*Liam’s POV*

I didn’t know what it was. It was just a simple nickname. The lads called me hundreds of time, but hearing Hazel say it just… I don’t know what. It felt familiar, like… as if she’s said it before. Strange, she’s never said it, yet it felt like to me she’s said it many times before. Maybe she has let it slip before, I don’t know. If she did, I’ve forgotten.

Whatever. Now wasn’t the time to worry about that. We’ve landed in London already, and I told the boys to go ahead and exit. Hazel and I would be walking with the rest of the passengers. I had on a hoodie, the hood pulled over my head with sunglasses on. Hazel was fine, though she did match me some by putting on a sweater. It was chilly out, nothing that wasn’t unusual for London. Grey filled the skies and I could hear the fans from where we were as we departed the planes with our carry-ons.

I didn’t know where the guys were by now, but I wasn’t worried about that. I made sure to keep Hazel’s hand in mine. There was a huge crowd, and the last thing I needed was to lose her. We hurried through the airport, going the opposite way I knew the lads were headed. I felt a sort of relief hit me as I saw a familiar face near one of the back exits. My personal security guard that has been off duty for the past month and a half: Steve.

Steve recognized me almost immediately. He nodded in acknowledgement before opening the door, allowing Hazel and I to step out. The screams of the fans were loud, considering they were on the other side of the building. “Wow…” I heard Hazel say in astonishment.

“Welcome to our world.” I offered a small smile as Steve led us to a black tinted SUV. I let Hazel climb in first. She took a seat behind the driver’s seat. I threw both of the carry-ons that belonged to us in the back. I heard it hit the other luggage. I sighed a little with relief, glad that someone got our bags for us. I climbed in. Steve took a seat in the passenger side up front. “Thanks for helping out.” I said to him.

The muscular man held a thumb up. “I think the other lads got the worse end of it though.”
The SUV took off. I didn’t recognize the driver, so I didn’t worry about it. Steve kept himself busy with the driver, leaving only silence in the back seat. We were down the road, a few miles away from the airport whenever I felt my phone buzzing. I looked at it.

Harry was calling.

“’Ello?” I answered.

I could hear the loud screams in the background. “Ey, mate, did you make it out okay?”

“Yeah, we’re on our way to my flat now.”

There was a brief pause as I heard a small slamming noise. “Well, we’re still stuck, kind of. We made it in the van alright, but I’ve never seen a crowd like this before. It’s crazy – ah! Damn, some girl just cracked the window!”

“Give me a ring when you make it out alive, okay?” I said.

“Yeah, mate, I’ll talk to you later!”

We hung up. I just sighed. “Did I hear that right?” Hazel asked.

“What?” I asked, looking over at Hazel.

“Did Harry just say some girl cracked a window?” I recalled him saying something like that and I nodded. “Damn…” She said, a little shocked.

She turned to look out the window. I looked at my phone, seeing if I had any missed calls. Now that I thought about it, I haven’t really been paying much attention to it these past few days. Ever since a few days before the funeral, I kept it shut off. Harry calling just now was the first time I’ve actually used it. I went through it, seeing a few text messages from the lads during the stay in the States. I let out a silent sigh as I saw the few missed calls from my own mother.

I looked over at Hazel. I wanted to call her, but I didn’t want to hurt Hazel by bringing up thoughts of her own mother. I stuck the phone in my pocket, deciding I would call back when I was alone. I knew she was worried, but there was nothing I could do at the moment.

It only took a mere thirty minutes to finally get to my flat. “Here we are, kiddos.” Steve said, stepping out to help with the luggage.

Hazel and I got out of the truck and walking to the back. We quickly grabbed our luggage, Steve taking most of Hazel’s as we walked up the steps to my flat. I got out my keys, sticking them in. I opened the door widely and stepped in. It’s been a while since anyone’s been in here, so no electricity was used. The house was, in fact, chilly, so I set my stuff down, going over to the thermostat and turning on the heat. I saw Steve come in with the rest of the luggage. “That’s everything. I have to get going now, management has something they want me to do involving the other boys. Will you be okay?” He looked at me saying this.

I nodded. “Yeah, we’ll be fine. Thanks for helping out.”

“Ey, kid, it’s my job.”

He winked before shutting the door on his way out. Hazel and I stood there, feeling a little awkward. “It’s a little chilly in here.” Hazel said. Her breath could be seen as she breathed.
“Sorry.” I said, grabbing at some of her luggage. “I try to keep myself on a budget. I keep my electricity use down to a minimum while I’m gone on tour.”

Hazel nodded, understanding some. I nodded toward the hallway. “Come on, I’ll show you your room.”

She grabbed her carry-on and more luggage. “Okay!”

I started walking. I walked to the door, opening it. I led her inside, letting her get a good view of it. “Wow, it’s so much bigger than my room.”

Well, my flat was at least three times as big as her old apartment. It had two bedrooms, something I didn’t need at the time, but decided to get anyways in case the lads stayed. I smiled at her. “We should probably unpack. My room’s upstairs if you need me.” I stopped for a second. “Oh, are you hungry?”

I saw her eyes light up at the mention of food. “Yeah.”

“How does pizza sound?”

“Perfect!”

Her enthusiasm made me smile. I pointed at the door across the hall. “Bathroom’s there if you need to wash up, though I’d advise you to wait until after the house warms up a bit.”

She smiled. Yeah, bringing her to London with me was probably the best idea. I could see the light coming back to her ever since her mother has died. She was definitely feeling better. It was almost like she was allowing every small detail last with her. I understand her motive. She was slowly going to change. Of course she would, and I would be there. That much I knew. I was her friend. I would do anything I could for her.

I pulled out my phone, dialing up the number for my favorite pizza to do a delivery. I ordered a couple of pizzas and grabbed my luggage that was still in the living room, heading upstairs to my own room to unpack.

I felt myself flop onto my bed, letting a huge sigh come out of my mouth. I ran a hand over my head. I wondered what I was feeling at the moment. Though it was cold in the house, I felt a little heated. Strange.

Ah, then the thought hit me.

Holy shit, Hazel was staying in my house.

I haven’t had a girl in this house since Danielle. We broke up months ago. I practically slapped myself. “Liam, chill out. She’s just a friend. Jeez.”

I stood up, pulling out my phone then, remembering the miss calls from my mom. I didn’t need to get into thinking about girls. This was Hazel I was thinking about. She was my friend. A close friend. A very close friend.

“You’re not making this easy for yourself, mate.” I muttered to myself as I called my mum’s number.

She picked up on the first ring. A smile touched my lips. “Mum…”

Notes

Whoa~ what's with these thoughts going through Liam's mind? O.o Think he's starting to have feelings for her? Don't you love just how considerate he is though? Haha

Thank you peeps for the lovely comments :) I really do love this story, even if it's a little sad, and I'm glad there are people enjoying it!

Stay tune!