The Parallels (Larry Stylinson+Niall Horan)

EPILOGUE

Narrator

Eyrie and Harry had just finished their final exams. It had been a year since Niall went to the London School of Law, luckily according to plan, and Zayn went to the Business School- he always wanted to have a start up of his own. They were both having the time of their lives, partying and finding new opportunities for their future. Liam's uni was in Birmingham, making it only a one and a half hour drive from Zayn's place.

Zayn and Liam managed to spend almost every weekend together, wrapped up in blankets, watching movies or going to clubs and dancing like nobody else mattered. They had their fights and insecurities about other guys at their respective unis, but they always continued overcoming their differences to carry on being the power couple of the twenty-first century.

Niall was currently living in the hostel room, not wanting to get a flat for himself. London and Northallerton was a distance that could not be travelled frequently. It was remarkable how well his and Eyrie's relationship was going. They had remarkable communication and they sorted misunderstandings out before they could even truly begin. Be that as it may, the only times Eyrie and Niall had seen each other were when Niall came home for holidays.

Ah. Weren't those days the best? Almost every time there was a few days break, all the three boys would come home and it would be like old times again. All five of them would hang out at their cafe, Eyrie's house, their front yards or just take walks that lacked any destination. Even though there was a physical distance of considerable length among all of them, they had remained the best of friends even now.

At the present moment, Harry was waiting in his living room for Eyrie to come up with her pile of letters from different schools she had applied to. They had planned to open all of them together and they had been collecting them ever since they started arriving. The day was really important in their lives. They would find out where they were going and even though it wouldn't totally project their path, it still meant a lot. Harry was looking forward to getting into the best Literature school in England and to say that he was nervous, would be an understatement.

There was also something else. Something that no matter who had forgotten, Harry hadn't. No matter how many days he spent where he felt like he didn't care anymore, no matter how many times he told himself he wasn't keeping track, but he was. It was the end of the eighteen months. Even though he told himself that he wasn't waiting for a specific someone to call him, a part of him was dying for his phone to ring up.

He didn't expect anyone to remember and frankly speaking, he wouldn't want to be shown sympathy on one of the most valuable days of his life. He knew damn well that he had gotten the college of his choice because let's face it, he was a good student. Although none out of Harry and Eyrie had topped their class, they had brilliant grades and nothing was stopping them from getting what they wanted. College wise, at least.

"Hazza!!! The queen has arrived. You may bow now," Eyrie shouted as she flung the front door open that was left unlocked for her to let herself in.

"If you're the queen, what am I?" Harry asked instead.

"Me minister, of course," Eyrie answered in a fake posh accent.

"Well, in that case, can I just bow later? I'm sure my legs are wobbly because of all these nerves," Harry said. Eyrie's expression immediately changed.

"You'll be fine, H. You've done wonders this year. Come on, now. Let's not delay any more than we have to," she said, spreading her pile out on the table. "Do we start from the lowest or the top college?" she asked.

"The lowest," Harry responded shakily.

One by one, they started tearing open the white envelopes with logos from different colleges. They had gotten into every single one until now, but the happiness wasn't there, yet. They were now staring at the very last ones of the lot, staring at them intently as if they could read the content without having to actually open them.

"Ready, Haz?" Eyrie asked her curly-haired best friend.

"I don't think I'll ever be," Harry answered.

"In that case, let's get it over with," Eyrie said.

Both of them took deep breaths and tore the envelopes with their nerves taking over them. They silently looked at their respective letters and moved down to where it would tell whether they were in or not. It felt like the time was moving in slow motion and that everything around them had stopped. The room was silent apart from their shallow breathing. Soon enough, Eyrie broke the silence, jumping off the couch and pumping her fist in the air as a sign of victory.

"Niall and I are going to the same college!" she exclaimed happily. "Oh my god. Can you believe it? We'll probably be living together like we planned and we'll spend our uni years together!" she screeched.

Harry looked at his best friend and smiled fondly, really happy for her. He got up and hugged Eyrie without another word. "Congratulations, E. You deserve it. You both do," he said quietly.

It didn't even take a second for Eyrie to catch on to Harry's low spirits. She pulled away from the embrace and looked at him, trying to gauge his emotions. His brows were slightly furrowed and his mouth was etched into a small frown. His eyes didn't hold the same sparkle as Eyrie. He turned his gaze to the floor as soon as he realised what Eyrie was trying to do.

"What's wrong, H?" Eyrie asked, dreading the answer. Harry was a brilliant student. There was no way he would be denied admission, was there?

"I.. I got in," he said, his voice just a notch above a whisper.

"That's brilliant, Harry!" Eyrie exclaimed, resting her hands on the curly lad's shoulders. "I don't understand why you look so beaten down, though. Isn't it good news?" she asked, utterly puzzled.

"It is, yes. But... I didn't get the scholarship, Eyrie," he revealed.

"What? Why?"

"Dunno. Some new college policy. I know that Gemma has a job and that my mum has been earning better for the past year and a quarter, but it seems like a big amount to burden them with, you know? I had thought that I would get the scholarship. The second college, though, I have a hundred percent concession in it," Harry explained.

"No, H! I'm sure your mum will be happy to send you off to the best literature school in the country rather than have you go to any other college no matter its rank!" Eyrie argued.

"I-" Harry tried to counter, but he was cut off.

"Nothing, Harry. Parents are there to help us. You can repay her when you're a successful writer or something. You can sponsor her vacations and tell her to relax while you tend to her needs. You can do whatever you want, but you need a good education for that. Don't be stupid enough to let this wonderful opportunity slip by, Harry. Great men have said that when an opportunity knocks at your door, you grab it. Grab it, H. Shine like a star. Nurture your talents and please don't make a mistake that you will probably regret for the rest of your life."

Eyrie was nearly breathless by the end because of how fast she had spoken, while Harry was looking at her with awe and emotions flooding inside him. He wrapped his arms tightly around the shorter girl and squeezed her softly. Eyrie was quick to respond, slipping her arms around Harry's waist. They pulled back and sat back down, arranging all their letters in a clean stack. Once they were done with everything, they leaned back to loosen their bodies.

"Sometimes I think about how different we are, you know?" Harry spoke up, staring at the ceiling.

"What do you mean?" Eyrie asked, tilting her head to look at him.

"You got into your dream college, with the perfect boyfriend and sorted out funds for your uni years whereas even though I got the college, I was denied the scholarship, my boyfriend, well, I lost him right when I was starting to see a future with him and I have no idea how I am going to pay my way through higher studies."

"Heyyy!" Eyrie said, sitting up straight and gently turning Harry's head towards her. "I know you've gone through a lot, H, but your future is just as bright as the rest of us."

"I know that. It's just that sometimes, I think about how same yet different our lives are. We're like two lines that are together and nearby forever, but never intersect," Harry said.

"Parallels," Eyrie whispered to herself, leaning her head on Harry's shoulder.

"Huh?" Harry asked, wrapping an arm around her.

"We're like the parallels."

THE END