salt and sand || narry ||

Chapter 11: He's Just a Friend...

*Harry's POV*

A couple days after returning from their camping trip, the boys decided they wanted to spend some time bonding with Niall while I had to work at the ice cream shop. I was behind the counter washing bowls and scoops when I heard the bell jingle indicating a new customer. It was a slow period during shift changes, so I was the only one covering the place right now, so I headed to the front counter. I broke into a smile when I saw Troy grinning back at me. "You finally made it in, cookies n' cream was your favorite, right?" I said, pulling on my gloves. "In a sugar cone," Troy said with a nod. I scooped up the order and handed it over to him with a napkin, our fingers brushing as we made the trade. Troy glanced around and noticed there was no one else in the shop. There was big show on the mainland, so a lot of people had flocked inward for a day in the city before going to the show tonight. I think it was Ed Sheeran, who was in town.

"You look bored as hell," Troy commented with a laugh and he sat down at diner style stools that littered a small section of the front counter. I pulled up a chair across him, knowing my mum would kill me if she saw me sitting down on the clock, but I wasn't worried. "I am, no one is in town today, so it's dead. So, tell me about school, man? How did football go or 'soccer' as the Americans call it?" I ask him, pulling my hair tighter in its tiny ponytail. Troy grinned at me, "Great season. I started every game, unheard of for a first year." I looked at him curiously, "First year? Didn't you graduate two years ago?" He nodded as he licked his cone, "Yeah, I did. I took my gap year between year 12 and the start of uni instead of after uni graduation. I was just ready to go, see the world, take a break from the routine life everyone is expected to live." I blinked in surprise, "No wonder I didn't see you around last summer, you were gallivanting around the Earth! Tell me about everywhere you went!" I asked him, enthralled by the news.

He grinned at me, "Australia, Spain, Portugal, Austria, France, Russia, Japan, and all across North America's West Coast and parts of Canada. It was insane, Harry, absolutely insane." I smirked at him, impressed. "That sounds quite the year. Favorite place?" He seems to contemplate for a moment before grinning slyly at me, "Spain, the men there are gorgeous. The women, too," he said with a shrug, watching to measure my reaction. I blinked a couple times, "O-oh. I didn't know you were into guys, Troy. Glad that the year proved enlightening. Are you happy?" I made sure to ask him. Troy nodded, "Yeah I am. It feels good being comfortable in my own skin...you look good, Hazza," he said, a cocky grin on his face as he finished his ice cream. I raised a brow at him, "Are you...are you in hitting on me?" I asked him, feeling my cheeks tinge with pink. "Maybe...maybe not."

Right then, the door chimed and Harry's group of guys came bustling through the door, Niall included. Troy paid them no mind, but Harry hopped off the chair and stood up, worried that it was other customers coming in. "Harry! Haz!" chorused from the group of obviously tipsy guys. The guys surrounded the counter, Liam, Louis, and Zayn greeting Troy. "Hey man, what are you doing here?" Liam asks him, clapping him on the back. "I was just finishing up some ice cream and catching up with Harry," he said told him. I was watching the boys interact with Troy when my eyes found Niall and he was glaring daggers at Troy. I raised a brow, surprised by his reaction, but then remembered that Niall had seen him comforting me at the fireworks. I tried to suppress the smile on my face because that murderous look Niall was giving meant that he was jealous.

"Yeah, I was just telling Haz here about my trip around the world and the sights of seen. Yet, he still remains one of best-looking lads I've seen on this Earth, amazing isn't it? This tiny town produced someone like him," he says, tossing me a wink before he slid off the stool. "Yeah, he is, ain't he?" we all hear Niall say, his accent ringing strong in small shop. The edge to his voice told enough of the story. Troy lifted a brow at me before throwing some tip money on the counter. "I best be going then, will I see you lot at Erin's house party on Saturday?" he asked as he headed out the door. "Yeah, mate, see you there!" Louis yelled after him, seemingly obliviously to the tension as Niall glared at the door even after it had closed. It was kinda hot seeing how jealous he got. "Ni?" I said and his head snapped around towards me. "What?" he grumbled, practically pouting at me. "He's just a friend," I assured him while the others whined about what ice cream they wanted. "If you say so..."

*Niall's POV*

The boys left the ice cream shop and let Harry go back to work after he gave them some french fries and funnel cake and shooed them at the door. I was still fuming about the way Troy flirted with Harry right in front of me. Like, did he not know who I was? That's when I realized: of course he didn't. I was Harry's friend. That's all I was. Not his boyfriend. There was no need for him to introduce us. There was no reason that he couldn't flirt with someone else. We weren't exclusive. He even said so the other night in the tent. So why was I so irritated at that cocky smile on the older lad?

*Harry's POV*

I was lounging at home after my long shift, fresh out of the shower and still hadn't bother to change out of my towel. I was scrolling through Twitter on my phone and saw a meme that would make Niall laugh. I sent it off to him, waiting for a response when a Snapchat from Troy popped up on my phone. I opened it and it was him wearing his new college soccer jersey. "Itching for year 2...will you come see a game?" was the text that came with the photo.

Troy went to East London University, one of my choices, and I sent back a peace sign, showing off my shirtless top half. 

Harry: "Maybe, might be wandering around the campus myself..."

My phone pinged with a notification within seconds. I had hoped it had been Niall texting me back, but it was Troy. 

Troy: "You got into East London?!" 

I grinned at the screen, chewing on my lip as I wrote back:

Harry: "Yeah, accepted to EL, Cork, Bournemouth and just found out about Nottingham. Haven't decided yet, but I need to decide soon. By this Saturday, to be exact." 

Troy wrote back extremely quick: 

Troy: "I'm bias, so I don't think I can have say. I would selfishly say East London...but you'll make the right choice ;)"

I chewed on my lip, thinking about my college options. I had been accepted in all the music studies programs. Cork was my back-up, so I won't be going there. Bournemouth, I only applied there because my mum insisted I apply to at least one school close to home, so I could live at home with her and commute. Not going to happen. So truly, it was between East London and Nottingham, but now? Now...it felt like a choice between Troy or Niall.