The Dreamscape (Liam Payne)

6.<3

It had been a few days since Liam had the strange dream about Stella in the coffee shop, and in between that time he had found her in his dreams constantly. Sometimes she was just a simple figure; a person passing by, a reflection in a mirror, her words written on paper. Other times it was just him and her, he liked those the most. It was simple in those dreams; there were no worries or stressors. Liam could jump off a building and he knew that Stella would dream up a parachute so that he made it safely to the ground. If she jumped into the water he would jump too, and the water was always warm.

The dreamscape had been good to Liam; the normally responsible and mature side to him was slowly coming down. He was more relaxed when he was awake and the daily stressors of life didn’t seem to affect him as much as they used to. There was a marked difference in how he handled the past few days of interviews and meetings; the boys were the first to take notice.

As they finished up a morning radio show Liam was all smiles; he laughed along with the jokes and was throwing a bit of his own humor back at the hosts and the boys. The hosts took notice and looked at each other for a brief moment before one turned his head towards Liam.

“You have just been a delight this morning! We’re quite surprised that someone who just went through a breakup like yours would be so chipper. So what’s the deal?” The male asked.

Liam let out a nervous laugh when his breakup was brought up so publicly over the radio; he ran a hand over the back of his neck and shrugged. “I’m trying out something new, I suppose.” Liam started cautiously, “Trying to look at all the positive in my life versus dwelling on the things that didn’t go as planned.” He sat up straighter in his seat, finding confidence in his answer.

“I love her very much and she will always be a part of my life. Right now, I am focusing on me and I hope that others will respect that.” Liam gave a nod to the hosts before giving a side glance to the rest of the group.

The remaining members of One Direction all stared at Liam for a moment before their trance was broken; what was happening to their friend? It had been ages since they had seen him like this.

“Well, that is very mature, Liam. I can see why they call you Daddy Direction.” The other host jested before the rest of the boys snickered as Liam rolled his eyes at the nickname.

“Well, we want to thank our guests, One Direction, for coming into the studio this morning. Make sure to call in and request their latest single, Kiss You, and don’t miss out on the upcoming tour! Thank you again.”

The boys all chimed in their gratitude to the hosts before saying goodbye to the listeners. They all shook hands with the hosts before being led out of the studio and down to the first floor of the building. The boys all joked around as they walked to the elevator but once inside all eyes seemed to focus on Liam who stood with his hands in his pockets, blissfully unaware of the awkward silence that filled the small lift.

“Alright, you’ve done this long enough. What’s up with you, man?” Zayn asked as he turned to face Liam.

“What do you mean?” Liam asked curiously, “Did I say something wrong in the interview?”

“No, you’ve been like this all week! You’re all day-dreamy and googly-eyed!” Niall said as he made a few faces from behind Liam, all of which were reflected in the doors and walls of the elevator. Harry and Louis laughed at Niall’s faces before seeing Liam quickly exit the elevator when it reached the first floor.

Looking ahead at the exit Liam could already see the paparazzi and a few fans waiting by the doors. The rest of the group and their security detail exited the elevator, following Liam.