Being the Third Wheel

Chapter 2

••Saffron••

I finally made it to the beautiful place of Ireland. I'm so excited to be here! I was so excited that I might have been a teensy bit too loud on the plane, but that's okay. I feel bad for leaving Amity alone, but I really wanted this. I was eligible to go to Ireland for one year to study abroad.

I follow the crowd of people out from the airplane and back into the airport. Today we get settled in, and introduced to our host families. I find my way through the throng of people and to the luggage claim. I somehow manage to get all my luggage on a cart, and I start to head to the rest of my classmates.

I then realize that I still didn't get one of my bags. I go back over to the baggage claim, and wait for the slow conveyer belt to come around. I finally see it. A dark green duffle bag. I grab it and swing it over my shoulder. The swing didn't seem that big, but I guess it was when I felt the jolt of hitting someone square in the stomach, and my bag dropped to the floor.

I turn around with a surprised expression. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry I didn't realize that you were that close!" We both reach down to grab the dirty duffle, and my head hits his, hard. "Ow..." I rub my forehead. "Dangit, I'm sorry," I say apologetically.

He shakes his head as he hands me my bag. "It's alright," he says not looking at me. "Saffron, that's a pretty name," he says to me as he looks at my baggage tag.

"Thanks," I say, probably blushing a little bit. I was a little caught off guard by the statement. I mean, usually when people talk about my name, they say it's unusual. I try to find something in my pocket to give to him, because I felt so bad. I obviously had no money. All I had was a strawberry Dum Dum lollipop and a paperclip (I had no idea why that was in there).

"Want a lolly?" I ask, offering the lightly wrapped lollipop in my hand.

He chuckled at that and took my lollipop. "Thanks." He pops it in his mouth.

After looking at him for a little bit, I feel like I've seen him somewhere. I decide to say my thoughts aloud before I leave. "You probably get this a lot, but you kinda look like Niall, from One Direction, sound like him too." Wow. That sounded stupid. I'm in Ireland! A lot of people are gonna sound like him. I mentally face palm.

I hear my name being called and I know that it's time to go. Right then this dude leans in close to me and pulls down his unnecessary sunglasses that he was wearing.

"You... You're... Niall... Horan." I'm so socked that I can hardly breathe. Why in the world is he here? In this airport? Right in front of me?

"Yep, but do you mind keeping it on the DL?" He gave me a wink with my strawberry lolly still in his mouth.

I nod fiercely, eyes wide. Right after he turns around, I faint, and fall to the ground. What a great first impression.
***
I squint my eyes, getting use to the light. I see an outline of someone above me, thinking that Niall Horan would still be there, helping me up and then getting a picture and an autograph. But I was totally wrong; it was actually one of the girls from my group.

"Uh Saffron? Are you okay?" She says with a confused look on her pretty little face.

I wanted to tell her that I just fainted, and I wasn't really okay because I just met NIALL HORAN! Instead I said, "I think... I think I just met Niall Horan..." I still sit on the ground, in a daze.

The girl, Molly, I think, looked at me clearly confused. "Niall Horan? The blonde haired dude from One Direction? I highly doubt it," she says smugly. I get up (a little woozily I might add) and follow Molly toward the door, to the bus.