Extravagant Challenge [Narry AU] ~On Hold~

Chapter 22

[Niall's POV]

The day didn't get any better for me. I went home, tired and exhausted, and drenched from the rain. Yes, rain. Fucking rain. It had started raining just as I left the coffee shop, and today was one of those days where I decided it was a good idea to leave my umbrella at home.

So now I'm unhappy, wet, and annoyed. Oh, and I'm also missing my ring. Just great. I proceeded to drop my bag in my room and went to take a nice, warm shower.

As I dried myself off, I heard the sound of my cell phone ringing. That would probably be Louis calling, as he'd promised earlier.

“Hey Lou, you'd never believe this..”

“This s Harry.”

“Oh.. What?!”

I paled as I heard the voice on the other end and checked the caller ID. It unmistakably showed both the first and last name, Harry Styles. But he must've been calling from his landline for I'd set a different ring tone for his cell. I couldn't seem to find my tongue in this sudden awkwardness that enveloped me.

“Niall? You there?”

“Oh, yeah. I'm listening. Sorry, I was a little confused. Um, are you using your home phone?”

“Yeah. My cell's charging. Niall, there's something I need to ask you.”

What could it be? I thought as I placed a hand to my chest where a cloud had started to form. Something urgent must've came up that prompted him to call me even without waiting for his phone to charge. I had a feeling of dread building up within, or maybe it was just left over guilt I had about the deal I made with Andrew.

“Ask away. It's been a while since we last talked, hasn't it?” I tried my best to seem casual but my words still sounded strained. “I take you've been studying hard. Everyone's talking about it at school.”

“Niall did you lose your ring?”

I was at a loss for words. Harry had cut right to the chase, and my knees started giving way. I couldn't trust myself to stand upright any more, and had to slowly ease onto my chair, still wrapped in only my towel.

Harry was probably on the other end, furrowing his finely-shaped brow, no doubt the shade of his eyes deepening. I struggled to regain myself. I was seized by the strong urge to tell him the truth; not to lie to him for any reason. Whatever it was, I couldn't upset Harry. That was the most I could do to express my love for him.

“Wh-what do you mean?” Taking a deep breath, and trying my very best not to spill my story, I replied in a level tone. “What's wrong, Haz? Why the strange question?”

“I heard something about you losing your ring just as I was leaving school. There was apparently a big fuss in the locker rooms, and I tried looking for you cause I got worried, but you'd left by then.”

“Oh really? Shit, I missed a chance for us to walk home together? That sucks.”

“So what happened, really? S'true that you lost your ring?”

“That's just a rumour.” I surprised myself at how easily the words came out. The strange thing was that, as I said them, they seemed to become true. I quickly relaxed and continued to speak calmly to Harry. “You and I are very familiar with how weird and random gossip can be, right? I did take my ring off before gym, and maybe that's how the strange misunderstanding happened.”

“So then, you have it?”

“Well, of course.”

I could hear the relief in Harry's voice, and my heart keenly ached. I had a strong longing to see him right now. If I could see him, I would reassure him over and over that everything's okay. “I'm sorry, Harry..for making you worry.”

“No, I'm sorry. It only makes it harder that we barely see each other. You have no idea how anxious I felt when I heard that you've lost your ring. Thank god it was just a rumour.”

The ache in my heart turned into a strange bitterness at the back of my throat. Guilt. I tried to ease it away, saying, “That's right, we haven't got to spend time together in a while.. Do you..do you wanna do something together tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow? Sounds great. Just hearing your voice makes me miss you even more.”

“Even if it's just for a while. I missed you, Harry,” I spoke truthfully.

“Yeah, even if it's just for a while. I'll meet you at that coffee shop after school. Is that good?”

“Uh, sure!!” Accepting the invitation, a loud bell went off in my mind. The dark feelings moments ago dispersed in a flash. Suddenly everything seemed brighter. We both bode each other good bye, reluctant to hang up, until finally he had to go back to his studies.

I was suddenly seized with self-loathing. I had just completely lost my chance to confess the whole ring incident. Now that I had lied about it, all I could do was keep lying and at the same time work on getting the ring back from Andrew. And quickly, at that. Otherwise it'd be terrible if I didn't get my ring back by the time Harry got his SAT results back.

But Andrew. Just friends.. What exactly does he want from me?

For now, my problem was tomorrow's date. What excuse could I come up with to explain my ring? With the onset of this new puzzle, it looks like I wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.

[A/N] Sorry for the super short chapter. I hope I still have people reading this.  

In other news, @ziallporn and I have started a new story together. Please go read it? It's called Glamorous Lover! 

This chapter is dedicated to @TheWayYouLookTonight cause she's fab. She probably won't see this but I hope she knows how much I actually worship her. 

This is all. While waiting for the next chapter you can check out my other stories! Also check out @ziallporn's works! He's an awesome author!!

Til next time! Love ya!