“I’m ready for the New Year!” Harry exclaimed. He was jittery, anxious to see the lads again. I was, too. It felt like ages since we had last seen each other. We were sitting at their office, waiting for the others to arrive. Harry had my hand in his as we waited.

“Hi guys!” Harry shot from my side and tackled Louis. I laughed as they wrestled on the floor. Their bromance was something to see.

“Hi guys!” came the same greeting. I looked up to see Zayn standing in the doorway. I ran to him and tackled him in a hug.

“I’ve missed you! How were your holidays? How’s your family? Did you do anything fun?” I asked in one breath. He laughed and we sat at the conference table. Harry and Louis were still catching up.

“I’ve missed you, too. My holidays were wonderful. It was great to just relax and get to spend some time with my family. They are all great. They miss me a lot, and my mom cried as I left, but I told her, ‘Mum, I’m just going to work. It’s not like I’m going to war.’” I smiled at his words. I knew that he missed his family dearly. I hugged him again and stood. I looked at Louis and he looked at me before we ran into each other’s arms.

“I MISSED YOU DARCY!” he yelled.

“I MISSED YOU, TOO LOU!” I yelled back. We laughed and joked around for a bit, giving Harry and Zayn a chance to catch up. Louis and I had also become really close. Living in the same flat does that. I loved our relationship. I loved that we knew what the other was thinking and that we could goof off and be kids together. Zayn was my best guy friend, after Harry, but he was someone I could talk to about what was weighing on my mind that day. I felt that all of the lads were my best friends, but Zayn and Louis were definitely at the top of my list, though it was tough to say who I really favored over the other. I didn’t think that I loved one of them more than another.

“Hello, lads,” came an Irish voice. We all turned and the lads tackled Niall as I tackled Lucy.

“I’ve missed you,” I mumbled into her shoulder.

“I missed you, too,” she said back. I broke away and noticed a ring on her finger.

“Lucy,” I said grabbing her hand. “Did Niall give this to you?” I asked. She laughed and shook her head.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

I turned her hand as I surveyed the ring. It was stunning.

“So,” she nudged me. “Are you ready for your birthday? It’s only a few days away!” This caught the attention of the others.

“Yes and no.”

They all laughed as Liam stepped through the door.

“Liam!” He went through the same greetings that everyone else had received. We sat around the conference table and chatted, enjoying each other’s company once more. Simon walked in the door and our conversations died down.

“Hello, everyone. I hope you enjoyed your holidays. We’ve got a big year for us this year, so let’s get down to business.”

The boys were all seriousness as he went over their plan for the year. I raised an eyebrow at what he had planned for them. Another America tour, recording an album, promoting, interviews, performances, their schedules were packed.

I looked around the table. They seemed eager to start right away.

----

I nervously adjusted my outfit one last time. Lucy and I were doing an interview with the boys this morning. This was the interview where Harry and I planned on telling people that we were a couple. We had talked it over with management. They had seen the photos and agreed that we would be under less pressure if we told everyone.

I took a deep breath to settle my nerves. Lucy walked in and hugged me.

“It’s going to be fine. We’re going to be fine.”

I surveyed her outfit. As usual, she looked gorgeous.

“I hate how you can pull off that colour combination. I would never be able to in a million years.” She smiled.

“Well I hate how you can pull off that colour! I love it but it looks hideous on me.”

We both laughed as we headed out of the dressing room in search of the boys. I spotted curly hair and we headed over.

“You ready?” Harry looked into my eyes and I nodded.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

The seven of us walked onto the set and arranged ourselves. Lucy sat next to Niall, and Liam and Louis sat next to them on one couch. Harry, Zayn, and I sat on the other. My hand rested in Harry’s lap. His thumb traced little circles on the back of my hand.

“We’re going in live in 5…4…3…2..” the producer cued the interviewer and the cameras began rolling.

“Good morning and thank you for joining us on This Morning. I’m Aria Sharpe, and I have here One Direction with their two lovely ladies, Lucy Alcott and Darcy Larson. How are you guys today?” The audience went crazy as the boys waved.

“We are fantastic. It’s so great to be here,” Liam answered. We all nodded in agreement.

“So we hear that an album is in recording. Tell us, Zayn, how is that coming along?”

“Oh, it’s brilliant. We are so excited for everyone to hear it. I think you’re all really going to like it.”

“When does it come out?”

“We haven’t set a date yet, but I’m sure you’ll know when we do!” Louis said. We shifted a bit to get more comfortable.

“So as you can probably hear, there are thousands of screaming girls outside our studios. How do you cope with that everywhere you go?”

“It’s not something that we have to cope with or something that we’ll ever get used to. It’s still a bit weird for us, but it’s amazing,” Harry said, his hand was still in mine.

“I see. So let’s go back to your X Factor experience. You all started out as solo artists but were then placed as a group.”

“Yes. We were thrilled when we were put together. I don’t think it was something that we were ever opposed to. It gave us another shot at the competition, and we were all on board as soon as they told us,” Niall said. The other boys nodded.

“It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. These lads are my best mates; they’re like my brothers,” Liam said. The interviewer nodded. I saw her spot Harry and my linked hands, and I knew this was it.

“So boys, is there any romance brewing?” I took a deep breath.

“Well, I’m currently involved with someone,” said Liam. Louis shook his head.

“I am as well.”

Niall smiled and hugged Lucy.

“Same for me.” The crowd cheered again as the boys revealed their relationship status.

“Zayn? Harry? Any ladies catch your eyes? We have a few photos here of you and Darcy, Harry. Care to explain?” The photos of Harry and I in LA and from the club flashed onto the screen. He smiled and squeezed my hand.

“Yes. Darcy and I have been together for almost a year now, and it’s been wonderful. We get on so well, and all of the lads love her.”

“Yes. It’s been an amazing year, and I love all of the lads like they’re my brothers,” I said, speaking for the first time that interview. Aria turned to me and I gulped. I was getting nervous. Harry moved his arm around my shoulders and I leaned into him, thankful for his support.

“So how did you two meet?” she asked me.

“Well, I work at Opium with Lucy. We were working a regular evening, and the boys walked into the club. I remember the noise seeming to die down as they stepped inside. I also remember being extremely nervous when they headed toward us. We struck up a conversation and the rest is pretty much history,” I explained. I heard the studio audience “aww” which made me laugh. Aria laughed as well. The producers signaled for a commercial break.

“We will be right back with One Direction after this break!” The cameras shut off and I took a deep breath. This wasn’t so bad. Harry pulled me to him and pecked my lips.

“You’re doing brilliantly.”

“Thanks. I was so nervous. I wonder how the fans are going to take it?”

“However they take it, I still love you. I don’t care what they say.” I kissed him again.

We stood up and stretched, waving and talking to the audience. We were able to take a few pictures as we walked around stretching our legs. After about two minutes, the producers signaled for us to take our seats. We sat in the same spots, and waited as they counted down.

“Good morning, everyone! Thanks for being with us this morning,” Aria greeted. “ In case you are just tuning in, I’m Aria Sharpe and I’m sitting here with One Direction, Lucy Alcott, and Darcy Larson!” The crowd cheered again as we smiled and waved.

“So we have a game planned for you guys. We’re going to play a modified Twenty Questions, to get to know all of you a bit better.” We all nodded.

“Okay so first question goes to Louis, and then we’ll just go down the line,” she said.

“What is your favourite ice cream flavour?” He thought about it for a minute.

“Strawberry. Definitely strawberry.”

“Really? I would have thought that you would go for something more daring,” she said.

“Well, I did eat chili flavoured ice cream once. It was actually pretty good.” We all made a face as he shrugged.

“Okay, Niall?”

“Chocolate! Or honeycomb, but I love all ice cream flavours,” he said. We all laughed at his love of food.

“Alright and Lucy?”

“Mint chocolate chip.”

“Liam?”

“Pistachio. People are always grossed out by that, but it’s actually very good,” he said as we made a face again. Aria laughed and turned to Zayn.

“Zayn?”

“Mine’s mint chocolate chip as well.”

“Harry?”

“Honeycomb. It’s delicious,” he said and high fived Niall.

“Alright, and Darcy?”

“I’m a vanilla bean person. You can’t go wrong with a classic! But I do also love Neapolitan.”

“Okay, moving on. Does anyone in the band snore?”

“Harry snores really bad, oh my god!” Zayn exclaimed causing all of us to break into laughter. It was true.

“Darcy? Is this true?” Aria turned to me. I could only nod.

“Yes, but it’s not as bad as Zayn makes it out to be,” I laughed.

“Yes it is! Oh my god! It keeps me awake at night,” he said with a wink. We all laughed again.

“Alright, who takes the longest to get ready?”

“Liam!” We all shouted. The audience was laughing with us at this point.

“Who’s the best dancer?”

“Liam or Zayn. He’s gotten quite good,” Louis said. “But everyone knows that we can’t really dance.”

“Well, we can do the inbetweeners dance,” Harry said.

“Let’s see it then,” Aria said. They all stood up and began dancing. Lucy and I were laughing as we watched them.

“Can you ladies dance?” Lucy shook her head no.

“Darcy?”

“Yes she can! She’s really good, too!” Louis said and pulled me up to join them. I blushed but began to dance making sure to keep it family appropriate. The crowd cat-called and I blushed again. We all sat down. Harry’s arm made it around my waist this time.

“Okay, and lastly, who is the best kisser?” she asked, a twinkle in her eye.

“How are we supposed to know that?” Liam asked.

“It’s Niall!” Harry exclaimed winking at Niall. We all burst into laughter as Niall winked back and air kissed Harry.

“Actually, Harry is a very good kisser,” I said. The crowd “ooooh’d” causing me to blush once more. He kissed me on the lips, and the crowd went nuts.

“Harry,” I scolded. “We are on national television!”

“I’m Aria Sharpe, this is One Direction! Thank you guys for being here!”

“Thank you for having us, it was a blast,” Liam said.

“Stay tuned for the latest in spring fashion. Spring is just around the corner, so we have a few tips on how you can spruce up your wardrobe!” We waved as they cut to commercial.

“Thank you so much for having us, we really did have a wonderful time,” Louis thanked Aria one last time. We all agreed and shook her hand, making our way back to the car.

----

I took in a sharp breath as I scrolled through twitter. I felt tears prick my eyes as I went down my timeline. The fans had not taken our news very well.

@1Dforever: @Darcy_Rae I heard you’re a slut. How many guys have you slept with? I bet you’re just using @Harry_Styles! #whatawhore

@mrsharrystyles: @Darcy_Rae I can’t believe you! How can you be with @Harry_Styles after sleeping with so many other guys? #whatawhore

@1Dforlife: @Darcy_Rae you filthy slut. #whatawhore

@tomlinsonlove: @Darcy_Rae so how many guys have you been with? Because I’ve heard the number and it disgusts me. You’re not good enough for
@Harry_Styles! #whatawhore

The tears spilled from my eyes as I continued to browse through my timeline. Zayn pulled my phone from my hands. His expression turned angry as he scrolled through.

“How dare they!? These girls are not directioners. How dare they speak in that way about you?” he raged. Harry grabbed my phone as I continued to sob. I didn’t know where that rumour had started but it hurt. I had never even had a boyfriend
before Harry. His eyes darkened as he read through my twitter.

He handed my phone back to me before pulling out his own. The other lads and Lucy were furiously typing away on their own phones. I watched my timeline as their tweets showed up.

@lucyalcott: how can you guys even call yourselves fans? @Darcy_Rae is my best friend, and I know that she has never slept with anyone! I love you @Darcy_Rae! Keep your beautiful head up!

@Harry_Styles: I don’t know where this rumour came from, but how can you say such vicious words about my girlfriend? You are not directioners if you cannot accept her into the 1D family ): I love you @Darcy_Rae! <3

@NiallOfficial: @Darcy_Rae is one of the sweetest girls I’ve ever met! I can’t believe the rumour that is going around about her! Keep your head up gorgeous!

@Real_Liam_Payne: I am so sorry @Darcy_Rae that people who call themselves our fans would say such awful things about you. You are beautiful inside and out.

@zaynmalik: I thought our girls were accepting and supportive of our relationships. I guess I was wrong. ): keep your beautiful head up @Darcy_Rae! Don’t let those vicious rumours get you down!

@GemmaAnneStyles: I’ve met @Darcy_Rae and she is one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met! She is so sweet, caring, gentle, and innocent, so I don’t know why you would say such horrible things!

@Louis_Tomlinson: @Darcy_Rae is a wonderful girl. She is so sweet and kind. I can’t believe that directioners would start such an awful rumour! ): I love you, Darcy!

I smiled at all of them through my tears. These were my best friends and my new family. Harry hugged me to him and dried my tears. I was surprised at Gemma’s tweet, but I appreciated it with all my heart.

@Darcy_Rae: Thanks @Harry_Styles, @Louis_Tomlinson, @GemmaAnneStyles, @lucyalcott, @zaynmalik, @NiallOfficial, and @Real_Liam_Payne! You guys are the best, and I love you all! <3

The group gave me a huge hug. I smiled at them, again.

“You guys are the best family a girl could ask for.”