Diall: The Untold Story

Chapter 6: Little Things

That one trip to LA was a big turning point for Demi and I. Unexpected things happened. Things I'll never forget. Maybe it wasn't the way I had planned it out in my head, but it was still special.

The night before XFactor, I decided to text Demi. I knew she wouldn't respond, but she couldn't ignore me forever. In less than 24 hours we would be in the same building.

Me: You can't ignore me tomorrow ;)

An hour later, I got a text. At first, I thought I was dreaming. I pinched myself and to my surprise, I was awake.

Demi: True, but I think you forgot I'm an actress. 

She was going to pretend like everything was okay the next day. Demi was prepared to act like she cared, but I knew she really did care. I just had to find a way for her to realize it, 

Xfactor USA was the first time the lads and I performed Live While We're Young and Little Things to an audience. This couldn't have been the more perfect way to debut these songs. Ed Sheeran helped write Little Things for us. If anyone asks him, he'll say he wrote the whole song, but I know better. I wrote my own solo. I wrote it about Demi. I didn't expect us to sing two songs on the show, but when I found out we would be singing Little Things as well, my heart almost failed on me. The girl who I wrote about in the song would be able to hear me sing it to her. I never thought, I'd be able to sing Little Things in front of her, but I did. Fate's a funny thing.

We had to be in the XFactor studio all day to do rehearsals and go through wardrobe. I loved meeting the contestants, but the whole time, my eyes wandered around looking for Demi. I didn't have any luck. The closest I got was a glimpse of her while she was prepping her contestants for the live show. She looked different with brown hair, but I liked it a lot better. It reminded me more of her camp rock years. I fell for her the first time I saw that movie. 

The lads knew exactly what I was going through. They supported me through it all. It was hard for them to see me so crushed. 

"Look her in the eyes the whole time you sing. It'll work out, Nialler." Harry encouraged me. I'm so thankful for my these boys. They're my second family.

First up, we sang Live While We're Young. It was crazy fun to sing. It almost made me forget that Demi was watching my every move. Half way through the song, I looked over to her and held our eye contact. She looked away immediately. There was a smile on her face, but I knew it was just for cameras. 

Once we hopped off stage, Louis came running me me. "Niall! Did you see her smile?! You've got this!"

"Yeah, but it wasn't real. I know what her real smile looks like." I replied, forcing a half smile.

"Oh...you've still got Little Things. Don't worry." And he was right, I shouldn't have worried because if it wasn't for that second song, Demi would still be ignoring me.

The dim lights rose, and Zayn started off the song. That was one of my most vulnerable performances. There was no jumping around to try and get the crowd pumped. It was pure vocals with soft background noise. Although there were four other boys on stage with me and a big crowd in front of us, I never felt so alone. My emotions were running high. The room was dark, but I knew exactly where Demi was sitting. As soon as my solo began, I looked over in her direction. "You'll never love yourself half as much as I love you. You'll never treat yourself right darlin', but I want you to. If I let you know I'm here for you, maybe you'll love yourself like I love you. Oh.." By the end of the song, I was smiling. I knew it had worked. My gut told me so. The lights rose when the song was over and I got a good look at her face. She was smiling and this time it was real. Harry noticed too and gave me a fist bump.

Once backstage again, my phone went off. I pulled it out of my pocket. It was Demi.

Demi: Meet me in my dressing room after the show ends. It's right across from yours, but don't tell anyone. I don't need any rumors starting.

My face twitched, overcomed by happiness. Finally, things were looking up. Most of the band left before the show ended to avoid crowds, but I told them I would stay. I made up a lie that my mum  wanted me to say hi to Simon for her and I had forgotten to before. They were too tired to question it.

I waited in her dressing room until the show had finished. The second she came bursting through the the door, her arms wrapped around me. "I'm so sorry, Nialler! I'm such a jerk. I was so confused about everything and then when I heard you sing Little Things, it all made sense. I really am sorry."

I pulled her in closer. "It's all right. As long as you don't hate me anymore, I couldn't be happier."

She laughed. "I could never hate you."

I pulled away so we were face to face. "Then what was it?"

"I'm just not ready. I really do care about you. I don't want to lose you, but I also don't want to rush things."

"Having time away from you made me realize that being just friends with you is a whole lot better than being nothing to you."

A smile lit up her face. "But I don't want to be just friends with you forever. How about we wait until the new year? We can decide what to do then."

"I'd like that."

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I won't be updating this fanfic until any new Diall new comes. I want to keep the story semi-based off real events, but keep reading, commenting and voting! Thanks for all the support and feedback! xoxoxo