SO LONG || NIALL HORAN || #Wattys2019

SEVEN

Football was always a sport that Niall had enjoyed since he was a kid. It never failed to make his heart pump as he ran down a field to score a goal and it was always a good way to make friends. He remembered the days on tours with Harry, Liam, Louis and Zayn between sound check and the concert where they'd play a quick game. Since there were five of them, they used to drag some of the band to play as well and when Haleigh and Presley visited, the brunette always joined in. Haleigh wasn't the best at football, arguing with the boys on how it was pronounced soccer in America, but once Louis started teaching her a few moves she became pretty good.

Niall often teased the girl a bit, since he was consistently playing against her, to get under her skin. He found it adorable how frustrated she got, dramatically huffing her hair out of her face while her nose scrunched up. Over the years she learned to tune him out, allowing her to keep focus, but sometimes he still managed to steal the ball. However if they ever ended up on the same team, everyone else took a step back and didn't try to get in their way. They were a team and created plays no one ever expected.

That wasn't the case today.

Niall had been teamed up with Alex, his drummer, and John, who played bass, while Haleigh was with Louis, who played keys, and Jake, his other guitarist. All six of them were sweating from the heat while they played on the lawn of Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, but no one was ready for the game to end. The score had been close the entire time, with Niall's team up only by one.  Yet he used the slight lead to pester his best friend to great lengths. "Nice try, love!" he called over his shoulder, taking off into a sprint in the other direction as he stole the ball from between her legs.

An annoyed groan escaped her lips from the realization and she quickly turned on her heel to go after him. Luckily Jake blocked his bath and when Niall went to pass it, Louis quickly intercepted it. Haleigh grinned and then shouted his name, since no one was around where she stood. The pianist looked up and without hesitation, sent the ball flying across the grass to land perfectly in front of her so she could score. Her two teammates let out cheers as it went into the small goal, the other three boys scoffed in disappointment.

Niall tried to be upset, but couldn't maintain a serious face as Haleigh performed a small dance in celebration of the goal. His mouth quirked up into an amused smile, butterflies fluttering around in his chest from her making eye-contact with him. "It's tied, babe, you haven't won yet," he reminded as they set up for the next round.

"Emphasis on the yet," she replied cheekily, winking. "We're going to win, Horan."

"Funny," Niall snorted, rolling his eyes while he stood across from her. "You said that last time."

"Last time you literally picked me up when I had the ball and refused to put me down," Haleigh shot back causing him to smirk. "That doesn't count!"

"Oi!" Louis called over to them, making them look over. "Are you quite finished? Cause I want to finish up so we can grab lunch."

"He sounded so much like Tomlinson just now," the girl whispered to her best friend.

Niall chuckled from her comment, but addressed his band mate. "Come on, Querelle, we haven't got all day."

The round seemed to drag on once it started, no one getting a chance to score a goal. The six adults simply kept fighting over it, continuously blocking shots and stealing passes. At one point, they didn't think the game was going to end. All of them were starting to get kind of tired, but pushed through their hunger so someone could win. When Jake did a penalty kick after John playfully shoved him, the football went soaring. Haleigh went charging after it, not seeing that Niall was doing the same. Their bodies collided before the boys could warn them, both of them losing their balance. Niall's arms shot out to grab her waist, making her fall on top of him while he landed on the turf. "That...wasn't our best move," Haleigh groaned, wincing from a sharp thud in her head.