Tomlinson was the best thing to happen to me (Watty's '13)

Living the life: Business in the front, party in the back

Life gets people to do funny things: have different personas for different times; act like things which happened at night didn't happen. We did exactly the latter, Niall and I. "Gotta run."

"Wait a sec there. We've got something for you to hand to the café guy." He handed me a piece of paper.

"Oh, right." I took it in my hands and stuffed it in the pouch of my hoodie. "Thanks."

"No worries. I'm getting dinner? Liam's out with Dani, Lou's got El, and Zayn and Harry are putting in extra time in vocal training," he mentioned.

"Yeah, alright then. Just whatever you want."

"Can I cook?"

"Yeah, as long as you're better than Lou."

"Oh that's a guarantee."

"Who knows? Really gotta go now, or I'll be late and Maddy's gonna complain."

I narrowly make my usual bus and get to work just as Maddy's setting up for the day. "I saw Louis the other day, got all their autographs. Didn't think I'd bump into them this soon."

"Yeah, they're a nice bunch, aren't they?"

"Certainly Louis, he's never been up himself and hasn't changed. Yet. Curly's not too bad, I would have thought he'd be really annoying. Stereotypes," I conclude, shaking my head.

"Hello!"

"The usual?"

"Yes."

"I bumped into the boys and got their autographs. Even Curly's."

"Fantastic, she'll be really happy."

"I don't know much, but when you're in a band like them, there's always a favourite. You said 'not Curly', so who is it? Has to be one. There's always one."

"I have no idea. Probably one of the silly ones."

"Well I know for certain Louis is silly. Absolutely crazy, he is. They're all kind of crazy. Except for the guy called Liam. Light coloured curly one. Different sort of curly to Curly with the dark hair."

"Might have been a Neill… or… something…"

"Neill?" I ask incredulously. "There's certainly a Niall?" I say as I fix up the coffee machine.

"I don't know. She's always yapping away about Neill."

"Maybe that's a different person? Even I know he's Niall…"

"So… if that's a different guy… what's that supposed to say?"

"A guy she knows? Something going on?"

"I dunno." He glanced a his watch. "Better go."

I get off two stops before I'm supposed to alight, I'm feeling energetic for no reason this afternoon. Maybe I spent less time standing up than usual. Hardly anyone came in today, and half the usual number arrived for lunch.

"What have you got us for dinner?"

"For dinner?" Niall repeated from the kitchen. "We've got Coddle, that's quick stuff; and Colcannon, not to be confused with Cawl something-or-other the Scots make. Or the Welsh. Welsh."

"What's Louis doing at El's? Got any idea?"

"Attempting to cook something or other for her. I hope he doesn't burn the place down. He even relies on Harry to make him Mac 'n' Cheese for him."

"Harry's probably less fiddly with the stuff. You let Louis in there, he'll mess around, tip flour over, end up with a mess."

"Harry can knit, as well."