Any lingering doubts that Niall had about whether or not Mrs Kelly bought his lies dissipated when his phone lit up with new messages every few seconds — which he ignored. And when people started coming over and expressing their delight for him — that, he couldn't ignore.
It started with Pete, the guy who owned the hardware store across the street. He walked into Copper & Compass, headed straight for the bar and pulled Niall in for a hug. It was an awkward and uncomfortable hug, with the bar digging into his front and Pete squeezing him. But it was a nice gesture, he supposed.
Then it was Mrs Bowen. Niall had to fight the urge to laugh when she walked through the door as he's reminded of the conversation he had with Alexandra. And of the way she burst out laughing, the sound both surprising and intoxicating, when he told her that Mrs Bowen would have his head if he decided to serve coffee at his pub, stealing away all of her customers. Mrs Bowen didn't come to have his head, thankfully, but to do the same thing Pete did. To tell him that she's happy that he's found someone.
After that, there was a flurry of activity and excitement in the pub, and those happy faces became a blur.
It's been a weird evening for Niall, to say the least. And the day hasn't ended yet.
"You're in a relationship?" Fionn asks in an incredulous tone as he takes a seat on the stool in front of Niall, brows furrowing.
Cara stands next to her husband and squeezes his shoulder. To Niall, she smiles and nods, "Hey."
"Hey," Niall greets them as he fills two pints of beer and places them in front of his friends.
"I can't believe you lied to Mrs Kelly," Fionn continues. Niall doesn't think lying to Mrs Kelly is such a big deal. "Now everyone thinks you're dating someone."
"What if I am?" Niall asks. There's an edge to his voice that isn't usually there.
The idea of him dating someone is not that absurd, isn't it? Yes, he hasn't dated anyone seriously after things ended between him and Breena. And yes, he hasn't shown any interests in the girls he's gone on a date to. But that doesn't mean dating someone isn't in the cards for him.
It's not making any sense to Niall that people are having a hard time believing that he's in a relationship, albeit a fake one, considering that that's what they wanted all along. It's why they have been setting him up on dates, isn't it? Otherwise, it'll be cruel for them to put him through all of that.
Fionn's forehead furrows, "Are you?"
"So... Who's the lucky girl?" Cara asks, seemingly not on the same page as her husband. Whereas Fionn looks like he's not going to believe anything that comes out of Niall's mouth, Cara looks like she's already believed the rumour that's spread all over the town. "Oh God, I feel awful now. We've been setting you up on dates and you—"
"—It's fine," Niall cuts in. "You didn't know."
"Well," Cara leans forward, propping her chin in the palm of her right hand. "Who is she?"
Before Niall can answer her question, Connor rushes up to the bar. "What the fuck, Horan?" His face is red as he occupies the stool next to Cara. He says a quick hi to her and then returns his attention to Niall. "You're in a relationship and I wasn't the first one to find out about it? Mrs Kelly was?"
Niall doesn't say anything. He fills a pint of beer for Connor and hands it to him. Connor isn't a big fan of Mrs Kelly and unlike Niall, he doesn't bother being subtle about it.
Connor takes a long sip, swallows and then continues, "So, who is it?"
Fionn leans forward so he could meet Connor's eyes and asks, "You don't think he's lying?"
Connor's forehead creases as he considers that.
Niall holds his breath, dread coiling deep in his stomach. He knows that this is going to be the hardest part: convincing his friends. He knows that his friends aren't going to believe him as easily as Mrs Kelly and everyone else did. He knows all of that and yet, he hasn't prepared himself for this conversation. Sure, he and Alexandra have figured out what to tell his friends but they didn't go into details last night.
Looks like he has to play it by ear.
Connor turns to him, eyes squinted. "Who is it?"
Niall presses his lips together, contemplating. He could tell his friends about Alexandra now. Or he could leave them wondering like everyone else.
He hasn't heard anything from Alexandra after he sent her a text message earlier this evening. He wanted to send her another to let her know that everyone in this town fell for his story. But he doesn't want to break some kind of unspoken rules by sending too many messages at once. So the entire evening he's been fighting the urge to pick up his phone and text her. They've both agreed to go through with this, anyway, so it won't be an issue if he tells his friends about her now. Besides, she doesn't seem like someone who'd go back on her word.
"Fine, it's—"
"Wait, shouldn't Brody be here for this?" Connor interjects.
"Brody's picking up Sofia's parents tonight," Fionn tells him. Turning to his wife, he says, "Maybe you could—"
"Calling Sofia now," Cara grins as she pulls out her phone and places it on top of the bar. Niall watches as she clicks on Sofia's name, the ringing sound filling the silence between them. Seconds later, Sofia's voice replaces the sound.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Sof, could you put your phone on speaker?"
"Sure," Sofia replies. "Babe, we're on speaker."
"Hey," Brody greets them. "What's up? Wait, everyone's at the pub?"
"Yeah," Fionn answers. His eyes find Niall's then and he adds, "Niall's gonna tell us about his secret girlfriend."
"Oooh," Brody sings. "Come on now, don't keep us waiting."
Niall opens his mouth to say something but Connor cuts him again, "Amy's not here." Niall chews on his lower lip as he waits for his friend to take out his phone and calls Amy. But then Connor just shakes his head and says, "Nevermind, she's busy. I'll just tell her about this later."
"So, who is she?" Cara asks, lips pulled into a grin, eyes bright with excitement.
"Yeah, who is she?" Fionn echoes, lacking the enthusiasm his wife possesses.
"It's..." Niall trails off as words die on his tongue.
He's lied to his friends before, so he doesn't know why it's difficult for him to tell another lie. But then again the lies that he's told before are just little white lies. Like how it doesn't really bother him that everyone in this town is dead set on setting him up on dates. Or how he's completely over Breena.
Niall's head moves in an imperceptible shake as he rids those thoughts from his head. Turning to Connor, he asks, "You remember Alexandra Oh, don't you?"
"Alexandra Oh?" Connor repeats. His brows draw together as he racks his brain. Soon enough, recognition and shock register across his face a handful of heartbeats. And then, "You're dating her?"
Niall swallows the lump in his throat and nods.
"Who's Alexandra Oh?" Brody asks.
"We went to the same school," Connor answers the question for Niall. "Smartest girl in the school. Dunno if she still lives here. Never seen her around anymore."
"She lives in Dublin now," Niall tells his friends. Thank God he asked her about it last night. It won't look good if he doesn't know where his girlfriend currently resides. "But her family still lives here."
"So you're dating someone you went to school with but you didn't tell anyone?" Fionn sums up, uncertainty lacing his voice. "Why would you keep it a secret?"
"We don't wanna jinx it," Niall replies. This time, the lie comes out easier like it was rehearsed — it's not. "It's, uh, still new and we decided to keep it a secret until she comes home."
Fionn's quick with a follow-up question, "And when's she coming home?"
"Tomorrow," Niall manages to get out, trying not to think about how nervous he is for his date with Alexandra tomorrow night. Each time the thought crosses his mind, an odd feeling swirls in his chest. And each time he tells himself that it's just another dinner — no big deal.
"Enough about that," Cara chimes in, "I wanna know how it happened?"
Finally, the one question that he and Alexandra have worked out last night. This he could answer with confidence — at least he likes to think so.
But before he can answer it, Connor interjects, eyeing him suspiciously, "You kept in touch with her?"
The question sits heavy on Niall's shoulder, weighing on his conscience. And when Connor crosses his arms and leans back on his seat, eyes still fixed on him, Niall's throat starts to close up, his skin hot with anxiety.
Niall runs his tongue across his dry lips and nods, uncertain if he can find his voice with the lump lodged in his throat.
"I thought she went ghost?" Connor continues, suspicion lilting his voice. If Niall squints, he can see it in his friend's eyes too — the scepticism. "No one's heard anything from her."
That doesn't come as a surprise to Niall. Even back in school, Alexandra always kept to herself, minding her own business and only befriending a few people. Niall, on the other hand, made himself available to everyone, befriended anyone who looked his way, and constantly changed and moulded himself to fit what people expected of him.
And as soon as they graduated, she didn't look back and now, she's a software developer — something he found out after he did a little searching, which he thought was impressive — and Niall, well, he's a fucking bartender.
Alexandra Oh was and still is the complete opposite of Niall Horan. Everyone in this town considered her a ghost, the person no one's heard of in a while. But her life is hers to keep. Niall? He's as visible as one can be and his life is everyone's.
For a moment, Niall feels a sharp pang of envy. But he doesn't allow himself to brood over that for long. Now's not the time to wallow in self-pity.
"Yeah. She, erm, she reached out to me on Facebook," Niall tells him, choosing Alexandra's version of the whole 'how did we end up dating' story. He swallows before continuing, "We started talking and then she, uh, told me she had a crush on me and we decided to give this a shot."
Silence hangs between them. Niall crosses his arms in front of his chest as he tries to gauge his friends' reactions. When the silence prolongs, he brings one hand up to his mouth and starts biting his nail. A habit he thought he'd gotten rid of for good.
"So it happened on Facebook?" Sofia asks, breaking the silence between the six of them.
"It..." Niall swallows, lowering his hand from his mouth. "Yeah."
"I think that's cute," Cara says.
"It is," Sofia agrees.
"And I get why you'd wanna keep it a secret," Cara adds. "Long distance relationships aren't easy."
Niall decides, then, that Cara might just be his favourite person tonight.
"I still think he should've told us," Fionn says to his wife. Cara rolls her eyes at him. "What? We're his best mates. We should know what's going on in his love life."
"Exactly. It's his love life," Cara counters. "If he wanted to keep his relationship a secret, that's his choice."
Fionn opens his mouth to say something but decides against it when Cara levels him with a look. A look that apparently is enough to silence Fionn. It's official: Cara Armstrong is Niall's favourite person tonight.
"I can't wait to meet her," Cara says to Niall. "When you two are ready."
Ignoring his wife, Fionn directs his question to Cara's phone, "Are you buying this Brody?"
"I don't know," Brody, for his part, sounds genuinely conflicted. "I mean... Why would he lie to us about this?"
"Connor?" Fionn asks.
Connor, who's been strangely quiet while they're all talking, meets Fionn's eyes briefly before he turns to Niall. A few different emotions pass over his face like he can't decide what he's feeling about this.
But Niall can see it in his eyes, what he's about to say. He's known the guy for over two decades, and somewhere along the line, they learned to read each other's mind. Niall has never had an issue with this — them being able to see right through each other — but right now, he hopes and prays that Connor won't call him out on his shit.
"I don't think he's lying," Connor says, finally. To which Fionn responds with a grunt.
Relief courses through Niall. For a moment there he was so sure that Connor was going to call his bluff.
"Alexandra did have a crush on him so that checks out," Connor continues.
Niall stiffens, his entire body turning rigid. His brain stutters for a moment and parts of him pause as his brain tries to catch up. He had his suspicions but he thought that's all it is. A sneaking suspicion that'll never be confirmed. Sure he caught the colours blooming across Alexandra's cheeks when he stupidly asked her if she had a crush on him, but he had convinced himself that he was being presumptuous. Because no way Alexandra Oh could have a crush on him.
How'd you know?, Niall wants to ask Connor — so desperately that he almost blurts out the question. But he presses his lips together and just nods. Maybe one day, when the opportunity strikes, he'll ask Connor all about this. Maybe when he and Alexandra are no longer fake dating.
"So, are you spending Christmas with her?" Cara asks.
Niall's fingers find the hair at the nape of his neck as he mulls over this for a moment. He remembers Alexandra telling him that her family is expecting her to come home for the holidays with her boyfriend. But up until now, she hasn't told him how he could help her. Does she want him to spend Christmas with her and her family? Or does she want to introduce him to her family and that's it? He probably should ask her about this and let her know that he's fine with either. It's her call.
Right now, though, his friends are still waiting for him to answer Cara's question. But before Niall has to decide whether he wants to lie to his friends (that he'll be spending his Christmas with Alexandra) or tell the truth (that even though Christmas is only a few days away he still doesn't know how his holiday will look like), Sam walks up to him.
"Hey, sorry to interrupt," he says, looking and sounding apologetic as he speaks. Niall has never appreciated and welcomed an interruption as much as he does this one so he just nods and urges Sam to continue. "John wanted to talk to you."
Niall looks past Sam's shoulder and sure enough, he sees John sitting at the other end of the bar with beer in one hand. He catches Niall's eyes and sends him a grin, corners of his eyes crinkling, along with a two fingers salute.
Glad of a break in the conversation, Niall excuses himself and walks over to John.
"Heard the news, kid," John says, still grinning.
John Whelan is a close friend of Patrick Horan, Niall's uncle, and at some point he was a close friend of Matthew Horan, Niall's father. John's always around and has become a constant in Niall's life — unlike a certain Matthew Horan. And over the years, Niall sees John more as a father figure than he does his own biological father.
"Gonna tell me who she is? Or do I have to ask that Connor boy?"
Niall shakes his head. If these two start talking God knows what they'll end up discussing. "It's someone I went to school with."
"It's not Breena, is it?" John's brows furrow.
"No," Niall answers, horrified by what John was alluding to. "Jesus, no. She's engaged."
"To your mate, Owen, yes I remember that," John adds. Niall wants to tell the older man that he doesn't think he still considers Owen his mate. But chooses to keep his mouth shut in the last minute. He doesn't want to seem like the petty ex. They already consider him the heartbroken ex — which is, well, not exactly wrong, but still not entirely welcoming. "So, not Breena?"
"No," Niall says firmly.
"Good, 'cause I was gonna tell you that it's not a good idea to get involved with an engaged woman."
"And you know this from experience?" Niall kinks an eyebrow at him.
"One day I'll tell you the story, kid."
"Why not tonight?" Niall has always enjoyed John's stories. They're obviously exaggerated, some of them probably didn't even happen, but he enjoys it nonetheless. Lives vicariously through those stories, even.
"Because tonight we're talking about you," John counters. Persistent as ever, he asks again, "So, who is she?"
"Alright, fine," Niall concedes. Knows that he won't be able to walk away until he tells John who he's 'dating'.
And so he does exactly that. He tells John about Alexandra Oh — how she reached out to him on Facebook (John thinks it's nice that she made the first move), how after talking for a few months they decided they wanted to be more than friends but wanted to keep the relationship to themselves, which was why he didn't tell anyone about it (John doesn't understand why anyone would want to keep their relationship a secret but he's happy for him, for them, nonetheless).
When Niall's done talking to John, after promising that he'll consider taking Alexandra to his restaurant for their date, he makes his way back to his friends and finds that Fionn and Cara have left. Connor is talking to Sam and when Niall reaches them, Connor points to the empty stools next to him and says, "They've left. It's past Fionn's bedtime."
Sam snorts before he walks away. Niall chuckles, shaking his head at his friend.
"So, Alexandra Oh, huh?" Connor teases him, eyes flickering with intrigue. "Didn't see that coming."
"Yeah..." Niall scratches behind his neck. He didn't see that coming either. In fact, he's still trying to wrap his head around it all. It's going to take days, he thinks, before it sinks in. Or weeks. Or months.
"Well, I'm happy for you," Connor says, raising his nearly empty glass in a toast.
"Thank you," Niall replies, trying to ignore the sour guilt climbing up his throat.
He's never lied to Connor. Not about something as massive as this. And he feels like an utter shit as he stands in front of his best mate — the one person who's stuck by him and never judged him — and lies straight to his face.
For a moment, he considers telling Connor the truth. There's no one he trusts more than Connor and while Connor Murphy is many things, he's not someone who goes around telling people's secrets.
But then again, he and Alexandra have an expiration date looming over their heads. So he won't have to lie to his friends for long. Maybe for a few weeks. Or months if they want their relationship to be more convincing — he and Alexandra will have to discuss this.
And until then, he'll have to push aside his guilt and just fucking lie.
He just hopes that, somewhere along the line, this lie won't blow up in his face.
---
Maybe... Niall can't keep up with this whole charade after all.
Breena Hale: Is it true?
Niall stares at the screen, fingers hovering over the keyboard as his brain repeats the text over and over again. Three words. That's all Breena has to say and yet Niall feels a near-insurmountable urge to tell the truth. Because it's Breena.
The same Breena who shows up at Copper & Compass to see him, and he'd be so overcome with the need to make her feel better that he'd drop everything for her. That he'd bend over backwards and turn himself into her confidante. She always comes to see him when she needs to talk to someone. And he'd listen. Listen to her talk about Owen, be it about something good or something bad. He listens, listens and listens. Even if it hurts. Even if hearing about her life with Owen is the last thing he wants to hear.
The same Breena who apologised and expressed how sorry she was that he didn't find out about her engagement from her. And he told her that it's fine. That he's happy for her and Owen. That he wished nothing but the best for them. What he really wanted to say was: it wasn't fine that he found out from someone else and that he was miserable. That the least she could do was give him a heads up. Tell him that she and Owen were serious. But he didn't say any of that.
Because that's just how he is when it comes to Breena. He prioritises her happiness above all else.
Niall cards his fingers through his hair, frustrated with himself. He hates how he's so fixated on the idea of telling her the truth. It's not like it would miraculously make things different if she knows that he's not dating anyone. It's not like everything that had happened in the past few years would disappear into thin air and Breena would be back in his arms. No. She'll still be engaged with Owen regardless if she knows the truth or not.
Desperate for a distraction, Niall opens his messages thread with Alexandra. His last message for her stares back at him.
Niall Horan: see you tmrw on our date, Alexandra
Niall hasn't decided where he's taking her tomorrow night. If they weren't trying to convince everyone that they are, indeed, dating, he would've taken her somewhere away from this town. But that's not their reality. Their reality is this: they need people to see that they are on a date. Which means there's really only one place he can take her to where they'll at least get to eat good food: John's restaurant. John will be happy about this.
Niall Horan: told my friends about you
Niall hits send before he can think twice about it. It's either he talks to Alexandra or to Breena.
Niall Horan: i think they bought the story
Niall isn't expecting a reply considering that it's late so when he sees three dots appear on the screen, his heart skips a beat.
Alexandra Oh: did you go with the i had a crush on you story or?
Niall Horan: yeah, i went with that
Alexandra Oh: i knew they'd buy that story
What Connor said earlier returns to Niall's mind: "Alexandra did have a crush on him so that checks out."
He'd promised himself that he's not going to let this preoccupy his mind and yet hours later, he's still clinging onto that. Because when it comes to something like this, Connor would never lie. Sure he lies — a lot — when they play board games, but he wouldn't make up something like that, would he?
Niall shakes his head, pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind. It's so like him to focus on something that probably holds no significance.
Niall Horan: did my texts wake you?
Alexandra Oh: oh no i couldnt sleep
Alexandra Oh: so... they really bought the story?
Niall Horan: fionn needs more convincing but i think we can change his mind
Alexandra Oh: yeah?
Niall Horaan: no doubt
Niall is not a good actor, so he doesn't know how well he'll play the boyfriend role, but if his life depends on it, he'll do his fucking best.
Niall Horan: i have a question
Alexandra Oh: ??
Niall Horan: what do you think of John's for tomorrow?
Alexandra Oh: i haven't been there in a while
Niall Horan: now thats a crime
Alexandra Oh: then let's change that
Alexandra Oh: wait... their food is still good right?
Niall Horan: im gonna pretend you didnt just say that
Alexandra Oh: ha. no bad-mouthing John's, got it.
Niall lets out a laugh as he shakes his head at his phone.
Alexandra Oh: what time should i meet you there?
Niall Horan: shouldnt i pick you up?
Niall watches as the three dots appear and disappear every few seconds. Does she not want him to meet her family? That can't be it. It's why they're doing this, isn't it, for her to introduce him to her family and for him to show to everyone that he's off the market.
Alexandra Oh: okay yeah that sounds like a good idea
The following text is the address to Alexandra's family home.
Niall Horan: i know where you live, ya know?
Niall Horan: shit didnt mean to sound creepy
Alexandra Oh: good because it'd be really awkward to fake break up with you via text
Niall Horan: alrdy trying to get rid of me, huh?
Alexandra Oh: i wouldn't dare
Niall wishes he can explain why texting with Alexandra makes him grin at his phone. But he's not sure if he wants to dissect it. If he wants to know the answer. Right now, though, he blames it on his exhaustion. He tends to do or say things he usually won't do or say when he's tired.
After sending a few laughing emojis, Niall asks Alexandra if there's anything he should know about her parents. He's met them a few times. Talked to them on a few occasions. They seem nice, albeit a bit intimidating, and apart from where they live and what they do for a living, Niall knows nothing about them. He needs to remedy that if they want to convince her parents that they're dating.
And maybe, just maybe, he's just looking for an excuse to continue talking to her.
Jesus. He must be really, really tired.