August 25th, 2016.
The first time I heard about One Direction was in March 2012 on a plane ride to Paris.
It was a school trip everyone had been looking forward to for a really long time. And of all the times I imagined it, none of them included having the most wonderful girl in the world as my best friend. Needless to say, if I never imagined that, I never imagined that I would have been dating this girl for almost six months.
Yet there we were, on the first seats of the plane, looking out the window as our city got smaller beneath our feet. I couldn't believe it was my first time on a plane, my first time leaving my country and I was going to spend the next six days in the city of love.
When the buildings had disappeared and all we could see were clouds out the window, Vic took out her iPod and handed me a headphone.
I smiled at her and put it on, some known chords from Queen exiting through it. Queen was her favourite band.
Songs went by and a big smile appeared on Vic's face when a particular song started.
"Shut the door, turn the light off, I wanna be with you, I wanna hear your voice..."
"What's this?"
"It's called Moments" she replied, humming along to the tune, "it's from a band Amelie introduced me in November" she added, "They're called One Direction"
The name didn't ring a bell at the time, and I never thought that they'd become such a huge hit.
Christmas 2012 Victoria bought her sister their second CD. Laura was already a huge fan of the boys, and the CD was definitely one of the presents she liked the most.
I remember Vic and I spent together most of the Christmas holidays. She got ill halfway through them, so we spent the holidays together but under a blanket and watching movies as she coughed and thanked me for taking care of her.
One Direction released a new CD in 2013, and their songs started appearing a lot more often on Vic's iTunes. I would usually roll my eyes whenever she started singing one of their songs.
They were nothing but a marketing boyband, that was for sure.
A marketing boyband you're now listening to.
The sassy voice that lives permanently in my head brings me back to reality, as the last chords to Story Of My Life play through the speakers.
Yes, okay, I'm listening to their music. I mean, there's gotta be something about them that makes everyone love them, right?
I get up and walk to the kitchen, putting some bacon on a pan and filling a pot with water. Pasta carbonara will do.
I hide a smile as I stupidly try to count how many times Vic and I had that meal together. It was pretty much everything we ate when we had lunch together on Thursdays.
Thursday was our chosen day to hang out after we both started university. Studying different degrees implied not seeing each other everyday, unlike when we went to school together.
Besides, Vic studied in a different campus, so unless I went to pick her up, there was no way we could see each other during the week.
Thursdays were great. Amazing, if you asked me.
It's also Thursday today.
But it's far from amazing, actually.
I decide to keep listening to the third CD as I eat lunch. These songs seem a lot familiar to me and I don't really know why.
My phone rings halfway through a song about seeing someone's smile again and burning up.
I can read 'Amelie' on the screen before I pick up.
"Yup"
"Halo" Am greets at the other end of the line, "Whatcha doin?"
Listening to One Direction because I'm trying to know what Vic sees in them.
"Just finished having lunch" I answer taking the plate to the sink.
"Wanna come over and watch a movie?" Amelie proposes.
I look over to the computer: 7 tracks to go.
"Emm... fine" I say closing the tab and walking to the door.
Ten minutes later, we're on Amelie's sofa trying to decide which movie we're gonna watch.
"You think she's become famous?" I ask, lifting my sight from the screen.
Amelie looks up as well.
"What?"
"Victoria" I repeat, "Do you think we could consider her famous?"
Am shrugs her shoulders.
"I'd say so, yeah" she says, "I mean, I consider her famous because I followed a One Direction Updates blog on tumblr and she's all over my dash. Whether it is with Niall or the boys... I don't know. The pictures seem unbelievable to me"
"Why?" I want to know.
"Because it's weird seeing Victoria in those situations: entering a tinted-window van, walking out of a hotel surrounded by hundreds of people and paparazzi screaming her name, seeing her in Instagram posts of members of the band with hundreds of thousands of likes each... It's surreal"
I remain silent.
Yeah... it's all a bit surreal.
"It is weird, isn't it?" I say, "I didn't know she was such a big fan of the band"
I give Amelie a look. I want to know if she's also bought the story that Niall and Vic are dating.
"Don't be silly, Dan, Vic loved the band" she cuts me, "She went to two out of the three concerts they did when they came to Spain"
"Did she?" I pull a face.
"Yeah, back in 2014" Am says, "She went with her sister to the first one and Valeria invited her to the second one. It was all they could talk about when they were together. I always thought they helped her a lot before and after your breakup"
Bam.
Another bomb made in Amelie's unconsidered mind.
"W-what?" I ask
"Well, before you broke up for the first time, when things started getting a little tense between the two of you; Victoria relayed on One Direction's music to feel better. The concert in July with her best friend made up for the possibility of not spending the summer with you"
I say nothing and keep staring at Amelie.
She isn't finished, apparently.
"As the perfect boyband, they had songs about breakups and makeups, but also about having fun and living while you're young and dancing all night to the greatest song ever"
"Best" I mutter under my breath.
"What?"
"Nothing"
"Anyway" Amelie continues, "After the concert, she started liking them a lot more. And after you two broke up, they were the ones she found her shelter on. As I said, they have songs for everything. And they're really good-looking. Although I wouldn't have picked Niall. I mean, he's nice and all, but he seems too normal for my liking. They make a great couple though, don't you think?"
"Yeah" I answer, but I don't really know what I'm answering to.
All I can think of is that when Victoria and I broke up for the first time, we decided to meet a week later to give each other the stuff we had. We met at my house, and I knew it wasn't just a meeting.
She knew it too.
We talked our problems through, we started making plans for the summer, she started being part of my future again. We decided to give our relationship another chance.
I couldn't believe I almost let her go.
It had been a really hard week for me. I had cried myself to sleep, I had moved the furniture of my room but even so everywhere I looked I could see her. That's why I decided to go back with her. I needed her in my life.
And I secretly hoped that she had felt as miserable as I had that past week.
I wasn't able to change my phone wallpaper and everytime I unlocked it, I could see her hugging me from behind.
But it was all okay because we were together again.
Still, I got mad when she unlocked her phone and I saw that she had changed hers.
I gasp at the realization.
She had changed her phone wallpaper the first time we broke up.
But the new one wasn't a picture of herself, or her friends or a nice Tumblr picture.
It was a picture of a blond boy in a white t-shirt and a denim with his hands in his pockets, smiling shyly at the camera.
It was a picture of Niall.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
[Quick A/N: Here's another (💩) chapter!
I know it's all been too much Dan for now, but I sorta wanted to set some things straight and mention things that will be important in future chapters.
Next chapter will have a lot more Niall (and the rest of the boys), that's a promise!
Feedback is extremely appreciated. But please, "Be nice to nice."
All my love as always.
PS: KINDA FREAKED OUT WHEN THIS TOWN CAME OUT I'M SO ENDEARED BY THAT SONG AND I THINK THE LYRICS ARE AMAZING, THE MUSIC IS SIMPLE BUT THE PERFECT ACCOMPANIMENT AND NIALL'S VOICE IS SO SOOTHING THE WHOLE SONG FEELS LIKE A WARM BLANKET ON A COLD NIGHT BROUGHT TO YOU BY A LOVED ONE. OVER AND OUT.]