Niall Horan: Finally taken, or stuck in the 'Friend Zone' ?
It is a known fact that One Direction's Niall Horan has been single since the beginning of his X-factor career, but is this still true? Earlier this week, Niall Horan, 17, and Kelsey McDougall, 17, were seen running away from Paparazzi while holding hands. McDougall is the daughter of the late Jonathon McDougall, record producer and owner/originator of Atlanta Records. The two have been said to have met on a flight to London leaving from LAX. Sources indicate that things were getting quite cozy between the two on the flight and which led to them swapping numbers. According to Allen Haldwald, the Paparazzo who had taken the above photos, the two seemed to be having a disagreement over they're relationship. "Niall had been interrogating Kelsey about seeing another man at the same time she was seeing him," Said Haldwald. Allen explained that she was seen at a Nando's in downtown London with a handsome dark haired stranger near the Woman's toilets earlier that day. But another inside source claims Niall and Kelsey are 'just friends'. So the real question is, is Niall stuck in the 'Friend Zone', competing with another man, or is there a mistake? Considering the vast majority of different replies were receiving, somethings up! Post your replies on twitter with the hash-tag #IrishLove.
Niall's POV
"#IrishLove, really..." Niall muttered to himself. Kelsey took the article out of Niall's hands and read it for herself.
" 'Niall had been interrogating Kelsey about seeing another man at the same time she was seeing him?' Do they think I'm some kind of whore!" Kelsey said, clearly flustered. "Well no, because were not even seeing each other-But we are-But then again we aren't ... I don't even know!" She was confusing Niall more than she was confusing herself.
The fact was true, yes they were seeing each other, but without a title. There was no proclaimed line of commitment there whatsoever, but technically there was an implied one. And reading this article made him cringe at the thought of him being compared to a 'handsome dark haired stranger'. Handsome. Dark haired. Stranger. Niall was not liking any of those words at the moment. Kelsey let out a single loud giggle, which interrupted Niall from his thoughts.
"What are you laughing at?" Niall said, scratching the back of his head.
" A handsome, dark haired stranger? You would think these paps would know a celebrity when they saw one." She looked over at Niall.
"What do you mean?" Niall reached over and took the magazine out of Kelsey's hands.
"I bumped into Harry, not a random dark haired stranger."
Suddenly, Niall felt stupid for resenting a stranger, let alone one of his best friends. He felt even more stupid because of the fact Kelsey herself had told him about bumping into Harry that day. But, it wasn't like he had a right to be angry in the first place. Sure, there was that implied line if commitment, but Kelsey was free to do what she wanted just as he was.
"Where do they even get this stuff?" He groaned, flopping back on the couch. He rubbed his face with his hands, almost wishing to tear it off due to frustration.
"The souls of little anteaters running around in a zoo somewhere on the east coast of Manhattan."
Niall sat up and gave Kelsey a weird stare. "What?" He asked confused.
"I have no idea, but this article is the dumbest thing I have ever read. Do they honestly think that this is true?" Kelsey threw the magazine on the table.
"Honestly, yeah. There was one a while back about Harry getting turned on when people tweeted him "Meow". There was a lot of controversy on that one." Niall giggled.
"It really doesn't bother me, you know. I mean, sure it looks bad, but we both know the truth right?" He nodded at what Kelsey was saying. She had a point. The articles would only affect them on their level of trust which was helped distributed by the implied line.
"I suppose we should just ignore this, but you should really not go on twitter for a few days. Like, at all. The fans can be a bit... open with their opinions and I would feel terrible if you read them."
"I promise." She grabbed his littlest finger and held it tight. They shared a smile, and Niall could vaguely see why the article would state why they were arguing. She was beautiful. From the way her hair swept out of her face, how her eyes twinkled when she laughed, and how she tended to lick her lips when she was nervous. Every part of her was gorgeous, and he couldn't seem to find an imperfection on her body. She had perfect curves, amazingly long legs, and gorgeous hair that was forever changing colours in the sunlight. When Kelsey looked down, Niall realized he had been staring to long. He was about to look away when his phone had gone off. One New Message: Zayn Malik, he opened the text.
Rehearsal for the tonight show starts in an hour, traffics bad so you should leave now. Are you taking a cab or are we picking you up in the car? - Z
pick me up, tell me when your leaving – N
"I erm, have to go to rehearsal soon-" Niall was cut off from the vibrating of his cell phone.
Leaving now – Z
"Oh, okay." Kelsey smiled at him. "Do you need a ride or..."
"The boys are coming to get me." She nodded.
"Well have fun with that blue hair of yours on live television... The girls will go mad." She giggled and Niall yet again noticed the sparkle in her eyes. He still groaned.
"Just be glad we weren't painting your room green, I'd rather not be called a leprechaun for the rest of my life." He sighed, and Kelsey let out a snort.
"Did you just snort?" Niall laughed.
"Nope, wasn't me." She casually looked away.
"Uh huh, suure." Niall casually looked the other way. Fuck! Niall thought. I still haven't asked her.
"So, uhm, there's this, there's this club opening me and the boys are supposed to go to on Friday.."
Kelsey looked back at him and smiled. "That sounds like fun!"
"Yeah, but erm, I was wondering if you would, uhm, if-if you would like to... I mean, only if you wanted to, but I was wondering if you would, erm, like to come." He could practically feel his skin turning red, God he was embarrassed, he'd never stuttered so much in his entire life.
"You want me to go with you to the club opening?" Kelsey said slowly.
"Uh, yeah... But you don't have to, I mean, if you have something to do I understand.."
"Of course I'll go with you!" Kelsey said kissing his cheek. Niall felt the intense heat rising over his face as Kelsey moved away. He usually wasn't like this with girls, embarrassed and nervous.
"GREAT!- I, I mean cool. Cool." He tried to shrug off his enthusiasm, terribly, might I add. But as usual, she giggled. She giggled at everything he said or did, Niall though it was adorable.
Before Niall could respond, there was a honking coming from the drive way.
"That'll be the boys." Niall said standing up. He stretched his arms and walked over to Kelsey, engulfing her in a tight hug. He could feel her arms seep through their enclosure and hug him back. He let go and Kelsey walked him to the door.
"Good-bye Niall," Kelsey smiled.
"Good-bye Kelsey," Niall said, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek.
He walked away with a little hop in his step, knowing that this Friday night, he would be the lucky guy to have a date with Kelsey McDougall.
Kelsey's POV
He just asked me out.
Niall Horan just asked me out.
I have a date with Niall Horan.
No matter which way she said it, it still didn't process through her brain. Niall Horan; that beautiful blue haired leprechaun that just walked out her front door, had asked her to accompany him to a club appearance. That was considered a date, right? I mean, he asked me to go with him... so it must count. She thought to herself.
I'm going out, on a date, with Niall Horan.
She ran to the window and watched the black SUV leave her driveway before letting out one, long, high pitched, squeal.
"I HAVE A DATE WITH NIALL HORAN!" She chanted over, and over, and over again.
She was happy, and it was amazing. She hadn't been on many dates, the last one being in a broom closet, if you could even call it a date. Things with Justin were never easy. There were always rules, expectations, guide lines. They couldn't be seen in public - in fear that Kelsey would be subjected to the harsh rays of the media. They couldn't talk to each other electronically, texts being the only acceptation. When they were together, it had to be in secret, because Justin hadn't been sure how Kelsey's father would react. Rule, after rule, after rule Kelsey believed him. But as each "date" and "meeting spot" continued, the rules became more and more restricting, to the point where Justin would only meet her in a broom closet in the basement at one of his venues. Of course, it was only natural that Kelsey was left clueless for the longest time. She was dating Justin Bieber, who was she to complain about rules? She had everything she needed; perfect life, perfect family, perfect boyfriend - all accept her body.
When Kelsey first met Justin, admittedly, she was a bit chunky. She was a lot bigger than the size two she currently was. But when she first saw him, she thought she knew what it was she was feeling. She thought she knew that love in fact, was exactly alike the movies. That you could just waltz inside of a room, lay eyes upon your beloved, and BAM! You're hooked. It took her a long time to figure out what she was feeling was infatuation indeed, not love at first sight. Over time, Justin would ignore her, and over time Kelsey would feel worse and worse about herself. She started wearing makeup. She started going to the gym, and joined her schools swimming team, on top of her constant swimming at home. She started hanging out with girls like Aleisha; girls who would change her, make her popular and likeable. Although it seemed like she started to do many things, she also stopped doing a few things too. She stopped eating. She stopped hanging out with her family. She stopped sleeping.
All because of a boy. She turned herself into the perfect image of a girl, in her opinion anyways. And in the process, she turned herself into an almost anorexic insomniac with one hell of a body. Drowning in her infatuation, she went to the studio again with her new body to give Justin a visit. From then on, they met in his dressing room, empty recording booths, broom closets - anywhere where Kelsey wouldn't be seen. And after a while, Kelsey had gotten sick of not being able to tell the world Justin was hers, and that her heart belonged to him as well. She was sick of hiding away from the world, from the media. She wanted to be seen in magazines holding Justin's hand, taking her dog to the park together, or grocery shopping just like all the other celebrities in People, Okay, or In Touch magazine. But when the topic was brought up, Justin didn't want to hear any of it.
But with Niall, it was different. He wanted to take her out, and he wasn't embarrassed if they went out in public together. Kelsey loved having Niall around, because he was good company and he made her feel like it was only the two of them in the room. With Justin it had been easy, so to say. They never had to worry about what anyone thought, because nobody knew. But with Niall, there were constant thrills of hiding and sneaking out. With every touch, he set her heart off racing.
Thinking about Justin always brought a damper to her mood; it made her feel like she wasn't good enough for anyone. But as soon as Niall entered her brain, she felt warm and fuzzy all over, the way a girl should. She stood away from the window and walked upstairs to finish painting her bedroom, with Niall constantly being the topic her mind always wondered too.
Paige's POV
"Yes Mum, I- Yes, I know you're proud of me! I get it, but you can't tell anyone! No, I understand you want to, but there isn't exactly anything to tell- NO! I realize I just had a meeting and sang for him, I just – UGH! You're being so difficult! I'll let you know when I find out myself."
Paige trudged up the stairs towards her and Kelsey's shared bedroom at her Grams, frustrated. She almost regretted telling her mother about the meeting with Simon Cowell, almost. She didn't because the feeling of pride her mother had felt amazing. It felt as though she was already famous, her mother could not have been happier for her. The frustrating thing was she wanted the world to know, even though she herself should not be aware of Paige and Simon's meeting. She stopped in front of he mirror, fixing her hair and held her phone underneath her chin.
"Thanks Mum, I mean for being so supportive. It means so much, you have no idea." Paige turned the door knob to her bedroom and closed the door behind her. "I don't know when I'm seeing him again- Who are you?" Paige asked, eying the girl sitting on top of Kelsey's bed. "Mum I'm going to have to call you back."
"I'm Aleisha." The girl said in a high pitched voice, admiring her nail polish. She had long sun kissed brown hair down to her back, with bright green eyes and perfectly pink lips. Paige watched as the girl eyed her own clothing, and Paige's body features. Paige looked at the girls clothing, a pink sweat shirt, a pair of black tights, brown uggs, and a brown beret atop of her long brown curls. "You're Paige, right?" She said standing up.
"Erm, yeah.. How did you get he-"
"Eeep! I'm so excited to meet you, I've heard sooooo much from Kelsey, and - wait! Where is she?" Aleisha asked, confused. She raised her eyebrow, and Paige had to say, it was utterly adorable.
"She's at the house, I was about to head over... You coming with?" Paige asked.
"Of course! Just let me change, it's aloooot warmer than I expected."
That's because you're dressed for winter, Paige thought to herself. She could already tell she and this girl weren't going to get along. It was almost like an angel and devil resemblance; not that Paige was the devil. This girl literally breathed innocence, something Paige didn't expect. You know in Batman Forever, how two face has those two girlfriends? An angel and a devil; one for each face. Well that's exactly the comparison. Aleisha spewed sugar, spice and everything nice, while Paige spewed hot sauce, metal studs and rock n' roll. She wasn't goth, no, but Paige wasn't a preppy girl. She wore pink, but not everyday. She just wasn't into the whole valley-girl oh-em-gee-I-lost-my-pet-chihuahua-at-the-tanning-salon thing. She was more like a oh-my-god-look-at-that-girl-who-fell-down-the-stairs-what-a-loser type girl. In other words, Paige was sort of a bitch. A loving, caring, respectful, sarcastic bitch. But at least she was a nice one.
She walked out of the room and went into the kitchen to grab a water bottle. Her mind couldn't bother but wander over the possibilities of how her life was about to change. She could one day have her face on a poster in every girls bedroom. She could sell out tours. She could win a BRIT, who knows. All of this; her dreams, her future, depended on one mans decision. An until he made up his mind, she had to lie. Lie to Kelsey, lie to her Gram, lie to Mark, and lie to Zayn. Zayn. The name almost foreign to her tongue. He had texted her earlier, but she didn't want to respond in the studio in fear of looking unprofessional. She would respond later, when her and this valley-girl were on their way.
As she reached her hand into the fridge for a water bottle, she heard foot steps run down the stairs. Paige let her face look over top of the aged white may-tag and yet again she eyed the girl. It was almost unreal to see the girl in front of her, the only time she had ever actually seen a valley-girl would have been on the OC, or Legally Blonde. Never would she have dreamed to have to spend an entire summer with her, she could already tell they would butt heads.
She closed the fridge door, water bottle in hand, and looked at what the girl was wearing. She was now wearing a simple floral top, jean shorts, and a pair of jean short shorts; typical. It wasn't even that warm here, it was London. You would think this girl would feel out of comfort long ways from L.A, but here she was, dressed for the beach. Whatever.
"You ready?" Paige asked, taking a long gulp of water. Her voice was really dry, due to singing and nerves.
"Yep-p." Aleisha said, popping the p.
"I just gotta tell Gram we're leaving," Paige said backing away. She watched as the girl nodded, and she exited the back door into Gram's garden party.
"- and I told Milfred, "Milfred, honey, you can't blow dry a toupee!" And do you want to know what he said? "If you can blow dry that old cat of yours without it falling to pieces, why not my hair piece!" A bunch of chuckles and giggled erupted as Paige walked towards her Gram and her friends.
"Hello, darling! Did you drop Mark off alright?" Gram said, softly caressing Paige's face. Paige put her hand on top of her Gram's and sighed; it felt so nice.
"Yeah, he's gonna call when he needs to be picked up. But, Kelsey's friend just arrived so I'm going to go to the house with her, alright?" She asked, casually looking at the group in front of her. There were five or six old ladies in front of her, blueish gray hair and all. They were adorable.
"I suppose that's fine, just make sure the car is here so I can pick him up." Paige nodded and said goodbye to the ladies, before hurrying up to the house and getting into the old, beat up light green sedan her Grandmother owned. They drove in silence for a while, the only sound being the radio personal, making a game out of comparing to bands. At the moment it was Bon Jovi and Metallica. Coming to the conclusion that Bon Jovi was simply unbeatable, they moved onto modern bands, including JLS and none other than Zayn's very own, One Direction.
"Well Mike, I don;t even think it's legal to compare One Direction to anything. I strongly believe that they're the best boy band out there, just doing they're own thing." Said one of the hosts.
"Yeah, but JLS has the whole dancing thing down! Don't you remember the whole no-coordination thing One Direction had on the X-Factor? It was simply horrid, Cindy. JLS clearly has the advantage here-"
"Yes, and so did N'SYNC, The Backstreet Boys, The New Kids On The Block, and Menudo. One Direction just have that cute little quirky vibe about them, don't they? They don't follow all of those "Boy Band" cliches."
" The Bad Boy: You would not want to introduce these guys to your parents. These are the most easy to identify in the boy band, just look for the tattoos, black clothing, piercings, or crazy hair. Despite, or perhaps because of their rebel without a cause reputation, these boys never stop making teenage girls hearts go pitter-patter. Also known as Zayn Malik." Paige let out a snort. "The Boy Next Door: He makes girls swoon with his good looks and easy charm. The boy next door could fit in at the neighborhood barbecue just as easily as he does on stage. They're also almost always down to earth and adorable fellows, such as Liam Payne.
"The Shy One: He keeps quiet during the interviews, letting others do the talking. Although he is quite loud and boistourus, Niall Horan definitely fits this category. The Dreamboat: Hearts beat faster when he walks into the room and his face is plastered on posters covering young girls bedrooms. The ladies love the dreamboat, and he knows it. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome Harry Styles! Last but not least, we have the other half of Larry Stylinson! The Glue: Every band has a different glue, sometimes he is a jokester, sometimes he's a rival heartthrob. He makes the band unique. Thank you Louis Tomlinson, for filling in the last role. So Cindy, please do tell me more about how One Direction do not fit the average, boy band cliche?"
A loud sigh could be heard through the radio. "We'll be right back after these short messages, and this wonderful, catchy One Direction tune!" The beginning of What Makes You Beautiful began to play.
"Oh my god, I totally forgot to ask you! What's the scoop on Kels and Niall! I cannot believe she actually sat next to him on the plane ride, eeep! If only I had gone then! But what about Liam, he's single right? I mean, like, I heard a few things but -"
"He's got a girlfriend!" Paige shouted, kind of harshly. To be honest, she didn't know why. She didn't even like Liam, and that was an understatement. She loathed him with every fiber in her body, right? He took her dream from right underneath her, without a single glance back. But why was she so angry at Aleisha? Surely it was because she found the girls voice annoying and repulsive?
"Oh, okay. So, anyways... What's the scoop! Fill me in on Nelsey. OH, I KNOW! Kiall."
Paige sighed. This was going to be a long car ride to Kelsey's house.
Kelsey's POV
"There, all finished." Kelsey looked at the finely painted room and smiled at all her hard work. She would be unpacking and moving all of her things up here when the paint dried, and she needed it to be quick. She hated messes, and couldn't stand the sight of disorganization.
"KELSEY! I HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YOU!" Paige shouted up the staircase. A surprise? Who was it, Niall?
"COMING!"
She made her way through the hallway and the staircase before she spotted Aleisha.
"LEISH!"
"KELS!"
Kelsey had forgotten how much she missed Aleisha in the short amount they had been away from each other. They immediately fell into conversation, not even noticing Paige in the corner.
-x-
Two hours later, the three of them had ordered Chinese and Kelsey had, much to her embarrassment and dismay, filled Aleisha in on everything. The plane ride, the run-in with Niall, painting today, and the club.
"Oh my God, I just bought this really cute dress from D&G and you should totally wear it. I brought it with me, you know, in case the night scene her was good! It's tight fitted and black, and it would look amazing with your curves!" Kelsey smiled and agreed.
"Kelsey."
"Paige."
"My pants are quite restricting."
"Thank you for informing me."
The two girls stared at each other for a moment or two before they both burst out laughing.
"Sweats are in a box somewhere down here. You want some, leish?"
"Yes, oh em gee my legs are freezing!" Kelsey giggled and the three went on a search for sweat pants.
-x-
An hour later the girls were all sitting on the couch, in sweats and all, munching on popcorn and cold rice.
"Paige, pass me the remote." Kelsey was on her back laying upside down on the couch, and Aleisha was already passed out on the floor.
"Get it yourself, numb nuts."
"I will eat your first born child."
"What if I have triplets."
"We both know I have a big enough stomach to fit all of them and you inside of it."
"True." Kelsey felt a remote make contact with her funny bone, before letting out a cry of pain.
"OUCCH!" It was so loud, Aleisha stirred from her little balled up position.
"That's what you get for threatening me unborn triplets, biotch."
They skimmed through the channels before deciding to stop and watch The Tonight Show with Ronnie Wilder.
"Give a hand for our special guests, the boys who are breaking hearts left and right, One Direction!"
Wait, what!
The beat for What Makes You Beautiful began to play, and Kelsey watched in amusement as Niall walked on stage in a long sleeved black three-buttoned shirt, with a slight blue tinge to his hair.
You're insecure
Don't know what for
You're turning heads when you walk through the door
Don't need make up
To cover up
Being the way that you are is enough
After the performance, Kelsey stayed up, staring at the ceiling for a while, wondering how in the world she was lucky enough to score a date with that cute Irish one in the middle.
Paige had fallen asleep an hour ago, and Kelsey could briefly hear her phone go off every so often. Deciding she probably wasn't the only one up, she thought about texting Niall.
I liked your hair on the tonight show, did you do something new with it? - Kelsey :P
She waited a few minutes until she got a text back from Niall.
Did you like the performance? And thank you, apparently my hair stylist claims it has to be bleached again, so thanks again – Niall x