Right By Your Side ~ Larry Stylinson

Chapter 1: Changes

"Cause this is the day that everything changes
And the world stops turning..."
Missy Higgins

Louis stood back and looked at the slightly lopsided tent to survey their handiwork. He had just finished helping Stan and Zayn erect the tent and it looked pretty good, if a little uneven.

Actually, "helped" might be too strong a word to describe his contribution to the process, truth be told. He was more like a foreman – the one who orders the others around and oversees the actual work, but contributes very little of the physical effort.

"Not bad lads – looks sturdy enough to contain us" he grinned.

"Yeah, only it seems to get smaller every year" Zayn frowned, tilting his head to the side and wondering how they were all going to squeeze into it. "Are we even going to fit this year?"

Stan laughed. "Don't worry Z – you and I may have grown, but Lou here is still pocket sized, so I think it'll do us one more year, yeah?" He let out an "oomph" as he hit the ground, Louis tackling him hard.

"I may be compact" Louis told him smugly "but I can still kick your arse Lucas!"

"Owwww" Stan groaned. "I think you broke my spine!"

Louis just chuckled, standing over him after he'd got to his feet and Stan still lay on the ground, pointing a finger and saying "think twice before you call me pocket sized again you twat!" Then he held out a hand and pulled Stan to his feet, both of them smiling.

The three of them shared this same tent every year – even as they grew bigger and the tent seemed to shrink around them. This camping trip was an annual event for their families, who had been friends since the boys were little, and they all looked forward to it each year – continuing to come despite being in their early twenties. Twenty three to be exact, which horrified Louis, because, when did that happen? All three of them were very close to their families and loved this chance to spend some quality time together.

The spot they now camped was one they'd stumbled upon by accident years ago while searching for a different camping ground altogether. When they'd pulled up next to the pretty clearing, with soft green grass and a flowing river, they'd immediately fallen in love with it and had claimed it, returning every year in the summer for five blissful days.

The tents were all set in a semicircle around the campfire pit on the riverbank – except for the one that was currently lying on the ground in a heap. Louis shook his head, smiling fondly as he walked over to where Lottie and Fizzy were arguing over the logistics of putting their tent up. Jay was calling out directions as she blew up mattresses for her, Dan, Daisy and Phoebe, who were in the next tent along – a slightly bigger one than the others. Trish and her girls were the next tent along and Bev and Rod Lucas were on the far end.

"Need any help girls?" Louis teased as he cocked an eyebrow at the current mess of ropes and canvas lying on the ground. When they both started talking at once, arguing commencing again, he just laughed and called out to Stan and Zayn to help him get the tent up. They took over and had it up in no time.

"Thanks lads" Lottie smiled.

"Yeah thanks" added Fizzy.

"No problem monsters!" Louis grinned, pulling Fizzy into a soft headlock as she screamed and struggled. He let her go and poked her in the side. "You're on your own with blowing up the air mattresses though!" he called over his shoulder as he and the boys headed over to the clearing to play football.

The game expanded as the girls all joined in one by one – it also became less physical, much to Louis' disappointment.

"Why couldn't any of us have had brothers? We are ridiculously outnumbered by females!" he complained.