Stronger

Chapter 4

So now I was on the ground.

For the third time in a period of two days.

This is just fantastic.

I sat up, propping my hands up behind my back for support, and stared at the ball as it slowly rolled away from me.

Niall's obnoxious laugh permeated the air as he sulked towards me, pulling his evil smirk into a friendly smile.

"Well shit, you just have the worst of luck don't ya mate?" he playfully asked, reaching his hand out to help me up.

I grabbed his hand, reluctantly, and stood up, brushing the dirt off of my clothes.

I looked at Niall, and then behind him to see if Louis was anywhere to be found.

My expectations of seeing the feathery haired boy soon faded away as I realized he was nowhere to be seen.  Why my hopes were up, I hadn't a clue, but I was kind of disappointed at his absence.

I refocused my attention back to Niall, who had been staring at me with a quizzical look on his face.  He looked down at the ball sitting between us and back to me, raising his eyebrow.

Confused at the awkward silence that had befallen the situation, I decided to break it.

"So where's Louis?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"He's, umm, on a date thing," Niall replied hesitantly, as if he was choosing his words wisely.

Why was he acting like that?

"Oh," is all I could muster.

Louis never mentioned that he was looking, seeing as how we've only known each other for a few days, and I felt a little betrayed.

Wait, betrayed?

Why do I feel betrayed?

Louis is a grown man with his own life to live, so why do I find myself upset?

My inability to completely grasp what it was that made me feel this way towards Louis frustrated me beyond compare.

Niall must've sensed my irritation because he quickly switched the subject.

"Do you want to come over for a drink?  I mean Paige and Micah are there but if you don't feel like it I'll under-"

"I'd love to," I said, cutting him off.

"Well good," he smiled, picking up his football.

"Let's go."

*

I almost forgot how lovely Niall's flat was as I slowly stepped into the cozy apartment, Niall closing the door behind me.

The ambiance of the room was inviting and I found myself wanting to stay here rather than going home.

Taking a seat on his couch, I watched as Niall disappeared into the kitchen, and returning with a bottle of whiskey.

I looked at him questioningly and he shoot me a confused glance before realizing what I meant by it.

"Oh," he started, lifting the bottle up and shaking it, "we don't need cups."

He sat down on the couch across from me and screwed the lid off the alcohol before taking a swig.

After the long, drawn out sip he wiped his lips and screwed the lid back on before tossing it to me.  I caught it, fortunately, and mimicked what Niall had just done.

We sat like this, passing the bottle back and forth, for what seemed like only minutes until our routine was disrupted by Micah and Paige sauntering into the living room.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Micah staring at me, so I turned my head and his eyes quickly shifted to his feet.

I laughed under my breath and returned to the task at hand.

Alcohol.

Paige sat down beside Niall and Micah remained standing, but leaned his back against the wall bordering the kitchen and the living room.

"Weird," I mumbled under my breath

"What was that?" Niall asked, not having heard what I just said.

"Oh nothing," I answered looking down at my hands.

What time was it?

I looked at my phone and it was 9:00.  It had been nearly 2 hours and I wasn't even aware.

I decided that I needed to get going if I wanted show up to work on time tomorrow.  I mean, I like Niall and all of his other friends, but Louis wasn't here and he was the only one who seemed to entertain me.  Although I have to admit that Micah's nervousness around me was quite the show.

"I think I'm going to go," I announced, standing to stretch my arms.

"No you should stay longer mate, Louis will be home soon and we can all get wasted," Niall pleaded, a smile played across his lips.

"As much as I'd love to, I can't.  If I'm late to work again my boss will have my head," I replied, reaching for my bag and heading towards the door.

"Okay man, if you ever need a drink you know where to find us yeah?" Niall said, holding the almost empty bottle above his head.

I nodded and reached for the door handle.  I'm halfway out the door when an unfamiliar voice calls my name.

"Harry, wait," I turned around to see Micah looking directly at me, his eyes searching me for something to say.

"Have a goodnight," he simply states before recoiling back to his vulnerable position.

"You too," I say, smiling, and closed the door behind me.

I didn't get very far down the hall when I heard Niall's door open once more, and Micah emerge.

"Uh, hey, Harry?" he asked, hesitantly stepping towards me. I smiled warmly, wanting to calm him just a bit. He practically shook with nervousness.

"Yeah?"

"I know we haven't talked really..."

"You haven't talked at all, actually," I joked, trying to lighten the mood. He blushed, nodding.

"Yeah. Anyway... I was wondering if maybe you would... you know..."

"Yeah?"

"Maybe hang out sometime? You know, without Niall and Paige and Louis or whatever. Just like, together. Not as a date, I mean, like, I don't know, just a-"

"If I say yes, will you stop babbling?" I questioned, smirking. Micah blushed once more, rubbing the back of his neck as he slightly nodded.

"Maybe we could go to the park or something? You know, just kick a football around," he suggested, sounding hopeful.

"If you've got half the aim of a four year old, I'm pretty sure you'll be better than Niall," I teased.

"I heard that!" Someone yelled from inside. There was a shushing noise following, and I raised an eyebrow as I walked towards the door.

As I opened it, Paige and Niall practically fell in a bundle on the floor of the hallway, Niall cursing as his cover was blown.

"I blame Niall!" Paige exclaimed, sheepishly grinning at him as she made a dash for the flat, disappearing into the living room.

Niall looked up at me guiltily, grinning like mad.

"I had to make sure Micah didn't chicken out?" he offered.