Chapter Text
5th March 2013
Confetti showered me as the music blared. The concert was over and I wouldn’t see my best friend for a long time. I could only make it to one concert and the tickets were almost impossible to get. Tears started falling as I watch Niall and his bandmates leave the stage. A sea of girls start filing out of the room and I’m stuck in the crowd.
I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn to see a security guard smiling at me. He pulls me aside and mutters in my ear.
“Come with me” he says and he leads me back stage. Jealous girls glare at me as I walk past and I try to ignore them. I’m shocked that I’m being let backstage. Maybe Niall asked for me.
I hear voices on the other side of the door and hear his laugh. How I missed it.
The security guard lets me in and faces turn to me but there’s only one I’m searching for. When Niall sees me, tears fill his eyes.
“Ciara” his voice is shaky and full of emotion. He makes his way to me and wraps me in a hug. His smell hits me all at once, a mix of cedarwood and geranium.
“I saw you in the crowd, I can’t believe you came” he says.
“Of course I came dummy, you’re my best friend”, I reply. I feel overcome with relief. I came to his show because I missed him. Part of me thought he forgot about me but this proves he missed me too.
He turns to his bandmates and they all look at me with interest.
“Boys, this is my childhood best friend Ciara” He introduces me with an arm holding me tight. “Ciara this is Harry, Louis and Liam” as he points to the boys, they all wave at me kindly.
“Where’s Zayn?” Niall asks looking around. The door opens to the side and in walks the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen. He takes one look at me and frowns.
“Whats a fan doing backstage?” he spits out in my direction, glaring at me. I feel really hurt by how he’s looking at me.
“She’s my friend” Niall tells him defensively. That hurt too.
Once introduced, Niall and I catch up for a while and the boys chime in to add in funny comments to their stories. Their life sounds so full of adventure and stress at the same time. It’s crazy that I barely know my best friend anymore.
“Want me to drop you off home?” He asks.
“That sounds lovely” I say, blushing. He takes my hand and I’m transported back to our past. Running through the school yard hand in hand. Biking through our town. Sticky ice cream and day trips to the beach. Him leaving was one of the hardest days of my life. Every day after that was just as hard.
He leads me to the car where his bandmates get dropped off at the hotel. The fact that Niall is probably so tired and doing the extra trip just to take me home is so sweet.
As I sit down with Niall, I tell him about home. About how empty it is without him. About how much I miss him. I didn’t tell him I still love him, I kept that secret tucked deep down. He told me touring can be lonely without his family and friends and he misses home. I never imagined he’d feel this way and my heart aches for him.
Eventually I lay on his shoulder and I feel our breathing match, like we’re connected without even trying. We reach home and he walks me to my door.
“I want to see you again, like old times” He says pulling me into a hug and rubbing my back in smooth circles.
“You’re on tour Niall” I reply. “You’re too busy working and I don’t want to get in the way of that”.
“You won’t.” He promises “Come to our show tomorrow night.”
And I can’t say no to that smile.
I spend the next few nights watching all of his shows and the more I see him, the more I’m slowly falling for him all over again. He’s the boy I grew up with and now he’s a man. I long for him as I stand in the crowd.
After every show I go back stage and hug him. The other boys greet me warmly and Zayn glares at me like usual. I have no idea what his problem is, but I’m happy seeing Niall again.
“You should come back to the hotel” Niall whispers in my ear one night. I blush and nod. I know what he means by asking me that. He wants a sleepover like when we were kids. Nothing else. But part of me wishes he saw me as more than a friend.
Most of the boys have already headed to bed. Zayn hasn’t though and he rolls his eyes at us.
“Really Niall? Where is she going to sleep?”
“Don’t worry about it Zayn. She’s with me” He replies sweetly. I watch as Zayn takes his shirt off to get ready for bed. His body is flawless. My face gets hot when he notices me staring. I quickly turn away but it’s too late. He’s smirking to himself.
Still holding my hand, Niall squeezes it and I get butterflies. I follow him to his bed and we sleep together like when we were younger. Before I drift off I look at his freckles and the softness of his eyelashes. I kiss his forehead and finally rest.
When I wake, he’s got his arm around my waist and his face in my hair. How I missed him.
13th March 2013
“I want to see your plane take off.” I tell him after his last show in Ireland. This week has been a dream and I don’t want to leave him yet. He seems delighted by that idea and I join him on the trip to the airport.
Once we arrive, there are many screaming girls. I pull my hood to cover my face. The boys start filing onto the private jet. I don’t want to say goodbye. Niall pulls me into a hug and I hear him sniffle.
“What if you come with us? I don’t think I can say goodbye again”.
I think about it. My job. My family. My life. Then I look into his sea blue eyes. My best friend. My Niall. I could be with him again. Maybe we can get back what we had.
“Is that okay with the rest of your band?” I ask, worried he’ll change his mind and leave me forever.
“Of course.” He grabs my hand and leads me onto the private jet. This is going to be interesting.