Under my skin

Chapter 2 - An unexpected meeting

Chapter 2 - @Julia_Golafshan (twitter)

*Author's note*

Hey guys :D I hope you like this story, please tell me any ideas you have for this story, it's going to be so good guys!

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I got to the park around 3, and it was completely quiet - there was only one other person there, and they were sitting on top of the playground equipment, writing or reading something.

I love this park so much mostly because of the peacefulness and quietness - only being able to hear the birds sing, and see the trees, all beautiful and green.

I ran my frustration out, leaving my legs feeling exhausted and weak, so I stopped running after about eight laps and climbed up one of my favorite trees.

It took me a while, because my legs were so sore, and my bag kept bumping different parts of the tree, but I finally made it up the tree, to my favorite spot in the world.

The tree has a special little ledge, where three branches are shaped into a seat, and when I was young, I would spend hours sitting in it.The leaves completely cover the tree, and you can only see the bottom of the tree if you are standing in front of it, making it a very private and personal space.

I got out my book and started to read - it was a pretty boring book, just something I had to read for English. To make time go faster, I put my earphones in and started listening to Ed Sheeran, his powerful voice echoing in my mind.

Before long, I was deeply concentrating on my book, and I think about half an hour had gone by before I heard something that didn't sound like Ed Sheeran OR One Direction, the playlist that was on shuffle.

I looked down from where I was sitting, and I saw part of a boys head - he had blonde hair, but that was all I could see, so I turned a little bit so that I could see him better. I started taking my earphones out, and I started to apologize for not being able to hear him.

"Hey, I'm sorry, but I didn't quite hear what you-"

He cut me off by laughing, and asked if he could climb up as well - something about his laugh and voice sounded familiar, but I had no idea why. I ignored that though, and said "Sure, it's a free country isn't it?"

I moved over a bit so he could climb up, and then I saw his face. Oh. My. Goodness. It was my idol! The boy who I had cried for, laughed with and the one who had made me forget about my problems... It was HIM.

Niall James Horan.

I hoped I didn't look as shocked as I felt, so I forced a smile onto my face and waited for him to sit down on another branch facing me. It took him a while, and I guess that was because he wasn't used to climbing trees, so I asked him if he wanted a hand up.

Surprisingly, my voice still worked, and I wasn't screaming, so everything was going well... So far. I gave him a final pull, and he made his way onto the branch in front of me. He got comfortable and smiled at me. AT ME!

"I'm Niall, I'm sorry about that love, I actually just wanted to make sure you were okay..." He drifted off, obviously unsure of how to continue. His Irish accent nearly killed me. This was so obviously Niall, and he was with ME!

"Making sure I was okay? What do you mean?" I was confused - Niall seemed concerned about me, plain Ivy Gallaher... This had to be a dream, right?!

"Well, I saw you running, and then you just disappeared under this tree! I wouldn't to make sure you were okay, and hadn't collapsed or anything, that was some pretty intense running!"

I laughed dryly. "Intense? Thank you, but I'm fine now, no need to worry." I smiled, trying to convince him. "I'm glad to hear it," he said, sounding like he meant it, "glad to hear it, umm... Uh, you never told me your name!"

I grimaced. Of course I hadn't, me being the stupid idiot I am. How could I even FORGET to give NIALL HORAN my name? Oh that's right, I just did.

"I'm Ivy," I said, trying to act normal, "and it's nice to meet you Niall. Can I ask why you're not with the rest of your group, and in a park like this?"

"So you know who I am then... Well, the boys are all back at the hotel - I decided I needed some peace and quiet so I came here - in disguise, of course - and it just seemed so peaceful."

"That's what I love about this place," I said smiling, "it has some sort of magical charm to it." We sat there chatting for a while, and slowly I became more and more relaxed. He was such an easy person to talk to - confident but not cocky, and very sweet.

We talked about how I grew up in this town, and how I loved my school and was graduating in two months. Some of his questions, like the ones about my family, I avoided, or answered with a lie - I felt bad, but I couldn't tell him about what had happened to my mum, or how my family fell apart.

He would think I was trying to get sympathy or something, it was easier to just pretend my life was great for a little while - even just thirty minutes. Besides, it's not like I was ever going to see him again, or anything.

He seemed to not notice, and I enjoyed talking to him, until I looked at my watch.

CRAP. It was 5 already, dad was going to kill me when I got home.

Without trying to seem too rude, I told Niall I had to go straight away.

"I should probably get going as well, the boys are expecting me for a games night... Well, I hope you have a great night!" he said to me, winking.

"I will, thank you," I said calmly, while trying to get over the fact that he just winked at me. "It was awesome meeting you!" He smiled and asked if we could swap phones - I must have looked confused, because he added "I want to get your number, silly", poking his tongue our at me.

"um.. Thank you!" I said, and we both sent each other a text so that we could add the other persons number. I got down from the tree first, and helped Niall down. He smiled that beautiful smile at me one more time, than gave me big hug. "See you later Ivy!" he said, and I waved bye to him.

As I walked home, I wondered what had just happened to me...

Niall Horan just gave me his number.