i still do || n.h au

prologue

the reintroduction

Seated in the backseat of a car that's not his, Niall scrolls through his Instagram feed mindlessly as he begins to worry that he might be underdressed for the occasion. There's no dress code, no mention of a 'black-tie' as far as he's aware of -- he checked the invitation several times to ensure that he didn't misread anything or miss out on any important information -- but still, he doesn't want to be the only one there who's wearing a plain white button down tucked into a pair of navy houndstooth-check wool trousers when everybody else wears suits, dressed up to the nine. Niall regrets not taking the matching blazer with him instead of leaving it on his bed.

To alleviate the worry expanding in his chest, he reminds himself that this event is thrown by GearUp which is a sports brand and they probably won't mind if he shows up clad in said brand's gym ensemble. Niall might not be an expert when it comes to fashion but even he knows that gym clothes and fancy events aren't made to go together, and a more formal outfit is preferable regardless of the host of the event.

Niall returns his attention to his phone, scrolling back to the top so he could refresh his Instagram feed. A picture from GearUp (it's a sneak peek of their upcoming collection) shows up first and he double clicks the picture out of habit.

A few months ago, GearUp contacted him and asked him if he'd like to be their brand ambassador and Niall didn't think twice before saying yes to them. They're a relatively new brand in the sports industry but there's no denying that they're going to grow bigger -- they've already gone international late last year. Apart from wanting to support the brand, he also agreed to be their brand ambassador because he was sent several of their things and he loved each and every one of them.

This evening they're launching their new gym gear collection and Niall has the honour to not only be the first one to receive the entire collection but to also model for the aforementioned collection. He still hasn't seen the pictures they've chosen for the campaign and he's both nervous and excited to finally see them at the launching party -- whatever they are, Niall is positive that his friends would tease him about it.

Niall's about to click on GearUp's Instagram stories when the car stops moving. He looks out the window and realises that they've reached the venue. There's a blue carpet, the colour of the brand, that leads up to the entrance and photographers are scattered around the carpet, careful not to step on it as they wait for the next personality to make their appearance.

He locks his phone before he pockets it and takes a few calming, deep breaths. The driver is telling him that he'll be picked up as soon as the event finishes, which is at 10.30pm, but his words fall on deaf ears.

This isn't Niall's first event. In fact, he's done events like this several times before so why won't his heart stop thumping against his chest like it wants an out?

An absent-minded thank you is uttered seconds before Niall steps out of the car. Cameras start to go off and his lips curve into a smile that's brighter than the flashing lights, whisking away the disquietude he's feeling in the car. He gives a two-fingers wave to some of the photographers who call out his name and stands at the middle of the carpet for approximately a minute before he's being led to an interviewer who's invited to cover the launching of GearUp's new collection.

The interviewer, a twentysomethings girl, waits for him near the entrance and as soon as he reaches her, he pulls her into a one-arm hug. "Sorry for the wait," he apologises before taking a few steps back and shoving one hand into his pocket. "How're you doing, love?"

"There's no need for an apology," she tells him. "And I'm doing great. How about you?"

"Amazing, actually," he answers. He wouldn't say it's a rehearsed answer but it's definitely his go-to answer. He's learned quite a while ago that people in this industry don't really care about that so a short and simple answer would suffice.