Perfect to Me (Niam Horayne)

Perfect to Me (Niam Horayne) PART 2

Four years later, everything had changed.

After the Halloween on which Liam called to inform me he had a girlfriend, I had met up with him twice. Once to meet the girl, and once for him to confirm that they were no longer together, only to crush my hopes the next second by telling me it didn’t change the way he felt for me. I had turned and fled, and Liam hadn’t bothered calling, texting, or even tweeting me since.

Six months after the incident, One Direction was over. I couldn’t handle being around him anymore without breaking, so I told Simon that I had to leave and explained what had gone wrong. Neither of us anticipated the other boys saying they wouldn’t continue without me, or the uproar from our fans, but it was fine by me. Anything was fine if it meant I could get away from Liam.

I hadn’t been able to move back to Mullingar, but decided to stay in London. My mum already had a house there, which I’d bought, and I had my own flat. Once the crazy rush of fans that followed us everywhere died down, I was able to get a job and live like any other boy my age, except the odd strange reaction from a girl every now and then. My boss didn’t know who I used to be, and I didn’t plan on that changing.

Harry and Louis had moved back in together when the band ended. They had a special relationship that couldn’t be broken, and after about a year and a half of failed relationships, they finally got together. It was a night of celebration for us all, but guess who refused to come if I was attending?

It had been five years since I had first confessed my love for Liam, and I still wasn’t over him. I doubted I would ever fully get over him, because a love as strong as mine doesn’t fade. It’s why I’ve always been so vulnerable to the media attention and how I’m portrayed to the fans.

About a year ago a cute boy I met at a pub, who I later realized was a look-alike to Liam, asked me out. I had agreed and we’d had a short relationship. He dumped me two weeks ago when he found a picture of Liam on my bedside table instead of him.

I sighed. It wasn’t going to do me any good to wallow in misery. Throwing on my work shirt with Nandos embroidered on the pocket, I shoved my feet into an old pair of high-tops and drove to the restaurant.

“Hey there, Niall! How are you? Are you feeling okay today? How’s the head? You said I gave you a headache last night; I’m so sorry! I don’t even know how that happened, I was just trying to make conversation, and you do know I meant no harm by it, right? Good. Anyway, we haven’t opened yet, as you can see. Would you like to come, erm, sort the new shipment of ingredients with me? It’s quite hard to do alone, you know…” She continued to trail on, heedless of my attempts to quiet her.

“I’ve got an idea, Selena. Why don’t you go talk to Justin? He likes you, you know,” I suggested, rubbing the side of my head with a grimace.

“He does? Are you sure? Every time I ask him he denies it and glares at me. You never glare at me. Why can’t I stay here with you? You’re so nice, Niall. I just love working here at the same time as you. Wait, you never answered my question! Well, questions.”

Groaning, I grabbed her arm and not so gently shoved her down the counter to our other co-worker. He shot me an ungrateful glare; looking around for something he could tell her she needed to do. That girl never shut up around either of us, though she had no problems with anyone else. We figured she liked us, and if I told her I was gay, it made no difference. She chased me all the same.

The door to the front of the restaurant opened with a light dinging sound and I scrambled back to my register, punching my information into it so I’d be ready for orders.

“Hello, welcome to Nandos, are you ready to-“ I glanced up and froze, startled. “Zayn?”

He chuckled. “Why so surprised, leprechaun?”