i still do || n.h au

nine

the day off

Niall hasn't seen Adriana since he dropped her off at her place a few days ago and their conversation via text messages isn't as regular as it used to be. He tries not to let that bother him too much because he has a far more important thing to focus on like his upcoming match but when he's all alone, the thought creeps into his mind.

The way he left things with Adriana doesn't sit well with him, though she's assured him a couple of times that she's not mad at him and that she doesn't know why he would think that she's mad at him. Which makes sense. Why would he think that she's mad at him? Is it because he's convinced that she has feelings for him? And since he pretty much admitted that he still has feelings for Astrid, it must've been hard for her to hear it. But that would be presumptuous of him, wouldn't it?

It's all so confusing, which is why instead of heading straight home after his training where his confusing thoughts await him, Niall decides to have drinks with Oscar, Matt and, much to Oscar's dismay, Tom. Who invited himself when he heard that the three of them were planning to get a drink as soon as they're done for the day.

"Come on. Now would be the perfect time to ditch him," Oscar suggests as soon as Tom leaves their table to buy them a drink.

"No," Matt says with a firm shake of his head.

And at the same time, Niall says, "We're not ditching him."

Oscar regards his friends with an irritated look, not happy that his suggestion is being shot down without consideration. "Fine," he grunts. "But if he refers to us as The Foursome again, I'm out."

"Fair enough," Niall replies. He hates that nickname as much -- okay maybe not as much -- as Oscar does. Each time Tom mentions those two cursed words, he has to fight the urge to outwardly cringe. Oscar, on the other hand, doesn't see nor does he feel the need to hide his disgust and his distaste for the nickname. As for Matt, after he got over how preposterous and horrifying The Foursome sounds, he finds it hilarious. "At least he's buying the first round."

"Eh," Oscar shrugs. "I wouldn't be too sure about that. Let's see if he even remembers our drinks now."

Niall follows Oscar's line of sight and it lands on Tom chatting up a girl at the bar -- unsurprising. As though he could feel three pairs of eyes on him, Tom glances over his shoulder and gives them a thumbs up. If the thumbs up and the shit-eating grin were any indication, Niall would say that Tom has scored himself the girl's phone number.

"So, what's up with you?" Matt asks when they're done witnessing Tom's successful attempt at chatting a girl up.

The question catches Niall off guard so he doesn't get the chance to mask his shock. Which is a dead giveaway that there is something up with him. He wouldn't look like he's trying to hide something if it's the other way around.

Matt frowns. "Does this have something to do with the wedding?"

It has something to do with a little bit of everything -- Victoria's wedding, Astrid's not-so-recent break up with Leo, Adriana's silence, his confusion about his feelings -- would be a more fitting way to describe it. But he clamps his mouth shut and shrugs, "It's nothing."

"That's bullshit," Oscar chimes in.

Niall shoots him an exasperated look. Under different circumstances, that look could make his friends drop the subject, but not tonight.

If you ask Oscar and Matt, they'd tell you that Niall has gone long enough brooding to himself. They know that he likes his space and that he's someone that needs to come to terms with things on his own time, and that's what they've been giving him. Some space and time.