CHAPTER NINE

                                    

                                          
         
                          
A/N: I've been listening to Infinity for two days straight so this chapter is manic and like 90% dialogue. 
                          
Anyway, I'm amazed I got it done. This week has been crazy. 

                          
Enjoy! 
                          


                          
HARRY / PRESENT

                          
Niall's flight was delayed and we were holed up at Liam's flat like a bunch of celebrity refugees. Now that our location was blown online there was a crowd of photogs and fans camped outside. 
                          
"They'll leave eventually," said Sophia, wiping some pasta sauce off Cordelia's face. "I saw a couple of them take off earlier."
                          
"They were just on a food run," said Zayn. "See, they're back, and they brought sleeping bags!"
                          
Liam and Sophia's place was almost the exact opposite of ours: A shrine to modern industrial design. There was nary a book or crayon out of place. The platinum records that lined the walls were echoed in the metallic furniture and sculptures. This was Liam all over. I suspected Sophia would have a more relaxed eclectic style but he just couldn't help himself. 
                          
The pièce de résistance was the new bar he installed in the living room. Liam fancied himself a mixologist and loved to test out his concoctions on unsuspecting guests. We were all nursing some toxic brew of Jägermeister and apple juice.  
                          
Darby was tracking Niall's flight on her phone. There had been a delay on the tarmac at LAX and still an hour to landing. Unhelpfully, Niall had been tweeting coyly about meeting up with "old friends" on the East Coast. So it was no secret that he was coming here.
                          
"He's going to have a hell of a time at JFK," she said, scrutinizing Niall's feed. Bedelia was sitting on her lap, winding her tiny hands around Darby's silvery blonde tresses. "Should one of us go out there and meet him?"
                          
"Well, the lads can't go," said Zayn peeking out the window. "We'll only make it worse."
                          
"I was actually planning on going myself," said Darby.
                          
"I dunno if that's a good idea, love." I took her slender hand in mine. "The crowds can get kind of intense. "We'll call a car service."
                          
She scoffed. "I'm not going to let your friend, and a member of my wedding party, fend for himself out there."
                          
"That's admirable," said Liam from behind the bar. "But they're right. Now's not the time for chivalry."  
                          
"Yeah, Darb. Don't be a hero. And where was your concern when I wen' out for burritos?" Zayn sniffed.
                          
Carefully, Darby placed Bedelia in my arms. She jumped up off the floor and tied her hair in a topknot. "I'm doing it."
                          
"Honey—"
                          
Liam shook his head. "No."
                          
"Girl, check yo self," said Zayn.
                          
She suckerpunched him in the gut.
                          
"Right." Zayn waved, doubled over. "Good luck, Darb. Remember to take off your valuables. Them crowds can get handsy."
                          
"I've been with this one for over a year," she said, tousling my curls. "I can handle myself. Trust."
                          
We watched her from the window. "Ugh, I can't look," Liam said peeking from between his fingers. A group of girls pounced on her the second she hit the pavement. Darby wasn't universally worshiped and adored the way Sophia was. Fans regarded her as a peer, which meant some of liked her but a whole lot of them really hated her. Miraculously, most of this crowd was made up of the former. Darby said something that made the girls cheer and high-five her, they then obediently parted to let her through.