(almost) famous ♪ narry au

viii. a prickly good deed.

"Wait, what?" Niall nearly screamed once Liam told him the good news. Liam grinned from ear to ear, launching into his explanation of what he had seen from Harry and the brunette. Niall was in shock. He didn't think that there was anything on Earth that could have possibly made the night better, but Liam somehow managed to stumble right into the second best thing that has ever happened ever. It seemed like this whole Harry situation was turning itself around a lot more rapidly than Niall had originally believed.

They drove home in a casual silence. Niall, in the backseat, was consumed with thoughts of what had occurred. He didn't know how he was supposed to react, or how he was supposed to feel now that his dream had finally come true. Liam, in the driver's seat, was attempting to justify the guilt he felt in the pit of his stomach. He felt almost like Robin Hood, but instead of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, he was lying to his best mate in order to keep an emotionless relationship alive. But it was justifiable because Niall was getting something out of it now too. The boy was so happy he might explode. Liam had done that, with his wrongful actions. The question was, was it worse to tell someone a lie that would break their heart, or to use that lie in order to make them happier than they'd been in a long time? Meanwhile Louis, in the passenger's seat, was contemplating what kind of cereal he was going to make himself when he got home.

They all led very different existences.

_

The next morning, Niall was still in a mix between a hazy daydream and a disbelieving fog. The night before had been so good, it didn't seem like something that would actually happen. Much less to someone like him. It was as if he had won the lottery, gotten struck by lightning, and was attacked by a bear all in one go. With a much better outcome, of course.

Luckily, all of the excitement that had happened also contributed to making Niall forget about the whole Nick situation, which would have otherwise deeply upset him and weighed down his mind. But, the thoughts of Harry existing in his actual world and not just within the realms of his imagination were enough to keep him going. Who needed an actual relationship anyways, when it was so much easier just to be annoyingly obsessed with someone you had a vague, 1 in a million shot at?

Besides, now he knew that Harry was single, and that he liked guys. It completely answered both of the questions that he needed to know so that his dream could live on.

Niall had to work that morning, however he made the choice to skip Barkley's and brew himself a cup of coffee at home. He wouldn't mention the part where he threw it away because it tasted like bitter dirt without his usual amounts of flavorings and creamers, because it would have taken a blow to his pride that he frankly didn't feel he could muster.

When Niall got to work, he was immediately greeted by a plethora of customers. The usual day ensued, filled with petting dogs who were nervous and dogs who were shaking with excitement, coaxing angry cats out of carriers, cleaning up random puddles of pee and other substances, and fielding phone calls from concerned pet owners about the status of their animals who had to stay over night.

Another day in the glamours life.

But, one client came in that was different than the rest.

It was the tall brunette.

Niall was in the middle of writing down an appointment slip for a customer on the phone when she came to the counter.

"Just one second miss-" Niall began before looking into the girl's face. It then dawned on him who he was talking to, and it made his stomach flip.

"I have an appointment. Kendall?" She said. Niall nodded, hanging up with the customer on the phone in order to get rid of the living nightmare in front of him.