The Only Direction

Chapter Sixteen

Niall:

Trying to make it work but man these times are hard

But we’re gunna start by drinking old cheap bottles of wine

Sit talking up all night

Saying things we haven’t for a while, a while yeah

We’re smiling but we’re close to tears

Even after all these years

We just now got the feeling that we’re meeting

For the first time

            Bloody hell, I really needed to start remembering to turn off my bloody phone. Thankfully, Louis was driving, so I was free to answer it.

            “Hello,” I said into the receiver.

            “Niall,” Aria said.

            “Oh. Hey. How’s Miguel’s place?” I said bitterly. She was probably calling just to gloat about whatever they had just done (which I certainly wanted to know absolutely nothing about).

            I heard a small noise on the other line. Was that I sob I had heard? Was Aria crying? “I know you’re mad,” she said, “But can you please come pick me up?”

            “From Miguel’s place? I’m not sure where that is”. A bloody lie. Louis and I had followed Miguel’s car most of the way. Now, however, we were unable to find it.

            “Niall,” Louis said, pulling over.

            “Hang on for a moment,” I said to Aria before turning to Louis. “What?”

            “Over there,” he said, pointing to something in the distance. Standing in the rain getting thoroughly drenched was a girl, talking on the phone. Her hair was soaked from the rain and curling naturally. She wore a tank top, jeans, and heels. Just like…

            “Aria,” I said, getting out of the car. “Aria, hold on a moment love. I’m coming to get you”. I removed the light blue sweatshirt I was wearing and felt the rain penetrate my shirt.

            The girl had her arms crossed now, and was crying. I repeated her name when I got next to her, making her look up.

            “Niall,” she said, looking a bit relieved. I wrapped my sweatshirt around her tiny, trembling body and helped her into the backseat of the car. I didn’t bother putting on either of our seatbelts; I just sat there, holding her while she sobbed.

            She cried into my shoulder. I hope my snarky comments on the phone hadn’t caused her tears. I felt horrible. She shouldn’t be crying. And I shouldn’t have been so stingy with her over the phone.

            “You were right about him,” she said, still crying. I rubbed small circled in her back in attempt to comfort her. “He tried to get me to sleep with him. And when I said no, he kicked me out his car and drove away”.

            “He just left you there, in the pouring rain?” I said, angrily.

            “Not necessarily. It started raining after he left me”.

            “Jesus Princess. Doesn’t he know you’re not from here”. She nodded her head and kept crying.

            “He’s a bloody arse,” I whispered, stroking her hair.