Foreign Exchange (A Nouis Story)

Chapter 3: Weekend in London

We were standing outside the hotel the next morning, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, waited for a taxi to come pick us up. Well, everyone except for me. I had hardly slept a wink last night knowing that Niall was next to me in bed, fast asleep almost immediately after our arrival. But now it was Sunday morning and the weather was brilliant, so my parents decided that we would go sight-seeing the entire day instead of going back to Doncaster for the remainder of the weekend. I was excited but nervous at the same time; I didn't talk to Niall much yesterday, but I knew we would have a good time today, nonetheless.

The taxi finally pulled up and I found myself squished in the tiny backseat with Niall. For the next 20 minutes I tried not to think about his toned arm pressed up against mine.

"So, have you ever been to London before?" Niall asked me. I felt bad, knowing I should be the one asking him questions and trying to make him feel comfortable, but it seemed to be going the complete opposite; Niall was the one trying to talk to me.

"I've been only once. I ehm, got 2nd place in a science competition and we spent the weekend here. But I'm coming back as a senior though for our class trip, so that should be fun," I replied, looking out of the corner of my eye at him. My lips dried up for what felt like the 80th time this morning, and I silently cursed myself for forgetting my Burt's Bees on my night stand.

"Second place?" He raised his eyebrows and added, "I can't remember the last time I even did my homework. Don't tell your parents though," he whispered, nodding towards my parents in the front seats of the taxi. He looked back out the window at the scenery, allowing me to check out his smooth jawline and the way his blond hair was ruffled just like yesterday after his flight.

"I could help you," I heard myself say quietly, playing with the hem of my black striped shirt. Did I just volunteer myself to help Niall with his schoolwork? I could barely make small talk with the lad in the back of a taxi, let alone teach him some of my study strategies. I prayed he didn't hear me over the honking cars on Oxford Street.

"Yeh, that'd be great," he replied softly, his blue eyes locked onto mine.

"Cool," I pasted a smile on my face and swallowed. Worry about that when you get back to Doncaster, Louis.

****

"Ohhhhhhh, fudge! We don't have these flavors over in Ireland! Two pounds of the hazelnut swirl please!" Niall told the worker, practically drooling over the glass case of chocolate in front of us. We had just finished eating lunch at Nandos; apparently Niall was very familiar with the restaurant back home. At the end of our meal he spotted a small bakery across the street and begged me to come with him so he could order something before he left; although I secretly thought he was still hungry and wanted to try some samples.

"Thank you, sir. Have a lovely day!" Niall paid for his sweets and then grabbed a few more samples when the worker wasn't looking. I opened the door for him and we headed back out into the lovely weather, when Niall spotted a souvenir shop next door. "Could we go in there next?"

"Sure why not?" My parents were still in Nandos making plans for the rest of the day, so I followed Niall into the store, wanting him to have the best experience he could while in London. He walked straight over to a section of beanies that had the Union Jack printed on them, and popped one on his head.

"Kinda touristy," he laughed, and pulled it off his head, messing up his blonde locks.

"Nah, it looks cute."

"What?" Niall asked, a surprised look on his face. Goosebumps erupted on my arms when I realized what I had just said. Damn, Louis, how many times can you mess up in one day?

"I mean... uh, it looks nice. Here, I'll even buy it for you." I grabbed the blue hat and turned away from Niall and towards the register, hoping to camouflage my embarrassment.

"Oh no, you don't have to--"

"No, it's cool. I'm your host, I'm basically obligated," I let out an awkward laugh.

"Fine, but only if I get one for you too." Niall ran back over to the shelf of beanies and grabbed a red one.

"My favorite color," I told him. "Did you know that from the packet you got about our family or something?"

"Nope, I just thought it'd look the good on you." He dropped his fudge bag on the ground and pulled the hat over my head with both hands. "Yep, I was right."

My cheeks flamed up when we paid for the hats, then walked back across the street to Nandos in silence.

***

"Over to our left here you can see the Houses of Parliament, built in the early 11th century."

I crossed my legs Indian style as I listened to the tour guide describe the massive buildings we were approaching. We were on the London Duck Tour, something that was new and interesting for both me and Niall. Halfway through the ride he had moved from his seat next to me and over to the railing, taking dozens of pictures with his Canon camera. It was a bit chilly out here on the duck, so he was wearing the Union Jack hat that I had bought him earlier. He reminded me of those photographers I always saw on the popular page of Instagram; I think they were called hipsters.

***

"Thank you for coming, and enjoy the rest of your day."

Before we knew it our ride was over, and the sun was starting to set beautifully behind the charming buildings of Westminster Bridge Road. A lit-up sphere was reflected over the Thames River, and I knew there was one last place we had to stop before we brought Niall back home to Doncaster.

"Mum, dad, can we go on the London Eye real quick.. please?" I begged as we walked along the brick sidewalk.

"Honey, we really should get home. We've got a 3 hour ride back to Doncaster, and I bet Niall has had a long day," she replied hesitantly, looking up at the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe.

"Oh, I'm good for now, ma'am. It's up to you, I'm okay with doing anything." Niall told my parents politely, looking up from all of the shots he took on his camera. I knew he enjoyed this weekend just as much as I did, and I didn't want to go back to Doncaster until we absolutely had to.

"Alright, if that's what you really want," mum replied, and we went to go get on the last ride before it closed for the night.

Minutes later we were in the air, looking through the glass walls of the pod out at the spectacular view. St. Paul, Thames River, Big Ben, you could see it all from up here. We lucked out; us four were the only ones in this pod. I took a few pictures and then sat back down for the rest of the ride, and realized that this has been an amazing weekend. Niall was over in the corner, still looking down at his camera with a concentrated look on his face.

"Jay, could you get a picture of me and Louis together?" He suddenly asked my mum, holding his camera out to her. He wants a picture with me? "I mean, if that's cool with you." He looked over at me, almost timidly.

"Yeah, sure." We stood up against the glass walls, and Niall put his arm loosely around my shoulders. My hands went clammy but I mimicked him, only I barely reached his neck as he was a few inches taller than me. Mum snapped the picture of us and we pulled apart.

"Thanks." He grinned at me slightly before we sat back down.

He was suddenly very shy for the rest of the ride, which was definitely a first for the weekend. He was a really fun and happy guy, and I felt myself relax and be able to communicate with him as the weekend went on. Maybe he was rubbing off on me, even though I've only known Niall for two days. For the first time in awhile, Monday classes seemed very unappealing.