Addicted to You

Part 1

It was there in black and white, his name at the top of your meeting agenda, written amongst yours and a few others.

Your reaction was instant.

Panic.

Excitement.

Curiosity.

Complete bewilderment.

Your heart fluttering, that nervous sick feeling rising up your chest.

Was Niall Horan a popular name?

You were tempted to Google how many people had that name, but that seemed ridiculous and you couldn't quite convince yourself to pick up your phone and open the app.

Was it just a pure coincidence that you'd spent 3 years studying architecture with a Niall Horan at University and there happened to be someone called Niall Horan joining a team meeting at the architecture firm you worked at?

Oh God.

Reaching across and grabbing your water bottle you took a large swig trying not to spill the contents down your cream shirt, but hoping that the cool liquid would relieve you of the sick feeling stuck in your throat.

9 years. Had it really been that long since you'd said goodbye?

Dropping him at London Stansted airport that warm Sunday Summer evening, and then crying so much during the hour journey back to your parents house that you'd had to pull over in case you caused an accident. He had text you when he landed, and you texted back and forth for the rest of the summer, but you both knew deep down that trying a long distance relationship wasn't going to be easy and so that was that.

The boy who captivated your heart that first day in halls, had moved to Dublin and left you with fragments of a broken heart that had never quite healed over the years.

You could feel the beginning of a sweat gathering across your neck, flapping your shirt to relieve the possible sweat marks it would leave. You pulled your hair across your shoulder and pressed the button on the AC to even cooler than it already was and allowed the cool air to breeze across your neck.

The clock on the wall was ticking extremely loudly you thought as you wiped your hands on your black pencil skirt, like some sort of ticking time bomb. 15 minutes and then you'd know if it was him or someone else. Either way it was going to be a long tormenting day. His name being mentioned, even if it was someone different was going to make your head and most likely your heart hurt.

A knock at your office door brought you back to reality. Calvin walked in uninvited, before taking a seat in front of your desk.

"Jessica, looking as beautiful as always." He smirked.

Creep. God he made you feel so uncomfortable.

"Calvin, what can I help you with?" You replied politely, but were secretly wondering how you could get him to fuck off.

"Just wondered if you were free for lunch today?"

"I doubt I'll take a lunch today, sorry." You replied politely, hoping he'd get the message to stop asking you every fucking day if you'd have lunch with him.

"You work too hard Jessica, you should make sure you take a break." The slimy smirk still on his face.

"I have a lot on at the moment. We have the team from Lancaster & Green coming over now and who knows how long that meeting will last. Plus I'm heading the new shopping centre design, it's deadline is two weeks so....."

"Oh yeah, I forgot the new people were arriving this morning." He answered clearly having not prepped at all.

Lancaster & Green were a top design and architecture company and your CEO Michael, who was retiring had sold his company to them. It had been the talk of the office and some of their team were coming to meet with everyone this morning. Niall Horan being one of them. It was a super important meeting, you had no idea of their plans for the company but you couldn't risk losing your job. This shopping centre design contract was a make or break to prove you were more than capable of being an employee who stayed.