The Only Direction

Chapter Eighteen

Aria:

“Favorite food,” I asked. Niall and I were playing a round of twenty questions, without bothering to actually count how many questions we were asking.

After the kiss Niall had suggested we go to the kitchen and roast marshmallows together. We were now sitting at the kitchen table playing twenty questions.

“That’s easy. Nando’s perri-perri chicken. You should have known that. Most embarrassing moment?”

I blushed beet red. I would not tell him my actual most embarrassing moment.

He nudged me. “Come on Aria. I promise not to laugh,” he said in his adorable voice.

“Let’s play truth or dare!” I exclaimed, trying to changed the subject. He rolled his eyes as if to say ‘I am completely, 100% aware of what you are doing’.

“Fineeee. But I am making you tell me your embarrassing moment later,” he groaned. I giggled.

“Ok, truth or dare?”

“Erm, truth”.

Niall:

            “Erm, truth,” I said nervously. I was worried about what she would make me admitt.

            She bit her lip before asking, “What’s the real reason you spied on me?”

            Any question besides that I would have happily answered truthfully. But the truth to this? What if she laughs at me? Or calls me a hopeless Irish sap and cuts me off forever. Or even worse –gulp- what if she does both.

            “Erm, I already told you, remember? You’re a virgin and it should be special your first time. And..” I stopped talking when I noticed her expression. Her eyebrow was raised and her hands were on her hips, conveying a simple message: you’re not fooling anybody.

            “I know that’s not the truth,” she said, looking me directly in the eye.

            “I can’t say it”.

            “Why not?”

            “You’ll laugh at me. Or think I’m a hopeless sap. Or possibly even both”.

            She held out her pinkie to me and scooted her chair closer to mine. “I pinkie swear, that I will not laugh at you or think you’re a hopeless sap. Or do both”. I twisted my large pinkie around her much smaller one. Rather then remove my finger, I left it that way.

            “Erm, IfollowedyoubecauseIlikeyouandIdon’twantyouwithsomeoneMiguel,” I mumbled quickly.

            She got up from her chair and bent down, so her ear was right near my mouth. Oh gosh, I could see her bum rather well from this angle. Niall, this is absolutely no time to be thinking of these things, I thought to myself. THINK OF YOU MUM HORAN, THINK OF YOUR MUM, I silently chanted to myself.

            “I can’t hear you when you mumble,” she whispered.

            I grabbed her and pulled her onto my lap. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I liked Aria, a lot.

            I pressed my lips against hers for a moment before speaking. “At the bar. I got drunk because I saw you dancing with that Portuguese bloke. You may not have realized it but he kept flirting with you, eyeing you, and trying to feel you up. The lad wanted to take you home. I was so happy when you agreed to stay with me. I thought it meant I might have a shot with you. But then I got so sick, there was no way I could talk to you about that kind of stuff when I was sick from the alcohol. Then you took care of me when I was hungover. And I wanted to take you somewhere special, do something special for you to show you my gratitude. But Lou told me you had left for a date. And when he described your date, I knew it was Miguel. And I got scared you were going to sleep with him. Then you caught us spying on you and threatened to sleep with him before storming out. And I HAD to follow you. I needed to keep you safe. Before I had thought I was only worried for you virginity, and by then I KNEW the truth. I was worried because, well, I like you. A lot actually”.