Heartbreak Weather | Niall Horan

17

I've been to France plenty of times before, but none of those trips were anything like this one. There was always a schedule that had to be followed with no extra time to explore and enjoy the scenery. I was stuck in hotel rooms or different venues, with an occasional visit to an overcrowded tourist attraction.

In the few days of being here with Béa, I've seen and learned more about France than I had during my past visits. Everything she and I did during this trip meant more to me than going to see some popular landmark.

The thought of meeting Béa's mum was terrifying. From what Béa had told me, her mother was a very nice woman and that she'd like me. But part of me worried that she wouldn't. Béa's mum's opinion of me mattered a lot. Her mum was her only family left, and I didn't want her to dislike me.

Fortunately, Jackie seemed to like me. Or at least that's what Béa told me.

Jackie didn't react badly to Béa's news, but it could have gone better. After I was politely sent upstairs, I waited and waited for Béa to come up. It felt like I sat up there for hours just sitting and waiting. I couldn't tell how things were going, but I didn't want to purposely eavesdrop on their conversation. What kept me calm is that I didn't hear any shouting coming from the living room.

Eventually, the door to Béa's bedroom opened and she stepped inside. Before I even had the chance to ask her how it went, she started crying. I could tell that she had been holding in her tears. I pulled her into a tight hug until she started to calm down. The two of us sat on her bed and she told me what her and Jackie had said to each other while I was upstairs.

Both Béa and I gave Jackie her space the rest of that evening, and by the next morning everything was back to how it was before. Jackie needed her time to think and process what Béa had told her, and the same went for Béa.

The following day, Béa took me to meet some of her friends. I can honestly say I was a lot less nervous about meeting them. The four of them seemed like very nice people, Thomas included. I'll admit that I'm not Tommy's biggest fan, but he obviously means a lot to Béa. She told me that there was nothing between them, and I believe her.

After parting ways with Béa's friends, she drove us to one of her favorite places. Béa pulled her car over on the side of the road next to a small opening in a white fence. She immediately got out of her car. I did the same, and quickly followed behind her as she led us through the small opening in the fence.

Past the fence, there was a short path through a thin barrier of trees. Before I could even ask her where we were going, I knew we were there.

On the other side of the trees was a large open field of wildflowers and overgrown grasses. There was another fence a great distance away, closing in the area, but the view went on for miles. Small houses, empty fields, trees, and large hills made up the rest of the scene.

Béa hadn't said anything since we'd gotten out of her car, she just kept walking further into the field. In some parts, the wildflowers were up to her waist. She sat down in the middle of the grassy field, where the flowers were not as tall. She leaned back on her arms with her legs straight out in front of her. I sat down next to her, mirroring the way she was sitting.

"It's beautiful." I told her.

"This is where my dad took my mum after their disaster of a first date." She told me, as she rested her head on my shoulder. "This is where he proposed to her too."

"I used to come here all the time growing up." She continued, "Sometimes my parents would bring me here with them, sometimes I'd ride my bike up here and sit by myself for awhile."

"After my dad died, I didn't come here for months. The last time I was here was the day before I left for London." She chuckled to herself, "It rained that day. Downpoured, actually. I think it was a sign."

I looked over at her, "A sign of what?"

"Not to leave." She answered, "Or maybe it was a sign to leave."

I shot a funny look in her direction and she immediately made one back.

"What?" She laughed, "It never rained when I came here, and it did that day. I don't know what it was a sign of, but it was definitely a sign."

We spent the rest of the afternoon in the field. Béa shared a lot of stories and memories from when she was younger. She took a bunch of photos with her phone, most of them being of the flowers, some of them were of me, and a couple of them were of the both of us. But for a while, Béa was just looking around, trying her hardest to take in every little detail.

She was admiring the view, while I was admiring her.

It's very clear that Béa loves it here far more than she does London. Regardless of the circumstances of our trip, she seemed to enjoy every moment here. The smile on her face was the brightest I think I've ever seen it.

From the moment we woke up this morning, I could tell that Béa was upset about leaving today. She barely spoke during breakfast, she just sat there pushing her food around on her plate. When we were packing our suitcases, she was very hesitant. It seemed like she didn't want to pack everything up too fast because it meant we would be leaving soon.

Most times when you travel somewhere, you're eager to get home. Even if you don't necessarily want to leave, you just want to get home.

That's not the case for Béa. She is home.

Eventually, the moment Béa and I dreaded throughout the trip came.

"Goodbye, Moman." Béa says, hugging her mother tightly.

"Au revoir. [Goodbye]." Jackie says, "I'll try to come out to London soon."

Jackie then turns to me, a soft smile on her face.

"It was lovely to meet you, Niall." She tells me, pulling me into a hug.

"You as well." I tell her, "I can't wait to come back here after the tour."

"Wait! Wait!" Jackie calls, "I want to get a picture before you go."

"Moman." Béa groans.

"Béatrice, I left my phone in the kitchen." Jackie continues, despite Béa's reaction, "Could you please get it for me?"

Béa nods and walks back through the living room and into the kitchen, leaving the two of us alone.

"Niall?" Jackie asks, and I look up at her.

"Yeah?" I answer.

"Thank you for bringing my daughter home."

I'm not really a fan of this chapter, but I hope you guys enjoyed it.

I probably won't update again before New Year's, so I just wanted to tell you all Happy New Year. Let's hope that 2021 is better than 2020 has been. If you are going out or celebrating with others for NYE or New Years Day, please be careful and keep yourself and others safe.

Until the next one, Mwah!