Chapter 2: First Impressions

They say first impressions count right? Well if that saying happens to be true, my first impressions of the lads totally threw me! Somehow, I had always imagined they would be a lot older than Niall, in their mid-twenties at least, but they were just like me – normal teenagers who just like messing around and having fun! They didn't take life too seriously and they seemed to like me for who I was! This shocked me a bit, I have to say. I'm not used to meeting people, it scares me and it has done since I was a little kid. I have this massive phobia of making new friends, weird I know but true! So I was so glad that they appeared to like me straight away, it made getting to know them a lot easier!

Another thing that shocked me was there were five of them. Niall had only mentioned Harry and Louis so I thought they were only a gang of three, trust Niall to leave out this information! The other two were Liam and Zayn; they both had clear differences but gelled together and with the rest of the group as if they had all grown up together.

This was a fact I learnt almost instantly, they were from different parts of Britain too and none of them had lived in London before. This made me more inquisitive, so again I asked Niall what he did for a living, only to get a reply of Zayn. "Has he not told you yet? I'm surprised really seeing as he talks about you quite a bit! Anyway, you know the little programme called the XFactor? Well we happen to have auditioned and been placed together as a band!"

"Oh wow! That's amazing! You gunna be on the television and everything?" Even as I spoke the words, it seemed unreal. I heard Emily let out a small squeal and we exchanged similar glances. Why hadn't Niall told us before, didn't he trust us? Putting it down to him only knowing us for a few days, I pushed the thought out of my mind and waited for the boys reply.

"Yeah, well we leave for the live shows in about two weeks. I love this job; I'm like living the dream! Plus I met four amazing guys who I could pass of as my brothers!" Zayn sounded so enthusiastic, his voice went all high and squeaky and I noticed the gleam in his eye as he spoke.

This is what I loved about Zayn; if he loved something or was passionate towards it he wasn't afraid to express so. This allowed the conversation to flow and we were frequently talking about our different loves in life, my biggest being my friends and family, and Zayn's being his music. He told me and Ems all about his passion for his decks and how he loved to DJ. His dark skin was quite the opposite of mine and made me look, in Niall's words like 'an English rose'. I was also in love with the way he styled his hair. The boys told us of how vain he was and 'Zayn the Vain' was always thrown into the conversation; mainly by Louis who I learnt was the prankster of the group!

Despite being the oldest one of the lads, Louis certainly didn't act like he was an eighteen year old! His immaturity amazed me and I couldn't help but laugh at his childish pranks and jokes. I knew we would get along straight away; we had almost matching personalities and shared the same sense of humour. He never failed to put a smile on my face and I knew I had made a friend I defiantly didn't want to lose. Liam, despite turning seventeen in August, a few days before Niall, was defiantly the most mature. His attitude was more developed and adult like and this meant he was easy to talk to if I needed a serious conversation. However, there was no denying that the boys brought out his cheeky younger side, and when they all smiled at you, you couldn't help but grin back, as their happiness was definitely infectious!

Harry had Emily smitten right from when she laid eyes on him and you could clearly see why. He had a cheeky lopsided grin that he flashed whenever he was happy. This grin made a winning combination with his bright blue eyes and messy brown curls. He had Emily hung on every word he said and every five minutes you would hear her infectious little giggle fill the room. We hadn't spoken much, but when we did it became clear that the little boy from Holmes Chapel couldn't wait to explore the world. He made me laugh with tales of his childhood and all the boys had me in awe when they described their dreams and ambitions.

I'm glad Niall forced my out to lunch because I knew, from the moment we all started talking that we would become quite close and would remain in contact, even if the boys became famous and made their success global.

The rest of the day went by so quickly that it was almost a blur. It was packed full of laughs, cheekiness and fun and me and Em couldn't have been more happy when we arrived home. Much to our delight the other boys lived a few doors down, so we didn't have to walk home alone. After saying goodbye to everyone Louis managed to drag Harry away from Emily, but before he left Harry managed to plant a kiss upon her cheek. Liam and Zayn made their goodbyes quick but slipped me there numbers before thy left so we could text later that night.

As Emily unlocked the door and sneaked inside, I found that it was only me and Niall left. I decided to take this time to thank him for a great day. "Well thanks Niall"

"Anytime Billie!" Billie, the nickname the lads gave me when they decided to test my patience! I couldn't help but laugh. I glared at him before playfully pinching his arm knowing I couldn't hurt a fly. He lifted his head and stared at me with puppy dog eyes. "That hurt y'know!"

"You kidding me? Haha, Niall I couldn't hurt a fly!"

"It's nothing a hug couldn't fix…"

"Oh okay then!" He opened his arms and I buried my head into his chest. He was a couple of inches taller than me which made it a perfect hug. He held me longer than what I possibly should have let him but I was so comfortable that I refused to move. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me close and protecting me. He gently rubbed my back and the sweet aroma of his aftershave mixed with his natural sent was all I could smell. After a few minutes I pulled away, knowing Emily would get curious if I wasn't back soon.

"You okay now?" I asked trying to hide my tiredness.

"Perfect, I'm just perfect! Sweet dreams Millie; my doors always open if you need me, na'night!"

"Night Nialler!" I turned around to hide the grin on my face and slipped back inside. I took out my phone and text Liam, Zayn and Harry the same thing:

Thanks for a great day, Millie x x x

I stripped myself of my day clothes and pulled on my jammies before brushing my blonde hair which the wind so kindly messed up. I turned my phone off, brushed my teeth and climbed into my long awaited bed. Warmth surrounded me and I lost myself in my thoughts. I could hear Emily lightly snoring and knew she hadn't heard me sneak back in. My memory re-winded back to what Zayn told me earlier in the day 'He talks about you quite a bit!". Back then I pretended not to notice but now it was playing on my mind, those words constantly on repeat. I smiled lightly and pulled the sheets over my head. Today had been one of the best days I've had in a while!