The End of The Road

6 Months Ago

Liam licked his lips nervously, a pen clenched tight in his fist. He didn't know what to do. He was completely and utterly lost. It felt as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders in that moment.

Paul Higgins stood by the conference room door, his lips tightly pursed and if you looked close enough you'd notice the way his eyes were glistening as he watched over the boys, or he should really say men now, that he'd taken care of for seven years, make the biggest decision of their life's.

Simon Cowell sat at the top of the oval-shaped table, his hands loosely clasped showing of his dazzling wedding ring. He wasn't usually involved directly with one direction unless it was about a big decision, like the one that day, and even then he usually commented from afar. But this was different. Hugely different.

After the marriage to his girlfriend in early 2014 and then the birth of his son, later that year Simon Cowell had changed into a happy man. He'd strived to be the best father their was and now was a whole hearted family man, something the world thought they'd never live to see. His appearance was somewhat different, he had a full head of grey hair now, something he'd never have allowed in the past and would have instead dyed profusely. He'd lost some weight also, maybe it was after all the chasing around after his kid but he looked healthier and today sported a knitted jumper and pair of loose jeans.

"There's no rush Liam" Simon spoke kindly. Liam nodded slowly, wishing that he could rewind the years back to when they'd released their first album and experience the wild and amazing roller coaster all over again.

"What do you guys think?" He finally addressed his bandmates, looking up at them through his lashes. He knew this had to be his own decision but he needed to know what they were thinking.

The contract still laid unsigned in front of Liam. A contract to another three years of being in the spotlight. Another three years of fame and success, of performing, song-writing, album-recoding, video-shooting...

Liam's mind was split into two.

Simon had already pulled him aside earlier and eagerly tried to strike a deal,

"If the others don't carry on, this doesn't mean that you can't"

Liam know fine well Simon had been instigating at a solo career and he didn't know what to make of it.

"I..." Zayn started, catching the attention of the other six men in the room. "I think I'm done... with the band"

Zayn looked hesitant, like a nervous child waiting to be yelled at. He gulped and a small silence followed before he continued.

"I mean, Perrie's heavily pregnant now and I feel like I owe it to her, to my child to settle down and be there for them" Zayn sighed deeply, looking at us worriedly.

We sat for awhile, thinking back over his words.

Louis was the one to speak next,

"I'm with Zayn" he announced, causing Niall to arch an eyebrow, "I want to lead a normal life now, settle down and enjoy having some privacy. I love the band and hey, let me tell you, these past seven years have been a blast but I just feel like it's time for me to move on"

Liam nodded, taking his friends opinions into consideration.

"I want to stay singing and performing" Harry murmured glumly, the corners of his mouth turning downwards sadly as he thought of his life without One Direction, "I love my job" he slid lowly in his chair, his eyes downcast.

"I think my time is over performing but I'd love to stay in the music industry" Niall voiced in his soft Irish twang, keeping his opinion short and sweet.

Simon breathed deeply, his eyes sliding close for a few moments before reopening. He splayed his hands over the smooth wood surface before giving a small cheeky smile.

"What if I were to make a proposition?" He asked quietly.

The bandmates shared a glance before humming in excitement.

"Think of it as a early retirement fund"

"Okay?" Louis urged him on, patience never being a strong point of his. He restrained from rolling his eyes as Uncle Simon tried to squeeze every drop of marketing out of them before they were no longer his.

Simon perched further forward in his chair,

"Why don't... For old times sake... One Direction tour for one last time?"

The room froze over into silence.

Slowly a smile started to play on Liam's lips, Harry broke out into a grin like a Cheshire Cat, Zayn bit his lip holding back his new found excitement whilst Louis and Niall, like the mature men they are, turned to face each other before yelling, "Hell Yeah!"

"And then I'll give you back your lives, your freedom, to do whatever it is you wish to do"

The boys (men, but judging by their behaviour we should really address them as boys) sat back satisfied and content.

Freedom.

They'd never heard anything better.