the lonely hearts club || n.h au

eleven

Alexandra's time in Mullingar is running out. She'll soon have to return to Dublin and she'll have to go back to spending every waking hour thinking or worrying about her work. And on top of that, she'll have to return to her quiet flat. She's not looking forward to any of that.

The one thing she is looking forward to, much to her surprise, is meeting Niall's friends. The thought of meeting them turns her into a bundle of nerves and yet, on the heels of those nerves is excitement. A tiny flame of excitement.

It's obvious to Alexandra that his friends are important to him — they're like his family. So she feels that it's crucial that she gets along with them. That she makes a good impression. And for purely selfish reasons, she wants them to like her as much as her family likes Niall. She wants his friends to ask him about her when she's not around the same way her mum can't seem to stop asking her about him. She wants, even for a short amount of time, to be their friend too.

It scares her how much she wants those things. How she wants to fit into Niall's life.

Not that it matters because once she and Niall go their separate ways, things will go back to the way they were. Alexandra's family will be hers, and Niall's friends will be his. Their lives will no longer be entangled. And they'll be back to square one:

Alexandra Oh and Niall Horan, schoolmates.

Alexandra Oh and Niall Horan, acquaintances.

Alexandra Oh and Niall Horan, neighbours.

Or maybe if they're fortunate enough they'll be: Alexandra Oh and Niall Horan, friends.

Alexandra wonders which version he'll choose if he talks about her in the future.

But there's no point in worrying about any of that when she hasn't heard from Niall since she left his pub a couple of days ago. She's starting to think that maybe he's changed his mind about introducing her to his friends. That maybe he's come to a realisation that it's not a good idea to get his friends involved.

They might be a little too late on that now, though, because yesterday, Alexandra received two new follow requests: Fiona Jones and Amy Byrne. It didn't take her long to figure out that they're Brody and Connor's partner — their faces make an appearance on a lot of their photos.

Although Alexandra has never met any of these girls, it feels like she's known them already. Especially Cara and Amy who always have something to share on their Instagram stories — their breakfast, memes they find hilarious, tv series they've been watching. And although they've all liked and commented on the photo she posted a few days ago, Alexandra doesn't have the guts to do the same to them.

"Are you watching the tv or is the tv watching you?" Isaac asks, snapping Alexandra out of her thoughts as he throws himself onto the couch.

"You sound more and more like dad."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Isaac grins. Alexandra rolls her eyes at him. He'd take anything as a compliment. "So, no plans with your boyfriend?"

Alexandra doesn't warrant her brother's question with an answer. Her silence, however, is misinterpreted.

"What, trouble in paradise already?" Isaac taunts her, earning himself a middle finger. He laughs. "Saw David's comment on that picture."

Alexandra turns to her brother and raises an eyebrow, "Good to know you stalk me."

"Oh come on. Don't flatter yourself." Isaac chuckles, shaking his head. "I only saw it 'cause he left a comment after I did."