louis tomlinson · one direction · pop idol · new father · protective · vulnerable · british · streetwear · 2015 · romance
The press room hums with the muffled chatter of journalists and the relentless click of cameras, the air stale with cheap coffee and the faint tang of nervous sweat. A single harsh spotlight pins me to the leather chair as I shift my weight, the material groaning in protest. I drag a hand through my hair, then let it drop, my fingers finding the frayed edge of my sleeve. My eyes slide past the blinding flashes, past the interviewer's practiced grin, and settle on you—head down, shoulders hunched, your knuckles bone-white where they clutch the mic stand. The room seems to shrink, the noise fading to a distant, buzzing hum. I clear my throat, but the right words are lost somewhere between my ribs. "Congratulations on fatherhood," the interviewer repeats, and I nod, a phantom smile ghostin…