Looking around at the quaint and freshly renovated home, I smiled, knowing this was going to be a good start. This was going to be my year, I was going to focus on myself and no one else. I needed to do this, if not for anyone but myself. I had been through hell and back, it was my turn to take charge of my life.
“It looks great! Tyler did an awesome job.” Haley puffed, setting down a box of her beloved vinyl records on the counter before draping an arm over my shoulder. “I’m really glad you’re back, Tay. This is going to be a good year. For both of us. No more thinking about last year, just focusing on having fun and being young.”
I smiled, pulling my best friend in for a hug that I had longed for for what seemed like ages. “I’m glad to be back.”
“Okay now that we’ve got the sappy shit out of the way, let’s get to unpacking all of-”
Her sentence dropped as we heard a loud thud from outside followed by an Irish voice yelling, “Fucking hell!”
I giggled, shuffling outside to see what I knew was probably a mess. I was right, there he was surrounded by a mountain of boxes that had fallen from the moving truck.
“Damn it, Horan.” Haley groaned with a small smile. “I told you to wait until Harry got here to get the heavy stuff. You don’t need to be lifting too much with your back.”
Niall rolled his blue eyes, glancing at his girlfriend, “I’m a man, I can handle this.”
“Yeah, looks like you’re doing a fabulous job at that.” I giggled from the front porch, leaning against one of the posts.
He glanced up, looking happy to see me as I came down to embrace him, “How are ya Tatertot?”
“Better, much better.”
“Oh by the way, babe. Harry can’t make it. He’s not flying back in until tomorrow.” Niall puffed, scratching his head as we broke our embrace. “So it’s just gonna be us tree.”
She huffed, “Fine, it’ll just take us a little bit longer now. So we may want to get to work.”

---

After four hours of transferring boxes and furniture from the trucks to the house, we had finally managed to empty the trucks. The three of us were exhausted, plopping down onto Haley’s mattress on the floor.
“I’m starved,” Niall stated, “I think we’ve earned a break. Let’s go.”

---

We walked down the sidewalk of Main Street, taking in the unusually quiet scene. It was a sunny day, but the temperature had stayed fairly mild much to my appreciation. The college town was just beginning to see the return of students coming off of summer break, moving into new living accommodations, preparing for another semester of school. I for one, was happy to be back to somewhat normal, at least environmentally. I had missed the beautiful campus that I had called home for two years before everything happened. It was a refreshing sight to see that everything was the same, not that I had expected it to change much in just a year.
Tino’s was our favorite place to grab a bite. The quaint sports bar was the perfect spot for the three of us, whether there was a game that we were just dying to see, if we wanted a quiet drink, or if we just wanted some damn good wings and pizza. It’s been owned by the same family since it opened in 1954, and we were one of many groups of their regulars.
“Hey, hey! Look who’s here!” Our friend Vinny exclaimed, wiping his hands on a bar rag, before ushering us to our favorite booth. “The usual? Three Bud Lights on draft and one large, thin crust pepperoni and Canadian bacon?”
We all nodded in agreement, “Shocker, right?”
“I’ll get that right out for you. Nice to see you guys again.” He smiled warmly, patting me on the shoulder before breaking for the kitchen.
Minutes later, Vinny returned with three mugs almost overflowing with beer, setting them down in front of us before rushing off again. I reached for one, taking a long gulp.
“Okay, I’m curious,” I started, wiping foam from my top lip, “Who is this Harry character you two were talking about earlier?”
“He was my roommate when I lived at the International House.” Niall explained, taking a sip of his own beer. “He’s also one of my fraternity brothers.”
“He’s a Delta Chi?” I questioned. “How have I not met him before?”
“Well, Tatertot, you were kind of not really around for two years. Even when you were around, you weren’t around us.”
Haley glanced up at me with a cheeky smile, “He’s cute. Maybe he would be a good distraction for you.”
“No, I don’t need a distraction. I need things to get back to normal.” I argued, taking another gulp of my beer. “I need to focus on myself.”
“Tay, you need to get back out there. Who knows? It may help push things further away, which is something you need.” Haley pleaded. I knew she was right, I needed to push the thoughts completely out of my mind. It was the only way I was truly going to be happy again.
I sighed, “Hales, I know you mean well, but I just need to be single for a while. Have fun.”
Vinny reappeared with our steaming hot pizza, making my mouth water and realize just how hungry I was.
“Thanks mate.” Niall said as he immediately dug into the biggest piece on the platter, as he usually did. “Fuckin’ hell this is good.”
Haley rolled her eyes, finishing off her beer just as Vinny had returned with another round for the three of us. “You know me so well, Vinny. Maybe I should be dating you instead.”
Niall didn’t even flinch as Vinny laughed walking away. Niall turned to her, puckering up his lips “You’re stuck with me, baby.”
She laughed, rolling her eyes and pushing his pizza sauce covered lips away. I smiled, wishing that I could find someone to love me the way that Niall loved Haley and vice versa.
“Get a room.”

---

“I think it's coming along pretty well.”
I took a look around our living room, smiling at our work. We had decided to go for a very cozy, neutral theme. Fluffy gray sectional, different variations of gold, grey, and white sprinkled in the decorations.
“What better way to celebrate new beginnings than with our favorite bff past time?” Haley smiled, pulling a bottle of moscato from the fridge. “A little moscato and Army Wives?”
“Oh my god, yes. You don't know how long I've needed this.”
She sat down opposite of me, pouring a hearty helping in my glass, “I really missed you. You missed so much. I didn't think you were coming back.”
I looked at her, her pretty face visibly sad. “Let's not talk about that, this is a happy occasion. We're back together and better for it.”
She nodded, raising her glass. “To new beginnings.
“To new beginnings.”

---

“Fuuuuuuck.” I grumbled into my pillow as my alarm went off. Why I ever thought an 8 AM was a good idea, I will never know. Rolling over, I peered through the tiny slit in between my curtains before turning off the annoying alarm. The sun was already shining bright at 6:45 AM. I groaned as I rubbed my tired eyes. I pulled myself from my warm bed, trudging into my bathroom to turn on the shower, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror and shuddered, how had I managed to turn my whole head of hair into a bird’s nest?
After pulling the oversized t-shirt over my head and slipping out of my underwear, I stepped into the steam and savored the scalding hot water washing over my skin. This was always the one part of my mornings that I loved. A shower seemed to just fix things in the smallest of ways and helped me start my morning.
After quickly applying a tiny bit of makeup and curling my hair slightly, I threw on a mauve cotton tshirt dress and grabbed my lace up sandals and my denim jacket. Might as well look somewhat nice for the first day back in classes. I sighed, pulling on the jacket and giving myself a glance over once more.
“I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” I muttered to myself before grabbing my bag and cutting off my lights.
Haley was already awake and showered, much to my surprise seeing as she never had a class before ten. She stood in the kitchen with a towel wrapped around her head fixing a smoothie and nibbling on a piece of peanut butter toast.
“You’re up early.”
“Yeah, I just thought I’d get up and start my day since I was already awake.”
“I’m already looking forward to a nap this afternoon.” I sighed, pulling a mason jar from the cupboard before walking to the fridge to grab the orange juice. “My mom called this morning at around 3 AM, because she had a nightmare and wanted to make sure I was okay.”
Haley glanced up at me for the first time since I had walked into the kitchen. Her expression was sympathetic, “Tay, are you okay? Like genuinely okay? We never did talk about-”
“Look at the time! Gotta go, see you at lunch! Love you.” I interrupted, grabbing a granola bar, before I fled to the front door. I was desperate to avoid the subject, it wasn’t something I liked talking about with anyone, not even Haley.

---

Behavioral Psychology was not a class I had looked forward to. It was one of my last pre-requisites I had as a pre-med student and I had already avoided it for too long. It was time to face the class I knew would probably bore me to tears. It wasn't that I didn't respect the field of psychology, I completely did. Haley was a psych major herself and it was her passion. It just didn't hold my interest in the slightest.
The second row is always the safest. You look interested enough but you're also safe from being called on randomly to answer a question that someone else is more prepared for. Thankfully, there was two seats left in the middle of the row. I grabbed one, setting my bag down and pulling out my syllabus. Looking over the contents, I rolled my eyes. This was going to be a headache.
“Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Behavioral Psychology, I'm Professor Bennett.” The stout, middle aged woman call from the bottom of the tiered classroom. “I have one rule, and one rule only. I don't appreciate tar-”
Just then, a tall boy with curly hair appeared in the doorway, slightly flustered, obviously in a rush. He smiled slightly, looking at Professor Bennett.
“Tardiness.” She finished, with a quirk of her brow. “Please, take a seat.”
He blushed, mouthing a quick apology before scanning the room for an open seat. His eyes landed on me, meeting mine briefly. With a flash of his dimples he started to make his way towards me.
“Can I help you?” I asked confused, as he stopped beside me. I would be lying if I said I wasn't immediately physically attracted to him. From the mess of curls, to the deep dimples in his cheeks to his infectious smile-- No, stop Taylor. You can't get distracted by a boy.
“Erm, the seat beside you. I believe your luggage is taking it over.” He smirked, pointing to my large handbag and backpack occupying the seat beside me.
“Oh, right. Sorry.” I blushed, quickly grabbing the bags and shoving them under my seat before turning my attention back to Professor Bennett. Fuck, he has an accent.
“I'm Harry, by the way.”

Harry’s POV:
“Taylor.” She never broke her gaze from the front of the room, focusing on the professor. Her hair was falling just over her shoulder, brushing against the pen she was anxiously tapping on her notebook. She was cute, I'd say probably twenty, twenty-one at most.
“So, what year are you?” I asked quietly, leaning in towards her, catching the slightest whiff of her perfume.
“Junior.”
“Have you always gone here?”
She sighed, closing her eyes before turning to me, “If you don't mind, I’m trying to-”
“Miss Callahan, do you have something to add?” Professor Bennett asked, looking pointedly at the brunette girl that sat beside me.
She blushed, sinking into her seat “No ma’am. I apologize.”
Settling back in my seat, I glanced over at her once more. It was hard to put my finger on where I knew her from. I pulled out my phone, bringing up Niall’s contact, opening up a new text.
haley’s roommate, what’s her name?
Moments later, my phone vibrated with Niall’s response, Taylor Callahan.
I smirked, returning my phone back to my pocket, suddenly hearing the multitude of books closing. People started filing out of the classroom, and without me even noticing, she had slipped into the crowd.
Quickly packing up my things, I started after her.
“Hey! Callahan!” I called, watching as she stopped and turned around confused.
“How do you-”
“You got in trouble, remember?” I smirked, looking down and seeing long dark lashes framing a pair of beautiful green eyes.
“That's because you kept talking to me.” She drawled. She's not from around here either.
“You didn't have to reply you know.”
She sighed, “Do you need something because I have another class…”
“Have lunch with me.”
“Sorry, I already have plans.” She spun back around, making her way back down the hall. My gaze followed her, enjoying what I was seeing.
“Another time then?” I called after her, smiling.
She turned around, flashing a cute grin, “Bye, Harry.”

---

Taylor’s POV:
“There you are, I thought you were never gonna show.” Haley muttered, stuffing her mouth with her burrito. The student commons building was the most crowded it would be for the entire year, seeing as everyone was out of classes earlier because of syllabus week.
I sighed, setting down my bag of Chick-Fil-A and pulling out a chair. “I know, I know. I got caught up in a meeting with my study group.”
“A study group? It's the first day of classes.” Niall looked slightly offended, making me giggle.
“It's for organic chemistry. We already have an ass load of work to do.” I groaned, realizing I was already behind on the first day. Organic chemistry was something I dreaded since I had declared my major, and my study group was already irritating me-- a group of guys who acted like they had never interacted with a girl and a girl who acted like she was the coolest thing since sliced bread.
“So Harry texted me about you earlier.” Niall spoke with a mouth full of food.
I looked up at him with a quirked eyebrow, “How does he know about me?”
“How do you think?” Haley questioned with a smirk. “We’re not giving up on this, Tay.”
“Guys, I've already told you, no boys.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket, taking my attention. A picture of me and my mom displayed across the screen, making my heart clench. I missed her, going from seeing her everyday again to barely talking to her all day was hard. Already knowing what this conversation was going to be about, I hesitated but I answered the call.
“Hey mom.” I answered, walking outside to the sidewalk.
“How are you today?” She asked carefully. “Are your classes okay? Is it too much?”
I huffed, slightly annoyed, “I'm fine. Classes are classes. I'm glad to be back.”
“I just don't want you to overload yourself too soon.”
I knew she was just being a mom but, she needed to realize that this was what I needed to do. I needed to face every demon, I needed to get back into the swing of things, I needed to graduate. There was only one way to do that and she needed to just let me.
“It's been a year, mom.”
“Honey, just listen to me-”
“No, listen to me, please. I'm okay, trust me. Haley and Niall are keeping constant checks on me. I promise, you will be the first one to know if anything happens, but it won't. Everything is going to be fine.” I knew that she had tears in her eyes, every time she talked to me she seemed like she was walking on glass. It pained her as much as it did me to talk about it. All I wanted to do was hug her and let her breathe. Being over ten hours away from home hasn't always been the easiest thing, especially now but it was something I needed to deal with. “The house is great by the way. Tyler did amazing. I hope y'all can come visit soon.”
She sighed, “Soon, honey. Hopefully your father can take a few days off in a few weeks so we can come spend some time with you. I think it would do both of our minds some good.”
“Listen mom, I've gotta go finish lunch and get to the house. I'll call you soon. I love you.”
“I love you.”
I hung up the phone and ran a hand through my hair before making my way back to the door. Sitting at the table was a familiar mop of curls, he looked up smirking, “Nice to see you again, Taylor.”
I rolled my eyes, “Are you stalking me?”
Niall perked up, looking at me as I returned to my seat, “So you two have met?”
“Yeah, we have Behavioral Psychology together.” I answered, checking my watch. “Shit, I gotta go.”
Quickly gathering up my things, I muttered a quick goodbye before making a break for the parking lot.

Harry’s POV:
“What's the deal with her?” I questioned, watching her shuffle out of the student commons building and down the front steps. “She always seems like she's late.”
“She is.” Haley took a sip of her drink, “She has a meeting with her sorority advisor today about becoming active again.”
“Why was she inactive?” I questioned, watching as the couple in front of me shared a worried glance.
“Um, well she had a really bad year and decided to take a year off.” Haley answered carefully, avoiding my eyes and focusing her gaze on the remnants of her lunch. “Personal reasons.”
“What happened?” I knew I shouldn't pry, but I couldn't help myself. There was something deeper than ‘personal reasons’. There's only a few reasons someone would be approved to go inactive. It was a process and so many people have to vote on it, so what were they hiding?
“Look mate, it's not our place to say and it's not something Taylor is going to tell you about so you might as well just forget about it.” Niall quipped, throwing me a ‘please shut the hell up’ look.
“Fine, sorry for asking. I won't bring it up again.” I apologized, realizing that it was definitely a lot deeper. Maybe it was best that I didn't pry, but I still wanted to know more about her. I needed to know Taylor Callahan.

---

Taylor’s POV:
As I left the Alpha Xi house, I glanced around the Greek square, taking in the familiar scene. I was always glad I had decided to rush, even though it was expected considering I was a double legacy because of my mother and sister. It had brought me some amazing girls that I will always call some of my closest friends, and more importantly, an advisor that had supported me through all of my difficulties.
“So, you're an Alpha Xi?” I heard that familiar deep, British drawl.
He stood at the sidewalk in front of the house, one hand holding onto the strap of his backpack that was slung lazily onto one shoulder as the other hand dug into the pocket of his tight jeans. He wasn't the type I normally went for but there was just something about him.
I chuckled slightly, “So you are stalking me.”
The dimples appeared, making my heart flutter slightly and I wanted to punch myself for feeling that way. Fuck, Taylor. Stop this.
“Actually, I was on my way to the house.” He pointed down the road to the Delta Chi house. “How was your meeting?”
“It was good. I’m assuming Haley told you?”
There was the dimples again, followed by a chuckle, “Yeah, she knows your schedule pretty well.”
“Listen, I'm sorry about being rude earlier. I just have a lot going on.” I apologized sincerely, running a hand through my hair.
“I know a way you could make it up to me.” He smirked. “Go on a date with me.”
I laughed, “We barely know each other and I've pretty much sworn off guys for a while.”
“The whole point of a date is to get to know someone.”
I sighed, beginning to walk past him, “Harry, you seem nice, but I'm just not looking for anything right now.”
“Fine, how about we just hang out, as friends? There's no harm in that.”
I turned around, seeing him smile that adorable dimpled smile, making my heart do the thing again. “There's a party at my house tonight. You can come if you’d like.”
“It’s a date.”
I rolled my eyes grinning when I was out of view, beginning towards my car again, shouting, “It’s not a date!”

Notes

Hope you guys like it! I'm a bit rusty seeing as I haven't written anything in two years, so be gentle lol. Sorry that not much happens in this chapter, but I PROMISE there is plenty of angst, smut, and fluff coming your way!