Where I Am Without You [L.S]

Chapter Twenty Seven

Make Sure to read chapter twenty six first as this is a double update !!

Their final interview ended exactly a week before proper tour rehearsal began. They'd added a total of twelve more shows for the tour due to the absolutely overwhelming demand, especially after their 'surprise' performance in the venue in London two weeks ago.

They'd all been stuck in London, shuffled round various interviews, both in person and over the phone and the week off before the true mayhem set in felt like a final lifeline.

Zayn had been the one to suggest the 'retreat'. The five of them already packed, bags stuffed between the two cars they were taking to partake on their getaway for the week.

Bonding time, Zayn had aptly named it.

Despite his initial thoughts that the five of them were about to be stuffed together for months on end, they were still lacking the sync between them which they'd once carried so easily. It had dawned in him over the past few days that this was exactly what they all needed to get back on the same page before they were expected to travel the world together again performing on some of the biggest stages in the world.

Liam had been the one to suggest they head towards the sea, enjoy the gradually warming whether that the UK was starting to offer. He'd been the one to suggest the same, reclusive village located in the north west of Wales, he'd visited PortMeirion once as a child with his mum and Gemma and had been longing to return ever since. It was almost five hours by car to the village but it had only taken one website depicting the small, idyllic village for all the boys to readily agree.

He'd managed to get Jeff to pull some strings for them, the houses usually booked months in advance for guests to come but they'd secured a luxury, five - bedroom house all the same for six nights.

Things between him and Louis were progressively getting steadier. They hadn't spoken properly again but the times they'd all gone out; first to a bar with their band and the other lads where they'd all sat around and shared tour stories, family updates, tour expectations before moving onto topics such as exotic animals and safari trips in Botswana, then a dinner at Liam's where Harry had finally been able to meet his son Bear. Followed by a movie night at Nialls and a friendly (or it started that way at least till Niall tried to steal one of Louis' specially signed balls) game of football at Louis' private backyard. It had gone well. All of it. They'd both been able to openly talk about everything asked in front of one another and that feeling of tension which had been rippling between them since they'd first met up in December had slowly ebbed away. They had a long way to go, but he was grateful they were both trying.

That's how he found himself waiting beside his car for Liam and Louis to arrive on a Thursday morning, a few hours following their final promotional interview. Niall had offered to drive with Liam, had practically shoved Louis and Zayn towards Harry when they'd discussed their travel options. The five of them would be far to crammed to squeeze in one vehicle so he and Liam had offered to drive their own cars. It also meant they had more space for their luggage.

Zayn and Niall were sat on Harry's front steps leading up to his private London home, talking between them with laughs emitting from both of them occasionally.

He'd excused himself from their conversation several minutes ago when a phone call had come through from Mitch, wanting to go over some final suggestions for their set before Harry would officially be going 'off duty' for the next week. He'd spoken with him for a couple minutes before Mitch hung up and had been stuck absentmindedly through Twitter ever since.

Their social media interactions had increased dramatically over the past couple of weeks. Since the whole 'fruit debacle' back in January, the reunion announce, tour dates, numerous promo interviews and most recently their performance, social media had been a craze of interest around them. Their accounts had all risen drastically in their followings now they were back together which had come as somewhat as a surprise seeing as they hadn't really suffered as solo artists, but he supposed people still found it overly exciting now they were back together again. He read through their most recent social media debate, this time a passionate debate between who Zayn and Niall dubbed as the top British R&B acts, safe to say Niall was severely under educated in the topic than Zayn. It had eventually ended when Niall made the comment that his actual favourite was Zayn, sending fans into a flurry of gooey comments and the conversation had moved no further.