Stop the Tape & Rewind (Harry Styles Fanfic)

Chapter Twenty-One

So sorry for not updating on wednesday. I started school last week and ive been so caught up with work and friends and homework nd I've been realizing I no longer have alot of time to write. Now, I will only be uploading on saturdays :( sorry!

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"HOWDY Y'ALL!" I heard a voice scream from downstairs right before the front door slammed shut. Harry and I erupted into laughter as we both realized it was Niall's attempt at a Southern accent. We raced downstairs to find the boys walking inside with their bags, greeting Anne, Robin and Gemma.

"Sorry to interrupt your sex session upstairs, but we're here!!" Louis exclaimed. I blushed furiously and Harry punched Louis hard.

"Ow!" Louis rubbed his arm in pain while the rest of us chuckled.

"Hello boys!" I welcomed as I hugged each of them.

"Hey Ari!" Niall and Zayn said happily as they entered.

"Sorry for Louis' outburst there..." Liam apologized.

I laughed. "It's fine. I expect that from him."

"Shall we get settled in, lads?" Zayn asked.

"Yes, of course!" Anne beamed at them. "Well, since not all of you are staying here, why don't you boys just set your luggage here by the front door and we'll all visit for awhile until it's time for Niall and Liam to go to Ari's?"

"Sounds like a plan!" Liam agreed.

We all made our way to the living room while we sat around the telly, just talking and catching up. It was nice to see the lads considering I hadn't seen them for about a week and I had gotten used to living with them.

The television channel was on some 'celebrity gossip' channel. Everytime I glanced at the screen, it looked as if the show was a lot like Sugarscape, but in television show form. I was barely watching, considering the nine of us were having several conversations so it was quite loud, and the television volume was on about 10. However, I somehow heard the two words that made my head jerk towards the screen.

"She just said One Direction!" I exclaimed, pointing to the lady on the screen. She looked as if she was in her 20's, with long blonde hair and light, natural make-up. Apparently, she spends her life stalking celebrities and their personal lives, before reporting it to all of England.

How fulfilling.

Everyone stopped talking and started watching the telly while Robin grabbed the remote to turn up the volume.

Various pictures of the boys showed on the screen while the blonde lady narrated in a thick Essex accent and a fairly high-pitched voice, mind you.

"These British boys are the newest teenage heartthrobs to girls all over the world!" she said a bit too enthusiastically.

"HEY!" Niall feigned anger. "It's British-IRISH, not just British!"

"It's okay, Ni," Harry stated soothingly while rubbing circles into Niall's back to calm him.

"They can't keep forgetting about the leprechaun! Just listen to my accent! I'm Irish. In no way do I sound British!" Niall replied defensively. I giggled and turned back to the television screen, where the woman was in the middle of a sentence.

"...already know that Louis has a girlfriend named Eleanor Calder, Liam is dating a dancer called Danielle Peazer, and Zayn has recently come clean about his relationship with Perrie Edwards of the band Little Mix, which has actually been going on since February of this year." As she spoke, the screen showed a few pictures of the couples together. "But, as we learned a few weeks ago, there might be a fourth relationship sprouting up!" she continued. I snorted at her odd use of words until I realized she could be talking about Harry and I. I froze while watching the telly intently.

"It's time for our weekly segment of a quick update on Niall Horan and Demi Lovato!" the lady said. Whew, that was a close one. I didn't want there to be a bunch of rumors about Harry and I. I'd rather just wait for us to admit our relationship to the public.

Photos of Demi Lovato appeared on the gossip show as the blonde went on. "Demi is an American singer and actress, and also a new judge on the USA version of 'The X Factor.' The show premieres this September, but is only being shown in America." Well, duh.

I glanced over at Niall to see how he was reacting to it. The lads were poking him playfully, but he just tried to shrug it off, although I caught a tinge of a blush on his face.

"Two weeks ago, we informed you that Dem confided in an interviewer, saying she *does* have a crush on Niall, and wouldn't even mind a snog from him. Seems pretty straight-forward, right? However, a new interview with Miss Lovato was leaked last week." The screen showed a muted version of an interview, her lips moving, but the blonde woman still speaking. "We learned that Demi has never actually met Niall; they have only talked over text and Skype." I sighed. The way this lady emphasized her words was really getting annoying.

"This week," she continued. "We have ground-breaking news! Demi is now claiming that she is very single, and wants to be for a long time! She has backed this up by saying she has never been single for more than a few months until now, and wants to experiment with it. She hopes to stay single for awhile so she can focus on her career and her fans!"

I glanced at Niall again to find his face filled with slight confusion, and my heart sunk. This was probably new information to him, and I assumed he wasn't going to take it well. We sat in silence, listening to the annoying reporter talk for a few more minutes.

She never said anything about me, thankfully. She claimed that Harry is still 'happily single and ready to mingle.' I chuckled.. Even directioners knew something was going on between Harry and I. Apparently, this lady wasn't doing her research.

The woman eventually changed subjects, starting off with, "In other news, The Wanted has announced--" Her voice was cut off by the screen going black. I looked back to the boys in bewilderment to see the remote was in Harry's hand. His thumb was over the 'on/off' button, and his expression was one of disgust. Zayn had a similar look on his face. I laughed at their hatred of the band.

"Jealous, yeah?" I teased.

Harry looked shocked. "Are you kidding?! ME, jealous of THEM? Why would I be jealous of a bunch of lousy--"

Gemma touched Harry's arm lightly, stopping him from ranting. "Haz, control yourself," she warned.

"Sorry," he smiled sheepishly.

"Psh, I'm not afraid to say it," Louis spoke up. "Those boys are--"

"LOUIS! Just let it go," Liam sighed. Liam seemed agitated, while Harry, Lou and Zayn looked like they had just found out The Wanted had murdered someone. Niall was staring into space, not paying attention to anything. I worried about him, assuming he was thinking about Demi. I promised myself to ask him about it later.

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Sorry for the short /filler chapter. The next chappy will be more exciting I promise! As I said before, itll be up next saturday xx