Drowning

Hannah had forgotten what it was like to be in love. She forgot about all the wonderful little aspects of having a boyfriend and how it was such a thrill for her.

They had been in a relationship for about two months, and Hannah couldn’t remember a day where she had been unhappy. Sure, she had the envelope to keep reminding her all the bad times as it continued to rot on her dresser, but it gave her so many more reasons to keep spending the night with Niall.

With each day, Niall’s knee was another step towards being (almost) healthy. Days where he went without his crutches were when he was the happiest. He felt as if he wasn’t a burden to Hannah anymore now that he could do a lot of things on his own again.

The days flew by since the wedding for him as well. Everything seemed to be falling in place, especially for Hannah. He watched her start gaining back the friendship with her brother, who he was able to meet with a few times after the wedding. He couldn’t express how much joy he felt when she got excited over the small things like check-up texts or random gifts. He had never seen Hannah in this state that he didn’t want to see the day that it would all crumble back on top of her.

It had been a lazy weekday towards the end of April. Hannah had called off work and went over to her home away from home. The two had been watching a movie on and off for the past couple of hours. Currently, they were lost in themselves on the couch.

“I’m gonna be lost without ya when I leave.” Niall spoke against her lips in a whisper.

Hannah opened her eyes abruptly. She brought her hands to his face, thumbs rubbing his cheeks. His sudden statement made her heart skip a beat. She searched his blue eyes for some kind of answer, but she was still so confused at what he said.

“What do you mean?”

“The tour,” He stated as if it were the obvious. “The tour is in a couple of days.”

The fact made Hannah’s stomach drop. It would be months before she could hold him like this. She’d miss the way he would be only an arm’s length away, rolling over on her side to know he was right next to her. Months would feel like years from not being able to kiss him or hug him. Being miles away means she had to watch his life through pictures, and she couldn’t be part of it.

“Oh,” Hannah interjected. She sat up, forcing Niall backwards and took his hands in hers. “Yeah, the tour…I forgot.”

He didn’t mean to kill the moment, but he had to set reality back into their relationship. He would have forgotten himself if he hadn’t received a text earlier from the lads. There was a lot of packing he still needed to do.

“Are you going to be alright?”

She nodded, looking away from him still. “Yeah, you just caught me off guard.”

“I’m only going to be in South America for a few weeks. In mid-May we get a week break before we get back on tour in Europe. You’re coming to a few, you know.” He looked at her with a smirk, hoping it would cheer her up.

Hannah finally glanced at him with a small smile.

“I got a few friend and family tickets. You’ll be sitting with some of the girlfriends or family members so you don’t have to deal with all the madness.”

“And then, after Europe? You’ll be in America for how long?”

“Tell me the cities you want to come to and I’ll get you the tickets.”

Hannah was aware that if he were to be dating somebody other than her, she would be jumping on him and telling him to get a ticket to every single concert he could. And it wasn’t that she could care less about going to the concert, it was just about being able to be in the same room as him a couple times a month. For finally coming around and trusting Niall to be her partner, she didn’t want to give him up to the world just yet. Going to visit the cities of her dreams were just benefits of be able to spend time with him.

“Deal?” Niall spoke again as Hannah stayed quiet.

A huge smile broke out on her face. “Deal.”


Saying goodbye for the next couple of weeks was a difficult task for Hannah. It was only for two weeks, but it was sure to feel like a lifetime after all the time she’d spent with Niall for the past couple of months.

She told herself it would help her focus on her studies. It was the beginning of the term, and for how much she’d slacked in the last term, she promised herself she would do better. Now that her life was back on track, it would be easier for her to excel.

Or so she said. With him being gone, she worried about him a lot along with the rest of the boys. She worried about them arriving to their destination , hoping they didn’t fall ill in the cities they were in, and putting on a good show for the fans (as if that wasn’t already possible).

So much of the worrying had gone to her head that she forced herself to go to her classes and doing all of the work for it.

“Why are you stressing yourself out so much?’ Marisa laughed at her best friend, who was clearly falling in love. “They’re completely alright.”

“I have nothing else better to.” Hannah laughed with her, tossing her pencil on her desk and taking a breather by leaning back in her chair. “I stress myself out a lot, but I think this is a healthy stress. For once in my life, things are all running smoothly. I am up to date on my studies. I am talking to my family regularly. And I have a boyfriend, who happens to be famous and travels around the entire globe. It wouldn’t kill me to worry about him a little, would it?”

Marisa leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest. “I suppose your right. Being in your position, I would probably do the same thing.”

Hannah removed herself from her bedroom, with Marisa following, where she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

“I’m proud of you, Hannah.” The brunette said. “I can’t remember the last time I saw you this happy.”

Hannah grinned. She hadn’t felt this happy in ages. It was a great feeling to able to joke around with best friend and not take everything so seriously. Everyone around her was noticing her changed attitude, and knowing that people didn’t have to walk on eggshells when she was around was relieving.

A knock came to their door. Hannah set her water aside and answered the door to see a brunette woman on the other side.

“Eleanor!” She exclaimed.

“Surprise!” Eleanor smiled and let herself in.

“What are you doing here?”

Eleanor set a blank envelope on the counter and Hannah met her on the other side where she was drinking her water.

“Well, I thought I’d pay a long overdue visit and give you this.” She slid the envelope over to Hannah. “Each of the boys picked out a date in Europe and North America for us to come watch them live.”

Hannah removed the tickets from the envelope and looked at the cities they would be traveling too. Each of the tickets were labeled with the boys’ names to show who was inviting the girls where. Niall had picked Ireland, not that it was a surprise to any of them. Harry chose Manchester, Liam went with Sweden, Louis picked France, and Zayn chose Italy. Hannah had yet to look at the North American tickets when Eleanor spoke up.

“Now, Harry didn’t know what your plans would be, Marisa. So, he’d hoped for you to set aside some time and come to the Manchester and London showings.”

“Oh, this is fantastic!” Marisa squealed and immediately shoved Hannah over to retrieve her tickets. Eleanor laughed at the scene in front of her, and Hannah shook her head at her best friend’s boy band obsession.

“Wow,” Hannah sighed as she looked at the tickets that were now in Marisa’s hands. “I never thought of myself of being a traveler.”

“It’s so much fun. I will definitely be taking you out in the cities while the boys prep for their show. Kind of like making up for lost time?” Eleanor laughed, and Hannah brought her in for a hug to express her gratitude for this opportunity.


The boys had returned home a few days later, only to be booked with more events, practice, and extra packing for the stuff that they didn’t bring for their South American leg of the tour.

Meanwhile, Hannah had spent a lot of time with Eleanor shopping downtown for outfits they would bring with them to the concerts. The blonde had come to realize what a fashionista Eleanor was, so it was no wonder she was dressed to the nines. Eleanor had even offered to buy her the outfits that she really liked on Hannah.

“I’m warning you early on that you may be swarmed by fans. You may not see it that often, but everybody knows you. They find out things with a snap of a finger.” The brunette told Hannah. “So, it’s our job to keep bright smiles on our faces and look good while doing it.”

So, the blonde agreed to get buy some of the outfits that Eleanor suggested. She was aware that she was slowly becoming popular in the public eye, and the last thing she needed to be was her old self. She was the changed Hannah, the one who wasn’t going to allow a crowd of screaming girls ruin her day or be fearful of being seen in the spotlight. Now being associated with the most famous boy band of her time, there was no doubt she was going to be protected from anything that could hurt her.

It may have been a long shot, but she was always concerned about Brad.

Soon enough, she was off soaring in the air on the way to Ireland. They had been flying over the ocean for only a little while because land started to become visible. They were nearing Dublin, and the aerial view of it was fascinating to Hannah. Never had she been in an airplane before, and having her first experience be visiting another country was breathtaking.

Niall watched her as she stared out of the window at his homeland. A thin sweater was wrapped around her body, and her wavy hair spilled over her left shoulder. He was so thankful for this girl, and she would never know the half of it.

“Niall, your city is amazing.” She said, not breaking eye contact from the window.

“I technically didn’t grow up here.” He admitted. “I’m about an hour drive out west.”

“Oh, it’s practically the same thing.” She laughed.

He took her hand in his, and that’s when she finally looked at him with her makeup-free face.

“I hope it’s alright that you meet my family tonight.” He told her, sort of afraid to hear her reaction.

Hannah, who was deep down absolutely terrified of making a first impression to his family, smiles at Niall and exhaled the breath she was holding in.

“Of course it’s alright. You’ve already met mine.”

“You’re sure? I didn’t mean to make it such a surprise since we’re already here, but they’ve been planning on coming and I thought it would be a perfect time-”

She grabbed the side of his face so she could bring her lips to his cheek.

“There’s a difference when you give me a twenty-four hour notice and a ten minute notice.” She said. “At least I have time to prepare before I make myself a fool in front of them.”

“Hey, I’m their kid. They know the difference between a fool and me beautiful girlfriend.”

“Oh, stop…” She chuckled, shoving his body away as he began to suffocate her with love.


Two hours before the show, everybody’s head turned towards the security guard who let in the parents that belonged to Niall. Nobody had to identify them for Hannah could the resemblance immediately in their faces.

“It’s so lovely to see you again.” Harry greeted them each with a hug.

“The same goes for you, Harry.” Niall’s mother told him. “How have you been?”

As they continued their conversation, a hand wrapped around hers and pulled her off the couch. Niall appeared from behind her and caught up with her stride as they made their way towards his parents.

“Mum and dad, meet Hannah.”

“Oh, it’s so nice to finally meet you!” His mother cooed, instantly hugging her. “Niall has talked so much of you that I was beginning to wonder if I would ever get the chance to you, my dear. “How are you?”

“I’m alright.” She chuckled nervously, not expecting this reaction. “Maybe a little out of breath due to this fast-paced lifestyle.”

“Oh, you’re tellin’ me.” His mother rolled her eyes, and then grinned at her son. “You’ll only get used to it. And I can tell you now that it’ll be the time of your life.”

Hannah had barely gotten the chance to meet Niall’s father for his mother had already started walking off with her to the snack table that was provided for the boys. She kept talking, and Hannah looked back at Niall, who shrugged at her with a smile.

“She likes you.” He mouthed.

Relief washed over Hannah and for some odd reason, she felt completely comfortable in the conversation she was having with somebody she’d just met.

“You are such a sweet girl, Hannah. I’m so glad you’ve given my son a chance. It’s not very often he can get the chance.”

“It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure.” Hannah confessed.

His mother put her hand on her shoulder. “I understand. The fast-paced lifestyle can be quite a difficult one. I hope you haven’t any trouble with it lately.”

The blonde smiled. “You only get used it, right?”

Both of the women laughed, and it was becoming very obvious to Hannah that it was impossible to hate the Horan family.

As time drew near to the start of the concert, Niall’s family and the girlfriends made their way to their seats that happened to be in an area where fans had tickets too. Hannah looked at Eleanor when the first fans headed over to their section.

“Oh my god!!”

The shrieks only grew louder as more fans piled around them. And as everybody noticed Eleanor first since she had been sitting on the end, Hannah didn’t expect anybody to be coming up to her. The lines were beginning to get long for Eleanor, Sophia, and Niall’s parents that when girls were coming up to Hannah, she had no idea how to react.

“You’re so pretty!”

“Can I get a picture with you?!”

After several smiles and poses and expressions of gratitude, many of the remaining fans were told to head back to their seats by security guards. Hannah was finally able to breathe.

“Are you alright?” Eleanor asked, seeing Hannah hadn’t said much after they’d been sitting down for a few moments.

“I’m actually okay.” Hannah said while her self-esteem was rising. The compliments that she’d been given tonight had helped her realize her self-worth. She had probably made them the happiest fans on the planet that night, but what they didn’t know is that they made Hannah’s night too.


Ireland was something to remember. For seeing their show live for the first time, it was an unbelievable experience and was able to relate to all of the fans around the world that have been to their shows. Her first show was one for the books along with meeting Niall’s family.

Next stop was Manchester. Hannah and Marisa decided to endure the two and a half hour drive together so they could spend the next two hours having the time of their lives.

Hannah spent more time watching her best friend rock out to their music more than watching the boys perform. She was so glad to have her come along for one of their shows, otherwise, she would never hear the end of it when she got back from all her trips around the country.

The boys were performing three nights in Manchester, and tonight was their third. They had the day off the next day to get all packed up and ready to go for their next show in Scotland. Apparently, the boys had a much better idea.

“You’re just too good to be true…can’t take my eyes off of you…”

Everybody watched as Niall made his way back from the DJ, who was playing a bunch of bunch of music from fifty decades ago in the bar that they were in. This was one of his favorite genres of music, so there was no way he wasn’t going to be satisfied if he couldn’t make a request of his own.

His body swayed back and forth, singing like he were Frankie Valli himself. And as the pitch of the song changed to a much faster note, Niall reached his hand out, pointing it directly at his group of friends.

“I love you, baby! And if it’s quite alright, I need you, baby!”

After that, he grabbed Hannah’s hand and pulled her off of the chair to bring her on to the floor to dance. Everybody else in their group stood from their table simultaneously and joined the couple on the floor.

“Now, it wouldn’t hurt your boyfriend’s feelings if I danced with you tonight, would it?” Harry glanced at Marisa as they were the last of the group to join.

“If it does, he’s just going to have to get over it.” She beamed, trying to be on her best behavior with her favorite member of the band. “I would love to dance.”

“Great!” He grabbed her hand, and soon enough, they were in a dancing position, spinning around in circles all over the place.

Meanwhile, Hannah and Niall were pretending as if they were the only two in the room. With a few drinks in them, they were singing the lyrics in quite a goofy fashion, laughing at certain moments when they brought each other back into reality.

“Oh, pretty baby! Now that I’ve found you, stay and let me love you, baby! Let me love you!”

“You can never go wrong with Frankie Valli, am I right?” Niall raised his eyebrows, waiting for the response he was looking for. Hannah was spun around by Niall three times in a row before coming back in the proper dancing position as if they were dancing in the fifties.

She wished this night could go on forever. It had been one of the best nights in her life, and as it neared two in the morning, she wasn’t ready for it to end.

By looking around the room at everybody else, Hannah could see that nobody else was ready to end the night either. Marisa and Harry were dancing in a phony way. Hannah smiled at them, glad to see she was having an amazing time, especially with the member she liked the most. The rest of the boys had their girlfriends held close to their bodies, moving swiftly to the music.

The short song soon ended, and Niall was ready to make another request. A swarm of people followed after him, and Hannah watched as he ate all the attention up. Nothing could kill the mood he was in, and the same was going for her.

“Anybody up for some Elvis?!”

The crowd around him cheered, and a couple minutes later, an updated remix of Presley’s song A Little Less Conversation started playing. Niall immediately jogged back to Hannah where they continued to dance until the break of dawn.