Love is Blind

Tucking my hair behind my ear, I shoved open the door of the bar and was immediately met with the sound of some screaming football fans, as one team scored a touchdown. The entire room was filled with jersey clad men shouting at the televisions and tossing back beers as fast as they could get them.

My eyes darted around the room, before landing on Niall’s blonde hair in the corner. He sat at a large booth with each of his band mates sitting around him. The only two who appeared to be focused on the football game were Liam and Zayn. The other three were laughing and chatting while they stuffed chicken wings into their mouths. Most of the chicken wing eating was being done by Niall.

I stepped through the sports bar easily, as most of the men had already taken their places around the various televisions.

When I arrived at the boys’ table, Niall looked up at me, grinning with hot sauce covering his face. He pulled a napkin from the table and quickly wiped the sauce from his face, before standing up. Each of the boys gave me a soft hello, while Niall wrapped me into a quick hug. Of course, he remembered I loved getting hugs.

“Have a seat, love.”

Niall held out his arm, motioning for me to step into the booth. I took my place comfortably between Niall and Harry, who gave me a quick smile. Niall’s leg was pressed gently against mine, in the most innocent manner possible. He hadn’t even meant to do it, but it still set my leg on fire.

Shaking my head, I attempted to push the thought out of my mind. Niall was my friend and I wasn’t willing to let my thoughts lead to anything else. There was no future with these boys; Louis’s very public break-up with Eleanor Calder proved that.

“So, what did you think of that movie?” Niall asked, as he shoved another wing into his mouth.

“You don’t wanna know.” I laughed. “You’d think a movie called Warm Bodies wouldn’t have much comedy, but it was basically a laugh.”

Niall chuckled. “Good thing we left then, yeah?”

“But you did miss out on spending more time with me.”

Looking up from the napkin over his face, Niall smirked. “I still got you here, didn’t I?”

That smirk took my body another ride. One that forced me overthink the situation so much that I knew I needed to scoot away from him. I couldn’t take the dual contact of his leg against mine and his eyes locking with my own. It was too much for my body to handle.

A smile still stayed on his face even when I pulled away, making me wonder whether or not he had noticed at all.

By the time the football game was nearing its end, Niall had picked through two buckets of chicken wings, more than I’d ever seen anyone eat. Of all those buckets, I’d only eaten one, which he had basically forced down my throat. I was never much for spicy stuff, but Niall appeared to love it.

Looking around the group, Zayn stood up. “You lot ready to head out now?”

Each of the boys nodded and stood up, the motion more synchronized than a well-practiced dance. After the boys paid, we made our way out of the sports bar, which was still just as crowded as when I had entered.

Niall kept his hand on my arm the entire time, as if he was worried I might get lost along the way. Little did he know, that touch made me more confused than screaming men around me.

Harry was the first one to reach the door, and he held it open for each of us.

The moment we stepped outside, the wind whipped against my face, sending a slight chill through my body. Niall moved in closer to me, pressing his shoulder against mine, and it warmed me up significantly. Whether it was from his body heat or simply from the sudden feelings he’d been giving me, I couldn’t be sure. All I knew was that it needed to stop.

“We’ve all got places in a building around the corner, if you wanna stop in for a bit?”

The way he said it was more of a question than a statement. He wanted me to spend time with him and his mates, but he obviously didn’t force it on me. I wanted more than anything to say yes, but I knew I couldn’t.

“I’m sorry, I’ve got an interview early in the morning, and Cass will kill me if I don’t get some rest.”

Niall flashed me a large smile, before pulling me into a hug. He continued to warm me up from head to toe, and even though I shouldn’t, I loved the feeling.

As much as I liked Niall, I needed to push all my feelings for him away. I hadn’t had a boyfriend since I started my music career and I wasn’t about to start with a member of the biggest boy band in the world. That was some publicity I didn’t need.