Just One Step

Niall’s POV

Dani led the way down the stairs to the subway station. She swiped her card and then walked through the gate. Then she turned around and handed me the card. I followed her lead, and swiped the card. We walked down another set of stairs to where the train would come. I tried to distract myself from the fact that I was underground by focusing on other things, so I focused on her. She was gorges, she didn’t wear make-up or fancy clothes she just was. Suddenly she was walking again, but I didn’t know where we were going or if it was even we that was going there. I might have been just her. From the way she walked, the way she talked, and the way she acted, I got the feeling that it had been just her for a while. Then I realized, she was walking towards a homeless woman sitting on the side of the station. Dani reached into her pocket and pulled out a few dollars.

“Sorry,” she whispered, “It’s all I have.” The woman grabbed her hand and looked up and thanked her. Some people would lie that it was all they had because they didn’t feel like giving anymore, but Dani was telling the truth. I wondered why she would give it away when she clearly had so little herself. Her jeans were ripped an worn out, and her t-shirt had several stitched up holes. Just as I was about to ask her, but the train came and it was loud. If I asked her now, there was no way she would ever hear me.

Dani’s POV

We got on the train, and Niall squeezed his eyes shut. Slowly he opened one and then the other.

“Well this isn’t too bad,” he said. “Whoo,” he was being amazingly sarcastic, and didn’t sound excited at all “I’m on a subway,”

Then, the subway started moving.

Niall fell over.

I laughed.

“Not funny,” he said.

“See the thing is, it totally is.” People were starring now, but then he reached out with his hand and put it around my ankle. I didn’t know what he was doing until he pulled and I fell on my but. People were staring now.

“Not so funny now, yeah?” All I could do was laugh hysterically. When I had finally calmed down I tried to get up, but Niall moved so he was holding down my arms. It was kind of awkward, and people were definitely starring. I think I even saw the mom who I yelled at earlier. Great.

“Umm, Niall?” I was totally blushing.

“Oh,” he said moving off of me. “Sorry Dani,”

We both stood up. The rest of the ride was pretty quiet. Once we got off we walked the three blocks to the studio.

“Need help with your guitar,” he said when were about halfway there.

“Oh, thanks,” I said giving him a smile. I stopped and he took the case from me. Soon we were turning the corner to the studio. As soon as we did, all of the boys came running out of the doors, and they were all screaming.

“Niall!” Harry shouted.

“You got the girl back!” Louis screamed. He ran and jumped onto Niall, knocking him over for the second time today, and it was barley noon.

“Does this mean you’re going to sing for us?” Zayn asked.

“Sorta,” I said.

“What do you mean sorta?” Liam asked.

“Yeah?” Louis asked. He was still on top of Niall.

“Niall’s going to help me with my stage fright, and I’m going to record it with just me, Niall and Mark. The less people the better,”

“Alright,” Harry said.

“Seams fair,” Zayn agreed. When Louis finally got off of Niall, we made our way inside.

“You know, you never told me what band you’re in?”

“You seriously don’t know?” Zayn asked.

“You seriously are full of yourself,” I said jokingly.

“That’s not what I meant,” he said.

“I get it, you guys are popular, and that’s exactly why I really have no idea,” I said, then explained, “I’m normally into more, how should I say, alternative stuff,”

“Ohh gotcha,” Louis said in a way that I was clear that he had no idea what I meant. I would have explained better, but Mark came running in.

“Dani! You’re back!” I said.

“Begrudgingly,” I told him.

“Yeah, well I know this isn’t what you’re used to,” he said putting an arm around my shoulder. “But it’s a major help,”

“Alright,” I said. “Just give me at least a few days, and I’ll do it,”

“I need the tracks by Monday, I’ll finish editing them then,”

“Monday? I don’t know if I can do it by Monday,”

“You’ll be fine,” Niall said coming up and putting an arm around me.

“Well, you two should better start working,” Mark said. “Niall, you know the lyrics, she’s singing the chorus and the second verse,”

“Alright,” he said. “Where should we practice?”

“Studio Five is open,” he said. “You go on in, and I’ll record the rest of the boys.” I was going to say something, just to make things seamed finished, but Mark had already hurried off. Mark was the kind of guy who didn’t like goodbyes, so would hang up on people. Not to be rude, but it was just how he was.

We walked down the hall towards the room where I spent the night before. We walked in, and I realized that I hadn’t cleaned up the night before. I quickly picked up the soda and chips and made a three pointer into the trashcan.

“Nice shot,” Niall said. “Too bad we’re not asking you to play basketball,” he joked.

“Yeah well I’m too short for that,” I said and he laughed.

“Okay well we better start,” he sat down on the carpet.

”Yeah probably,” I said sitting down across from him.

“Mind if I use your guitar?”

“Nahh, go ahead,” I said and he then took it out of the case.

“Alright. I guess I’ll show you the chorus first, so it goes like this,” he said and then he began to sing and play a few basic chords.

“Don’t worry, if we fall

We can fall into love

It’s just one step, just one step

That might change it all

So take my hand, and we can make it through,

‘Cause it’s just one step,

Just one step to me and you”

He stopped, looked up at me and smiled. “You wanna give it a go?” he asked, like I had a choice at this point.

“Sure,” I said smiling back at him. He started to play and I began to sing.

“Don’t worry, if we fall,

We can fall into love,

It’s just one step, just one…”

All was going well, until I looked up and saw Niall smiling back at me. I just froze. I just couldn’t do it anymore.

“Why’d you stop?” he asked. “You’re really good,”

“I don’t know, I just,” I paused and looked at him again, before quickly looking down at my hands in my lap. “I just can’t,” I finished.

“I think you can,” he said. “Can I try something?”

“Umm sure, I guess,”

“Hold on,” he said before running out of the room. I sat there for two minutes before I picked up the guitar and started to play.

“Once upon a time
I used to romanticize
Used to be somebody, never mind
I don't miss it that much now
I think it's sinking in
The days that I wonder where I've been
And picture perfect porcelain
But I won't lose a pound

Apologies, I'm not myself but I can guarantee
That when I get back, you won't believe
That you know me well
Don't want to think about it
I'm so tired of getting sick about it
Now stand back up and be a man about it
And fight for something, fight for something, fight for something, oh

And make a better liar
And never face the music when it's dire
And I breathe disaster, ever after
Don't pull away from me now

Don't you move
Can't you stay where you are, just for now
I could be your perfect disaster
You could my ever after
Now you could be my ever after, after all
I could be your perfect disaster
You could be my ever after

Nobody told ya' this is gonna fold ya'
We'll go marching in like toy soldiers
You're having to hold your own, soldier
We're marching like toy soldiers

Once upon a time
This place was beautiful and mine
But now it's just a bottom line
Barely comes to mind
But ever after what is mine

I'll be your disaster, ever after
So fire away”

I loved that song. To me it was the perfect song for me, a song about how something can so quickly change for the worst but we still have to keep chasing our dreams. It had always been my dream to be a performer, and this was my chance. I turned around and Niall was standing in the doorway with the rest of the boys. He was caring a scarf that I think was around Harry’s neck earlier.

“What’s the scarf for?” I asked trying to change the subject away from the song I was just singing.

“Did you write that?” Liam asked.

“No,” I said quickly and quietly.

“Oh, ‘cause I’ve never head it before,”

“So,” I said a little bit louder. “What’s the scarf for?”

“Oh, well I figured ‘cause you could sing until you looked up maybe for now you could sing with a blindfold,” Niall explained.

“It’s worth a shot,”

“Alright,” he said. Then he walked over to me and tied the scarf over my eyes. I thought I heard the other boys leaving, making it just Niall and me. I felt him take the guitar from me and then he began to play and I started to sing.

And somehow,

It was easy.

“Don’t worry, if we fall

We can fall into love

It’s just one step, just one step

That might change it all

So take my hand, and we can make it through,

‘Cause it’s just one step,

Just one step to me and you”

When I finished, I head loud clapping and whooping behind me. I ripped the scarf off of my eyes and spun around.

They hadn’t left.

“You were still here?” I asked.

“Yup,” Louis said popping the p.

“Well,” Niall said. “Now that you’ve already sung in front on them do you think you could do it without the scarf?”

“Well it wasn’t exactly in front, they were behind me, but yeah I’ll try,”

Niall started to play again, and I tried to imagine the cloth over my eyes. Because that was what had changed and I needed it to stay changed.

“Don’t worry, if we fall

We can fall into love

It’s just one step, just one step…”

I stopped. I couldn’t go any farther.

“Come on Dani,” Zayn cheered me on.

“Dani, Dani, Dani, Dani,” Louis started to chant, but Niall shushed them.

“Try one more time?” he asked. I thought of my dreams and the song I had sung on my own.

“Yes,” I said confidently.

I closed my eyes and started again.

“Don’t worry, if we fall

We can fall into love

It’s just one step, just one step

That might change it all

So take my hand, and we can make it through,

‘Cause it’s just one step,

Just one step to me and you”

I opened my eyes and smiled. Niall leaned over and gave me a hug. I’m pretty sure I blushed because Liam raised his eyebrows at me and then nudged Harry, who was sitting next to him. Then Mark came running in.

“That’s were you went, I still have to record Louis’s and Zayn’s vocals, and then, if you’re ready Dani, it would be great if I could get your track down after his.” Uncle Mark said standing in the doorway.

“I think I should be able to,” I said with a smile. A look crossed his face that is normally associated with a little girl who has found the doll she wanted under the christmas tree. Then he left taking the four boys with him.

“Do you want to get lunch before you record?” he asked.

“That would be lovely, have you ever been to S’mac?”

“I have no idea what that even is,” he answered with a laugh.

“Boy have you been missing out,” I said.

“Well then show me the way,”

“Alright, follow me,” I said.

S’mac was the best place ever. I hardly ever ate out anymore but if I was it was going to be from s’mac. S’mac served mac’n’cheese and mac’n’cheese only. You could add anything to it you wanted and it came in four different sizes. S’mac was the holy grail of man’n’cheese. I led Niall the few blocks to this amazing place. To get there you had to go down this kind of sketchy looking alley.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“You’ll see,” I said.