One Direction Preferences✔️

Soundtrack Series • FOUR • Fireproof

Harry: The bed is empty again. Nothing unusual about that. You weren't even used to sleeping in the bed with someone else, so why does it suck so bad to wake up alone? What a day this was going to be if you are already waking up with nagging thoughts in your mind. You sit up against the headboard, running your hands over your face to wake up. You had been in London for a few weeks now, trying your best to keep Harry sane and single. Both were key. You get out of bed and head straight for the bathroom, you needed to soak. You turn the water on, feeling the temperature before plugging the tub. You walk over to the closet to choose your poison. You had a rather large collection of bath salts, bombs, and bubbles stashed and you wondered how many had been used by the girls he had been bringing home. Actually, you'd rather know nothing about that. You pick the bright yellow ball in front of you, it clearly wanted to help you out. You drop it in the water and watch it fizz as you strip down and step into the steaming water. You grab your phone and sit it on the edge of the tub, just in case. You needed this time to yourself though. You sink down into the water, only keeping your head and neck above the waterline. You close your eyes and escape. A few deep breaths later you open your eyes and dry your hands off to grab your phone, knowing you wouldn't be able to keep away from it for long. The moment you open Twitter you notice the exceedingly high number of notifications you have. You were skeptical about clicking on them. You knew this sort of amount only met drama. You go ahead though, and are given the outcome you expected: drama. "You've got to be shitting me," you say to yourself as you scroll through your mentions. Nearly every single tweet to you had been sent with a picture attached. Each one different from the last, but the scenario the same nonetheless. She was back. He had let her come back. They had gone out last night, and he hadn't come home, obviously. They had gone back to her place because he surely wasn't going to bring her back here, not with you sleeping in the bed. You didn't get it. After everything he had said, this is the result. "Fuck!" You shout in frustration into the otherwise empty bathroom, slamming your phone on the floor before completely submerging yourself in the water. You had the mind to stay here. This was better than coming up. You wipe your face once you reach the surface again, you were right this was definitely going to be a day. He hadn't even hinted that he had any intentions of going back to her. You had told him you understood why he had stayed with her so long; it was just in his personality to not give up on someone. However, you couldn't find the reasoning or understanding for going back. He was well aware of what she was capable of. Surely in the short amount of time they had been apart he didn't think she had changed in any sort of way. Maybe he was still in rebound mode. But going back to your ex-girlfriend kind of defeats the purpose of a rebound. You prayed this was only going to turn out to be a one night thing. You hadn't gotten pictures after the breakup of them before now, so hopefully that meant this was the first and only instance. You could only send those thoughts up as you once again sank below the water line.
Liam: "Where are you today?" You ask, having finally gotten him on the phone. "Singapore." He hadn't been much for talking lately, and this phone call was clearly not going to be an exception. "Liam you have to talk to me, what is going on?" You were well aware of the fact that you had upset him a few days ago. So much so that he hadn't returned any of your calls or texts up until this point. You knew you shouldn't have been talking to him with Mark in the room, but he was asleep. You put no more thought into it than that. Of course that had backfired on you incredibly, so here you were at his mercy, wanting answers. "Nothing, I'm just tired." "Don't bullshit me." You were tired of his excuses. You knew what was going on, or at least you thought you did and you wanted him to admit to it. "I'm not. I am tired." "Okay, so you're tired. But that doesn't explain why you hung up on me the other day, and why you've been ignoring me these last few days. Liam, we don't ignore each other." "Oh we don't?" He counters quickly. You had walked straight into that one. "How about not three weeks ago when I brought you with ME halfway across the world and all you did was ignore me." "Why are you so against him?" Neither one of you were addressing each other's comments. "Look what he's done to you!" "What has he done?" "We have always been so close and now look at what has happened." "Liam that isn't because of him-" "It's exactly because of him!" "No it isn't! You haven't even given him a chance. You wrote him off the day I told you about him, and you've wanted nothing to do with him ever since." "Why would I?" "Because I'm your friend, and friends support each other." "I can't support you in this." "Why not?" This was not the conversation you wanted to be having with him. "Because everything is going to change between us if he comes around. He lives up there, I don't. He's going to be around all of the time, and I won't." "Liam it isn't your job to take care of me, you know," you respond, your tone much lower now. "I never said it was." "You sure are acting like it. Liam, nothing is going to change between us. We are going to stay exactly the way we are as long as you allow it. If you don't change, then I won't change. Just because Mark is around doesn't mean our friendship is affected. We have been around each other for so long, nothing and no one is going to come between that." You prayed your words were getting through to him. He was silent on the other end and you weren't sure what kind of sign that was. "Liam?" You say softly, wondering if he was even still there. "Okay," he answers softly. "Just okay?" "Yeah, just okay. You show me that nothing is going to change, better than you have been because you haven't been doing a very good job, and then maybe I will believe you." You would work with that. "Deal."
Niall: "Go see him." You're still unsure if you heard her right. However, Kati had given you the long weekend off work and demanded you fly back to London while Niall was on a short break. You walk through Heathrow, so happy to be surrounded by familiarity. Even the blended accents brought a smile to your face. It was good to be back. You head straight to the baggage claim after making it through customs, pondering on whether or not to call an Uber or catch the Underground. It was an easy decision though seeing as your phone no longer worked over here, so to the Underground you walked. "Mind the gap," you hear as you step onto the platform. You've missed this place so much. No one in New York tells you to 'mind the gap'. You get on the next train, bringing your bag onto your shoulder as you grab onto the least crowded pole. You could sense there were eyes on you, but you kept your head low. You're on the train for several stops until it is finally your turn to get off. You step off, minding the gap between the platform and the train as requested of you, and head above ground. It was cold, just as you suspected, but there was no rain. You couldn't ask for better homecoming weather. You walk down the road, hoping that Niall would be home, like Liam had said he would be. You had called him to make sure that Niall was around for your arrival. You let yourself in through the gate; the passcode was still your birthday. You take a deep breath and unlock the door. You were home. You walk through the door quietly, knowing that more than likely he would still be upstairs. Setting your bag down by the door, you look around the open floor. Nothing has changed. Were you expecting it to? You smile when you see the guitar lying on the couch, a notebook and pen beside it. Someone's been busy. You make your way up the stairs, as you begin to hear the familiar faint snoring coming from the bedroom. Of course he would be sleeping this late in the afternoon. You step into the bedroom to find him completely out, jetlagged. He hadn't even bothered to get under the covers this time. You walk over to the bed, crawling on top of it, your movements very careful. Once you are over him, you lean down, pressing a kiss to his lips. "Hey," you begin softly, before kissing him once more, "Wake up." His face furrows and tightens at the interruption. "Wake up," you giggle. His eyes open, and the moment his mind registers that it is you in front of him, his arms wrap around you. You smile as he brings you closer, his lips meeting yours. "What are you doing here?" He inquires between kisses, his hands doing all the work to get your clothes off as quickly as possible. You can only laugh at his angst. It had been a few weeks since you had seen him last. Your breathing picks up as he strips you down; you get your hands quickly under his shirt. You separate from one another only long enough to get his clothes off, and as you sit on top of him, you smile. "I've missed you."
Louis: You are so nervous. You've never actually talked to him before, but the phone is ringing and there's no turning back now. Louis is still asleep, and you are using the time wisely: finding out about things that he isn't willing to tell you. "Hey, Lou," Liam answers, and you take a deep breath in. "Hey Liam, it's (y/n)," you begin, your voice shaking. Why are you so nervous? "Oh, hi. Is everything alright?" His voice was a little concerned. "Uh, yeah, yeah, everything is alright. Listen I wanted to talk with you about something." "With me? Why me?" Why had you chosen him? "I don't know. You just seem like the easiest to talk to, and I'm sorry if this is a bad time, I just really need some answers." You are starting to get a little anxious. "No, no, everything is fine. What is going on?" "I know he's missing a lot of important things while being over here, right?" Liam pauses, trying to put his least hurtful words together. "You could say that, yeah." "Okay, do you have any idea why he is staying over here so much?" He laughs at your question. "Do I have an idea? I guess it's you, love, he's all about you these days. Telling all of us how much he cares about you and how much you need him over there. How him staying over there with you is making your relationship stronger, and how that will help when he has to leave in a few days." Of course he had been telling them that. "Do you believe him?" "I want to. He says he's never been in a relationship like this before you. You must be something special." You couldn't take the compliment; you know it was just talk, talk to get Louis out of London and away from real life. "But," you urge. "But, it's pretty easy to tell that he doesn't want to be over here. I mean, missing meetings is one thing, but missing appearances is a whole other issue." "And you all think I'm behind this, don't you?" There was a long pause over the line that gave you your answer before Liam ever spoke a word. "Up until this phone call? Yes. We knew nothing about you, only what he has been telling us. Yes, it's all been really great stuff, but you have to see it from our side, love. When one of us has a drastic personality change, like he has had, we look for answers, and you were the first one we could find." You understand, of course you do. They knew nothing about you, it wasn't their fault. "I'm sorry." "No, no, no. Don't be sorry. I get it. I just want answers too. I would love to be all of those great things he is saying, but I don't think I am." These words hurt you to admit. "Oh don't get down on yourself. You are a great girl, you calling me proves that. You love him, it's easy to see that for sure. Let him get on the road, and we'll see what happens. It's not like he can skip tour." Liam is right, you just need to give the situation a little more time before you start overanalyzing. "Yeah, okay. Thanks for listening to me and hearing me out at least," you offer, recognizing that he didn't owe you anything. "Of course, you can call me or any of the other boys anytime you need to talk, or whenever Lou's acting a little strange. You're a part of this family now, and we're going to take care of you." "Cheers, Liam." "Anytime." You end the call and remain seated on the couch. You had cleared your name with his bandmates, but had accomplished nothing towards getting behind Louis's absence from real life.
Zayn: "Well this is a completely different conversation from last time," Gwen admits as she gets her lunch from the break room microwave. "I honestly don't know what happened. It's like everything has changed." "Well it seems to me that he's finally realized what a little shit he's been to you, and he's trying his best to make up for it." She sits down across the table from you as you bring your leg into your chest in the chair. "We go out now, it's like he enjoys showing me off again." "As he should," Gwen adds quickly, taking a fork from her lunchbox. "Don't be so hard on him. Everyone is entitled to have bad times." "Bad times?" She questions with laughter. "Babe, he's had a bit more than bad times. Possessive idiocy over a span of four months, in my opinion, is more than a bad time. If I were in your place he would have been left on the curb the first time he told me I wasn't allowed to go somewhere." Your mind goes back to those times, but you quickly push the thoughts out. "I guess that's the difference between us," you acknowledge, and she looks up from her lunch and sighs. She puts her fork down and wipes her mouth. "Listen, I'm not here to hate on your relationship." "Could have fooled me," you counter. "Yeah, I know, and I'm sorry about that. I should have chosen my words more carefully. Listen, you know how much I love you and you know how much I loved the two of you." "Loved, you just said loved." "That's because of all of the hell he has put you through. How can I love or even like someone that does that to my best friend? No matter if she chooses to put up with it or not. I just can't do it. Yes, I will support you in your decisions, as I always have been. But agreeing with you staying with someone who treats you the way that he has, I can't do it." She was speaking with reason and you knew it. There was no way you could be angry with her. She had just told you she had your back, no matter what your decisions were or if she agreed with them, she was going to be there. That's all you could ask. You nod your head and accept her terms. "I do hope that eventually you will see the change in him, that he and I are in it for the long run." "You have no idea how much I hope you are right about that. I don't ever want to watch you go through that again." She gets back to her lunch, and you get back to your thoughts. You wanted to make this visit to Gwen's work a positive one. You wanted to be able to tell her about all of the great things he has been doing for you these last couple of weeks. But you knew she was just going to brush them off, just as she had done your comment about him taking you out. He had changed though, you had seen it firsthand. You knew his previous behavior over those four months was just a rough patch. The fact that you were the one to get the brunt of the force was just a minor detail when you thought about your relationship as a whole. Your phone buzzes in your pocket and you take it out, looking at it under the table. 'Just want to let you know I love you x'. You smile at the screen. "From him?" Gwen questions noticing your smile. You nod your head, still looking at the screen. "Well it's nice to have that smile back, at least." You look up at her, and she shares your smile.