Amp It Up (X Factor, Niall Horan, One Direction Love Story)

You know, sometimes I just want a relaxing day. Where I can sit back and relax, not worry about what song I'm doing for the next live show or worry about a workout or what to eat and what to do.

I lay sprawled across my bed on my phone, Louis at my feet, Liam on a chair on my laptop, Zayn sorting through my book collection, and Harry was on his phone with his back propped against the bed. Niall was with Ryan, hanging out after the live show. We'd all watched it together and booed Darren when he'd made it through.

I hadn't really been able to talk to the boys these past few weeks. All of us had been busy. Me with the show, and they with recording for their third album.

I also hadn't talked to Niall. Every time I'd seen him he'd seemed preoccupied, and never spoke much.

Louis nudged me and showed me a funny picture of Liam, and I giggled and got him to send it to me.

I startled when I heard shouting and pounding footsteps. Louis half raised off the bed, staring at the door when it slammed open, bouncing off the wall and literally shaking the room.

“YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT! I DON'T CARE!” Ryan screamed at a leggy blonde. The blonde hollered, yes, hollered back, “I'VE ALWAYS DONE WHATEVER I'VE WANTED! I DON'T NEED YOU FOR THAT!”

“THEN WHY THE HELL DID YOU COME HERE THEN!?” Ryan screamed in the girls face. Her face was brightred, and masacra slid in thick streams down her cheeks.

“I WANTED TO FIX THINGS!” The girl cried.

I was speechless, watching as the pair fought. Louis gripped my hand for a moment.

“BY GETTING A BOYFRIEND!?” Ryan shouted. “NATALIE, HOW IS THAT SUPPOSED TO FIX THINGS!?”

The girl, I presumed was Natalie, spoke quietly this time. “I was trying to make you move on.”

Ryan stared at her for a full minute before he spoke again. “Move on? MOVE ON!? That's the most childish way of making somone move on! Your argument is crap, Nat! Admit it, you want me back!”

Natalie flinched back from him, as the boys and I watched the spectacle enthralled. There was a slight movement from the doorway behind the pair, but I didn't pay attention.

“Ugh! Just because you can't move on doesn't mean that you can go around accusing me of stuff Ryan!” Natalie screetched.

“Nat, I've moved on! Oviously you have too, or you wouldn't have a boyfriend!” Ryan cried. “Just like I have a girlfriend! I've moved on Nat! Get over yourself!”

There was silence after Ryan's last outburst. I had never seen him so angry. He looked like he might punch a wall. My eyes fell on Natalie.

Natalie crossed her arms cockily. “Prove it.” She hissed, glaring at Ryan with hate filled eyes.

Not wasting another second Ryan crossed the room and grabbed my face. And then, he leaned down and kissed me.

I sat frozen on the bed amid the boy's gasps as Ryan's lips worked feverishly against mine. My mind was a blank until I realized what he was doing.

He was pretending to have a girlfriend to make Natalie jealous.

And like the good friend that I am, I played along.

I kissed back. I even wrapped my arms around Ryan's neck and let him pull me to my feet. Our bodies pressed together as I learned how he moved.

I didn't like kissing him.

It wasn't that he was a bad kisser or anything, he was a very good kisser and he knew just how to move. But there were no... Sparks. No feelings involved.

Ryan broke the kiss a few seconds later, and without missing a beat, I wrapped my arm around his waist.

“Babe, who is this?” I asked sweetly. Ryan looked down at me confused before he got that I was playing along.

The idiot. I wouldn't have kissed him back if I wasn't playing along.

“Awe, Sugarplum, it's my friend, Natalie. I've talked about her, remember?” Ryan answered sweetly.

Sugarplum? Really?

“Oh, maybe once perhaps?” I said, smiling a fake grimace at the flabbergasted girl. Who then made an angry sound of resentment and flounced back out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

Instantly, I shoved Ryan away and grabbed a tissue, spitting into it a few times. Ryan wiped his mouth on his sleeve and shuddered.

“Kelly, you're not a bad kisser but that was-”

“Terrible.” I deadpanned. I looked over at the silent and shocked boys scattered around the room.

“THE HELL WAS THAT MATE!?” Louis yelled suddenly, breaking the silence. I flinched away and spat into another tissue to avoid answering.

“Natalie is dating Darren, so now I'm dating Kelly to get back at her.” Ryan replied. He rubbed his hands across his face tiredly.

Louis turned to me. “How long have you two been dating?” He asked incredulously. I shrugged.

“Since about thirty seconds ago, I believe,” I replied. “Just be glad I didn't slap you Ryan, now EXPLAIN.”

It took a few minutes for us to get the story out of Ryan. Apparently, Natalie had come to crash his performance, but hadn't got to him in time before he went on stage. After he'd sung and made it through, she'd approached Niall and gotten him to take her to Ryan. And that's when everything went downhill.

“So you see, Kelly,” Ryan told me, “Now you kind've HAVE to fake date me. Please?” He added.

“Sure,” I replied. “But only if you end it within a week Ryan. Get this sorted out.”

Ryan nodded obediently. I had a feeling he'd do anything for me at the moment, if just to keep me fake dating him.

Ryan looked around at the rest of the boys. “Lads, you've got to keep this on the down low. Don't tell anyone, don't say anything about this to anyone. Got it?”

“Ryan, this will blow up in our faces.” I told him a few minutes later, after the still shocked boys had left.

“I know.” He admitted. I collapsed back on the rumbled bedspread, putting my feet on the headboard. Ryan lay beside me, his head at my head but his feet the opposite direction.

I checked my phones for texts from Vanessa and Tina, and then replied to their texts about seeing Ryan live.

“You know, that was the first time I've been kissed.” I said a few moment later, as Ryan was looking for a movie to put in my laptop, with his back towards me. He stiffened immediately.

“What?!” He cried out. I jumped, taken aback. “Ryan, CHILL,” I snapped. “It's not a big deal!”

“BUT IT IS!” Ryan cried out, pacing the floor. He literally gripped his hair and acted like he was pulling it out.

“No, it's not. Put the movie in.” I ordered. Ryan turned toward me, conflict evident in his eyes. He gripped my shoulder and used his hand to force me to look at him.

“Kelly, promise me if I do anything during us fake dating you'll tell me and make me stop, okay?” He asked. Did the boy have to be so dramatic?

“I promise. Also, you're making me uncomfortable. Put themovie in dimwit.” I said. Ryan released my face and shoulder with a sigh of relief and put the movie in.

And like he always does in tense moments, he ran and jumped back on top of me and tickled me, relieving the awkwardness.

And just like that, we were back to normal. We talked and laughed throughout Captain America, and he even put up with me drooling over Steve's muscles.

“You did really good tonight,” I said conversationally as the credits rolled on the laptop screen. “Aren't they having a random song choice for the Alternative and Country music weeks?”

“Yeah, they are,” Ryan replied. “And thank you.”

We lay silently for a while before he spoke again. “Um, thank you for doing this for me love. It means a lot...”

He squeezed my hand softly, and I returned the gesture. “You're welcome,” I told him. And then I remembered something.

“Oh CRAP!” I shrieked.

“What?!” Ryan exclaimed.

“Niall.” I groaned. I grabbed my pillow and slapped it over my face. Ryan pried it off of me, leaning over me curiously.

“What's the problem?” He asked. I raised an eyebrow at him until he got it. Ryan clapped a hand over his face and groaned.

“Oh, bloody hell, this complicates things.” He mumbled. I nodded, still raising an eyebrow at him. Suddenly feeling shy at what I planned on asking next, I wrapped my arms around my pillow and sat up.

“Has he mentioned me?” I asked timidly. “Like, talked about me or anything...?”

Ryan let out a bark of bitter laughter. “Mention you? You're all he bloody talks about love!”

I smiled to myself and blushed. I nearly missed his next words. “But he was there in the hallway when I kissed you. I'm pretty sure he saw.”

“WHAT!” I shrieked. I started to scramble off of the bed. “Where're you going?” Ryan asked, sitting up.

“I'm going to go find him and explain!” I shrieked, grabbing a pair of jeans and tugging them over my leggings.

“Love, it's late and I doubt he'll be up...” Ryan muttered. I glared at him.

“Ryan, this is Niall, he'll be awake. And I need to tell him!” I said angrily. Ryan sighed.

“Just be careful, okay?” He asked. “He might be mad, or he'll be sad if he saw us.”

I winced. “Do you think I have a chance with him?” I asked softly as I pulled a sweatshirt on and tennis shoes.

“You do.” Ryan answered. And I was out the door like a bullet after that.

~ ~ ~

I found Niall sitting in his room strumming his guitar. He was writing a song, that much was obvious.

I watched him at the door for a moment before I knocked on the door frame.

“Hey,” I said. “Can we talk?”

After a moment Niall nodded at me not looking up. He reached down and closed the notebook he was writing in and gripped his guitar. I crossed the room and sat next to him on the bed settling in.

“I need to explain some things to you-” I began, but Niall interrupted me.

“Ya have nothing to explain. You're dating him, and that's it.” He said. He suddenly struck a chord on the guitar and looked away from me.

“No, it's not.” I snapped. “I'm not dating him.”

I thought Niall's head was going to fall off, as he turned his head back towards me so quickly.

“What?” He asked. He looked angry and confused. And he had a crease between his eyes. As soon as I noticed it, I wanted to kiss it better.

Shaking off that last thought, I began to explain, as best I could what had transpired within the last three hours.

“So I'm not dating him at all, I'm just helping him get Natalie back.” I concluded triumphantly. I sat back expectantly and waited for Niall to speak.

“But why did you kiss him back?” Niall asked quietly. “If you weren't fake dating him then?”

I thought a moment. “Well, I realized what he was trying to do, and it wasn't a bad idea. I still don't know why he came to my room in the first place though.”

Niall nodded, setting his guitar down. Then he engulfed me in a hug, burying his face in my neck. I kissed him on the cheek quickly and wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him back tightly.

In this moment, everything felt right.

~ ~ ~

OOOo, drama is heating up!