You had originally entered the circle as a friend of Harry’s, so even though you had hit it off with Niall from the start, he had kept his distance and remained casual with you for quite a while. Eventually, having you around was so normal that it wasn’t weird for you to hang out with the other boys when Harry wasn’t around, and you became much closer to all of them. Tagging along on UK tours and meeting up with them after awards shows was fun and exciting, and you enjoyed being part of their lives. Niall quickly became one of your best friends, and even when he was away on tour you kept in touch and carried on your usual silly banter by sending each other funny youtube videos, snapchats, and play fighting on twitter. Every now and then he’d call and you’d laugh until your sides hurt, everything seeming exactly the same as when he’d left, and you loved it. The fans loved watching your playful friendship, but always made comments about how they wished you were together, and how perfect you were for each other, and complained about why you weren’t in a relationship already. At first, you had just found it funny, even joking with Niall about it and pulling silly pranks on the fans with pictures and videos and elusive comments. But, slowly it began to feel too real and you realized that you were falling for him. Fearing rejection, response from the fans, and, worstly, jeapordization of your friendship with Niall, it scared you to death. And despite how close you were with Niall, you were never able to read his feelings on relationships, so you had no idea how he felt. Usually it wasn’t a problem because you’d have it right out and ask him. But this was a different scenario than anything you’d faced before and you knew it’d have to wait until you were face to face. Which happened not too long after as the boys had invited you to come visit while they were in Europe. You were excited to see your friends, but quite nervous since you knew you needed to talk with Niall. The night before your flight, Niall had called to make sure everything was in order and to tell you how excited he was that you were coming. You pretended that everything was normal and tried to sound as innocently excited as he was. But, it was almost too much, and you began to question whether or not you should even go. “Maybe with time these feelings will go away. Maybe I just shouldn’t see him until then,” you had reasoned, trying to wish your feelings away so everything could go back to normal. But nothing worked, and in your desperation you had decided to call Harry. The dial of the phone seemed to take forever as your own heart beat drummed in your ears.
“Hello?” Harry had answered.
“Harry..” you called.
“Oooh. Elena! You alright, love?” he had asked, upbeat and curious.
“Um.. kind of.” You had answered, unsure how to start the conversation.
“Is something wrong with your flight?” he questioned.
“No no.. no.. it’s, uh.. it’s about Niall.” You answered quickly, hoping he would have some good insight.
“Oh. Do you want to speak with him? He’s standing right here.” He offered.
“No! No, Harry, it’s like.. it’s about Niall.” You corrected putting your hand to your forehead.
“Ooooh. Right. Never mind, she doesn’t want to talk to you.” Harry said, speaking the last part away from the phone.
“Harry! Stop, you’re making it worse!” You cried, trying to be mad at him, but really amused at his usual Harry-esque blunders.
“Sorry, love.. I’ve walked away now, what is it?” he asked, obviously amused at himself.
“Ugh, Harry, I don’t know, I’m so confused. I don’t know if I can come out.” You had replied, beginning to pace up and down your hallway.
“Wait, what? Why not? We’re all so excited to see you. Especially Niall, he’s been bouncing off the walls. Although that may have something to do with the Red Bull he downed half an hour ago.” Harry commented, considering his buddy’s drink choices. You laughed, knowing your amusement at Niall’s silly behavior was coming too easily.
