My heels clacked as I made my way to the corner of my room, picking up my bag. I checked to see if my camera was still in there, and slung it over my shoulder when I saw it was. I stopped in front of the mirror and straightened the wrinkles that had formed in my dress. Looking up to see my reflection, I smiled. This had always been my favorite dress. It was white, with an elegant lace surrounding the sleeves and bottom. And perfect for the occasion.

The guys planned a surprise birthday party for Louis at a hall downtown and I had to be there within the next hour. Any event Eleanor attended wasn't one I necessarily looked forward to, but I was excited about surprising Louis.

I took my hair out from where it was tied up, allowing the chestnut curls to cascade down my shoulders. I tilted my head, biting my lip, contemplating on whether or not to straighten it. Deciding to keep it natural for the night, I checked the mirror one more time, just to make sure I looked alright. I honestly couldn't remember the last time I was this conscious about how I looked. The thing was that Louis' family was going to be there, and I felt the unexplained need to make myself presentable.

I made my way down the spiraling stairs and grabbed my car keys off the standg. But before I could open the door, the sound of my mother's voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Where do you think you're going?" She asked, stepping out from her spacious office. I spun on my heels to face her. She had a briefcase in one hand and was dressed in her work suit, consisting of a pencil skirt and blazer. Her long, brown hair was done up in a tight bun, making it look like it would be pulled out of its roots if pulled back any tighter.

Smiling, I gave her an honest answer, but decided not to go into detail. "A friend's birthday party."

"Which friend?"

I looked down at my feet and back up at her, only to see her suspicious expression had deepened. Her eyes were narrowed into a glare and she was clenching  her blackberry in her right hand.

Before I could answer, she pulled out a magazine with my face on the cover. In the corner, there were pictures of me with the boys. News had spread quickly that the worldwide-known band had befriended the infamous daughter of Charlotte McVerry. It seemed that every other week I was being paired up with one of the guys and we were allegedly dating, but not one of us paid much attention to it. I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to speak, but she beat me to it.

"These boys are no good for you, Charlotte." She mused, taking two steps towards me. I took two steps back and placed my hand on the door knob.

"Since when do you care about what's good for me and what's not? It's always been about you." I snapped, surprising both, her, and myself with the words that came out of my mouth. 

"All my life, Mother, you've chosen my friends. You've chosen what I would wear, what I would eat, you've chosen the words that came out of my mouth." Never in my entire life did I stand up to my parents. I always lived under their shadows, speaking when they allowed me to open my mouth, cowering in the corner when they told me not to speak. All my life, I allowed them to control me. But now, I was tired of it.

"Charlotte, you--"

"No. I'm going to Louis' birthday party, and this time, you cannot stop me." I didn't dare face her again and slammed the door shut behind me. For a while, I just stood there. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping the tears that were forming would just vanish. Letting out a breath of air, I got into my car and drove out of the driveway.

***

"Shh, he's coming!" I turned the lights off and sprinted over to one of the tables. I crouched underneath it and looked around to see if everyone was in place. There were supposedly more people coming, but for now, it was just Niall, Liam, Harry, Eleanor, Danielle and I. Zayn was the one bringing Louis here, making him think they were going to the studio, which was in the same building as the hall. The sound of Louis' laughter outside the door made the whispers die down and everyone ducked. The door opened to reveal Zayn, who came in and stood to the side. Louis' figure was outlined in the dark as he reached over and switched on the light.

"SURPRISE!" We arose at once and ran over to tackle the now, 21 year old boy. Pulling away from the large group hug, he smiled and shook his head. Louis looked breathtaking, which of course, wasn't a surprise. His dark brown hair was tousled in a messy do, unlike the usual quiff he puts up. His light highlights were visible underneath the blaring lights of the hall. A black v-neck hugged his strongly built figure, making it easy to see his muscles flex when he moved in to hug people.

His gaze traveled to me and I shot him a smile, one that he returned. His blue eyes never failed to take my breath away. It was as if they changed shades. Some days, they were a dark blue and others, bright as the sky. The crinkles that surrounded his eyes when he smiled could easily be labeled one of the seven wonders of the world. That's when it was easy to tell he was happy and genuinely smiling.

Louis pulled back from where he was hugging Harry and looked around at the room.

"You guys are the best." I was about to reply with some sarcastic remark, but saw Louis' gaze was on Eleanor when he spoke. He took a few steps towards her and engulfed her into a hug. Eleanor giggled and pulled back before placing her lips on Louis'. I blinked away the tears that brimmed my eyes and turned around. I tried focusing on something, anything to keep my attention from being on those two. Spotting Niall, who was at the snack table, I made my way to him after wiping my eyes free of any tears.

Niall threw an arm around my shoulder. "You don't deserve this, Charlotte." His thick Irish accent was full of worry. Sure, Niall was the carefree one, the one that kept you laughing, but that also made him the best one to go to in times like this. He took your mind off of things, made you laugh until you forgot what the cause of the sorrow was. Sadly, this time, not even Niall could help me.

I could feel his eyes on me, but decided to look down at my hands instead. "They love each other. That's all that matters, right?"

"And you? Your happiness? Does that not matter?" I was shocked at how Niall's tone changed to an agitated one in an instant. I turned to face him and saw his light blue eyes, features that never failed to amaze me, boring into mine. I sighed and wrapped my arms around his waist. He reacted by placing his cup full of soda on the table behind him and wrapping his arms around me, placing his head in the crook of my neck. We stayed like that for a few minutes and the friendly hug helped calm me down. I pulled away when someone next to us cleared his throat.

Looking to see it was Harry, I smiled.

"I-I was just, I needed a drink." In the short amount of time I had known Harry, I became quite well at reading his expressions. And right that moment, he looked both sad and embarrassed. Harry swigged one of the water bottles of the table and stormed out away and into the swarm of people, not bothering to look back.

When I heard Niall laugh next to me, my eyebrows crinkled. "Looks like someone's a little jealous." Jealous? He couldn't be. Niall was like my brother, something that surely everyone should have noted. And why would Harry be jealous?

I turned back to Niall and rolled my eyes when I saw him stuffing his mouth with chips. "I'm gonna go, uh, talk to him. You can.. Well, do what you're best at." I laughed and he nodded, agreeing with my plan.

I walked out of the kitchen to see the party was in full swing. Since it was more of a formal party, the nose-wrinkling stench of alcohol had not yet filled the room. There were people around me that I had never been formally introduced to, yet, they all looked strikingly familiar. My eyes wandered the large room, but still, no sign of Harry. I instead looked for someone I did know and found Danielle with Liam and Zayn at the tables on my far side. Weaving my way through the crowd, I stopped in front of them.

"You look gorgeous today, love!" Danielle jumped up and wrapped me into a hug.

"Thanks!" I smiled and stepped back to see her dress. It was an elegant purple dress, which flowed down to her knees. "You look beautiful as well!" After some chit-chat with Danielle, I decided to go get a drink. Of water, of course. The familiar head of curls at the bar caught my attention and I smiled before leaning on the table next to him. I bumped my hip with his and he nearly dropped the cup in his hand.

"Well hello, stranger." Harry smiled and turned to face me.

"Forgotten my name already?" I mused and grabbed a water bottle.

"Well, considering the fact that when I see you, it's always in intervals of weeks and then you disappear, I might as well! I'm starting to think you're a spy or something.." Harry swirled the drink in his hand, his gaze meeting mine. His green eyes were sparkling and his usual dimples framed his huge smile.

I laughed and shook my head at him. "Oh please? Me? A spy? That's like you being a member of a famous boy band or something."

Harry laughed along with me and smiled at me. "You look stunning, Charlotte." I blushed and thanked him before we got caught up with each other's lives. He told me about the new songs they were recording, and how he was learning to play guitar. We fell into easy conversation, something I had missed.

I was telling Harry about my encounter with my mother before leaving for the party, when someone bumped into me, throwing me into Harry's arms. Harry caught me by my arms effortlessly and steadied me so I was standing on my feet again. His cheeks were ablaze and I didn't have one doubt that mine were, too.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." The deep voice said from behind me. I turned around to tell him it was alright, but dropped my water bottle when I saw who it was.

"Ed- Ed.. you're the guy, the hair, you- you-re Ed Sheeran.." My obsession with the talented 22 year old was one I kept a secret. I never told anyone and now, it wasn't so hard to guess that I was a fan.

Harry snorted, attempting to hide his laugh. I elbowed his side, making him groan in pain.

"That's me. And may I know your name, beautiful?" Ed held his hand out and I took it a little too quickly.

"I-I'm Charlotte. I'm actually a huge fan." I was still blushing at the fact that Ed Sheeran called me beautiful. It suddenly got a little too hot in the room as I felt my cheeks redden from nervousness.

"She's also a spy." Harry whispered from next to me.

"Harry, mate!" Ed greeted, hugging Harry. I frowned. Harry gets a hug, but I get a handshake?

I realized I said that aloud and my cheeks burned when both boys stared at me, trying to hold back laughter.

"I-I mean.." Ed, being the merciful man he is, allowed for no more embarrassment and brought me into a hug. My eyes were wide open and my mind was trying to consume the fact that I was hugging Ed Sheeran. I responded by wrapping my arms around him and closing my eyes, breathing in his scent. Ed cleared his throat awkwardly and I jumped away from him, realizing I held on to him for more than what would be considered just a hug. Harry burst into laughter next to me and I put my head into my hands, utterly embarrassed. I mean, it was Ed Sheeran. Who could pull away from a hug with Ed Sheeran?

"Ed, don't mind her. She's always like this." Harry mock-whispered, knowing I could still hear him. I gasped and smacked his arm. 

"What's that supposed to mean?!" 

Ed laughed, a response I was expecting, and shook his head at Harry. "Actually, Harry, you didn't seem to mind much when I accidentally bumped Charlotte into you." Okay, now that, I was not expecting. 

I averted my gaze to the water in my hand and glanced over to see Harry glaring at Ed. I let out a long sigh, this was going to be one interesting night. 

***

"So then, Louis asked me to dinner again the next night.." I started playing temple run on my phone and tried my best to ignore Eleanor's voice as she retold the story of her second date with Louis for the third time that night. Danielle, who was next to me, nudged me when I wasn't paying attention. I put my phone away and faced Eleanor, who had apparently asked me a question.

"Do you have your eyes on anyone, Charlotte? You and Harry looked pretty comfortable earlier." Eleanor mused, pouring herself yet another drink. 

No, actually, I'm madly in love with your boyfriend. "No, Harry's just a good friend. I don't like anyone at the moment." I decided not to let my thoughts come out as words and lied.

"What a shame.." She said awkwardly, looking down at her drink. I controlled the urge to roll my eyes at her. Instead, I politely excused myself and brushed past the people that were blocking the back exit. Making sure no one was looking my way, I opened the door and slipped out into the dimly lit alley. I pulled out my pack of cigarettes and took out the last one. I took my lighter and tried igniting it, but then threw it onto the ground in frustration when it wouldn't work.

"Charlotte?"  

The voice that came from behind me startled me, making me drop my last cigarette into a puddle in front of me. How bloody convenient, I thought to myself, before turning to see who had said my name. 

Zayn's figure was outlined by the dark streetlights as he made his way over to me. I released a sigh of  relief and smiled at him, leaning against the wall. What it took me another look to notice was the lit cigarette between his lips. I tilted my head to the right and watched him closely as he came and stood by me. 

"I didn't know you smoked."

He looked down at the cigarette at my feet and back up at me. "I could say the same about you." Zayn replied, before pulling out his box from his back pocket. He pulled another one out and held it towards me. I gingerly reached out for it, but he pulled away before I was able to grab it. 

"Only if you promise me it's your last one." Zayn pulled a stern face and I looked at him incredulously. 

"How is that fair?!" I nearly yelled, crossing my arms over my chest. It wasn't that I didn't want to stop smoking, it's that the addiction had a strong grip on my life and it would be too difficult. "Fine, then you quit, too." I raised my eyebrow and watched his expression go from stern to anxious. 

"Char.. fine." Zayn hesitated before sighing and handing me the small stick. My eyes narrowed in suspicion and I took the cigarette from him. He lit it for me and I leaned back, enjoying the feeling of serenity it pumped through my body.

"That easily?" I questioned. 

"I hate it, Charlotte. I hate the fact that I'm addicted to smoking. I've long gotten over the fact that it hurts me, but what it took me a while to realize is that it hurts my fans. It hurts the boys. It hurts Perrie." Zayn's sincere eyes met mine and he smiled sadly. "Let's do it, Charlotte. Let's quit smoking. We can do it together, help each other along the way." 

I had to admit, it was a good plan. We could give each other the strength that I knew we'd need. 

"No smoking. Ever again. It'll be hard, Zayn, but I think it'll be worth it." I smiled brightly at him and he gave me a small hug. Together, we threw our cigarettes on the ground and stomped them out. Since Zayn and I weren't chain-smokers, the withdrawal symptoms wouldn't be too severe. But that didn't mean that there would be none. I had finally found a reason to stop smoking. I had to stop because now, there were people that actually cared about me. They actually cared about my well-being and it was the least I could do to get rid of my addiction for them.

"C'mon, I think Louis is about to open presents." Zayn said, leading me back into the hall. I hadn't even gotten the chance to tell Louis happy birthday yet, mainly because Eleanor was by his side the whole night. I followed Zayn into the room and offered him a piece of gum. 

I was really looking forward to giving Louis my present. It was something really special, something I had made myself. And I was absolutely positive that he would love it.

***

Since I felt my updating has been a bit of a disappointment lately, I decided to update.. AGAIN, even though the last time I did was two nights ago! Did you like this chapter? I hope you diiiddddd :) Anyway, I'm so excited about writing the next few chapters because there is going to be A LOT going on! Including some surprises :) Please comment on what you thought of this chapter and don't forget to vote! 

~ Aysha