Chapter 17 ― Manchester
It was a nice day with Ethan at his house, but going back to the hotel without Alex felt weird. I’m so used to have her around already and going to bed knowing she is not in the same building is really, really weird. It’s not like I’ll go to her room if I get scared or something, but it’s nice knowing she is near by. Ethan doesn’t exactly live close to the hotel and I feel the distance between Alex and I in my chest. I know this is due to how recent our relationship is and that we’re still in the honeymoon stage, but still. I miss her already and that makes me wonder how we’re gonna manage when she can’t come with me on tour, when she has to stay in London. I know I’m gonna miss her terribly and I’m gonna be even more homesick than usual.
But we’ll make it work, somehow I know we will.
The next day all of us hang out with Ethan, he even takes us to a cool bar and we have a blast. While I’m dancing with Alex I realise how happy she makes me and how wonderful this summer has been so far. I realise how signing up for that eating contest was my best decision, and losing it was what had to happen because that led me to Alex and I couldn’t ask for anything better. I’ve fallen so hard for her. She makes me feel like no one has made me feel before. Everything is so familiar yet it’s all new when I’m with her. When we touch, I feel like I’ve come alive, every cell in my body is dancing with life. She makes my heart race with one look and my guts to tense up when she smiles. She takes my breath away when we kiss.
I love her. I’ve fallen in love with the girl who beat me at the eating contest.
+ + + + +
I’ve tried to protect Alex as best as I can so the media won’t throw themselves at her like vultures trying to take as much as they can. I don’t want to expose her to our fans judgment either. I know many of them will be happy for me and will be nice to Alex, but many of them will be jealous and say mean things to my girlfriend, and I rather avoid that for as long as I can.
But we go out, we kiss and we act like a couple in front of people, so it’s a matter of time before the news of Niall Horan finding his princess get to the media. For instance, when we go bowling, we meet a fan there. She is a waitress and we know immediately she is a fan by the way she reacts when she sees us there.
“M-m-may I take your-your order?”
Ethan is the only one confused, but all of us smile brightly at her. “Thanks, love. We were dying here!” Harry replies with his signature smile.
“Want a picture?” Liam offers and the girl is in shock, she can barely talk so she only nods. Phebs takes the pictures and we all hug the girl. “What’s your name?” Liam asks still smiling.
“Melanie. Oh my God, I can’t believe this…” she mumbles, finally getting her voice back. “I love you all so much.”
“Thank you! And we love you,” Harry replies hugging her again and Melanie is about to cry. She is a sweet girl, I can tell that.
She takes a few moments to compose herself and then she is back to business. “What are you ordering, babe?” I ask Alex who is smiling so brightly it makes my heart skip a beat. I love seeing her so happy.
“Everything,” she whispers making me chuckle because I know she’s not joking.
“I know you can handle that, so if you really want everything…” I tell her leaning a bit closer.
I bet I’m smiling like an idiot and that’s why Melanie asks, “Is she your girlfriend?” Maybe I should deny it but I can’t, Melanie looks like a really nice girl and I wanna brag about Alex, I wanna tell the world I’m with her, that she picked me so I hug her and still smiling, I nod at Melanie. “Oh, you look cute together. I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.”
“It’s kinda secret,” I tell her and she giggles. “And my girlfriend here wants everything on your menu,” I add so proud because I know what the fans know about me and I bet she’ll see how Alex is just perfect for me.
Laughing, she writes down on her notepad. “You two are meant to be together,” Melanie comments and I can’t stop smiling as I stare at Alex because I completely agree with Melanie. No matter how we look, I feel we’re two pieces who have finally found each other.
After that we have a great time. I fight with Louis over Alex, Alex learns Louis has a Porsche and now she wants to keep it after the divorce, then we go to the train station to drop Belle as she is going back because her boyfriend Dan is back in the country. It’s a very emotive goodbye and we know we’re gonna miss Belle, but we still have Phebs and Alex with us for another week.
Harry lets slip that the whole idea of bringing the girls with us on tour was mine. “Surely, it’s been the best idea Niall’s had!”
“It was Niall’s idea?” Phebs asks and I see how Alex is staring at me. I feel my cheeks burning and I try to look away.
“Aye!” Louis replies for me. “He insisted and insisted till he got us in. Liam told him that we barely knew you and that it probably wasn’t a good idea, but Niall didn’t hear reason. He had to convince everyone to accept and it wasn’t easy. I always knew why he did it.”
Right now I feel like smashing Louis’ head against the closest wall.
“And why so?” Ethan asks and I think my cheeks will explode. How much humiliation can one person endure?
“Because he fancied your sister from the very beginning and he wanted to have her close all summer,” I clench my fists. I swear I’m gonna kill Louis later, he makes me look like some sort of obsessive stalker in front of Alex’s brother!
“You really did all that for me?” She asks me but I’m so embarrassed I can’t even reply, so she takes my hands and insists. “Did you?”
“Aye,” I confess and she smiles even more brightly at me.
“I agree with Harry,” she says out loud. “Your best idea. Thanks.” She stands on her tiptoes and kisses my cheek sweetly.
After that we all say goodbye to Belle after she teases us a bit and I feel Alex misses her best friend already, so I go and hug her to give her my support.
“Thanks for this,” she tells me and I know she doesn’t mean the hug.
“I don’t think that inviting you all to the tour with us was my best idea,” I confess and I feel her tensing in my arms. “My second best idea, maybe,” I add and she relaxes immediately. Cute Alex.
“What would your best decision be?”
“When I decided to enter to that eating contest,” I tell her because that’s certainly the best thing I’ve done this summer. That’s how everything began.
She smiles at me and I know she is thinking the same thing, which only makes me smile wider. I know there are things I’ll regret in this life, but signing up for that contest will never be one of those. Meeting Alex will always be the best thing in my life.
-:-:-:-:-
What do you think? I hope you liked it. Also, remember that in a little while I'll start posting The Comeback and I really want you all to read that story, too.
Dedication to @MalenaInesOlguin because I love your excitement for TC!
Bel, xx
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Unwonted (Niall Horan)
同人小说{bonus book} - She turned me down several times. She told me she was done with guys. She avoided me. But I knew better, I knew she was the kind who runs into your life only once and I just couldn’t let her go. I had to try again and again until she...
