The Deal (English)

Chapter Twenty Four

I think there’s someone for everyone out there. There’s the person who you think is right for you, and then…then there’s the person who is actually right for you. You’ll find them eventually, when you’re done with all the false alarms first. And when you do find that person…it’s unlike any other feeling.

At that time, when Harry had said it, it sounded cheesy and unrealistic. But as I lay on my bed, all alone, I couldn’t help but think that in some sense, he was absolutely right.

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Quite unexpectedly, my phone rang and I wondered who it was. I picked it up slowly, hoping it was Harry on the other end.

“Hello?”

“Liv,” a familiar, happy voice sounded from the other end. It had been a while since I’d heard it, and I smiled despite myself.

“Hey, Nialler,” I said, rolling over onto my front.

“I haven’t talked to you in a while,” he says. “How’s it going?”

I wondered if Niall knew about Harry and me, and everything that had happened. They were best friends. Surely Harry had told him. I decided to avoid the topic anyway, because the last thing I wanted to talk about was how big of an idiot I was.

“Uh, you know, the usual,” I said carefully. “How about you?”

“Well, there’s house party at Connor’s,” he said. “Did you get the invite to that?”

I had, in fact, gotten a Facebook invite for Connor’s house party. A party was the last place I wanted to go to, so I’d ignored the invitation completely.

“I did.” I told him.

“Well, then, let me pick you up in fifteen.” Niall offered.

I hesitated. “Niall, I…”

He sighed on the other end. “Liv, I know,” he said. “What happened with you and Harry…”

“You do?” I asked, but I wasn’t surprised. Of course he did.

“I know you’re upset, and so is he.” He said.

“How upset is he?” I asked him. I didn’t even think Harry was familiar with sadness, and I was worried, especially because I was the one who’d made him uncharacteristically sad in the first place.

“He’s…he’s pretty messed up, Liv.” Niall said. “I won’t lie to you. He doesn’t say it, and he tries now to show it, but he thinks about you all the time. Every day.”

The ache in my heart, that was constant now, increased with Niall’s words, and I shut my eyes and gritted my teeth to stop myself from crying. I took deep breaths, unsure of what to say.

“But I didn’t call you because of that.” Niall said. “I know you’ve been going through a lot lately, what with your mother’s death anniversary and then what happened with Harry…so, how about you come for that party?”

“Niall—”

“Oh, come on, Liv,” he said. “It’ll help you take your mind off things, just for a bit. Besides, hasn’t it been a while since you’ve been to a good party?”

Niall was right. It had been a while since I’d gone out and had fun. Lately, I’d spent so much time crying and missing people that I hadn’t had time for myself.

“Okay.” I said. “Pick me up in fifteen.”

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“I forgot just how much you drink,” Niall laughed as he watched me empty the red cup in one go. I giggled, and held the empty cup out to him.