Little Shy Ariel (ft. Harry Styles)

Chapter 16 - Contract

Chapter 16 - Contract

At night when I go to the centre to do my job, I still can’t wipe out the smile from my face. I remember talking to Niall and Harry and I burst into a fit of giggles. I look like an idiot, I know it, but I couldn’t care less. And I owe Mare for this big time. She pushed me to do it and even if it was hard, it made me so happy. So I’m really grateful to her and that’s the reason why when I see her in the music room, waiting for me, I run towards her, jumping on her. Pretty much like I did with Timmy today.

“Woah! Aren’t you happy tonight?” she asks hugging me back and I giggle again. “Did something happen?” she asks next, breaking the embrace and pulling back.

“I did it!” I blurt out and Mare raises her eyebrows. “I talked to someone. Two people! Not just hello, I actually had a conversation!”

Her eyes widen in surprise before a big smile comes to her lips. “That’s incredible! I knew you could do it, Ariel. I told you, didn’t I? You have the confidence inside of you, you just have to reach it.”

“It was so hard,” I confess taking a deep breath. “I almost fainted but I managed. I could hear you in my head telling me I could do it. I also talked to a squirrel.”

Mare laughs at my last input and pats my head like you pat a little dog. I don’t mind that she does, it kind of reminds me of Suzanne, one of my sisters. She used to do that to me when she still lived here with Father and I.

“Practice makes perfect, so you have to keep working. With time it won’t be as hard,” she says and I nod enthusiastically. I believe everything she says. She did what many teachers and even a therapist tried to accomplish. I’m pretty sure she’s magical, she has some power that can make people do the impossible. “And we’ll keep working on this. I’ll be here all the time for you.” I smile when she does that, Mare’s smile is already making me believe that she’s right. “Now, will you tell me whom you talked to?”

“Two guests,” I say, feeling heat in my cheeks so I look down, putting a lock of hair behind my ear. “I had seen them before but I could never talk to them. I was always hiding,” I carry on in a whisper still avoiding her eyes. “One of them is… he’s pretty much the reason why I… why I… not the reason, more like… uh… he’s why I want to… to overcome my shyness,” I manage to say, rambling and stuttering so much.

“He’s your motivation?” Mare suggests and my head snaps to meet her eyes. I nod frantically and she chuckles. “I see. Well, I’m sure that if you keep working hard you’ll talk to him again and more easily and you’ll become friends. And who knows,” she says wiggling her eyebrows. “Maybe more.”

I feel my guts twisting when she says that and I’m sure I’m blushing like a tomato at the mere thought of Harry and I being something more than friends. I honestly thing that he’s way out of my league and it’s impossible. Being friends seems impossible enough. But still, Mare says that and my heart flutters and I feel something so weird inside of me, like a tingling feeling that makes me want to giggle.

When I meet Mare’s eyes again she is staring at me with a funny look, a knowing grin and that makes me so self-conscious that I have to look away again, playing with my hair, pulling it behind my ear and trying to calm myself down.

“Well, I won’t torment you with this topic so let’s get down to business,” she says and I can’t help it. I swear I can’t.

“To defeat, the Huns!” I sing and instead of looking me like a weirdo, Mare chuckles. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Anyways, my dad is a lawyer so he always told me that things had to be specific and clear to avoid any kind of misunderstanding. That’s why I’ve come with this today. I asked for some help from my aunt.” I cock my head to the side, a bit confused as I see Mare grabbing a folder she had on the piano. “My aunt is the owner of this place.” My eyes widen in shock even when Mare sounds so nonchalant about it. “Anyways, I asked her for help so I have this now.”