One Direction Preferences✔️

Soundtrack Series • FOUR • Ready To Run

Harry: Your heart sank once again as yet another headline reads his name with the words 'STILL TOGETHER' big and bold. She was playing the games again and he was allowing her. You had no idea what was running through Harry's mind every time he decided to go back to her. You thought he was stronger than this. You knew how badly he wanted this relationship to work though. But how was it ever supposed to if the one he said he loved was sleeping around with other guys? She had tested her limits last week. She knew she could get away with cheating on him; she had discovered that fairly easily. She had been photographed bringing another guy into the house she and Harry shared in London. However, here on the front cover they were, back together, smiles on their faces, hands holding onto one another tightly. Although, your feelings towards her were strongly negative, and had been for a very long time now, what you felt towards Harry, your closest friend, was stronger. Every time another cheating story broke you knew how it was going to end and you wanted to shake him for it. He was not going to respond to this, he never did. In addition to not saying a word, he would take her out to buy her something really nice, which is what he was doing in these front cover pictures. You were sure this is what kept her around. You stand in front of the magazine rack at the book store, continuing to scan and count the covers with his face on them. It truly broke your heart. You couldn't do anything. He wouldn't listen to you. You had tried over and over with absolutely no success. Harry was the stone wall you were desperately trying to break. You just needed him to see that he could live better than this. He was doing this to himself. You knew this was hurting him, no matter what sort of façade he decided to put on. You have yet to pick a magazine up, not wanting to see the details. What you wanted to do was call him. To beg him to give it up. To tell him that no matter how much he thinks he will be able to change this situation, it isn't going to happen. He's given her too much. Too much room to work with; room that she has learned to manipulate and control. She was running this show and Harry was just a figment in the background to keep the attention on her. You had to commend her on that. Whatever it was that she was doing to him, she was doing it well. You had never seen anyone have this sort of effect on him before. You just wish she was doing it for the good. But again, this was happening. It was turning into a routine now. Everything in you told you to call him. To just talk to him. He would tell you he's happy though, that they have been working on things throughout the week and that there is an understanding. There never was one though, you weren't even sure they had even talked about what she was doing or if Harry just went along with it as if it were a part of their relationship now. Either way it broke you. He was so far away and hurting himself. The emotional damage he was doing to himself was relentless. When was he ever going to understand?
Liam: You smile yet again at your phone screen, not noticing the annoyance on Liam's face as he lies across from you on the couch. He wasn't going to say anything though, he knew who you were talking to. Mark. It was always Mark. Well for at least the last week it had been. He was all you had really been talking about. It was safe to say Liam was fed up. He didn't want to hear about how wonderful Mark was. Or about how he had surprised you two days ago with a dozen yellow roses on your doorstep with tickets to a show in Lieicester Square this weekend. He didn't want to hear about any of that. None of it impressed him. To Liam you could do better. To him you needed someone to surprise you with ten thousand yellow roses and a trip to Australia. That is how you impress. "You want to go to Australia?" Liam blurts out in the middle of the movie you hadn't actually been paying attention to. "What?" You question, pulling your phone away from your face. "I'm leaving for Australia in a couple of weeks, do you want to go?" He explains further. Australia? Where was this coming from? Yes, you knew he was starting his tour up soon but you weren't expecting an invitation. You had been to shows with him before, but he had never invited you off to somewhere so far away. "Can you do that?" He laughs at your simple question. He was reeling you in. "Of course I can. Do you want to go or not?" The truth is he was asking to get you away; away from Wolverhampton and away from Mark. If Mark could surprise you with theatre tickets, Liam could certainly one up that easily. You had always wanted to go to Oz, and Liam had always been your primary option for making that happen. However, up until this point, you had only been able to travel to the rest of Europe with him. "Australia?" You repeat in almost disbelief. "Yeah, we will be there for a couple of weeks, what do you say?" He watches you intently. Your mind is racing. This was without a doubt the grandest of gestures. Yes, Liam had always treated you well in every aspect of the word, but this was big. Bigger than big to be exact. This was a private, all-expense paid, multiple week trip to the place you had only been to in your dreams. Why was he doing this? He had only been back in town for a week or so and he was already outdoing himself. Maybe he knew everything would work out this time and it would be no problem for you to travel with him. Had he been arranging this long? Was this how he was planning on asking you? Obviously, because that's how he did. This surely wasn't a spare of the moment idea. Why are you putting so much thought into this? Liam needs an answer. "Uh yes! Yes, you know I would absolutely love to go! Thank you!" Your phone drops onto the floor as you move across the couch, laying your entire body on top of him, hugging him tightly. "You're welcome," he says into your hair. Your reaction brings a smile to his face, he knows in this moment you have forgotten about Mark.
Niall: It's the opportunity of a lifetime. But you'll be so far away from your friends and family. It's your dream job with your dream company. But what about Niall? He's gone most of the time though, and he can stay in New York with you on his time off. He has already said that won't be a big deal. You had been going back and forth like this for a week now. The pros and cons of packing up and leaving the UK, the place you had called home for so long. He hadn't been around much this week, meetings keeping him away from consulting you about your decision. He was all for you going, though. He had told you this plenty of times throughout these last seven days. But, you couldn't help question it. The two of you had been in this relationship for a long time now, so the last thing you should be doing is questioning someone who is only wanting what is best. Was it the best though? Of course it was. Dream job, dream firm, dream city. It was everything you had ever wanted and even more. Everyone at work was on his side as well. They were ecstatic when you broke the news, asking why in the world you were still in the UK. There was a good possibility you were the only one trying to find negatives in this situation. You sit in front of the laptop, just as you had a week ago when you had first read the email in front of you. You had read it several hundred times now; focusing on every word, taking it all in. This was all real. This was an actual situation you had been put in. This dilemma was something you never thought you would ever be faced with. You continue to stare at the screen. You should reply soon. Your deadline to accept or decline Kati's offer is today. She needs an answer. "Why are you still sitting there?" Niall questions from the doorway. You had been sitting right here when he had left this morning for rehearsal, and here you were having not moved an inch. You sigh as he walks into the room and over to you. "Why are you doing this? You know this is all you've ever wanted. You know this is the biggest opportunity you have ever had. It's time to take it." He had apparently been listening to some motivational speaking discs during the car ride home. Why was this so difficult? Why were you making this so difficult? "At least type up the email," he suggests, hoping to get you one step closer to accepting your dream. He knows the only reason you haven't accepted it yet is because you are too worried about everyone else. He knows he's going to be fine without you here. He also knows that your family has been doing just fine over in Ireland without you, so what's a couple more thousand miles? You begin to type up your response in a blank email to Kati. He's smiling over your shoulder as you write out how gracious you are for even being considered to work at her firm. You hesitate though once the part where you would accept the job approaches. You look up at Niall over your shoulder; he only smiles. You face the screen again, sighing once more, as your fingers begin to type. Niall was right, this is everything you have ever wanted and much more. Turning it down would be ridiculous. The pros outweighed the cons significantly. You take your hands off of the keys to read over what you had written. Niall's arm quickly moves past you, grabbing the mouse and clicking send before you had read it all the way. "Niall!" You shout. "What? You were going way too slow."
Louis: Staying quiet didn't work, and now you were by yourself. Louis had flown back to London, leaving you alone in Cannes to deal with the outpouring of hate that was still continuing after a week. This was what you were supposed to get used to, though. This was your life now. Before he had left Louis had done his best ease you, recognizing soon after that his 'just ignore it' advice was not the best for someone just entering into this lifestyle. He was used to having someone with tougher skin. That wasn't you. You never had to ignore hate before; you were always ready to confront it. But you couldn't do that anymore. You weren't entirely sure why. Regardless, you had to find a different way to handle it. Louis had suggested staying off of social media completely. Your argument though was how were you supposed to keep up with him when he was away if you didn't have his fans post's to read? He had laughed at you, knowing that was how you had previously kept up with him before the two of you had decided to make things official. "You obviously don't need them; you have me now. I can tell you what I am up to. I can send you pictures." Not always though. Yes, he had phones that worked for most places in the world, and Skype was always an option. So maybe it was just you not wanting to give up social media. How very selfish, you know. It was how you kept up with a lot of your friends from back home in the UK and also how you networked with the people at and around your university. Why should you have to make the sacrifice? Giving up social media was hardly a sacrifice, really. You were just being stubborn. You kept telling yourself you were the right one in this situation, but it began to get more and more difficult as the week progressed to back that up. He wasn't asking you to give up your family, friends, or education. In fact, the only reason he was asking you to give up anything was because it was for your own good. He was trying to keep you positive. Trying to make you understand that yes, there was going to be hate, and yes, this wasn't going to be easy. However, it was going to be worth it. He was going to make being in a relationship with him worth it. You stare at the shaking icons on your phone screen, options to delete all around. He was going to make it worth your while, but you had to be willing to bend somewhere. You press the small 'x' beside the Twitter icon and agree to erase everything all while remembering his words, "You can't change the situation but everything will work out, I promise." Him and his promises.
Zayn: He was fed up with your attitude, at least to him that's what it was. You had been acting like this all week. Ever since his drunken outbursts in the kitchen, you weren't you. You were quiet, constantly thinking. Thinking about everything that you had gotten yourself into with him. You love him, yes. No question about that. But this shift in personality had caught you off guard, and you had no idea on how to handle it. Was it something to handle? Don't people usually advise you to leave situations like this? You couldn't leave him, though. It wasn't like that. This wasn't that bad. Your relationship was not like those others, was it? You didn't have the answer to that question. You get up from the armchair you had been sitting in, across from him and silent. You hadn't had a significant conversation with him in seven days. Seven days of inner thoughts. Seven days of listening to him scoff at you. Seven days of watching him roll his eyes every time you walked past him anywhere in the house. It was like you were alone. If only you knew what he was thinking. Was he thinking about how to apologize? Because he still had not done that. Was he thinking about how he needed to change his demeanor towards you? "Why don't you want to be with me?" He questions as you walk in front of him. That was the most you had head out of him since the fight. His voice was almost foreign. "What are you talking about?" You question, still continuing to walk. "Don't...walk away from me. Answer the question." You stop where you are, not wanting an even bigger fight than what this was about to turn into. "I don't know why you're asking me that Zayn," you tell him honestly. "I want to be with you, why don't you want to be with me?" He repeats and you're still just as taken back. What was he even on about? Where was he getting that you didn't want to be with him? You stayed didn't you? When he took your keys a week ago, telling you that you weren't leaving, you stayed with him. How could you show him any more clearly that you want to be with him? "I do want to be with you. I'm here aren't I?" He stares at you, taking in your answer. "Come here." His tone wasn't threatening or dominant, but calm and in need. You walk back around the couch, and sit in the crook of his arm that he had opened for you. He kisses the top of your head as he brings his arm around you tightly.