New One Direction Interview here!
I'm beginning to appreciate the paparazzi. Paparazzi means that Niall and I have to pretend to be close. They mean that we have to appear boyfriends. Being in public, something that used to be difficult and annoying, is now the highlight of my day. I never knew cameras could be so comforting.
It's been three weeks since Niall's apology date, and it's been three weeks since Liam's lecture. It's been twenty one days, exactly. I usually can't remember dates to save my life; I forgot Louis' birthday last year, and it's Christmas Eve! But, I have been selfishly counting all the days that I get with Niall.
I've realized something, too.
All of this, everything that the public thinks Niall and I have- it isn't going to last. All relationships either end in a breakup or marriage, and then eventually death, of course. We can't get married. I don't want to get married. Niall wouldn't want to be living that much of a lie. So, eventually, we're going to break up. Our fake relationship is going to end.
I need to take advantage of every moment I've got, before I wake up and, we're suddenly back to hating each other. I've thought about what it would be like once we split. Would we be friends now? Would we ignore each other- the fact that I'm into him too obvious for comfort? I don't know, and that unknown, frankly, worries me.
Sure, Niall annoys the hell out of me. He chews with his mouth open sometimes. He always talks with his mouth full. He laughs at things I don't find funny. He's loud, obnoxious, and overall, he's a seven year old boy. Occasionally, being with him is like you're babysitting a toddler. He can't drive to save his life. He forgets to brush his teeth, especially at night. When he finds something that irritates you, he'll continue to do it until you either scream or leave. He says he likes Louis more than he likes me. He makes stupid faces at the most inappropriate times. He's utterly immature. But, honestly? It's what makes him fun.
"Hey." Louis snaps his fingers in front of my face, and I zone back in on the conversation we were originally having.
"Yeah?"
"What were you doing off in La La Land?" He asks me, going back to making breakfast. I spent the night with him, because in his words, 'For being best friends, you never talk to me anymore.' (He was at my place two days ago.)
"I wasn't in La La Land." I say, running my finger over the edge of my glass.
"What were you doing in Niall Land, then?" Louis teases me, and I duck my head. I don't regret coming clean with Louis last week, but he hasn't really let me forget it.
"I wasn't there either."
"Mate, you should know by now that I prefer people fawning over me out loud. No need to sit quietly and think about me."
"Is there a point to this conversation?"
"I was bored, and you were beginning to drool. Figured I'd stop you before you turned my kitchen into a swimming pool." He explains, putting the container of blueberries back into his fridge.
"I don't drool."
"Keep telling yourself that, Harry. Keep telling yourself that. Hey, did Nick call you about playing Call Or Delete? He wanted me to do it, but I'm with Eleanor that day."
"That early?"
"You don't know my life." Louis wiggles his eyebrows, and I laugh.
"When you give me that look, I don't think I want to know your life."
"I'll tell you anyway. Eleanor and I will be getting rather-"
"Louis. Stop. There is absolutely no reason to be vulgar right now."
He just shrugs and hands me a plate of blueberry pancakes. "Eat up, Harry."
I take my breakfast and grab a fork from his silverware basket. Louis doesn't use drawers, I've noticed; all his utensils and plates are on the counter or in containers. I've never explored his kitchen, mostly because he keeps me occupied enough not to, but I would like to.
"Is it bad I don't want to do this interview today?" I ask him, as he sits down across from me.
"No. This interview will be crap. Just like all the others. The only reason we're having one in London is because of your Narry thing." Louis points at me with his fork. "You're the reason I have to get hair and makeup done today."
"Oh, wow, man. I am so terribly sorry that you have to have someone do your makeup for one day. Your life must be so incredibly awful, judging by the fact that you get a television interview for your world famous boyband, in which you have to wear some stage makeup. So awful."
"Your snarky ass apology is accepted."
"Just stop complaining, alright? You signed up for this job. Deal with it. It's just a little makeup."
"Calm down, Twinkle Toes." He glances down at the boots I chose to wear today. "I wasn't being angry. What's got you all snippy today? Is it because you haven't seen Niall yet?"
"Stop making everything about Niall! Okay? Quit, Louis. It's not funny anymore."
"Seriously, man. What's gotten into you today? I haven't done anything, and you're freaking out. What's wrong?"
"Nothing." I mumble, and take a bite of my pancakes.
"Whatever." Louis simply shrugs and lets the issue go. We eat the remainder of our breakfast in silence until there's a knock on the door, and the other boys come in.
"G'Morning you two." Liam greets us, and I give him a small smile. "Lou, you made pancakes?"
"Mhmm."
"Why didn't you invite me? I would have loved to have some pancakes." Liam frowns, and Niall nods from his spot on Louis' couch (not that I was watching him, or anything).
"Same. Would have adored pancakes for breakfast, instead of corn flakes."
"You had corn flakes?" I ask him, and he nods for a second time.
"Yeah. It was all Zayn had in his cupboards this morning. Corn flakes and beer. I knew I shouldn't have stayed with him last night. I'm practically starved."
"And I'm out of beer now. Thanks for that, Niall." Zayn interjects.
"Anytime, Malik."
I turn back to Niall. "You can have some of my pancakes if you want."
"Not going to ask twice." Niall hops up off of the couch, and walks toward me. "They just regular or-"
"Blueberry." Louis answers for me, and gets off his stool. "We should head to the station in about half an hour. Harry and I need to get dressed still."
"Reese's Pieces wants you to wear my t-shirt." Niall says between stuffing his face with pancakes and swiveling on his chair.
"Of course Reese does." I roll my eyes, but am secretly (or not so secretly, according to Louis) fairly happy with Reese's request. I head back to Louis' room, where I have my clothes that I packed last night. Pulling out my black, ripped skinny jeans, I step out of my pajamas and put the new clothes on.
There's a knock on the door. I mumble a quiet "Come in", and the next thing I know, Niall has entered the premises and begins taking off his shirt. "What are you doing?"
"You need my shirt, remember?" He asks, handing the band shirt out to me. I try not to stare at his uncovered torso, but I'm pretty certain I fail that task. I look away and take the shirt from his hands.
"Thanks."
"Anytime." I wait for Niall to leave, but he doesn't seem to be moving any time soon. So, I quickly shrug off my shirt and trade it for his. It's a little snug in the arms, but it smells like his soap. Sometimes you have to deal with a small annoyance if you want the nice thing. (Or in my case, I'll deal with tight sleeves if it means I get to smell like Niall for the day.)
"Ready to go, then?" I ask him, grabbing a pair of Louis' sunglasses off of his dresser. Niall nods, turns around, and leads the way back to Louis' living room.
"You two are cute, what with, you know, wearing each other's shirts." Liam gestures to the both of us, but winks at me. I give him a look, and he just grins.
"Harry's always been one for obeying management, Liam." Louis nudges him. "Don't you remember Caroline, Cara, Taylor, and Kendall?"
"Shut up, guys."
"Fakes. The lot of them." Louis sighs dramatically.
"And how many of those women were lesbians, Harry?" Zayn interjects, and I look down at my shoes.
"Two. Damn it, guys. Let's just go."
Niall laughs beside me, playfully hitting my arm. "I call shotgun of Harry's car."
We decide to drive in two groups, myself, Niall, and Zayn in one car. Louis and Liam in Liam's own vehicle. The only problem I have with the arrangements is Zayn sprawled out in the backseat of my Range Rover, although he stays quiet for most of the short trip.
We get to the station in ten minutes, reveling in the clear traffic. Thankfully, today, we aren't escorted by our team, and they all agreed to meet us there, those that were coming. Because of the early hour, we're able to walk without a hitch. Nobody stops us, and we can get into the building quickly. Once we're there, Lou pulls us quickly back to her team. It's both a blessing and a curse that we have a team who doesn't allow anyone else to work with us.
By the time we're all dolled up, it's time to go on. The interviewer shakes all of our hands and gives us a run down of the questions he's going to ask. Most of them involve Niall and I, which, in the back of my mind, I expected. We're going on tour shortly, so the other questions are about that.
Niall and I are placed beside each other, with Liam beside me. Zayn and Louis are sat on a smaller couch beside the three of us. I'm thankful for Liam, otherwise I might not be able to handle being next to Niall on a couch. It's not that we've actually done anything remotely resembling being in a physical relationship, but even the thought of it gets me into trouble.
Our interviewer is quite funny, and he isn't as pushy or awkward as ones we've had in the past. "Good morning, Lads."
"Morning." We all greet him together, and I casually place my hand on Niall's thigh. (For publicity purposes, of course.) He takes it in his own, and rubs the top of my hand with his thumb.
"How have you been? You've been on break for the past few months, if I'm correct."
"Not really break." Louis takes the first question. "We've been in the studio a lot, and we've been working alongside numerous charities. So, a break from touring- yes. But not a vacation."
"I think most people would consider your jobs a vacation." The man attempts to joke, but Louis isn't having it."
"Well most people would be wrong."
Our interviewer ignores him and moves on. "I know you're asked this all the time, but, who's single?"
We all look around at each other and laugh. None of us are single.
"Really?" He sounds so surprised, as if he didn't know. "All of you are taken?"
"Yeah." Zayn nods.
"You're engaged, are you not?" He asks my quiet friend, who nods again.
"Oh, he's very engaged. He finds interviews to be very intriguing, and he can't help but be interested."
The man gives Louis a look, but doesn't comment. Instead, he focuses on me. More specifically, he focuses on Niall and I. "I've heard through the grapevine that is my fifteen year old daughter, that you two are dating. Am I correct?"
"Yeah." Niall answers, leaning into me slightly.
"That has to be awkward though."
"Why?" I ask, trying hard not to sound offended. It's extremely difficult.
"You've never heard the saying, then?" He asks, leaning forward in his chair. I'm getting defensive. He never mentioned these questions to us earlier.
"What saying are you referring to, exactly?"
"That you shouldn't date a coworker, mate. You lads are the epitome of coworkers, I would say. It'll be rough if you break up."
This is not a conversation I want to have on live television. This is not a conversation I want to have period. "We'll manage."
"We were in a band before we were in a relationship. The band always comes first. That's something regular coworkers wouldn't understand." Niall speaks up, thank God. "The bond we have in the band will always beat out the bond we have in the relationship. If we end the relationship, the band will still be strong. Those two things are not inextricably linked. We can have one without the other."
"Well said Niall." Louis claps his hands after a moment of silence from the interviewer. "Well said."
"What about the press, then?" The interviewer recovers. "Gay isn't exactly the new black."
"The press doesn't matter." Liam says.
"Yeah." Niall and I agree at the same time. I look at him, and he smiles softly.
"So, you're just two lads in a never ending honeymoon phase?"
"I don't see why it should ever need end." Niall says, still holding my hand. "If we're happy now, then why should we focus on the future? I know all of Harry's quirks. I knew them before we started dating. I've lived on a tour bus with him. Honestly, if that didn't end it, then nothing will."
"You seem very cynical about my mates' relationship. Do you have a problem with seeing two guys happy together?" Louis asks, faking it well, but to those who truly know him- it's obvious he's getting riled up.
"Don't hate on the interviewer." Zayn flicks Louis' ear, and shakes his head.
"Yes, please. Don't hate on the interviewer." The man sitting in front of us laughs uncomfortably. "Let's leave the topic of relationships and move onto the tour. Shall we?"
"Of course." Liam smiles, leaning back into the sofa.
"Are you guys excited?"
"Yes." We all answer in unison, and the man grins at us.
"What countries will you be in?"
"I think the question is what countries won't we be in." Niall jokes, leaning his head onto my shoulder. It's a small thing, and I know he's just playing it up for the cameras. But I can't help it when my stomach turns into butterflies resembling the one on my abdomen.
"He's not cocky, make no mistakes." Liam teases Niall, who just laughs. Though I can't see him, I can sense that Louis is pouting behind me. There's no way he would let Liam beat him to a snarky remark if he weren't. The interviewer must really be getting under his skin. I'm reminded of his complaining earlier this morning, and I decide then and there that I'm going to ignore all of Louis' shit today.
The interviewer asks us numerous other questions- some random, some expected- all the while, Niall doesn't stop touching me. It's always his hands holding mine, his thigh pressed against mine, his head on my shoulder, his hands on my legs, his arm brushing mine, his laughter shaking me as he sprawls across my chest. After nearly half an hour of all the touching, I'm certain my face is flushed under the pounds of sticky makeup Lou put on me.
It's getting difficult to separate reality from the things Niall does for the cameras. I know that we're friends again. But as to how well of friends we are? I've no bloody clue.
I never know if Niall smiling at me is because we're outside or if it's because he's genuinely happy. It's stressful, to say the very least.
"Good interview, guys." Louis claps Liam and I on our backs as soon as we make it backstage.
"It would have been better if you weren't being a snarky jackass." Liam muses, and Louis mutters profanities at him under his breath.
"Hey," I jump at the voice in my ear. "Want to go get lunch with me?"
Turning to look at Niall, who is awkwardly close, I attempt to breathe evenly. "Sure."
"Can I drive?"
"Sure." I say before I can stop myself. Shit. He isn't even trying to convince me, I just say yes to anything he does anymore. It's getting bad.
"Harry and I are heading out." Niall takes steps back, and he grabs my arm. "It's lunchtime, you c-"
"Family friendly language!" A burly man with a headset yells out before Niall can finish his sentence. I laugh loudly, and follow my bottle blonde crush out of the building. Sure, he's interested in this for the publicity aspect, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy just being with him.
"Where are we going?" I ask once we're in my Range Rover.
Niall takes the keys I'm holding out and starts the car. "How about somewhere we've never been before?"
"Risky." I nod. "I like it."
"I thought you might." Niall grins at me, and I give him a wide smile in return. "It'll be like a new era of Narry. Wild and unexpected."
"I don't think going to a new restaurant for lunch constitutes a new era of our fake relationship." I pull out my phone and unlock it. "But it does constitute an Instagram photo. Smile." I hold up the camera and snap a picture of Niall. Deciding that he's perfect without any filters, I caption the picture and upload it.
Niall coughs loudly. "White girl."
"Labels are for containers, Niall. Not people."
"Cheesy quotes are for fortune cookies, Harry. Not you."
"Sod off." I mutter, putting my phone back into my pocket. "Go right when you pull out of the car park."
"That what I was planning on doing."
"Sure you were."
"Why would I go in the direction of our houses? We obviously eat around there a lot." Niall argues, and I just watch the scenery change from big businesses to small cafés and diners. "What if we don't find a place we've never eaten at?"
"Well, then, to the outskirts of London we go." I rummage around my glovebox for a CD to put in. Finding my old Queen's Greatest Hits album, I slide it into the slot and crack up the music. Out of the corner of my eye I see Niall shaking his head, and I smirk. "What? Have you got a problem with the classics?"
"No. I was just expecting some folk ballad strummed on a banjo and washboard. I wasn't expecting Queen."
"Sorry. My Mumford And Sons CDs are in the mustang."
"You're forgiven, I guess." Niall shrugs, stopping at a red light. "What type of food are you hungry for?"
"Italian."
"Why did I even ask?" He laughs, shaking his head.
"Niceties, I'm assuming."
"You're insufferable."
"You're titillating."
"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that," he tries to look disgusted, but he seems unable to stop smiling, "and I'm going to continue driving until we run out of gas, or until we find a place to eat. Whichever comes first."
Thankfully, we found a small diner to eat, in the next town over, before we ran out of gas. Parking the Range Rover, we both get out and head inside. It seems packed for a hole-in-the-wall diner, but I'm not complaining. Niall and I can easily get lost in the crowd of pretentious thirty year olds who refuse to get coffee at Starbucks, purely on principle.
The sign when we enter says to seat ourselves, so we do just that. Niall pulls me toward a table for two near the entrance. "It's something new," he explains. "We usually hide in the back. The front is new."
I agree, of course. How could I not agree with anything that comes out of his mouth? He could be swearing me to hell, and at this point, I would probably give him a standing ovation. In Louis' words, I do believe that I'm whipped.
The waitress comes over, cocking her hip and popping her bubble gum. She looks bored as she greets us. "Hi, my name is Genevieve. I'll be your server today. Can I get you any drinks to start off with?"
"Water is fine." I say with a smile.
"I'll have the same, thanks."
The dark haired woman nods and leaves us alone again. I look to Niall who raises his eyebrows.
"She's quite the ray of sunshine."
"Quite."
"What are you getting?" He asks me, tapping the menu in front of me. I look down at it and shrug. I don't know.
"Probably an omelet. It says they've got breakfast all day." I point to the section of the menu.
Niall nods. "I'm getting a burger."
"That sounds fun." I say, purely because there's nothing else to say.
"Wait. I've got a better idea." He gives me a mischievous look. "You agreed that we would try some new things today, yeah?"
"Uh. . .yeah."
"Order the most expensive thing on the menu." Niall instructs me, and I give him a sideways glance. "Just do it."
"Okay, Nike."
"Not funny. Look, there's seafood on the back."
"It's probably gross."
"Order it anyway."
"I'm not paying for disgusting food."
"Who said anything about paying?" Niall rests his chin on his hand, and I meet his playful stare. "Now, order the lobster."
"If we get into trouble, I'm blaming you, and then you're paying." I state, just as our contemptuous waitress brings us our waters.
"Are you two ready to order?" She asks after we thank her for the drinks. Niall looks at me and nods.
"We'll both have the lobster, with the lemon stuff you've got optioned." He answers for both of us, and then gives the brunette an expectant look.
Her face shows her incredulity, as if it's hard to believe two idiots would come to a tiny diner in landlocked London and order lobster when it isn't even fishing season. It sounds odd, I'll give her that. "That all?"
"Yeah."
She leaves us alone, her shoulders slumping as she grabs empty plates off of other tables.
"You know, I think this works better if we actually eat the food." I speak up as Niall grabs the crayons set out in case children sit at the table. I lean closer to get a peek at what he's doodling, and I try to control my blush when I realize it's me. "What are you doing?"
"I'm drawing your face when I told you we were gonna dine and ditch. And I'm not hungry anyways. You?"
I'm starving. "No, I guess not."
"Liar." He glances up at me.
"Hey! I didn't look that stupid." I point at his drawing, where I'm featured making a ridiculous face.
"I don't know. You did look pretty stupid."
"I hate you."
"Liar." He says again, and I quickly look away from him. Oh, if only he knew.
We banter back and forth whilst awaiting the food we probably wouldn't even eat. I try my hardest not to blurt out that I'm actually, really, kind of into him- and Niall continues to be himself. This means that it is extremely difficult for me not to say anything. I'm pretty sure I've burnt my daily intake of calories just by my legs bouncing up and down.
The crotchety, bitter waitress returns after almost half an hour, carrying two large plates of lobster. If you hide her smile, it looks as though the woman feels she is in hell. Perhaps she is. With that attitude, I would say that anywhere she goes is hell.
"Here are your lobsters. We don't have a customer satisfaction policy, so if you don't eat it- you're still paying." She takes our cups and leaves to refill them without so much as a second glance.
Niall gives me a look, picking up his fork. "Confession time. I don't know how to eat lobster."
"Like I know how." I snort, poking at the crustacean on my plate.
He stares at his plate, contemplating what to do next. He appears to decide, and then looks back to me. "Once she brings back our drinks, let's take them and leave."
"I'm not stealing cups, Niall. I draw the line there."
"Then, we'll leave after she's gone." He shrugs, not pushing the thieving aspect of his plan.
The brunette returns quickly with two waters in hand. "How is your meal?" she asks, not even looking at us.
"Wonderful." I say with a smile, hoping she'll at least acknowledge my effort. But, no. She just continues to watch out the window before turning and heading back to the kitchen.
"Ready to go?" Niall sets down his silverware, and I nod.
"I'm positive we did this wrong, but all right."
Niall laughs, holding his hand out for me to take as he stands up. I don't miss the opportunity, and lace his fingers in mine. He doesn't comment, just walking casually toward the door. "Don't look suspicious."
"Okay, criminal."
"Don't sass me, accomplice."
I laugh at that, and we're quickly out of the diner. Niall let's go of my hand and runs around the corner, laughing loudly. I follow him, and stop beside the lad leaning against the building, catching his breath.
"We're in so much trouble." He says, still laughing. His pupils are blown with adrenaline, and I can't help but stare.
"You're a bad influence." I tease him, leaving forward slightly to talk.
Niall looks at me with a lazy smile. "Is that a good thing?"
Something, most assuredly the dam holding me back from doing anything crazy, snaps, and I find myself pressing my lips to Niall's for the third time. I freeze, realizing my mistake, but Niall doesn't seem to think its a mistake- he kisses me back, still smiling.
Relief is probably extremely evident on my face, but Niall doesn't say anything (most likely because his eyes are closed). I take the small step closer to him, threading my hands in the hair at the base of his neck. He wraps his arms around my waist, and tilts his head, as if to tell me that I'm going to slow. Either that or because he thinks it's cold, and- focus, Harry!
My legs slot in between his, and if there were a way to properly describe how Niall kisses, I would do it. But there are no possible words I could use that would even hold a candle to his Irish lad's lips against mine. It's heaven. It's better, honestly, if there is such a thing. I have to hold myself still, suddenly realizing that we are in a public car park beside a diner we just dined and ditched at.
This is not a good time for this.
I detach from Niall, who's pupils are now wide for a completely different reason. I send up a thank you to the Big Man for not allowing Niall to freak out on me. Smiling weakly, I take a step back. "We should get home."
Niall nods, his eyes slowly going back to normal. There's a playful smirk threatening it's way onto his lips, and I cock my head expectantly. He wants to say something. "Well, Styles. I'm glad you took my advice and worked on your technique."
And at that moment, I think I fell in love.