Second Snapshot (Picture This Sequel: Niall Horan)

-Regulating the silent treatment. [Chapter 58]

“I don’t think, you understand.” She seethed. “We’re not just talking about all the finer details here. We’re talking about you two in general. Had you not both promised me last year that nothing was going on and nothing was going to? It’s one thing to go behind someone’s back, it’s another to lie about it in the first place.”

“You have to be kidding,” Niall tutted. “You expected us to be like oh yeah Claire of course we’ve got something going on when you gave us lectures about how wrong it would be for us to? You’re the most…contradicting person I know. You say one thing, and mean the other. It’s so stupid. Why is it not this problem with all the other guys? Why just me and Ash? What’s different?”

There was a silence and the only sound that was audible was the ticking of the clock I couldn’t locate and the distant humming of the boy’s voices in melody floating in the air somewhere near. I bit down on my lip and remembered my conversation with Niall this morning and how he had assured me that it would be fine because Claire wouldn’t be here. Figures. It wasn’t his fault; it wasn’t like we could expect we’d be able to keep the secret forever. Maybe I just hoped it would be kept a little bit longer, but obviously things happen, shit happens, and we’ll be okay, somehow. Even if things take time and we’re both impatient, some things are worth waiting for.

“You know, what’s different Niall-“

“No, no I really don’t.  Care to enlighten me?”

There was a tense few seconds as Claire debated on what her reply was going to be. But this was cut short as the door was burst open and a bulky looking guy with almost no hair and glasses looked in and stared at us all. He opened his mouth to speak but it was a few seconds before any speech was put into audible verbal.

“Err…You’re needed in the office. I’ll take over here.”

He announced in a gruff voice. Claire looked at us, then him, then back to us and there was a few moments of silence as she debated what to do.

“Fine.”

She muttered and sent me a death glare before plucking her coat from the chair and whispering something to the man before slamming the door behind her. There was another moment of silence as Niall and I just looked up at the man, whose name badge said Adam, and he stared back at us.

“If you’re here to tell us we can’t be together then don’t even bother, you can stuff that.”

Niall shrugged and Adam just looked at him and then bit his lip raising his eye-brows he not-so-gracefully slid into the desk chair opposite us and rested his forearms on the table leaning forward closer to us. It was obvious that Niall was more confident about this all with him instead of Claire, but that didn’t mean we weren’t serious when we said we weren’t going to be obeying any kind of rules involving up splitting up. Never again.

“I’m not here to tell you what to do. I’m here to advice you.”

He informed us coolly. I was taken aback by this, he was being reasonable. Or at least it sounded like it. Which was always hopeful, I much preferred advice than commands, one was easier to ignore. It wasn’t that I endured in ignoring people’s advice; I just…Didn’t really like to listen. Of course this was depending on whom it came from, but either way, I just wanted everyone to leave us alone.

“O-Okay?”

Niall stammered. I shifted in my seat the materiel scratchy against my legs, wondering what this was going to be. I could feel the nauseous feeling in my gut spinning over on itself, churning inside and out. I’d really had enough of that feeling today, right now, all I wanted to do was go home and cuddle and watch a film or something. Or sleep. This day had already been too long and it was only late afternoon. But nonetheless I was here, and all I had to do was get through this whole ordeal and then we could go home, at least I hoped.