One Direction preference

He introduces you to the boys

Harry: “Are you nervous?” he asked you, taking one hand off the wheel and wrapping it around yours.  You unclenched your jaw, laughing shakily.  “A bit…” you confessed.  “Don’t be, babe.  I already told them how amazing you are.  Just be yourself.”  Harry was relaxed and confident (as per usual) which did very little to calm your jitters.  You looked at him, biting your lip.  You were going to meet the rest of the boys today.  You and Harry had only been dating for a few weeks, and they were all finally back in town.  You hadn’t been worried about meeting them until now, concerned they wouldn’t like you, or that they thought you weren’t up to ‘their standards.’    A few minutes later, you two pulled up outside the studio, a towering and contemporary building, making you feel very small and out of place.  You shook yourself out of it, arranged a smile on your face, and followed Harry up the walk.  He held the door open for you and took your hand, leading you upstairs.  He pushed open a door towards the end of a long hallway, calling “Hey, lads.”  Inside the room were three members of One Direction, all grinning madly and exchanging excited expressions.  Harry barely had time to ask, “”Where’s Lou?” as the boy nearly tackled you in a gigantic, very enthusiastic bear hug.  “Hello, love.  It’s wonderful to meet you!” he was saying.  Starstruck and shocked, you could only mumble, “Nice to meet you, too.”  Lou stepped back, beaming, clapping your boyfriend on the shoulder.  “You didn’t do her justice, mate.  She’s stunning,” he said to a blushing Harry.

Niall: “Don’t worry; they’ll love you,” Niall whispered in your ear.  You clutched his arm, half hidden behind his tall frame, as you struggled through the pub to the booth where the other four Directions sat.  You were nervous they would hate you – you had high expectations being Niall’s first girlfriend since the formation of the band.  Secretly you wished Niall would forget the whole thing and suggest the two of you go back to his place and watch movies.  But, on the other hand, you knew you had to get this over with.  If they do hate you, would that change the way Niall sees you?  You bit your lip, silently deciding that yes, it would.  It would matter to him very much.  You passed large tables of long-gone people, shouting at each other in drunken disarray.  “Wait, Niall,” you called, parting from him, heading towards the bar.  You ordered a drink, downed it in two swigs, and turned back.  Niall was shaking his head, grinning, rolling his eyes.  “Let’s do this,” you said, diving back into the crowd.  Niall reached their table first.  There was lots of yelling and laughing going on.  “Well lads,” Niall announced, “here she is.”  You shy smile faded as the boys around the table stared blankly, occasionally raising a bottle to their lips.  Finally, after a prominent pause, Zayn asked Niall, “So this is you princess?”  Your eyes darted from one face to the other.  “Well,” Liam said slowly, “welcome to the family.”  You saw smiles grow on each of their faces individually, ironic smiles, as Liam hugged you like an old friend.

Louis: “Okay, mate, we’ll be there in five,” Louis was saying, squinting through the rain slapping against the windshield.  “Yes…  I’ve got her.”  He rolled his eyes.  “Okay… Bye,” he said clicking off.  You smoothed out your skirt, unable to suppress the nervous and/or excited grin stretched across your face.  You checked your reflection in the rearview again and again.  “He has no idea it’s you,” he said of Harry, chuckling, proud of himself.  You and Louis had been ‘secretly’ dating after discovering your friendship was much more than that.  Of course you weren’t meeting any of the boys for the first time, but you hoped they wouldn’t treat you any different just because you were “Lou’s girl” now.  Plus, you had big shoes to fill in the wake of Eleanor Calder.  But it was the good kind of nervousness, the kind you get after talking to the popular boy, or just before a kiss.    You pulled up outside the party, unable to contain your excitement.  He dragged you through the dancing groups of girls, the wasted guys, until you saw Harry’s curly head over the crowd.  “Here she is!” Louis said, presenting you to the lot of them.  “What?!” Zayn cried.  Niall just collapsed in a state of complete shock and amusement.  Liam rubbed his hand over his eyes, laughing, like he should have seen this coming.  Only Harry remained expressionless.  “Lou, what are you talking about?  She’s gorgeous,” he pretended to whisper.  Lou gave him a playful shove, which Harry returned.  Grinning, he kissed your cheek, murmuring, “I knew it.”

Zayn: “Where are we going?” you hissed, aware your every move was being photographed.  You tried to shield your face.  “Listen,” he said, spinning you towards him, “you were the one who to make this work, right?” “Right,” you agreed slowly, unsure of where he was going.  “You wanted to be serious, correct?” “Yes!”  “What do people do when they’re serious?”  “Sex?” you tried.  He rolled his eyes.  “Well, I don’t know what you want!”  “Are you ever planning on meeting the rest of the boys?  Or are we going to continue this like before?”  The whole “just hooking up” thing hadn’t been cutting it for you.  So, a few weeks ago, you’d put yourself out there.  To your joy and shock and confusion, your feelings were reciprocated.  But now, you had to face his friends.  You felt the blood drain from your face.  “Zayn… I – you’re just springing this on me now?!” you half-shrieked.  “Look, it’s not a big deal-” he tried, pulling you a bit closer.  “It most certainly is!  It’s the first impression they’ll have of me!”  You were panicking.  “Hey, what’s going on?” came a rough Irish accent from the doorway of the building you were in front of.  Oh shit.  You hadn’t realized you were already outside the studio.  “Niall-” Zayn began.  “Wait don’t tell me,” Niall said, beaming.  “Is this the girl you’ve been goin’ on about?”  You saw the blush creeping up Zayn’s neck as he grinned embarrassedly.  “Are we really that intimidating?” Niall asked cheerfully, pulling you in for a one armed hug.  “Trust me, love, if you’re half the girl Zayn’s described, you have nothing to worry about.  We love you already.”  He laughed.  “Come on, Zayn still has to introduce you to the other three, doesn’t he?”  A beaming Zayn led you into the studio.

Liam:  Liam pressed his finger to his lips, signaling you to be quiet.  You tiptoed up to the flat, struggling to hold in anxious giggles.  Liam had never formally introduced you to the boys, but today, he had decided, was the day. Just out of the blue.  Maybe you should have been nervous, but seeing Liam acting so calmly, you were relaxed as well.  You paused outside the apartment, stifling laugher, Liam’s hand on the doorknob.  Then his face went blank.  “Play it cool,” he reminded you.  “Oh, of course,” you said quickly, straightening out your own expression.  “Hey, boys,” he said swinging into the room, pulling you along with him.  “I want you to meet someone…”  He looked back at you, grinning shyly, seemingly at a loss for words.  “So you’re the infamous new girlfriend…” Zayn said slowly, a crooked smile forming on his lips.  “Lads, I think you know what this means,” he said looking around.  They exchanged smug glances, then, without warning, dog-piled themselves onto you, practically screaming in your ear.  “Mates!” you heard Liam yell frantically, but you were laughing, expecting nothing less than the beginnings of four beautiful friendships.