Like Old Times [Liam Payne/1D FanFic]

Chapter 4

“Okay, are you ready?”

“No,” I replied immediately on Hannah’s question. Nor did I think I’d ever be. I don’t think anyone would ever be completely ready for something like this. Or was it just me?

“But you look A-MA-ZING,” Hannah exaggerated.

I rolled my eyes and looked in the mirror. Long skinny jeans with sneakers, a t-shirt till my waists and a dark coat. It was nothing special, just regular me. Except that I had a braid instead of a tale or something with my hair. I sighed and rolled my shoulders.

“Stop being nervous! You always do that! You’ll be fine!” Hannah assured me.

“Han…” I saw I only had a few minutes the most. “I need to tell you something before I leave.” She looked at me, eyes filled with disbelieve.

“Seriously, now? Can’t it wait till after?”

“No!” I was startled of my own voice. “I mean… no. Please don’t get mad I didn’t tell you sooner…”

Hannah frowned. “Why would I-”

“The boy I’m meeting up with is Liam Payne.” I basically had just spit it out before I would stop myself. It was now or never, and I rather had it now. She was more important to me than meeting Liam again. I wasn’t sorry I said it, even if the thought had been only in my head. Liam and I hadn’t had contact for years and Hannah became my best friend at a time I didn’t know anyone in the whole city.

“Please say… something,” I begged quietly as Hannah just stared at me as if I was crazy. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you! I didn’t know how to! I never told you about that I had briefly known him before the fame and all! I never expected to see him again, I never thought back about – well, okay, that’s a lie. I sometimes did when you were talking about One Direction, especially their early days.” I bit my lip and decided to shut up.

“You… you’re serious?” Hannah finally said.

I nodded slightly. “Yeah…”

Hannah’s eyes turned wide. “But – HOW!? OMG! ASH!!”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you! It bothered me since I saw him at the mall!”

“And you didn’t yell to me to come over?!”

“Well… you were in the restroom,” I whispered.

“Hmm…” Hannah saw my point. “But that’s – you need to go!”

“Huh?”

“I’ll question you when you get back, you can’t get late now!”

Hannah started pushing me towards the door. I turned around and hugged her. “Thanks for not… yelling or arguing or… whatever. I’m truly sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“It’s fine! Just tell me everything – EVERYTHING – when you get back, both of the date and… how you know each other of course!”

I nodded. “Deal! You better be ready when I get back!”

“Oh, I hope you don’t expect me to leave? I still have my stuff here, the sleepover isn’t over yet! …if you’re okay with it?” Hannah added a bit insecure.

I started to laugh, I couldn’t help it. “As long as you promise me you’re truly not mad at me, so I won’t return to a destroyed apartment.”

“Promised! Now go!” Hannah opened the door and almost literally kicked me out of my own apartment.

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The weather was dry, but lots of clouds gathered in the sky. There were lots of people on the streets, I assumed because they were on their breaks as it were mostly adults in suits. I didn’t care, the only reason I looked around was to distract myself. I had cut off my connection with Hannah when I left the subway, as she kept texting me which made me even more nervous – surprisingly it was all about the ‘date’, not questions about Liam. I could honestly say I was proud to have her as my best friend.