In a Heartbeat
Heather and Ella
Melody's POV
"No! It wasn't like that!" I shouted, laughing. "I just simply walked up to him and asked."
"Really?" Louis said, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Really," I said, giving him the death glare. "My turn. Um... what's your least favorite part about being famous?"
"CHEAPSHOT!!!" Louis shouted, jumping up and pointing at me.
"The things fans throw onstage," Harry said.
"Mobs," Liam said.
"When the fans just touch your hair and ruin it," Zayn told me, running his hand over his hair. "This doesn't just happen overnight."
"Having your every move watched by paparazzi," Niall chimed in.
"Being temporarily deaf," Louis said quietly.
"What was that?" I asked jokingly, cupping my hand around my ear and leaning closer.
"EXACTLY!" he shouted into my ear.
"My turn!" Harry said. He stared at me with a serious expression. I stared back, then made a face.
"Today, please? Before I turn 40, maybe?" I said sarcastically.
"Do you have any siblings, Melody?"
"Yeah, actually I have three. Or six, if you count honorary siblings. I have four brothers and two sisters," I said, making quotations in the air with my fingers. "My older sister is 15. Her name is Heather. My little sister is 10, and she's a huge fan of you guys. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't even know your names. Her name is Ella. Oh, and she has a huge crush on Liam. And then we have Heather's hockey coaches, Colby and Danny, two of my honorary siblings. Then there's *Chooey."
"Chooey? What kind of a name is that?" Louis asked.
"Manners, Louis!" Liam said, hitting Louis' arm.
"Ow!"
"Well, obviously there's a story behind it. Chooey is Danny's best friend and they always have been. So anyway, Chooey and Danny were playing tackle football in someone's backyard with some fifth graders, and Chooey and Danny were in first grade at the time. Chooey could plow through anybody and just push 'em over-even the fifth graders-and Danny's dad nicknamed him Choo-Choo, which was shortened into Choo, then lengthened into Chewbacca, and now it's been settled at Chooey," I explained.
"Tackle football? That's a first," Harry said.
"What? Oh! That's right. What you call football is soccer here. What we call football here is... um... rugby. Yeah. Rugby!" I said. "Sorry 'bout that."
"Wait..." Louis said, counting with his fingers. "That's only five siblings. You said you had six. Who's the other one?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
Louis put his chin on his hands, laying on his stomach and looked at me expectantly.
"I. Don't. Want. To. Talk. About. It. Okay?" I said through clenched teeth.
"Please?!"
"NO!" I shouted. I started to tear up. " I AM NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT HIM!"
"But-"
"Louis! Enough! She doesn't want to talk about it. Leave her alone," Harry said, putting his arm around my shoulders protectively. I leaned against his chest, letting a few tears escape. He rubbed my back until I calmed down a little bit. "You okay, love?" he whispered. I just shrugged.
Someone knocked on the door. Liam and Louis went to go answer it, and Niall scooted across the floor to hug me,
"It's okay. We all have secrets. You'll tell us when you're ready," he said.
"Thanks for understanding, guys," I said, still sniffling a bit. I wish I hadn't said anything. I heard a squeal and an "Oh my God, seriously?!" come from the kitchen.
Liam came waddling into the sitting room with an extra pair of hands around his middle. He was followed by a chuckling Louis.
"Help?" Liam mouthed to me.
"Ella!" I said, not lifting my head from Harry's lap. "Release!"
Ella reluctantly let go of Liam and ran over to me. She gave me an awkward hug, because I refused to sit up. I was really tired all of a sudden.
Heather walked into the room and leaned against the doorframe, looking pissed off. She scanned the room for me, then ran over when she found me.
"Don't ever do that again! You had me scared shitless!" she said, propping me up and giving me a proper hug. When she finally let go, I leaned against Harry's shoulder and watched her find a place to sit. She must have felt so out of place.
Liam sat down on the floor and Ella sat next to him. I looked back at Heather as she awkwardly sat on the couch next to Niall. It took me a moment to realize it, but Niall was watching Heather. Harry had noticed this, too, because he nudged me and pointed. I nodded and drifted off to sleep.
"No! It wasn't like that!" I shouted, laughing. "I just simply walked up to him and asked."
"Really?" Louis said, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Really," I said, giving him the death glare. "My turn. Um... what's your least favorite part about being famous?"
"CHEAPSHOT!!!" Louis shouted, jumping up and pointing at me.
"The things fans throw onstage," Harry said.
"Mobs," Liam said.
"When the fans just touch your hair and ruin it," Zayn told me, running his hand over his hair. "This doesn't just happen overnight."
"Having your every move watched by paparazzi," Niall chimed in.
"Being temporarily deaf," Louis said quietly.
"What was that?" I asked jokingly, cupping my hand around my ear and leaning closer.
"EXACTLY!" he shouted into my ear.
"My turn!" Harry said. He stared at me with a serious expression. I stared back, then made a face.
"Today, please? Before I turn 40, maybe?" I said sarcastically.
"Do you have any siblings, Melody?"
"Yeah, actually I have three. Or six, if you count honorary siblings. I have four brothers and two sisters," I said, making quotations in the air with my fingers. "My older sister is 15. Her name is Heather. My little sister is 10, and she's a huge fan of you guys. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't even know your names. Her name is Ella. Oh, and she has a huge crush on Liam. And then we have Heather's hockey coaches, Colby and Danny, two of my honorary siblings. Then there's *Chooey."
"Chooey? What kind of a name is that?" Louis asked.
"Manners, Louis!" Liam said, hitting Louis' arm.
"Ow!"
"Well, obviously there's a story behind it. Chooey is Danny's best friend and they always have been. So anyway, Chooey and Danny were playing tackle football in someone's backyard with some fifth graders, and Chooey and Danny were in first grade at the time. Chooey could plow through anybody and just push 'em over-even the fifth graders-and Danny's dad nicknamed him Choo-Choo, which was shortened into Choo, then lengthened into Chewbacca, and now it's been settled at Chooey," I explained.
"Tackle football? That's a first," Harry said.
"What? Oh! That's right. What you call football is soccer here. What we call football here is... um... rugby. Yeah. Rugby!" I said. "Sorry 'bout that."
"Wait..." Louis said, counting with his fingers. "That's only five siblings. You said you had six. Who's the other one?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
Louis put his chin on his hands, laying on his stomach and looked at me expectantly.
"I. Don't. Want. To. Talk. About. It. Okay?" I said through clenched teeth.
"Please?!"
"NO!" I shouted. I started to tear up. " I AM NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT HIM!"
"But-"
"Louis! Enough! She doesn't want to talk about it. Leave her alone," Harry said, putting his arm around my shoulders protectively. I leaned against his chest, letting a few tears escape. He rubbed my back until I calmed down a little bit. "You okay, love?" he whispered. I just shrugged.
Someone knocked on the door. Liam and Louis went to go answer it, and Niall scooted across the floor to hug me,
"It's okay. We all have secrets. You'll tell us when you're ready," he said.
"Thanks for understanding, guys," I said, still sniffling a bit. I wish I hadn't said anything. I heard a squeal and an "Oh my God, seriously?!" come from the kitchen.
Liam came waddling into the sitting room with an extra pair of hands around his middle. He was followed by a chuckling Louis.
"Help?" Liam mouthed to me.
"Ella!" I said, not lifting my head from Harry's lap. "Release!"
Ella reluctantly let go of Liam and ran over to me. She gave me an awkward hug, because I refused to sit up. I was really tired all of a sudden.
Heather walked into the room and leaned against the doorframe, looking pissed off. She scanned the room for me, then ran over when she found me.
"Don't ever do that again! You had me scared shitless!" she said, propping me up and giving me a proper hug. When she finally let go, I leaned against Harry's shoulder and watched her find a place to sit. She must have felt so out of place.
Liam sat down on the floor and Ella sat next to him. I looked back at Heather as she awkwardly sat on the couch next to Niall. It took me a moment to realize it, but Niall was watching Heather. Harry had noticed this, too, because he nudged me and pointed. I nodded and drifted off to sleep.
Notes
*Chooey is pronounced "Chewy"Okay, so this chapter's REALLY long but I really didn't want to do another chapter just to introduce her sisters. I'm going to go to sleep now because I am freakishly tired and it's like 2 am.
HEY. Your official-unofficial announcements sadden me. No promises or not, I really, really, really, really, really, really, REALLY hope you decide to eventually continue. I won't even be mad if you do a rewrite but dude, you gotta do something. I WILL DIE IF THIS STORY DOES NOT CONTINUE.
5/2/16