Niall's POV
How can I know if I'm making the wrong choices? I was going to stick to being professional with her, forget about being friends with her, push her away. But the second I looked at her earlier today, the moment I saw how tired and unhealthy she looked, something in me broke. That was me. She's hurt, she's not sleeping well because of me. Of course, there's absolutely no proof of that. But I couldn't help it. I felt guilty.
The reason I wanted to push her away is that so I wouldn't hurt her. But seeing her like that, it felt like it's too late. And I couldn't handle it. I couldn't face her. So I left. But she came here, and she tried her best to make me feel better even though she had no idea what's wrong, and she didn't even ask. That wave of support and positivity, it made me feel like okay, maybe it's not too late. Maybe I didn't break her. It doesn't mean that it's not gonna happen. And I still kinda don't want her to get too close. But at the same time, I feel like I can't let her out of my life. What if Conor is right? What if she can help me be better? I'm so confused. I don't know what's the right choice. Push her out, or let her in?
I brush the hair out of her face, slowly caressing her cheek. I don't want to wake her up but I kinda have to. She obviously needed to sleep. God knows when was the last time she had a decent night of sleep. She starts shifting in my arms, slowly waking up. She looks around the room confused, then turns to me, eyes wide open in shock. Quickly she sits up straight and grabs her phone.
'1 AM! Oh my god! I'm so sorry! Why didn't you wake me up earlier?' She asks a bit loudly.
'Why aren't you sleeping at night?'
'You noticed?'
'Yeah, I noticed this morning but then I got caught up in my own stuff so didn't ask till now. What's going on Clo?'
'Nothing don't worry about it. I'm gonna go home now. Sorry if I overstayed.'
'It's late, you're not taking the tube.'
'Then I'll call a taxi or something.'
'Can't you stay?'
'Ni...'
'Please. I don't want to be alone.'
'Call your friends.'
'It's 1 AM!'
She looks at me raising an eyebrow then she chuckles shaking her head.
She stands up and asks, 'Coffee or tea?'
'Aren't you tired?'
'I slept for 3 hours straight! I'm actually wide awake now. You're very comfortable.'
'Yeah I know I'm very cuddly!'
I make her smile. I really hope she never loses that smile.
'Well if we're staying up, I'm gonna need coffee.'
'Alright. I'll get started on that while you... I don't know. You've been stuck on this sofa for 3 hours because of me. I'm sure you have stuff to do.'
'Well, turns out you're a very light sleeper. And I didn't want you to wake up when you obviously needed the nap.'
Chloe's POV
I hand him his coffee, take a seat next to him, turning to face him while crossing my legs.
'So how about we actually get some work done? We're up anyway? I wasted the day sulking.' He suggested.
'Are you sure?' I ask him then take a sip of my hot drink.
'Yeah. What did you want to talk about? The release of This Town and Slow Hands?'
I nod, open my notebook and get ready to write my note.
'So, releasing This Town was probably one of the most nerve-wracking experiences I've ever gone through. It was my first solo song. It was just me and my guitar. And that had to be enough to captivate everyone. And when it actually did, and seeing how much positive feedback and support it was getting, it was surreal. I honestly didn't expect it to be like that. And it really encouraged me to write more and actually finish the album. I owe it all to that first moment, the first release.'
'How did you choose This Town as your debut single? At the time you've written other songs as well. Why did you choose to open your solo career with this song?'
'You're saying that as if it was a bad thing!' He chuckles.
'No! Not at all! I love this song! But I'm just curious about the thought process.'
'Well, the song is obviously very emotional and it means a lot to me. It reminds me of home. But at the same time, it's also very relatable? Any person coming from a small town would relate to it. Going back home, seeing the people you haven't seen in a decade, reverting back to that person you were at that time. It just felt like a good song to start with.
'Yeah, true. What about Slow Hands? I'd say that was another milestone in your solo career. It gained a lot of attention! Probably more than This Town?'
'Yeah definitely. After I released This Town, I got back to the studio and started writing more. The sound shifted a bit, I added songs like Seeing Blind and Slow hands, you know a little happier. After all the emotions that went into This Town, I thought the next single should be more fun. And the way the song came up to be, the writing and recording process was so much fun. So it was nice to see that the listeners and the fans enjoy it that much. It's always mind-blowing, the reaction of the fans to anything I do is something that always manages to surprise me. I can never be thankful enough. What makes me even happier than that is the new fans that I gained during my career. It makes me feel like I'm evolving.'
'And then you finished the album and released it. How did that feel?'
'It was a relief honestly. I'd been holding onto that for the longest time. And then it was out there. It was for the people to enjoy. It's not just mine anymore. I've given it all I could at the time. And yeah there wasn't much else to do. It was interesting to see the tracks that kinda stood out? You know, the non-single tracks people kept going back to. What they like what they didn't. It kind of gave me an idea for what to do what not to do for the next album.'
'So you started thinking about the second album since then? Since the release of Flicker?'
'Concept-wise, yeah! The do's and don'ts. The themes and subjects I might want to open up about. But I didn't enter full-on writing-mode until the tour was done.'
'Oh alright.'
I look at the time on my phone, 'Wow, we've been talking for an hour straight!'
'Yeah, let's stop here for the day.'
'Yeah. So what do you want to do now?' I ask him.
'I still want to know why you didn't sleep last night.'
I sigh and shake my head.
'Please.'
'It's not fair you know. One look and one word, and you can, that easily, make me tell you anything you want.'
He chuckles and then adds, 'So?'
'Look it's not your fault, I just get paranoid over things and stress myself over nothing.'
'What do you mean?'
'I noticed the change in your texts, and the distance and everything. And some part of me kept thinking that it's my fault, that I did something wrong. So I just obsessed about trying to figure out what I did wrong.'
'I am soo so sorry! You didn't do anything wrong! Of course not! It's me. I'm just... I'm sorry about that.'
'Does it have anything to do with why you haven't been okay lately?'
'Kind of? I'm sorry, I'm just not ready to talk about it yet. But be sure that you haven't done anything wrong. If anything everything you've done so far is right. I don't know if that makes any sense. Point is, please never blame yourself for anything. And please never let it or me come in the way of your health. And never lose sleep over me please.'
'Alright. I'm sorry.'
'What for?'
'Letting it get to my head.'
'It's okay. It happens to the best of us. Anyway, we should probably get to sleep.'
'Oh, I'm sleeping here?'
'In the guest room, yeah. You don't mind, do you? It's clean with fresh sheets and everything. And if you need a change of clothes I can probably find you something in my closet.'
'I just don't want to bother.'
'You're definitely not. I wouldn't offer if you are.'
'Alright, if you're sure.'
'I'm sure.'