Daytona Baby [N.H]

17

Olivia Campbell

"Straight off the plane to a new hotel, just touched down, you could never tell."

My body quickly found the rhythm of the song, swaying mindlessly, letting the bass ripple from the floor and all through me. I enjoyed the Miami show from backstage, but tonight I wanted the front row experience and made myself comfortable on the left side of the stage right in front of the gate that separated me from the pit. Liam got me a VIP pass for the whole tour so I could bypass security at any venue. I'd already spent ten minutes trying to convince a bulky security guard named Bruce to dance with me. Let's just say Bruce wasn't too fond of my efforts and now I'm dancing alone at a safe distance from him, sipping on my third drink of the night already.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a blonde girl with a camera taking pictures of the band directly in front of the stage. As she slowly made her way closer to where I stood, I realized it was Aven. Up until this point I actually had no idea she was their photographer, but that makes sense for how she got involved with Harry.

Before I could think twice, my feet were carrying me over to her and introducing myself over the loud music. "Hey, Aven, right? I'm Olivia, Liam's friend." I remembered that we've never actually been introduced so I clarified my connection to Liam.

She stood straighter, letting the camera in her hands hang freely from the strap around her neck. "Oh, right, hi! I've seen you around with him. Not sure how we haven't met properly yet," she replied, leaning closer so I could hear her. I opened my mouth to say something else but the sound of Niall's voice addressing the crowd made us both turn our attention to the stage.

"Alright, we're gonna do this a bit differently tonight." Niall had walked up to the front of the stage with Harry, guitar still slung over the front of his body. "This next song is new; Harry and I just put it together this morning, actually, so...let's see how this goes." The crowd cheered at the mention of a new song, and kept up the momentum when the music started. Aven and I both turned to each other, equally confused, before watching as Harry started to sing.

"She's got a family in Carolina..."

I couldn't help but notice the way he kept his focus on Aven the whole time he sang, and even in the dark stadium I could see her blushing beet red. There's no doubt in my mind that the song is about Aven, I mean, she's as 'good girl' as it gets and anyone can see that.

I found myself getting carried away in their stage presence; Niall and Harry interacted so naturally. No choreography, no routine, they were just being themselves. Both of them were really having fun with this song, and Niall started walking to our side of the stage while he played. Then it was Niall's voice that filled the arena.

"She's got a book for every situation, gets into parties without invitations. How could I ever turn her down?"

The reaction from the crowd was insane, and perfectly mirrored the way my insides flipped at the deep rasp in his voice.

"There's not a drink that I think could sink her..."

He was looking at me now, walking straight towards me until he was leaning down over the edge of the stage where I stood.

"How would I tell her that she's all I think about?"

It felt like time slowed just enough for me to enjoy this moment a little longer. My head was spinning. Maybe from the alcohol, maybe from the thumping of the music. Maybe the way Niall was singing straight to me like I was the only person in the whole stadium. I couldn't tear my eyes from him and I probably looked like an idiot just standing there staring at him.