Dream Catcher

Chapter 6: Arrival

Liam startles awake next to you as the plane unsteadily lands, throwing you a couple inches in the air. Liam looks around, his hair a mess and eyes bloodshot. You bounce impatiently, excited to finally get off the plane. You only slept for an hour or two and woke up to Liam snoring. Liam's eyes finally adjust, and he gives you a lopsided smile as he attempts to fix his hair. You grin at him, wide awake despite his constant yawning. He bends down to gather his things to find them all packed away in his backpack, organized neatly.

"How long have you been up?" He asks, noticing your stuff neatly folded and put away.

"Hours. I've been so bored. You sleep like a log. I'm so excited to get off and meet everyone. I drank the rest of your coke," you ramble, tapping your knuckles against the window. You catch him shaking his head as he folds up his blanket and pillow.

~~~~~

Liam lets you drag him out of the airport as he finishes his coffee, throwing it in a trash can.

"We're going to be late," you say, urging him to hurry up.

"Actually, at this rate, we'll be an hour early. We can't even go into our hotel room until 5. Let's get something to eat on the way, I'm starving," he says, pulling you

"Where'd you wanna go?" The man in the front asks, making eye contact with Liam through the rearview mirror.

"Ah," he looks at you for suggestions, but you turn your head, still intent on getting to the hotel.

"Can you drop us off at Starbucks? We'll get another taxi from there," Liam says, placing his suitcase on his lap. You mimic him, situating yourself as the driver rolls out of the parking lot. You gaze out the window, taking in the stores and shops of Orlando. Sooner than expected, the taxi turns into a Starbucks parking lot, and Liam opens the door, pulling his suitcase and backpack out behind him. You open your door, thanking the driver as Liam pays.

Liam opens the Starbucks door for you, and you're welcomed with the familiar smell of coffee. You grin as you walk into line, observing the pastries.

"What should I get?" You ask, pointing at the racks full of sweets.

"Get one of those big cookies. I'll get a muffin, and we can split half and half," Liam suggests, letting you ahead of him to order. The barista nods as you order for both Liam and you, including two small drinks. You hand your card to her, bouncing on your heels as you observe the workers making drinks behind the counter.

"You really didn't need to order for me," Liam says, frowning as you slide into a chair across from him.

"You paid for the taxi. If you feel bad about it, you can pay for the next taxi, too," you say, smiling innocently. Liam glares at you, taking out his phone. You fiddle with your thumbs as you take in the walls covered with pictures.

"Order for Y/N?" The barista calls, and you jump up, happily taking the drinks and food from her. You sit back down, taking your phone out of your sweatshirt pocket. You check the group chat you all formed for this trip for any new messages, and are pleased to find Clay running late. You lean back in your chair, a smile tugging at your slips as you try and contain your excitement to meet George.

Besides Liam, you'd consider George, your closest friend. Before you became friends, you were sure your personalities wouldn't click, but you quickly learned how easy he was to talk to. You've never had an unpleasant encounter with him.

You look up as Liam calls a taxi, motioning for you to stand up. You gather your things and throw your trash out, holding the door open with your foot as Liam walks through, hanging up.

"Five minutes, Y/N."

You sit on the curb next to him, chatting with him as time passes. After ten minutes, you start to get grumpy.

"Now we're going to be late. I told you we should get to the hotel as fast as we can. It's even starting to get dark," you say, pointing up at the near winter sky. You bounce your leg, groaning every minute as you grow more and more impatient.

Liam, who's used to your antics, simply says, "They'll be here soon."

You shoot him a glare, checking your phone for the tenth time this minute.

"At this rate, Drea- Clay is going to get there before us. I just made fun of him for being late. He won't let me live it down. That's all I'm going to hear all trip," you complain.

Liam ignores you.

You fall backward, gazing up at the dark blue sky. You watch as stars slowly start to dot the sky.

Liam shakes your knee, signaling the taxi is here. You jump up, dizzy at the sudden change of stance. The cab slows to a stop, and you rush in, practically throwing Liam in.

You yell the name of the hotel, almost forgetting to buckle.

The driver chuckles, "In a rush, are we?"

"Yes, sir. I will pay you extra if you break the speed limit," you say, clutching Liam's elbow excitedly.

"Sorry, miss. Can't break the law," he says, shooting you a smile. You look out the window, watching as lights whiz by you. Soon enough, the driver parks in front of a hotel. You climb out, looking around for any sign of Clay. Your eyes widen as you meet the eyes of a very familiar face. At the exact same time, you and Clay look towards the door and back at each other. He quickly gathers his stuff as you sprint towards the door, determined to make it before him. Panting, you fumble with the handle, pleading for it to open.

Clay struts up behind you, his nose in the air. You swing open the door as you gasp for air.

"I beat you! HAHA, loser!" You shout, earning a few angry looks from people lounging on the lobby sofas.

"Whatever. I wasn't even trying, I knew there was no way I could beat you. You were way closer to the door then I was," he says, looking down at you.

You glare up at him, frustrated at how tall he was. But your frown fades at the sight of George.

"GEORGE!" You yell, running up to him. He jumps, laughing nervously at the sight of you, hurdling towards him. But you stop right in front of him, offering your hand for a fist-bump. He obliges, looking very happy to finally meet you.

"Alyssa and Nick already signed us in. We were waiting for you. Took you three long enough," he says, shaking hands with Liam and high-fiving Clay. You walk around George to go meet Nick and Alyssa, engulfing them both in a group-hug. You make your way to the elevators, talking over one another as you all try and talk about your trips down here. You press the button to open the door right before Clay does, and he playfully pushes you out of the way as the elevator opens.

Liam hugs you goodnight, and you complain about not being tired. George waves at you before walking in their room, and Clay smirks at you.

"Have fun. Alyssa looks really tired, so I guess it's an early night for you," he says, closing the door.

Alyssa smiles at you apologetically, and you sigh as she collapses onto her bed.

"'Night Y/N. I promise I'll be more energetic tomorrow. I didn't get any sleep on the way down," she says, turning off her lamp.

You fall backward onto your bed, not bothering to change. You listen jealously at the sound of Liam and the boys laughing through the wall. You kick off your shoes and socks and snuggle under the comforter, glad to have decided to wear sweatpants and a sweatshirt on the plane. You let your eyes droop as you fall asleep, your mind full of excitement as you get ready for tomorrow.

(A/N: okay so for most rides/rollercoasters the ride tmrw i wont be using official rides. i promise y/n and dream will have more moments together tmrw. thank uuuu!)