cold coffee in the evening // niall horan au

III. clandestine pining

Here's the story about Niall Horan:

He is Harry's best friend. The two of them could be brothers with how often they are together. Neha often jokes that they are joined at the hip and how it's surprising that Niall doesn't third-wheel her and Harry more frequently. What this really means is that in the four or so years Harry and Neha have been together, Nisha has seen quite a lot of Niall Horan.

He and Harry are often invited to family events. He is almost always around somewhere, whether it's on a trip to Vegas or at a friendsgiving dinner or even just in her house on Friday nights, when everyone gathers around the couch to watch movies together.

You would think that being around Niall Horan so often for four years would make it easier for Nisha to have a conversation with him. That is wrong. Nisha is still a nervous wreck whenever he's next to her and Niall is still as gracious as ever. He once pulled her aside and boldly—but kindly—asked if he had done something wrong because he got the feeling she didn't like him very much. Of course she couldn't tell him that she avoids him because she thinks about him all the time and finds him unbearably attractive and she really just can't handle her feelings, so she'd just stuttered out that it's not what he thinks at all and then they'd sort of left it at that.

Something shifted in their dynamic since then. Nisha makes an effort not to be completely awkward around him and Niall gives her space. Now, instead of cautious glances at her whenever she freezes at the sight of him, Niall looks at her with a bemused curiosity. Perhaps now, four years later, he's gotten a better sense of why she finds it difficult acting normal around him, which, truthfully, only makes this whole situation even more embarrassing for her.

Nisha loves her romance novels and rom-coms. But when it comes to experiencing those feelings in real-life, she falters. It's why Niall makes her nervous. Every time she sees him, her pulse quickens, she's covered in cold sweats, and she's hyperaware of every single thing he does. Four years of being infatuated with his every move has made her quite the expert on him.

For instance, she knows that he's allergic to shellfish, he wears his watch on his left wrist despite being a leftie, his ears go bright red when he's nervous, he is quintessentially Irish and won't let you forget it. Her brain is a never-ending pool of Niall knowledge. He can devour a plate of her grandmother's famous coconut barfis even though he claims to not like sweets. He used to use Harry's Gucci Guilty but now his cologne of choice is Hugo Boss Infinite, top notes mandarin and apple, base notes olivewood and sandalwood, a mere whiff of which can have her skin rippling with goosebumps.

He can finesse anyone at a game of poker. He's always singing under his breath. He plays a 1961 Gibson guitar his grandfather passed on to him that he cares for like it's his child. Nisha looked it up once and apparently it's worth thousands. He drinks too much coffee and always waits for it to get disgustingly cold before he consumes it.

It's so much and not enough at the same time. She's completely spellbound and too afraid to act on it. No one knows of her complete fascination with Niall Horan and she'd die if anyone found out. This is a secret she's perfectly fine with carrying on her own, evading his company while cataloging everything about him to memory. Besides, she wouldn't be able to bear the teasing if anyone ever caught wind of her little crush. It would get back to Niall somehow and she'd rather pack up her whole life and shift to a different country than have him reject her.

She's managed four years of her clandestine pining. There should be no reason why she can't keep up the charade.

Except this wedding has presented her with a very big problem.

Niall is Harry's Best Man.