isabella [h.s.]

seventeen

A.N. #blacklivesmatter always. i wrote more about this on the recent update of 'espionage', but pls continue to sign petitions, spread awareness, fight back, educate, give voices to those who have been silenced, recognise your privilege, donate, protest, demand justice. Check twitter for the petitions, people you can contact, posts you can share. I posted a link on my profile which directly takes you to petitions, donation pages, etc. Please don't stay silent, your voice is needed now more than ever!🖤

**I get those goosebumps every time,
yeah, you come around, yeah
you ease my mind,
you make everything feel fine**

HARRY

I'm not quite sure how I let Niall talk me into going out tonight, but he's in my apartment now while I finish getting ready, already a little tipsy from the beers we've been drinking, ambling around the living room while promising me that tonight going to be 'a right laugh'. To be completely honest, my long day at work combined with the frustration of the relatively stagnant leads in my cases has left me wanting to just take a hot shower before crawling into bed, but Niall wasn't having that. According to him, he's noticed how overworked and stressed I've been these past few weeks, and in his so-called 'professional' opinion, he thinks a night out is exactly what I need.

As I'm running my hands through my hair, applying a few handfuls of pomade to the freshly washed curls, Niall turns to me with two bottles of cologne in his hands. "Which one?" he asks, his eyes flitting between the two with an expression that indicates this is clearly a big decision for him.

I arch an eyebrow at my reflection in the mirror. "How about none, because they're both mine?"

"Oh come on, mate. Your cologne is all fancy, way better than the cheap crap I have."

"Since when do you care about about smelling good?" I ask with a small scoff, cuffing the sleeves of my shirt. "Your natural scent is Lynx Africa mixed with a hint of weed."

Niall rolls his eyes at me with a sense of annoyance. "I'm just trying to make an effort," he protests, eyes scanning the back of one of the cologne bottles. "You know the ladies like a man who smells good."

After I'm done with my hair, I turn away from the mirror to face Niall, shooting him a slightly curious look. "Which ladies are you trying to smell good for?"

Almost on cue, the apartment door opens and both Isabella and Tina burst into the apartment, clearly still in the middle of a conversation judging by their soft laughter. Niall's eyes immediately flash over to them, a small smile pulling at his lips before he catches me looking at him and then quickly tears his gaze away. Just from this alone, it's pretty clear that Isabella and Tina are the ladies he's trying to impress, but I find myself curious about which one specifically he has his eye on.

I know that he and Isabella get on well, and he obviously finds her attractive because of how much he says just that, although I do find myself wondering how much of his attraction towards her is based on her job. From the few conversation Niall and Isabella have had, they seem to have this effortless, flirty banter, which makes me think he may be more interested in her, but I've also recently noticed the way his eyes always flit over to Tina whenever she's around, how he always glances at her first after he tells a joke, and looks pleased when she laughs at it. Maybe I can use tonight as a way to investigate further. No offence to Niall or anything, but I'm sure it'll be a lot more fun than whatever night he has planned.