Call Me Ella (ft. Niall Horan)

Chapter 13 - Prince Charming

Sometimes I wonder what would happen if Charlie and Liv do find my mystery guy. I don’t know if he is trying to find me or if he totally forgot about what happened and got back together with his girlfriend. It scares me to think about the possibilities and to go deep into what I want.

One week after the ball I don’t have to wonder anymore, because Charlie and Liv come to me at dinner, big smirks on their faces and mischievous looks sparkling in their eyes. For a second I think of running away before it’s too late, but each one grabs one of my arms, looping theirs around and I’m trapped.

“Dear, dear Ella,” Liv starts and I’m actually scared.

“Our investigation has come to an end,” Charlie continues and I squeeze my eyes. These two have been rehearsing this, I know it.

“We’ve found your prince charming,” Liv finishes and I feel my guts giving a twist. I feel like puking in that moment and my skin gets goose bumps. I don’t know whether to feel excited or scared. I’m not sure how this information will change things now and I’m scared to know which celebrity I kissed.

“Great, you resolved the mystery. You don’t need to tell me, stay with the satisfaction of finding out his identity and leave me out of this,” I beg, looking from one to the other with pleading eyes.

“Nope,” Charlie refuses. “We worked hard collecting evidence and we’re a hundred per cent sure about this.”

“You need to know this, Ella,” Liv adds and I feel sick, I really do. Maybe I’m overreacting, but I can’t help it.

Someone save me, please!

My friends laugh, enjoying my misery in that moment and I groan, wanting to run away so badly, escaping from the truth. Not knowing his identity gave me the excuse to pretend it never happened, that I didn’t kiss a celebrity; but now I won’t have that and I don’t know what I’m gonna do. What if I run into him? How am I supposed to react? I’ll know who he is but he won’t.

Oh shit.

“Ella, relax. You’re hyperventilating. It’s not a big deal,“ Liv tells me and only then I blink, realising I’ve been freaking out in my mind when they haven’t even told me yet.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes, trying to collect myself and prepare for this information that will make things so uncomfortable for me.

“Please, don’t tell his name. Don’t make this harder for me,” I beg one more time and I look at Liv, because I know that out of the two of them, she’s the only one who would actually pity me.

I make eye contact and I use my best set of puppy eyes trying to break her heart so she’ll spare me this problem, and I know it’s working, I see her cracking. “Please, Liv,” I try again, pouting and she looks at Charlie, with desperation.

“Liv! Put yourself together!” He scolds her and I groan again because Charlie snitches me away from her grip and takes me away, not trusting Liv anymore.

I’m about to start begging to Charlie again when my walkie-talkie beeps and soon I can hear Rhonda’s voice. I’ve never been happier to hear her.

“Arabella,” her voice sounds through the gadget. “I need you in my office now.”

“Coming!” I reply immediately and then I look at Charlie. He seems pissed. “I gotta go. Bye!”

And I run, as fast as I can, escaping from the knowledge. Although there’s a part of me who wants to know, because I’m curious myself, there’s a bigger part telling me I have to keep running, this will change everything and I’m not ready. I have enough with Rhonda and the twins still nagging me to give them more information about One Direction.

I put all these thoughts aside and head to Rhonda’s office. By when I get there I forget how grateful I’m that she had the best timing to interrupt when I needed it the most. Seeing her in that office makes me feel like it always makes me feel: Angry, nostalgic and sad, terribly sad that my dad is not there, where he should be.

“You called,” I say, trying not to think of that either. Keep yourself busy, I tell myself, clenching my fists.

“Yes. There has been an ‘accident’ in the room one-oh-seven. They need you there. Take your cart because you’ll need it,” she tells me with a smirk and I cringe. That can’t mean something good.

“The eight third is not in my section,” I tell her because she knows I only clean the last two floors, and the building is a six-storey one. One Direction are in the fifth floor, but I switched that one with Cami and I clean the fourth and second floors. Still, the third is not my responsibility.

“Yes, but Brianna is busy and can’t do it,” Rhonda explains and I curse internally. Brianna cleans the ground and first floor whereas Cami cleans the second and third floor —well, now the second and fifth—. “So you’ll do it because I know it’s your break, so you have the time.”

I frown, hating her because I bet she only made me do this to ruin my break. “Fine,” I say just because this will keep me away from Charlie and finding out who Mystery Guy is.

Rhonda seems surprised that I accepted without further arguing, and maybe she wanted that.

“Something else?” I inquire and she shakes her head, still taken aback.

I don’t say goodbye, I just leave the room and go for my cart to clean room one-oh-seven. I hope it’s not a nuclear disaster or something.

+ + + + +

When the day is finally over, I go to my room, ready to fall asleep. I don’t even bother with dinner, I’m just knackered and I’m avoiding my friends. Plus, room one-oh-seven was indeed a nuclear disaster and I spent a whole hour cleaning. The guest got food poisoned and threw up everything she had during lunch. It wasn’t pretty and I almost got sick myself.

I can’t wait for my contract to expire.

However, when I walk into my room I curse all the known gods because not only Liv is there, but also Charlie. And here I was, hoping I could avoid them. I should’ve known better.

“Did you know your prince charming is looking for you, too,” Charlie says, flipping through the pages of a magazine. He’s not even reading it, he’s just pretending. I know him.

“No and I don’t wanna know,” I say closing the door behind me.

“Well, he is. He apparently has your mask. I’ve heard him asking around if someone lost her mask,” Charlie tells, ignoring my previous statement. My stomach twists at the knowledge of what Mystery Guy is doing. “Also, I’ve seen him with his girlfriend. I don’t know if they got back together, but they don’t look like things are going fine, either.”

But they are talking, trying, I say mentally.

“I’ve also heard him talking to his mates about you and how he needs to find you,” Charlie adds and now my heart races in my chest.

“And I’ve heard his girlfriend talking,” Liv adds. “Complaining that it was hard before but now it’s like he doesn’t even see her anymore. They’ve been having trouble in paradise for a long time.”

I look away. I don’t need to know this, I don’t want to know this.

“Do you already know whom we’re talking about?” Charlie asks and this time he puts the magazine aside and stands up, approaching to me.

“No,” I say through gritted teeth.

“You hit jackpot, Ella. He’s probably one of the biggest stars of the moment,” he says and that makes me feel sick, so sick. “Your prince charming is Niall Horan.”

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Dedication to @MakeMeBeautiful11 for the beautiful comment.

Bel, xx