Eleanor

It was a Saturday night and I was waiting for Louis to arrive and pick me up so we could go to the Cinderella Ball together. He told me it was a charity ball arranged by his mum to raise money for cancer-striken children. It was such a sweet thing to do, I just wasn't sure why he asked me to come with him.

"So, you're asking me for a date?" I asked.

"N-no! I just asked you to be my date!" he scoffed, "W-why would I ask you out?" he said, not meeting my eyes.

"That's not what I said!" I exclaimed.

His head snapped up to me, "But y-you-"

"I asked you if you were asking me, so you can atleast have a date. Why would you think I thought you were asking me out?" I cocked an eyebrow.

"I didn't!" he shook his head.

"You did!" I accused while giggling, the thought of him asking me out made me do so.

"Well too bad, it isn't funny." he said, huffing while crossing his arms with a pout.

My giggled stopped as I snapped my head to his direction, "What?"

"What's so funny about me asking you out?" he asked bluntly.

"W-what?" I stammered. It seemed like that was the only thought my mind could muster.

"I'll pick you up at seven PM. It's a formal event," he said while standing up, "See you tomorrow." then he walked straight to the door, out of my house, leaving me with my mouth hanging open.

There was a knock on the door so I stood up, straightened my dress and walked towards door, guessing it was Louis. I opened the door and suddenly, my breath got caught in my throat.

"Hey El--"

Indeed, it was Louis.

Wearing a formal suit with his hair slicked back, smelling like a luxurious perfume, looking so good that caused my jaw to slack.

There was a minute of silence before my eyes fell on his face again and I was surprised to see that he looked blown away as I was. He cleared his throat before a smug look took over his features, "Like what you see?"

My lips tug up into a smirk before responding, "I could ask you the same thing."

I expected him to let it go since it was just a rhetorical question but my stomach fluttered when he shrugged and said, "Well, I do."

And with that, he smiled and offered me his elbow to hold on to like two highschool kids heading to prom.

**

When we got outside the car after we had arrived, tons of flashes suddenly went off that practically blinded me, I was seeing white for a while. Apparently, paps knew about the event (of course they did) and like the nosey, hungry-for-celebrity-scoops-to-tell-the-world people they were, they arrived here faster that lightning could.

"Look here, Louis!"

"Here, Louis!"

"Louis, can we have a quick interview?"

"Louis is she your girlfriend?"

"Are you guys secretly dating?"

I was being overwhelmed by all the camera flashes and attention they were giving us. I was squirming, hopefully, away from them, but they were blocking the way to the venue. Louis noticed me cowering away so he put an arm around me and leaned into my ear and whispered, "Sorry, El. Just ignore them, yeah?"

I smiled sheepishly at him and nodded my head. I knew paps were always thinking ahead of what they see so I wasn't surprised when they thought Louis and I were dating just because we were here together. I was just a little startled because I didn't think paps would be greeting us forehand the event.

Flashes continued to come off and questions were still thrown at Louis as we walked closer and closer to the entrance. I obliged to Louis' suggestion of ignoring them and lowered my head without saying anything. I blocked hearing their questions along with the camera shutters and just focused walking, seeing as it wasn't really directed at me.

But my head instantly snapped up at a certain question asked that still wasn't directed at me, but the pang that it caused sure was.

"Is she the girl that your bandmate, Harry Styles, rejected?"

I gasped and stopped walking abruptly. Louis' hold on my hand tightened and he also stopped on his tracks. He looked back towards the pap who asked the question. "Excuse me?" he scoffed.

"Louis, it's fine. Let's just go inside." I whispered.

But then the guy responded, "There were several pictures taken of Harry Styles and your date tonight, Louis. It's from different occasions and it always show Eleanor Calder crying after talking to him. Also an insider told us that--"

"I hate to break it to you but I don't need your side of the story because I was there all the f*cking time." he calmly said. But I shouldn't be fooled, his body was trembling like he was about to explode and there was a tone to his voice that screamed threat.

"No need to cuss now, Mr. Tomlinson, we just needed to know if it's true," the guy tauntingly asked with a smirk on his face as he held his phone on to Louis' face, probably to record every word that would come out of his mouth.

Louis cocked his head from side to side and gave the man a sick smile, "You know what you need? To put your nosey as* off something that's not your business, that's what you need."

"Louis," I tugged on his arm but he wouldn't budge. His feet was firmly placed on the ground and it was like he was killing the guy inside his mind. I was still cowering away as all the other paps silenced out and shoved their phones as near to Louis' mouth as it could get. Camera flashes still continued to go off, capturing the heated moment.

"But it's my business. I'm a paparazzi, remember?" he smiled victoriously, happy that he was being a smart pants towards Louis.

"A sh*tty one, at that," Louis immediately shot back. "First of all, Eleanor's a private person so she's none of your petty, so-called business. Second, how f*cking dare you, come to this event, a charity ball, ya' know, the one raising up money to help sick children, and ask me about Harry when you aren't even invited here." Louis scoffed once again.

Few gasps were heard but other than that and couple of camera shutters, silence remained.

"Louis, you told me to ignore them. I did, now let's just go inside." I whispered in his ear.

But the guy was pushing him towards his edge and continued reasoning out, "Harry Styles is your bandmate, it's normal for people to ask you about him--"

"Harry's his own d*mn person and I'm not accountable of telling people every move he makes or anyone for that matter!" he frustratingly cut in. He breathed heavily, still shooting daggers towards the guy, who eyes were now practically about to fall out of his sockets, surprised of Louis' outburst. But then Louis started talking calmly again, "So I suggest you get out of the way because I'd rather go and meet those cancer-striken children inside and make my own time, my own life, productive than waste it being my bandmate's spokesperson. I didn't sign up for it." he said one last time before tugging me towards the entrance and walked past the paps that still stubbornly didn't get out of the way.

**

As soon as we were inside though, Louis' whole demeanor changed. It's like all of his anger evaporated and was replaced with awe. When his eyes fell one-by-one on all those kids sitting with their own parents, his eyes softened and a smile appeared on his face.

"Ah, my boy's here," my head snapped towards a woman with a familiar smile on her face that went straight to Louis to hug him.

I step aside to give room for their little reunion and quietly wondered who the woman was.

Louis hugged her back as tight, his smile widening and soon turned to a breathly laugh with his eyes crinkling at the side. "Mum, you did so great."

The woman pulled back and my gaze flickered between the two of them, they both had a wide content smile on their faces that looked fairly similar. So that was why her smile looked familiar, she was Louis' mum. She'd pass for his sister though.

Then her head suddenly turned towards my direction and she smiled wider, "Is this her?"

I gave her a hesitant smile and looked at Louis questioningly before looking back at her. Huh? She knew me?

"Muuuuum," Louis whined.

"Oh, shut it, Loubear. I was just messing with her," she laughed. "Eleanor, right? Louis has told me so much about you." she whispered the last part jokingly but Louis heard it.

"Mum!" Louis exclaimed, his eyes widening but wouldn't meet my gaze. It was like he was saying a secret message to his mum through his eyes.

I gave Louis a curious look before extending my hand towards his mum for a handshake, "Pleasure to meet you Mrs. ...?"

"No need to be polite, love. Plus, I'm divorced so you can just call me Jay," then she pulled me in for a hug because clearly, she doesn't settle for handshakes, "Or mummy if you want."

My eyes widened and I felt myself flush.

"Alright, that's enough messing around, Mum." Louis clasped his hands together, shooing his mum away.

She pulled back and looked at Louis before looking back at me and winked, "Ooh, my son doesn't want to share." she walked towards Louis and kissed his cheek, "Okay, Loubear. I'll get out of your hair now." then she walked away.

There was a dead air before Louis looked my way and smiled sheepishly, "Let's meet those little fighters, shall we?"

**

Sometimes, it seems like you're going through everything all at once that you feel overwhelmed. You feel like it's all too much.

So then you don't fight. You just let it happen. You just let your life go to waste, never once bothered about staying strong through those problems. You just let it all fall on you because why not? It's not like people understand how hard it is to go through what you do, and sometimes, no one really cared.

But life is a bunch of uncontrolled happenings. One day you feel sh*t - underserving of all the horrible circumstances you're going through, the next you feel like you're the blessed person alive.

I realized while looking at Louis not so far away, hugging and playing with these strong little angels, that I was so lucky. I could wake up everyday and not worry that it would be my last. I could breathe as much air as I could without thinking about how much time I have left to do just that. But I was spending all these ample time, no, wasting all these time I have moping around over someone who didn't really care. And God, I almost killed myself over what? Heartbreak?

But these children, these strong fighters, weren't as lucky as I was. There would always be uncertainty for their tomorrows or if there would even be one. There would always be fear whenever they go to sleep. But they didn't let it just beat them. They smile and laugh everytime chance they got because it would be worth it. They fight because they all knew there'd always be people that would support them, that would always be behind them. People that counts on them to fight.

People who'd stay all throughout.

Looking back at Louis' who was looking at them not with sympathy but with awe, I instantly smiled. I always knew he was a good guy but seeing him like this, I found out he wasn't just a good guy.

He was a great man.

No, not that rude member of a boyband that those paps saw earlier and probably would be in articles soon, not just a teenage boy who was swallowed whole by fame that other people might think, but a great kind grown man with a big heart that was willing to help these little angels fight.

I decided right then and there that I'd fight my own battles bravely, too. Like these beautiful children, I'd be strong. Because I knew that somehow, there'd be people who'd fight with me. People who'd stay through it all.

I walked towards Louis and the kids with a grateful smile on my face. He caught my gaze and did the same. When I reached them, I looked at all those little kids around us and despite some of them lacking hair on their head, some as pale as snow, and some depend on wheelchairs for mobility, all I saw were beautiful smiles and brave souls.

I looked back at Louis and he was already looking at me. He clasped his hands together and licked his lips, a mannerism I noticed he had, before he spoke, "Thank you for coming with me."

My gaze flickered at the strong little fighters then back at him before smiling genuinely, "Thank you, for bringing me with you."

This charity ball stirred something inside of me and changed my view of life and some things.

And maybe someone.

"Is she your girlfriend, Louis?" Our heads both snapped towards a little girl in a glittery dress with a pink headband on her hairless head wearing a crooked innocent grin on her pretty face.

I smiled.

**

A/N: I just went to my university on tuesday for enrollment and it took 9 freaking hours and its not even funny. Anyway, read @thequietquill 's Elounor fanfics, they're better than mine lol :)

Thanks for these new readers @wewillseenyc @Gabs304 @-LeiLeiLove- @Eleanor_xCalder @Manasi2000 @CrazyMofoFoLife

Love you guys!