A Summer In Ireland (Niall Horan fanfic)

EPILOGUE

The smell of makeup and hairspray clouded my room while my sisters fussed over my appearance. "You guys know I can get myself ready, right?" I asked again, hoping to hear an answer that was somehow different than the last.

"Sucks for you. We're helping anyways," Ryleigh sassed back as she dropped a golden curl from the curling wand.

"Well can't I at least do something to get myself ready? It is my college graduation, after all." I rolled my eyes and glanced at my sisters' reflections in the mirror atop my dresser. "And I've been sitting on this stool for almost an hour. My butt's getting sore. Am I allowed to stand up, master?" I joked with my sisters.

"Ha, ha. Very funny," Ryleigh mocked, but Keela's look was sympathetic as she reached into the makeup bag again. "You're such a complainer, Erin. Can't you just be excited instead of being so whiny? You're like a child." She chuckled.

"I am excited!" I defended. "You only graduate from college once. Besides, I can't wait to never have another exam again." I chuckled. A happy sigh escaped my mouth as I thought of the future I was about to start for myself after graduation.

'You aren't excited for anything else?' Keela signed with an eyebrow quirked up.

"Yeah seriously, Erin, we know the real reason you're excited." Ryleigh chimed in, not even bothering to hide the amusement from her voice.

"Oh come on, not this again." I dropped my head into my hands as much as I could with Ryleigh twirling strands of my hair around the curling wand. It was enough to hide the slight blush that threatened to flush my cheeks. "It was three years ago, guys." I tried explaining again. "He probably doesn't even remember."

"Something tells me he wouldn't forget something like that," Ryleigh smiled, adding softly, "something like you." It was so quiet I almost didn't hear it. "But what I don't get," she continued at a louder volume, "is why you guys did this in the first place. The whole "deal" thing, I mean. It just doesn't make sense to me."

I groaned, "Ry, we've been over this before. Like 8 thousand times." I sighed softly, knowing that response wasn't good enough for her. She wanted another explanation, a better one. But I couldn't give her a better one. This one is all I had. There's nothing else to it. "We just couldn't do it. Neither of us could handle the relationship anymore."

"But why?" Ryleigh pleaded, her tone begged for a further explanation, even though she'd heard the story before. Many times.

"Ry, he's an international pop star. I was in college trying desperately to pass my classes. We couldn't handle a relationship; between his shows and my classes, we just couldn't find time. I mean, the relationship lasted for a little while; we really tried. But it wasn't working. That's why we came up with the "deal"." I paused, coughing up the strong scent of hairspray that Ryleigh blanketed around my curls. "We decided we would wait until I graduated college." I cleared my throat again before continuing. "We figured that by the time I was out of college, we'd have a better chance of making it work. And, if we still loved each other after 3 years apart, I figure it's meant to be for us, in a cheesy sort of way." I smirked.

"But if you guys love each other, why would you do this in the first place? Louis and Eleanor make it work. It could've worked for you and Niall too." She offered, as if it was a perfectly logical explanation.

"But I'm not Eleanor." I fidgeted with my fingers. "She must be superwoman. I don't know how she can balance everything. But I'm not her, and I couldn't do it. I just couldn't." Keela gently flicked some eyeliner across my lids as Ryleigh dropped another warm curl onto my back. "We both knew the relationship wasn't working. That's when we came up with the deal. But like I said, it's been three years, and we haven't seen or talked to each other since then. I'm sure he's moved on."Even though I haven't.