MADISON'S POV
The rest of the week flew by. Like actually flew by. I took the time off of work and the 4 of us spent every day together. I enjoyed the family time, but I was dreading the funeral.
I was upset about losing my dad, but I didn't want the attention. I'm glad that Anne agreed to keep the service somewhat small, just family and close friends.
Jackson invited a few of his friends and I invited Kelsey and Shane. I want to say Harry invited his former bandmates, but I wasn't sure.
I did see a magazine article tracking Niall that said he was spotted in New York.
Not that I follow the gossip magazines...
Anyway, Saturday morning rolled around and it was time to get ready for the funeral. I got dressed quickly, making sure I remembered to put on my mom's necklace.
I walked into the kitchen and was greeted by Anne, Jackson, and Harry.
"Are you ready?" Anne asked with a soft smile.
I nodded "Ready as I'll ever be"
***
The service was somewhat short. Anne, Jackson, and I all spoke. Kelsey and Shane sat up just behind the four of us, I was glad to have them there. Everyone else that attended, besides my grandparents, were old friends of my dad's, most of which I hadn't seen in a long time.
The four of us stood just outside the church to shake hands and say hello to people before we headed over to the restaurant for the evening. The hardest part was over and now we could enjoy my dad's memory with friends and family.
Shane gave me a hug and I let out a breath I didn't even realize I was holding.
"We'll see you over there Rose," he said as he and Kelsey both gave me a soft smile. I nodded, "Thank you guys for being here"
After it seemed like everyone had shuffled out, Anne and Jackson went to go gather our things before we walked over to the venue. Harry and I stood outside in silence.
Harry turned to me, "your speech was beautiful Mads, I know your dad would have loved it"
"Thank you, Harry, I appreciate that"
Silence washed over us again.
"You know Madison I-"
"Harry!"
Harry was cut off by a familiar Irish voice. The two of us turned to see non-other than Niall running towards us.
"Harry," he said again, "I'm so sorry I'm late. I got the address mixed up in the cab and then I got really lost and no one wanted to help me you know these New York City people aren't really so friendly and I-"
"Niall, slow down," Harry said.
Niall nodded. "You got it"
I laughed, "It's nice to see you, Niall, thank you for coming"
At least I could see the dynamic between the two of them hadn't changed much. I gave Niall a hug.
"So uh, how are you?" Niall said.
"Niall!" Harry looked at him like he was insane. I mean, it wasn't the best question to ask. He shrugged, still trying to catch his breath from the impromptu jog he took to get here.
"I'm okay," I smiled at him, "Buuuuuuuut I would like to get a move on. Kind of hungry."
At that minute, Anne and Jackson came out and Anne practically squealed with excitement. She gave Niall a big hug before hugging both Harry and me.
This was a lot of hugging.
"We'll let's head over!" she said.
***
Anne had done most of the work in planning the funeral, although dad did leave some pretty specific instructions. We did our rounds saying hello to people before I finally collapsed down at a table. I was exhausted, the last few days had been an absolute whirlwind.
"Tired?" I looked up to see Niall standing next to me. I just nodded.
He sat down and scanned the room. Harry was talking to some of my dad's friends. They were laughing at whatever he had just said, probably some bad joke.
Niall's eyes followed my gaze. "He's missed you, you know."
I turned to face him. "He's been really busy, but he keeps me updated. Updated on things about you. I hear you just got yourself a new job working with Vogue, congratulations." He told me.
"Yeah," I sighed, "It's been amazing, but isolating. I've been so busy myself."
After a few moments, I turned back to look at Niall. "Do you think he'll really stay for a little while? He told me he would, but I don't know. I thought the fame of the 5 of you together was crazy but his fame as a solo artist is insane."
"I do." Niall said, "But hey don't worry about it now. Try to enjoy this time with your friends and family"
"Yeah you're right"
Niall's eyes broke away from mine and looked towards the entrance of the room where two familiar boys stood.
"And honestly, I think we're just getting started here," he said as he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the front of the room. Harry looked at us walking by confused before looking past us.
Honestly, I think he looked more surprised than I did.
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hello friends!! long time no see :)
I want to apologize for being MIA, this semester was absolutely insane. I am graduating early so my coursework has gotten a little crazier than I originally anticipated. I hope you enjoyed these chapters!! please like & comment, I literally read every comment and I love getting feedback from you guys.
see you next time XO
