'm too tired." I laughed tiredly. "I'll only be a handicap for whoever's team I'm on." I saw Harry stand up and I made grabby hands for him to pick me up, which he did easily. Harry placed me in Louis' old bunk, which I had claimed as my own after the concert. 

"Lou is a lucky guy." Harry smiled before climbing up into his own bunk above Niall's. Niall and Liam were quick to follow to go to bed. We were all tired and would need our rest for tomorrow.