don't call me that

5: Listening

Our midnight escapade really brought the group together. After that, we spent many Friday nights lounging around me and Jade's apartment, or the spacious flat where Niall and Harry lived.

One night, Harry invited everyone over to order pizza and play FIFA. He also told Jade and I that the boys had news.

"Hello?" I called, opening the door and closing it behind Jade.

"The girls are here!" Zayn announced, nodding to us. We came in and made ourselves at home.

"Hi," I said to Harry, sitting beside him on the rug. Absorbed in his video game, he didn't answer.

"Hey!!" Louis called, knocking the back of Harry's curly head with the bottom of his beer bottle. "Your girlfriend's calling."

I glared at Louis. "Don't call me his-"

But at his words, Harry dropped his controller mid-game and turned to me with a shining grin.

"Hi!"

I rolled my eyes and gestured towards the television. "You're losing!"

Harry shook his head, bright green eyes still locked on mine, full of laughter. "I don't care, love," he told me, pulling his long legs to his chest and watching me bite my lip.

"Why do you call me that?" I asked him, looking at Harry out of the corner of my eye. Harry shrugged easily.

"Because you won't let me call you Blue, and you need a nickname, don't you?"

'You can call me Blue' was on the tip of my tongue when I stopped myself.

"Okay," is what I let slip out. Then I gave Jade a look over my shoulder that let her know I needed a quick out. Nodding discreetly, she spoke loudly.

"Hey, so you said you had news, guys?"

Liam turned to her, excitedly. "Yes! So, first of all, we realized you've never seen us play."

"You're right!" I exclaimed, turning around and resting my elbows on Louis' knees to face the group. "Why is that?"

"Ah, the band hasn't been a huge part of our lives until now, since we haven't had many opportunities. But we're up and coming, right lads?"

"You haven't seen what One Direction can do!" Zayn cheered spiritedly.

"One Direction is the name of your band?" Jade asked with a grin. "Like, which direction?"

Niall rolled his eyes. "None of them. It's just a name."

"No no no," I joined in gleefully. "Which one? North? South?"

Louis threw his head back in laughter. "Talk to H. He came up with the brilliant title."

"Ah," I said, punching him lightly. "Makes sense now."

"Hey!" Harry whined, giving me a pathetic face. "I like it."

"Me too," Jade said, still grinning.

"Anyway," Liam sighed, reinserting himself into the conversation, "this weekend is our first big show. Like more than twenty people."

"And we'd love you to come," Niall finished with a wide grin. "Will you?"

I glanced at Harry, who was watching me with his thumbnail between his teeth.

I imagined him singing. Closing his eyes, concentrating deeply on the words of a love song. Looking up quickly, distracting myself, I spoke. "Yes!"

Jade nodded. "We'd absolutely love to."

Harry's stare turned into a dimpled grin. "'Kay," he said happily.