seasons of love | Narry Storan AU

chapter 15.

2015

"So you're telling me this hell of a man up there on the stage is your professor? Wow. What a moment in history." Louis mocks Niall's shocked face after he tells his friend about the identity of Shawn Mendes in front of them. "I wish I was studying with you right now."

"The only reason why I'm not gonna punch you in your face right now is because I'm too embarrassed to do anything at this moment, Tommo."

"You love me, Heineken."

Niall, however, does not say a thing until Shawn starts singing the first verses to Coldplay's song Magic. His eyes shine with the music being played and his teacher's voice filling the ambient.

"Call it magic, call it true. I call it magic when I'm with you."

"Wow. He's got a good voice." Liam points out verbally, sitting next to his two friends after finishing his own set at the karaoke stage.

"Coming from someone who just sang a Beyoncé song, that says a lot", Lou says, making them all burst into laughter at the same time. "We shouldn't be laughing. Instead, let's take a moment of silence."

"For what?" Louis's roommate asks.

"For Niall's heart exploding while Mr. Mendes is singing."

"Fuck you", it's the only thing the Irish lad says.

"And I just got broken, broken into two. Still I call it magic when I'm next to you." Shawn sings, his hands concentrated on the mic stand, his eyes closed, his soul feeling the lyrics. "And I don't, and I don't, and I don't, and I don't... no, I don't, it's true..."

"I want another drink." Niall blurts out in a sudden, turning back to the bar and asking a shot of whiskey to the barman. "I can't handle this."

Louis goes right after his best friend, touching his left shoulder before he takes a sip of the drink.

"You shouldn't", the Doncaster man says, taking the glass cup from Niall's hands. "You don't have to. There's a reason why I call you Heineken."

"I don't care. Look at that man! It's impossible not to fall for him and I can't fall for my own teacher, for God's sake." The blond dude takes back the whiskey cup from Louis. "I have to forget my own feelings tonight."

"Call it magic, cut me into two. And with all your magic, I disappear from view."

"He's a beautiful singer, Lou. In every single word I say."

"Stop, Niall."

"I have to."

"It's just a man singing Coldplay in a karaoke stage. Nothing to worry about."

It's too late for anything else when the whiskey goes down Niall's throat, and he makes a grimace about it. There's nothing left for Louis to do but to roll his eyes and takes his friend back to where they were sitting when Shawn's performance started.

"Where did y'all go?" Liam asks, crossing his arms right above his chest.

"And I can't get over, can't get over you. Still, I call it magic, such a precious truth."

"Tried to stop Niall from drinking again. Didn't work out." Lou just shrugs, giving another glance at who's singing on stage. "It's a long story."

A couple minutes later, when Shawn finishes his moment, everyone in the bar applaud him. He smiles, grateful for the cheerings of the people, but the music teacher flushes right when he spots Niall's face in the middle of the crowd.

2032

"And you fell in love." Taylor says, laughing at his own sentence later.

"I wouldn't say that I fell for Mr. Mendes at that exact moment, kid", an older Niall lets out a shy smirk while saying these words. "But I was definitely fucking nervous for being around such a handsome man and being able to know he was probably into me like I was into him."

"So you were interested in the man." Chloe points out, sitting on her bed.

"I wouldn't say that either, darling."

"Then what the hell were you feeling for him? God, we're so confused!"

"I had no idea at the time, okay?" Niall laughs, hiding his face in his hands to avoid letting them see he was embarrassed. "I still truly don't know to this date what I was feeling back then. But I knew that I wanted to know how it would feel for me to be with him, and that's probably the reason why I didn't stop myself from getting into it."

"Oh." The younger Horan girl rises an eyebrow at her father. "I think I understand it now."

"You do?"

"Of course she does", Taylor interrupts them, "when she had her first crush, I was the one who had to hear everything about--"

"Taylor, stop!" His sister yells at him, almost jumping out of the bed. "He wasn't supposed to know!"

"Know what? About the first dude you ever liked?" Niall teases.

"Stop, I feel like I could die of self-shame right now!"

"It's okay, Chloe." He tries to calm her down. "We all fall in love sometimes."