3.1 | You & I - EDITED

                                    

                                          
4th July 2015
With the sun rising fast in a cloudless blue sky, it's shaping up to be a beautiful morning as a convoy of Range Rovers snakes its way up through the Hollywood Hills.
The incessantly drumming thumb on the leather steering wheel reveals the tense mood in the dark blue car at the rear. 
James sets his jaw, snapping at Max's inquisitive chatter. He's not had nearly enough caffeine to be able to reason with the endless questioning of a three-year-old, bribed with a fruit roll-up just to get in the car. "Maxy, come on. It's been four minutes. Of course, we're not there yet."
He turns to Julia in the passenger seat. "Can't you give her anything else?" he asks, gesturing to Carey, their nine-month-old, wailing with teething pain. 
His wife's scowl and long exhale are response enough.
>
In the larger all-black model upfront, it's a different story. 
Ben and Gemma roar with laughter at Niall - sprawled in the seats at the very back, almost certainly still drunk - regaling his antics from the early hours of the morning. 
"Oh, Niall..." Anne's woeful response, perfectly deadpan, sets even Harry off.
Having been impatient to get going, wound up and on edge is apparently his unfamiliar default setting of late. 
>
It's been a hell of a few months... 
With Australia, Asia, South Africa, Dubai, and Europe already done and the two longest legs still remaining, this world tour has certainly been their biggest - and their toughest, too. 
They're still coming to terms with Zayn's shock departure in Hong Kong. Having successfully pulled off the quick changes to cover his absence, with the Americas and Europe still looming, the reality of their new normal as a four-piece is starting to take shape... More speculation, more pressure, with one less set of shoulders to help share the load.
Add to that the imminent revelation of Louis' impending fatherhood, the cracks starting to show in Liam's long-term relationship, and the pressure already mounting for the next album, it's safe to say that it's all felt like a bit of a powder keg as of late. 
Harry has only confided to his mum so far about the hiatus, but after that decisive last band meeting before they left Dubai, it's never been far from his mind - terrifying, but undeniably exciting... He loves One Direction and his crazy life, but 'What else?' and 'What next?' are two very big and burning questions. 
He stares through the blacked-out window, pulling at his lip with his thumb and index finger, mulling over his conversation with Jeff yesterday.
Anne, sitting diagonally behind him catches the familiar gesture and frowns, continuing to worry about her boy. She reaches forward to squeeze his shoulder. "You okay, Darling?"
He jumps at the contact, then reaches up to pat her hand. He needs to snap out of it - can't add her worrying about him to the long list of things he's already worrying about. 
It's a beautiful day, Fourth of July celebrations await, and he's off to stay at the beach with his nearest and dearest...
>
Scrubbing a hand over his face, he tunes back into his surroundings as Ben accepts a call from James over the car's Bluetooth speaker. 
"You D-I-C-K, you missed the turn! Should have gone left back there." They can only just about hear him over the crying in the background.