Moon Tower

2.

"Finally! It only took you fucking forever," Niall said to me as he opened the door. I gave him a sheepish smile and a little shrug and entered his house.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but I got you a milkshake, and you can have my fries. That's how bad I feel about being late." Niall looked at me for a few seconds, trying to look mad, even though I know he'd already forgiven me.

"I guess I forgive you, but I will be taking your fries."

"Deal."

"Now get over here, I haven't seen you in ages," he said, giving me a side hug and taking the drinks from me. I followed him into the kitchen and started taking out our lunch.

"You're so dramatic, it's barely been a month."

Niall and I have been friends for a while now. Yes, as in Niall, the band member of the man I just embarrassed myself in not thirty minutes ago. We met at a soccer game down in San Diego. I guess a friend had invited him to come see the National Team play, and I was there because I hadn't seen my former teammates in a while. One of my friends while I played for the team had been begging me to come to one of their games for weeks, saying that she never got to see me anymore (not being able to play will do that). Rather than tell her that it had only been a little over a year since I'd last seen her, I made sure I was free the weekend she told me they would be in San Diego and went to support my friends and former teammates. I won't lie, the idea of watching them play and not actually playing with them hurt, which was actually how I ended up meeting Niall. I didn't want to be down on the sidelines, I wasn't ready. So I opted to watch from one of the box seats. Niall happened to be in the same one as me, we got to talking, and had been friends ever since.

Niall and I sat at the island in his kitchen, catching each other up on our lives. He told me about the new music he had been working on, and I told him about school, my job at a physical therapy practice, and how I was ready to be a real physical therapist, rather than just assisting and doing clinicals. He was talking about one of the songs he was currently recording when I remembered the incident this morning.

"Oh, I met your friend by the way."

"What friend?"

"Harry."

"Harry, as in my bandmate Harry?"

"The very same."

"How the fuck did you two meet?"

And so I told him about the diner, the wrist wrapping, and the embarrassing getaway, which had him cackling and making fun of me for the rest of my time there.

"So you just gave him your number and walked away?" Niall managed to get out through fits of laughter.

"I panicked okay? Don't laugh! It's. Not. Funny." I emphasized each word with a slap to his shoulder.

"Ow! Okay, okay, enough! You have to admit it's a little funny," Niall said, still chuckling at my expense. "You said it yourself, he has a doctor, and you gave him your number anyway. You're technically not even a doctor."

"Shut up, I told you I panicked, I wasn't thinking straight. He has an intense stare."

Niall laughed a little more and then gasps dramatically. "You think he's cute don't you?"

"Shut up, shithead."

"Look at you! You're blushing! Come on, you can tell me. I won't say anything."

"Shut up! Alright, I am mature enough to admit that yes, objectively, he is an attractive human being. It's not like I'm the only one who thinks this. Just ask my sisters, or, you know, the rest of the female population."