V

Part 6

As I got to Harry's house, I noticed I had a missed call and a voicemail from Niall.
"Hey Y/N, it's Niall. I just wanted to tell you I'm so happy to do this with you. I know we're gonna have so much fun! I always thought you'd pick Harry but I'm glad we're in this together. See ya soon!"
By the time Niall finished talking, Harry was at the door waiting for me. His stance seemed tense and serious. His usually inviting open arms were crossed, so I opted for a kiss on the cheek.
"Hi Haz." I offered him a half-smile, testing the waters.
"Come on in." He replied.
Did he know what I was here for?
I made my way to the living room, looking around nervously. There were candles everywhere, rose petals in the hallway and a bouquet of flowers on the coffee table. I glanced at the kitchen counter where a big pink box and two champagne flutes were delicately placed. I felt uncomfortable, like I had interrupted something.
"Where can I sit?" I asked awkwardly, not wanting to misplace anything.
"Doesn't matter, wherever you want." He replied as if he understood what I was thinking.
I sat down on the sofa waiting for him to join me but he leaned against the wall instead. I looked down, taking a deep breath. I was ready to tell him, but his attitude was off.
"Are you okay? You sounded different on the phone earlier." I started, looking into his eyes.
"Why him?" He replied, his gaze empty.
"Pardon?"
"Niall called me a while ago. Why did you choose him?"
I raised my eyebrows, glaring at him. Was he really going there?
"Is this what this is about?" I responded, gesturing at his coldness.
He shrugged.
"Did I question why you're with Kendall all the time?"
"That's different."
"You know what, I'm leaving. I'm not going to stand this again. I thought you were going to apologize for yesterday, but I guess I was wrong." I stated, standing up and grabbing my purse.
"Yeah, you were wrong. I-"
"Save it. We're done." I interrupted, walking past him.
I walked past the rose petals in the hallway. It pained me to know that Harry wouldn't do something like that for me.
"Is that why you wanted to talk? To end things." Harry called out.
I sighed and turned to face him.
"We've never argued like this before." I pointed out, my eyes watering.
"So that's a yes."
Why did he care so much? While I was concerned about our friendship, he just wanted to know why I was there.
I shook my head. I wasn't in the mood for another argument, so I opened the door to leave.
"Do you like Niall?"
I looked up to see his face. Anger and concern.
"Have fun with Kendall." I uttered before closing the door behind me.

Back at home, I decided to read the contract that was giving me more problems than blessings. My eyes widened as I read. I had to do PR stunts for the next 6 months with Niall. Why did that bother Harry so much?
I shook off my thoughts of him. I needed to forget about him. I continued to read to find out Mikayla's involvement. She was also doing stunts. But with Brad. When did that happen?
"Mikayla?" I called from my bed.
No answer.
I heard the shower faintly running. I would have to wait.
I reached for my phone to scroll through social media until Mikayla was done. I decided to check the trending page on Twitter only to regret it. Kendall was trending, but my curiosity got the best of me so I decided to see what the fuss was about.
Kendall posted a picture of a cake with an emoji of a chocolate bar. Why was this relevant enough to trend on Twitter? Maybe being on my phone wasn't the brightest idea.
I looked up at the ceiling, replaying the past couple days in my head. I reached for the notebook and pen I kept on my bedside table. I needed to write.
"Look at you, ready for our next album." Mikayla interrupted.
I looked up from my scribbles.
"I got carried away. Where are you off to?" I smiled.
"You mean we. Have you checked your messages?"
I searched for my phone in the duvet. 5 messages from Niall.
"Dinner with the guys?" I said after reading them.
"A double date." Mikayla corrected.
"Right. About that, you and Brad?" I asked.
"I thought you were okay with it. It's all fake anyway."
"I kinda zoned out in the meeting." I confessed.
"You should get ready, we don't have much time. I'll fill you in after I scold you in the car." She smiled.
Turns out, our management wanted to take advantage of the buzz around Niall and I to promote our band. Niall was happy to help. With Brad it was more of a way to help each other out, since The Vamps would also be releasing new music in the following months. We would just have to be seen together frequently, no PDA required.
After knowing all the details, Niall's voicemail was in the back of my mind. I would have to ask him about it.
"Alright, we are fashionably late. Let's go love!" Mikayla announced, bringing me back to reality.
Niall and Brad were already seated when we got to our table, but they quickly got up to greet us.
I sat next to Niall, as expected of me. I had a nice view of the whole restaurant, decorated with plants and fairy lights.
"Mikayla, this place is great for a pic!" I giggled, fishing out my phone.
My best friend was photogenic, she looked good in any pose.
"Maybe one with Brad as well?" She suggested, moving closer to him.
"We really gotta sell this." Brad laughed.
Niall peered over my shoulder to see how the pictures came out.
"Ever think of taking up photography?" He joked.
I turned my head to look him in the eye.
"I'm serious." Niall protested.
We all burst out laughing.

While we waited for our dessert, I spoke up.
"Honestly, I thought this would be super awkward. But I'm so glad I was wrong." I laughed.
"I'll drink to that." Niall smiled, raising his glass.
"Here's to the next six months not being awkward." Brad toasted as we clinked our glasses. We exchanged glances before taking a sip. A small smile formed on my lips, thinking maybe he was still interested in me.
The waitress brought our dessert, but as she walked away and I looked over the other diners enjoying their food, our eyes met.