to be with you ↠ narry

one

✰ one; beginnings and strange backstories

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As the days have passed, Niall has trouble remembering the last time he's visited Harry.

Since they have been friends for a little over two years, meeting up has always been convenient for them since Niall lived only a couple of blocks away from Harry's apartment, making visits easier. The walk between their apartments were about a quick five minutes. However, it seemed like recently, time hadn't been on their side. For the last few weeks, when one suggested they hang out, the other was always busy which constantly left them feeling frazzled.

Like last Tuesday, Niall rung his mate in hopes to arrange plans and yet as Harry answered the phone, he knew immediately the answer was no. The way he spoke hardly sounded like him. His voice was rough and gritty, a large contrast from his normal soft and slow tone. All throughout the call, Harry sniffled and groaned and coughed. He sounded absolutely horrid, no offense to him, it wasn't his fault for falling ill.

But at the end of the day, Harry was definitely sick and probably would be for a couple days more. Yet Niall was desperate to be with his friend again. Enough to even suggest he swing by and act as his caregiver for a while. Yet being the stubborn lad he is, Harry refused to take any help and confidently stated that if Niall were to step one foot into his apartment that he was sure to be completely infested by all of his germs which he wouldn't want. Although he did agree that coming by for a few seconds to drop off some chicken noodle soup Niall planned on making wouldn't be an entirely horrible idea.

A couple of days before that, Harry stopped by Niall's to see if he was free but as he waited patiently for the door to open after knocking, he was surprised when Niall's mother had answered. She squealed at the sight of Harry and quickly gathered him in a hug but then soon informed him that Niall had just left for the supermarket to pick up a few items for dinner. He could tell that Maura was debating on inviting him for dinner but he knew better than to interrupt their mother-son time so he left before she could offer, leaving a kiss to her cheek and bidding a farewell to her.

As of currently, it was the holidays which meant plenty of time off for vacation. Yet even after Christmas, the pair still had a couple of weeks off which left perfect opportunities to find time to hang out. That is, if Harry was no longer sick and Niall's mom wasn't still visiting. But even if those things didn't get in the way, something else probably would.

It's actually really funny how the two met, they have quite an odd backstory. The first time they met was a little over a year ago at a friend's party. Niall was at the bar chatting up the bartender half-drunkenly, rambling about how Ireland is one of the greatest countries.

It was when Harry wobbly pushed his way through the crowd that he met Niall. Except along the way he awkwardly stepped on his feet and almost fell into his lap. The brunette apologized frantically as Niall repeatedly told him it was fine. That was when they first began talking. For the next hour, the two were in deep conversation about a wide variety of things until Harry got a call from his friend saying he was definitely very late to their dinner plans so he rushed out urgently, muttering a quick apology and goodbye.

The second time they met was at Tesco. Harry was on some kind of health kick and wanted to be sure his entire pantry and refrigerator were stocked with as many healthy, organic foods he could get his hands on. But as he grabbed ahold of the last package of gluten free pretzels, he instead felt another hand.

That was when he noticed it was Niall from the bar he recently went to. Niall had been shopping for his wheat-allergic cousin who was visiting over the next few days. He wasn't really sure what his cousin eats but decided to rummage through the store to find anything that seemed doable.

Although, as he chatted up his newly acquired friend, he realized they had been in the middle of the gluten free aisle for over an hour and were making other customers aggravated since they were blocking one of two entrances, causing others to have to walk around. So instead of mumbling another goodbye, Harry grabbed the pen he had been using to mark things off his shopping list-because yes, he still used actual pen and paper for his lists, neatly scribbling his number on Niall's hand. Harry simpered, reaching a hand out to place on the blonde's shoulder as he politely stated, "I really must be going but it was lovely seeing you again. Text me sometime."

The third time they met was not because Niall texted him using the number inscribed onto his forehand, no most definitely not. He actually totally forgot about it, so he took a shower before realizing he probably should have inputted the number into his phone earlier. So as he tried to decipher if that six was actually a five or maybe an eight, he gave up since every number he texted was either not a working line or a random stranger.

It was the next day when Niall saw Harry again, but this time it was at the library. The Irish lad was skimming the non-fiction section to find a new book to read but it was when Harry casually laid his elbow on Niall's shoulder that he finally noticed his presence. "Hmm, seems like you forgot about me, haven't you?" To which Niall blushed, feeling guilty, explaining what happened. This time Harry was sure to manually enter his number into Niall's phone before parting ways.

The fourth time they met is finally because Niall contacted Harry via text. It was a couple weeks after their first encounter with each other but they finally managed to make it work. Harry suggested visiting a cafe to talk over some coffee and pastries. It wasn't surprising that they hit it off really well. It gave them a refreshing feeling that they were able to get so in depth with communicating.

Not wanting to part paths so quickly, Niall suggested that Harry come over for dinner that night and maybe catch a film afterwards. Harry definitely agreed and asked if he could help cook also, mentioning he was a very good chef. Niall only smiled and nodded, not minding that Harry was so eager to help him in the kitchen, which was actually a good thing since he probably would screw the meal up. The blonde was only just beginning to become accustomed to making his own meals. After he graduated college, he realized very suddenly that eating out every other night and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches would no longer suffice.

However, that was the past and when they finally grew accustomed to their new friendship, things flowed much easier. That was just the beginning of it all though.