As It Was ~ l.s

2: Tough Decisions

A/N: This is a shorter chapter... feel like it should have been longer but my brain doesn't want to come up with anything so, this is the bs I've slapped into a chapter. Enjoy :)

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Of course he'd seen the live. It was trending literally everywhere, he knew it would mean that Niall would be bringing up the reunion again. He was dreading the talk, and now that he had it, he realized how much he really didn't want to leave his solo career. He liked his music, he liked the freedom, he liked that he could have his own form of self-expression. But then again, he missed the boys. He missed the times they had on tour, he missed the late nights making songs about nonsense, he missed having Niall sing all the "girl", "her" and "she" lines.

He didn't know how he was even going to bring it up with Olivia. She definitely wouldn't let him even consider getting the band back together. He couldn't really care too much what she thought though, it was his decision at the end of the day. Their contract would end in ten months anyways.
"Working hard or hardly working Styles?" Olivia walked into the studio, handing Harry a cold bottle of water.
"You're not supposed to be in here." Was all Harry said as he placed the bottle on a coaster on his table. Olivia rolled her eyes and put her bottle on the glass table. Harry watched as the condensation dripped onto the table, causing a circle of water to form on the glass around the bottle.
"You're not supposed to be in here and you haven't used a coaster on my glass table. Please leave, I need to concentrate."
"You haven't even been doing anything for the past three hours, Harry. I came to check in on you. You haven't even said a single word since your video call with- them- and I'm worried about you."
"I'm fine Liv. I-I'll be fine. Thanks for your concern, but there's nothing to worry about, really." Harry gave her a weak smile. Though he despised this woman, he still tried to be friends with her, at least till the contract is up.
"Alright, well, I'll be in the kitchen if you need me. Don't forget about our plans next-"
"Next Thursday, yes, I know. I've got it on my calendar."
"Good. Bye then." She kissed Harry's forehead, something he learned to get used to since the two of them started living together.

Harry looked down at the bottle that Olivia left on the table and furrowed his brows. He wiped up the water and put a coaster under the bottle. He then sat back down at his desk and looked down at his notepad. He'd only written two lines, which he scrapped. The lyrics were too personal for what he wanted to put out. He thought about the concept for his next album, wondering what kind of lyrics would work with the melody he worked on the day before. He got lost in his thoughts and emotions, suddenly contemplating the reunion. He knew how messy it would be if they all met up, especially between him and Louis. He'd forgiven Z ages ago, he just hadn't really spoken to him since he broke his and his best friend's heart. He knew he wouldn't be able to talk to Louis after what went on between the two of them, he knew he probably couldn't even look him in the eye after what had happened. Nevertheless, he genuinely wanted a reunion, he wanted to be with his brothers, he wanted to be with his family. That seemed to outweigh all the cons he could think of.

Harry 💚: Hey Ni, I'm in.

Nialler 🇮🇪: Sweet!

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Louis was going through enough as it is, he'd finally gotten a break and now he had to have it ruined by the mere thought of even seeing Harry and Zayn. Of course he missed the tours, the music, the fans, but he just didn't know how he could possibly deal with all the drama. It was too much, not to be dramatic or anything. He simply just didn't feel like dealing. He wishes he could just leave everything the way it is and live his life without stressing about pleasing everyone all the time. Then again, he had to think about himself. He was lonely, he missed his brothers and he so desperately needed a hug from Niall and Liam.
He' skipped dinner and been lying on his bed, thinking. Weighing out the pros and cons of agreeing to the reunion. Then he thought about good ol' Simon Cowell. He knew that bastard would be involved in some way. But then he remembered the feeling of being on stage with the boys, in the tour bus with the boys, even fucking shit up in hotel rooms with the boys. He knew his mind was already made up. He turned on his phone and checked the group chat.

Harold: Hey Ni, I'm in.
Nialler 🇮🇪: Sweet!

Tommo 💙: Same here

Nialler 🇮🇪: Great!
Nialler 🇮🇪: We'll plan a get-together to discuss band arrangements n stuff.
Nialler 🇮🇪: I'll get back to you guys on that.

Nialler 🇮🇪 has added Z 💛 to Corden's Angels 💪🏻😇Nialler 🇮🇪 has renamed 'Corden's Angels 💪🏻😇'  to 'Leeroy's Dance Class 💃🏻🕺🏻'

He knew he was going to regret this decision later, but for right now, it seemed to be the only thing that gave him something to look forward to.

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Zayn saw that he got added to the group chat, he saw that the boys had all agreed. That's when he got nervous. Everything had become real and he'd realised the gravity of his situation when he got added to the group chat. Now that the boys had agreed, he'd actually have to follow through with his word and help Niall orchestrate this reunion. It was his idea after all.