Liam was here? In New York? At the air port? I fell onto a near kwa bench and Maci sat at my feet, panting and watching the passerbyers. Liam Payne was here?

"Alex?" He voice in my ear was slightly worried.

"I'm here." I closed my eyes. "You're in New York?"

"Yeah. Yeah I am."

"Wow, um." I was at a loss for words. Then I remember he asked me to pick him up from the air port. "Yes!"

I hear him laugh on the other end of the phone. "What?"

I roll my eyes at my stupidity. "I meant, yes I will pick wewe up. Give me 15 minutes?"

"Yeah. I'll be here." I can almost see his grin and shoulder shrug.

"I'll be in a green sweater. Look for me." I tell him then hang up.

"Come one Maci! We gotta' go pick up Li!" She barks, almost as if she is as happy as I am. Almost.

I jog with her back to my apartment building and run upstairs to put her up and grab my wallet and keys. I run smack into Mac on my way out.

"Is it one of those afternoons too?" He laughs.

"No!" I run around him. "I'm on my way to the air port."

"What for?"

"To pick up a friend!" The lift opens as soon as I press the button. "Bye, Mac!" And the door closes again.

_________________________________________________

The air port isn't really busy today. Thank God. I suddenly wonder if it is and everyone is just surrounding Liam. And then I wonder if he has security. And then I wonder if he's dead. Because seriously, some of those shabiki girls are frickin' dangerous. Scratching them and shit. Crazy punda girls. I shake my head and internally roll my eyes because I'm not sure how many zaidi strange looks I can take to siku before I think I'm going crazy myself.

I stand on my tips toes pretending there is this big crowd. I always wanted to look for someone in a crowed. Like they do on the movies. In reality there isn't a crowd so I step back flat footed and look around. I spot him sitting in a chair kwa the windows, with a pair of headphones over his ears and a snap-back on his head. His eyes are closed and his head is leaned against the chair. He must be exhausted. I smile and make my way over to him.

I pull his head phone back and bend down. "Hey stranger." I let it go and it snaps back over his ear.

His eyes open and he sits up jerking the headphones onto his neck. He looks up at the quizily. "Alex." I shrug and smile.

"Hey."

He looks me up and down before smiling and standing up, pulling me up off my feet and into his arms. He smells so good.

He sets me down and smiles. "Wow."

"What?"

"You are not the Alex I left behind." He laughs.

"And wewe aren't the Liam I left either."

"You're hair." He pulls on my long tresses.

"You're hair." I point out.

"It's brown. I think." He laughs. "Did wewe die it?"

"No." I tuck a strand behind my ear. "It just darkened as I got older."

"I like it." He smiles.

"Me too. Some days. It has it's own attitude so..." I realize I'm just rambling, so I just laugh and throw my arms around him again. He really does smell good. "It's really good to see you."

"It's zaidi than good to see you." He spoke in my ear.

My stomach growled, breaking us apart in laughter. "Are wewe hungry as well?" I asked.

"I could eat." He picked up his bag and threw it over his shoulder.

"Awesome. Let's go back to my place and wewe can put your stuff there, we both can freshen up, then we will go eat."

"Alright." He smiled and followed after me out to my car.

__________________________________________________________

We were laughing quite loudly when the lift opened to my apartment floor. So loud in fact, that Mac was standing outside his door when we stepped out.

"Alex!" He laughed. "Dear lord, I thought someone was dying in there."

"Hey, Mac." I giggled. "Mac, this is Liam, Liam this is Mac."

"Hey, dude." Mac stretched out his hand.

Liam looked slightly confused as he shook Mac's large hand. What Mac has in muscle, Liam made up in height. They were at eye level, so it wasn't as if he was intimidated.

"You alright, man?" Mac must have caught the same look I did.

"Yeah, yeah. Just not so used to calm people I guess." He stifled a laugh.

"Oh, yeah. Crazy mashabiki right?" Mac laughed. What the heck? "What?" He looked at me. "I know who he is. I watch TV and listen to the radio." He rolled his eyes.

"Okay." I laughed and shook my head. "Well, we are going to go eat so, see wewe tomorrow." I waved.

"Bye Alex." He waved back. "Have fun." He wagged his eyebrows at me then closed the door.

Oh my God. I could feel myself blushing so I put my head down as I pulled out my keys and open the door. "Home sweet home."

"It's nice. Cozy. I like it." He nodded.

"Thanks. Mum and Dad are helping pay for it while I'm here. The guest bedroom is right down that hall. And the bath room is right across." I pointed them out. "Meet me out here in 30 minutes?"

"Yeah." He nodded made his way to the guest room.

I disappeared into my room, where I stood in the middle for the floor, clapped my hand over my mouth from screaming, and jumped around like one of his little 12 mwaka old shabiki girls. After my composure, I debated on an outfit before I jumped my the shower.

_____________________________________________________



"This place is really good." He scooped up his chakula on his fork. "We don't get to really sit down and eat when we are on tour, so this is nice."

"I'm glad wewe like it." I smiled. "What do wewe guys do for fun on tour? I mean besides the concerts."

"Well, we would go out and great our mashabiki but they are so loud." He winces. "Like, ear splitting, blood curling screams. And they are violent. Here in New York, they are the worst. I've been scratched. So has Harry. Harry's was far worse. If this hadn't been a mgawanyiko, baidisha decision, and people knew I was coming, I wouldn't be out right now. Here in a few days I'm afraid I'm going to be locked up in your flat."

"I'm so sorry. That must be awful."

"It is. But they we think, if it weren't for them, we wouldn't be here."

"Very true, ol' wise one." I giggle. "What's it like to be done with the tour?"

"Well, it was different than last time. For 'Up All Night', we didn't go if we would be doing another tour, much less one here in America. But for the 'Take Me Home', it's like leaving home, but knowing sooner au later you'll be back. wewe know?"

I nodded.

"We miss it all the time. It's not only our dream, it's our job."

"It's not a job." I shake my head. "It's a blessing."

He stops and smiles. "Yeah. Yeah it is."

He stares at me for another dakika before he smiles wide and continues eating.