Heartbreak Weather | Niall Horan

05

"Birds." He interrupts. "And... small spaces."

"Birds?" I question, not letting any amusement show in my voice.

"Yes. Mainly pigeons." He states, clearly seeing that I found humor in his phobia. "What's yours."

"Water." I tell him, "Specifically open water and pools where I can't reach the bottom."

An almost shocked expression appears on his face. "Really?"

"Yeah." I nod, "The thought of my body being underwater terrifies me. I can't even watch movies or TV shows where they show the camera underwater. It freaks me out and I feel like I can't breathe. I never learned how to swim."

"Wow." He says, pausing for a moment, "So were you fibbing when you said 'j'adore la mer. [I love the sea]?'"

"You looked it up?" I laugh.

"Couldn't stop thinking about it." He laughs, "I had to know what it meant."

I smile, "Well, I wasn't fibbing. I love looking at the water from the shore. Just don't expect me to go swimming or out on a boat."

"Do you drive over bridges?" He curiously asks.

"Yeah, but I don't like to," I answer.

Niall nods, "What about planes? Have you flown over the ocean?"

"I've only ever flown overseas twice, not counting the flights from France to here, once with my dad and once by myself." I say, and he gives me a look to continue on, "I didn't like it. I couldn't let myself look out the window. I don't count the plane rides from home to here since they didn't really bother me as much."

"How did you end up in London?" he asks.

"It's a bit of a story." I tell him, "You sure you wanna hear about it?"

Niall chuckles, "I asked, didn't I?"

"Okay, well..." I begin, "I had just finished filming my first movie in France and I had a terrible experience with it. The whole time we were there things just didn't feel right. I didn't feel like I belonged there, I mean I was working with some well-known figures in France and I was experiencing everything for the first time. It just... I don't know. Things just weren't the way I thought they'd be." I pause and look at Niall, locking eyes for a second before returning my gaze to my lap.

"I thought I'd feel better once I got back home, but I didn't. I felt like that for months, and even though I was home, it didn't really go away. I skipped the premiere and didn't talk to any of the cast again. My manager scheduled more auditions for me. I would go to them because I didn't have the heart to tell her I wanted to quit, but eventually, I stopped showing up.

"My mum was the one who suggested I move away, but I didn't want to leave her. But she didn't want to leave home and insisted I go experience a new place. She helped me find a place to live here and pointed out a few jobs I could apply for. So, I packed my bags, got on a plane to London, and I guess the rest is history."

"And you like it here?" He asks.

"Love it," I tell truthfully him.

We sat in silence for a while, staring at the skyline. Well, I was staring at the skyline. I had a sneaking suspicion that I had a pair of blue eyes staring at me. There was something about being with Niall that brought butterflies to my stomach. No boy has made me feel this way in a long time, maybe even ever. I would have no problem flirting with any other boy, but with Niall, I feel nervous yet so drawn to him.

"What's your favorite movie?" Niall asks, a smile plastered across his face.

I laugh, "Promise you won't judge me?"

"I promise." He smiles.

"Ratatouille," I tell him and I can tell he's holding back a laugh.

Niall lets a couple of snickers slip, "But isn't there a scene where the mouse-"

"Rat." I correct.

"...almost drowns, or something?" Niall continues, not bothering to hide his laughter anymore.

"Yes," I state, "and I always fast forward through that part."

He laughs and it takes a moment for him to calm down, "That's cute. I like it."

"What's your favorite movie?" I ask, fully prepared to make fun of his answer.

"Grease." He says and waits for me to make a joke.

I nod, a smirk appearing on my face, "A grown man who enjoys musicals, you've got my respect."

"I like musicals..." He begins, "And you like movies about an animated rat."

"Who can cook!" I add and Niall starts laughing again.

It felt like we sat there for hours, talking and joking with each other. It seemed like we had talked about everything, both of us learning a lot about each other. I never ran out of things to say, and neither did Niall. From one topic to another, we got to know each other and enjoyed each other's company. The butterflies never left, they continued fluttering from the moment Niall and I locked eyes in the bar all the way up till now. It's crazy how one person I barely know has this much of an effect on me. We were slowly beginning to repeat ourselves, both of us becoming too tired to find new topics to talk about, but neither of us dared to end the night.

"You see that building over there?" Niall asks, and points to a tall narrow building on the skyline.

"Yeah," I respond, waiting for him to tell me the significance. "What about it?"

He sighs, "Oh, nothing. I just wanted to know if you could see it."

A smile tugs at my lips and I shake my head at him. "You're such a dork."

I honestly love this chapter so much and I hope y'all liked it too. I'm super excited for the next few chapters, so stay tuned. Mwah.