Four Letter Word.

Aly wasn't really sure what she expected. She knew that he was famous, yeah. It became obvious when he wouldn't shut up about his hectic schedule and his wonderful fan encounters. And it didn't bother Aly too much since she knew he was doing what he loved. Now, Aly also knew that he was a good three years older than her -- four once they reach February. But she also didn't mind it since another one of her best friends would be turning 20 in January. And Aly definitely knew that he was sweet, loving, friendly, and always put others before himself.

Once the girl walked out that door, her heart started to race, terrified of what was to come. What if this ruined their friendship? What if after this, they never spoke anymore? Or worse... What if people saw them and assumed the worst? God, that'd suck.

"Aly?" She heard a male voice say, one that sounded quite a bit like the male best friend she learned to love. A small smile appeared on the brunette's lips as she took in his appearance. Very tall, a bit lanky yet muscular, eyes hidden by a pair of sunglasses, and body adorned in a red flannel with dark washed jeans. He looked as if he stepped right out of a magazine, and Aly couldn't help but feel a bit awkward around him. How odd would the two look walking around? She was too ordinary for him.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her, causing Aly to flinch a bit. Her body relaxed after a couple of seconds, in which she wrapped her own arms around him, returning the hug.

"I can't believe I'm actually meeting you," he grinned. "This all seems so surreal. I just... I can't believe it." Aly smiled back at him, unsure of what to say. She hadn't spoken a single word to him, mostly because she was terrified she would make a fool out of herself. "You know, you talk a lot more over the phone." This earned him a playful nudge.

"Shut up," she muttered, the smile never leaving her lips.

"Ah, so she speaks."

Harry opened the passenger door for the petite girl, and she quickly scrambled into the car, twiddling her thumbs after making herself comfortable and buckling in. He was right. This was all so surreal. She wouldn't be surprised if she suddenly woke up with a jolt and found herself laying down in her bed, her phone filled with endless text messages from the man beside her.

"You alright, Aly?"

Again, he interrupted her thoughts. He seemed to do that a lot, though she didn't mind. She actually loved it when he did that, in fear that if she thought too much, she would do something she'd regret. Over-thinking had always put the girl in questionable, awkward situations.

With a simple nod, she offered him a sincere smile. "M'fine," she replied as he started the car up. The song on the radio filled the silence as they drove off to an Italian restaurant.



The two were seated quickly, probably because the lady in the front had recognised Harry. He requested a private booth somewhere in the back so they could get some privacy, and -- no surprise -- he got what he wanted. Aly didn't complain, mostly because she'd wanted some privacy as well. After all, what if they were pictured together? For the duration of their friendship, Harry never shut up about all the girls he'd hang out with having to deal with death threats and unnecessary hate by his loving fans. It was a curse, and he didn't want to drag Aly into it. Not to mention, Aly mentioned that she wouldn't be able to handle it as well as the others.

The girl had already received a few hateful comments from his fans, having been mentioned on his and Liam's Twitter quite a few times. All those times, she would call either lad, complaining about how idiotic their fans were and how she hoped they would realise the consequences of their words.

"I'll have the Chicken Alfredo," the brunette mumbled to the waitress, who wouldn't stop staring at her friend. "And some raspberry iced tea." The waitress didn't react or move an inch. Her eyes were glued to the attractive man in front of her. "Yo! You're gonna burn holes in the kid's head if you don't stop staring."

Wow, where did that come from? Obviously, Aly was annoyed at how they stared at him like he was an object when, in reality, he was another human being. It didn't help that Harry looked quite uncomfortable under the waitress's stare. An amused smirk crept onto the lad's lips as he averted his eyes from the waitress onto Aly.

"I'll have some spaghetti and a coke," he ordered, his eyes not leaving the young girl in front of him. It was now Aly's turn to feel uncomfortable. When the waitress finally scrambled off, Harry spoke up again. "You were either annoyed, mad, or both," he said, the smirk not leaving his lips. "Or you were jealous."

"Ha! Hilarious. Why would I ever be jealous when it comes to you?"

"Ouch."

"Oh."

"Hm..."

The two sat in silence as they waited for their food to arrive. It was as if the two were holding a staring contest, each trying to memorise each other's features before they parted. A small smile were on both their lips, and Aly rested her chin on a fist. A flash snapped them out of their trance, causing Aly's eyes to go wide and Harry's brows to furrow.

"Shit, not here..." He muttered under his breath. Another flash. "Fuck." And another flash.

By now, Aly was getting scared by the second. He had told her stories about getting mobbed, and they never had a happy ending. "Harry, c-can we go," she asked in a small voice, her heart pounding. The tall boy nodded as they both stood up. He instinctively grabbed a hold of her hand and led her to the front of the restaurant. As she expected, there were a mob of girls and a few older men (who she assumed to be the paparazzi) all standing outside. Aly froze in place, too shocked to do anything else.

A big man came out of nowhere and helped Harry pull the small girl into his car, and she made a mental note to thank that man later. She also made a mental note to never hang out with Harry out in public. Always keep him inside a house or somewhere very isolated.

"I'm so sorry," Harry spoke, looking over to his right to glance at the girl as he drove. "I didn't think -- I mean, Liam said we'd be fine. Lou had anonymously tipped this stupid Twitter page that I'd be on the other side of town. God, if I knew that was gonna happen, I would've just taken you to the hotel to hang out with me and the lads... Jesus, Aly. I'm real sorry."

"It's fine."

"No, it's not. You're too young to have to deal with this. I should've thought it through."

"Harry, seriously. We can still go do something if you want. Besides, I bet it was the waitress that tipped them off. She was obviously pissed that I went off on her." A playful grin rested on Aly's lips as she spoke, causing Harry to chuckle. That was the girl he fell in love with.

Hold up, what?

Okay, so his brain is obviously not in the right state of mind. After all, he was just mobbed. In love? No, he couldn't be in love with her. She was three years younger than him, for God's sake. That was illegal! Not to mention, she's his best friend. He didn't want to fall in the stereotypical story of two best friends falling in love.

Who said she loved you back?

Alright, so he was friend-zoned real bad anyway. Not like it mattered then. And he's obviously just very confused. He couldn't be in love with her. Besides, they just now met face-to-face. No way he was in love. He was just lonely. That's it.

Just lonely.