What I Thought Was Love

Prologue

“Stop Niall, not tonight, I’m too tired,” I yelled as Niall swung me over his shoulder and carried me to the bedroom. “Babe, please. I need it,” he pleaded, making his signature puppy dog eyes. I rolled my eyes, surrendering to him.

 I met Niall at a coffee shop one afternoon and almost didn’t say anything. But the seventeen year old in me told me I had to. Niall was a member of my favorite boy band when I was seventeen, One Direction. But now I am thirty and One Direction hasn’t made new music in about six years. When I was younger I was never able to make it to a One Direction concert, my family never had any extra money, so I never met the boys or saw them live.

I was doing all I could from fan-girling over Niall at the coffee shop. ‘You’re twenty-seven years old Rosemarie, that is not acceptable,’ I thought to myself as I decided how I was going to approach him, Niall Horan. I felt that all-too-familiar feeling, my heart started pounding out of my chest, I was sweating uncontrollably. ‘Not now,’ I thought to myself. I’ve always had terrible anxiety and the idea of meeting my teenage crush was pushing me over the edge. 

 I ran out the doors of the coffee shop and sat on the bench out front, I needed fresh air. I sat there for at least ten minutes with my head in my sweaty palms, thinking only about how I just missed my chance to meet Niall Horan and how I’ll probably never get another chance. ‘You’re an idiot Rosemarie, you just blew your chance to fulfill your childhood dream,’ I thought to myself. I was still sat on the bench with my head held in my hands when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I glanced up but could hardly see because the tall figure standing in front of the sun. “Excuse me miss, but I believe this fell out of your pocket when you left,” the deep voice said to me as he handed me a twenty-dollar bill. “Oh, thank you so much,” I said gratefully. The next thing I knew the figure moved to my side and sat beside me on the bench. My vision faded back after being momentarily blinded by the sun and that’s when I was able to see the figures face. It was him.