Adore

Chapter 17

“Audrey, what are you still doing in here?” Niall says coming in through the patio door that lead to our room. “I thought you were coming in here to change and go swimming?”

I was sat on the edge of the bed in my clothes. I hadn’t even begun to change. “Do I have to go out there?”

“What’s going on, babe?” He came over to the bed and sat next to me. He wrapped his arm around me.

“I just,” I start but words don’t come out after that.

“You’re just what? Nervous?”

I nod.

“Audrey,” he says placing his other hand on my hip. “You don’t need to be.”

“What if they all see right through me? What if they all see through this,” I stuttered, “our trick?”

“They wouldn’t notice and we aren’t playing any tricks, any games. You know I can tell them. I can tell them and you wouldn’t have to worry about this anymore.”

“I want them to be happy for you. I saw how thrilled they were to see you with someone.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he tried to reason with me but I kept silent. “I’m going to tell them.”

He tried to rise from the bed but I quickly grabbed his wrist. “Wait,” I stood to my feet. “I’ll be fine. I’m just second guessing myself.” I take a deep breath and smile. “Let’s go.”

“Okay,” he said quietly and confused. He took my hand and walked me out to the pool area. We sat down at a table with a few other women, not much older than me, I assume.

“Ladies,” Niall smiled at them as he took his seat. “I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Audrey Price.”

As all the ladies smiled at me and said help, my mother’s voice kept playing in my head. “Not in public”, it repeated. I was able to pull a completely legitimate smile off and shake each of their hands. They introduced themselves as Elizabeth, Stacey, and Amanda. Eventually, I was talking to them on my own and Niall jumped into the pool with the rest of his cousins.

“So, you’re officially apart of the club then, eh?” Stacey suggested as she took a drink from her can of beer.

“The girlfriend club?” I say a bit confused.

“Yeah, we’re all dating someone in his family," Elizabeth informs me.

"Oh," I nodded, raising my eyebrows.

"Don't listen to them," Amanda adds in. "They've had quite a bit to drink."

We laugh a bit together before the girls carry on a conversation that I completely tuned out of. I looked around the practically packed backyard. Way down at the far end was a barn that was a faded maroon color with white posts. The color actually almost looked brown. In front of that there was a volleyball court, a small soccer game go on next to that, and a ladder game set up by a small patio type thing. It was basically like an outdoor room where there was a ping pong table located in. There were some brick stairs that led down to the diving board and on the otherside, there was a pathway that lead to a bathroom on your left and if you continued forward, the actual patio was in front of you filled with a bunch of tables. 

Sorting it all in my head was a bit chaotic but there were so many people here that it all seemed to fit perfectly together. 

After being tired of sitting, I decided to walk around the actual yard. I weaved in and out of people trying to keep to myself but I consequently got hit by the soccer ball.