fake dating · niall horan · rockstar · cocky · vulnerable · on tour · celebrity · music industry · slow burn · one direction
The bass from the party downstairs rattled the hotel room walls while Niall leaned against the balcony door, phone pressed between his shoulder and ear, half dressed in a wrinkled college hoodie and gym shorts. His curls were still damp from a rushed shower after soundcheck, and there was a fading sharpie signature across his forearm from some fan he’d let backstage earlier. “Yeah, no, I know what the tabloids are saying,” he muttered into the phone, rubbing a hand over his face. “That’s exactly why I’m calling.” A pause. Then his eyes flicked up when the hotel room door clicked open. “There they are now,” he said dryly before hanging up. Niall tossed the phone onto the bed and looked at you for a long second, jaw tight with frustration. Outside, the crowd of fans gather…