Aubrey's P.O.V.
Vibrant colors of yellows and greens faced the walls of the room I found myself standing in the center of. A simple, white rectangular door was positioned in the center of the wall directly in front of me. The more I stared at it, the more befuddled my mind became. Where the hell was I? I was supposed to be leaving for London in less than six hours, yet I was in a place I had never seen before. No sound could be heard- everything was dead silent.
"Hello?" I called out as I took a step closer to the door. Nothing. Walking closer to the door, I felt myself shaking with every step. The metal of the door handle felt cool yet heavy against my clammy and shaky skin. After taking a deep breath, I twisted the door handle only to be met with my living room. My nerves felt frozen once I saw the person seated against the couch straight across from me. "Mom?" I whispered, in shock that she was actually here right in front of me. In return she smiled at me before she averted her gaze away from me.
Without any hesitation, I sprinted to the couch where she was sat at. It had been so long since I could wrap my arms around her. The minute I had my hands tightly wrapped around her shoulders, she pushed me off of her, making me fall to the ground. My eyes widened at her action as my tears freely fell down my cheeks. "You're a monster," she said, except it wasn't her voice. It was his.
Each word echoed off of the walls of my living room, making me want to completely disappear but I couldn't. The door disappeared and suddenly I felt the room getting hotter and hotter before I felt myself fall into a pit of darkness. Right before everything turned black, I heard my name being repeatedly called, but I couldn't distinguish the owner of the voice.
"Aubrey, Aubrey, Aubrey, wake up," I heard being yelled into my ear while a force was pushing against me. Dazed, I struggled to peel my eyes open. Once my eyelids lifted themselves up, I was greeted with a concerned Pete, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"What's wrong with you?" I whispered.
"The question is what's wrong with you? You kept shaking your head against the pillow, mumbling incoherencies, and you're sweating like crazy," Pete replied as he placed a hand against my forehead. It was all a dream- a nightmare more like. I had frequent dreams where my mom, dad, or aunt would appear, but I never had anything as extreme as this last one. Niall's words still echoed in the back of my head, especially since the sound came out of my mom's voice.
"Just a nightmare, I'm fine." I shook my head at him. Pete decided to sleep over last night since I was heading off for London at four in the morning the next day. Due to my late notice, Rachel couldn't get me flight sooner than the date of the fashion show. Luckily I would arrive there a little less than three hours before it was set to start. In that time, I could get settled into my hotel, get myself ready, and also suffer from a severe case of jet-lag. The downside was I couldn't leave until two days following the fashion show which only made me dread my flight to London. Apparently a day long trip across the ocean isn't considered professional business worthy.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Pete asked. Both his hands were gently placed around my upper arms, his fingertips lightly tapping against my skin. This wasn't the first time I awoke in the middle of the night with a bad dream. Pete witnessed more than his fair share of my traumatic episodes, yet I never liked discussing them. Most of the time they involved Niall, and I really didn't want to discuss him with Pete. Other times, it just hurt to recount the horrors I had gone through, even if it was just a dream.
"No." My eyes trailed away from his gaze all the way down to the cut of of his navy v-neck.
"Aubrey, I-" I cut him off before he could continue since I already knew where he was going with this. It was the same montage every single time.
"Peter, stop. I get it you're worried about me, but I'm fine. There's nothing you nor anyone else can do to stop these nightmares. I just need time to forget all of this," I breathed out. He stared back at me with wide eyes, his mouth hung open in a way that showed he was at a loss of words.
"I just want you happy. That's all I want," he said in a defeated tone. My heart slightly ached because I knew all of this was simply out of care.
"Thank you, I appreciate it beyond words can explain," I said as I cupped his face in my hands. Pete's expression softened at my gesture. The corners of his lips began lifting before a smile over took his face. "I love you baby." His breath hit my cheeks before I felt his lips against the bridge of my nose. An involuntary grin spread across my face immediately.
"Love you too," I giggled, wrapping arms around his neck.
"I wish you didn't have to leave soon," he pouted.
"It's only for three days. You'll be fine," I chuckled. "Adam and you can have some quality guy time," I added. Thankfully, Pete was around to watch Adam while I was gone. Bringing around a thirteen year old with me everywhere in London would have been torturous and stressful.
"He'll be gone most of the time, so it'll be me and the brief case," he said.
"No distractions?" I carefully suggested.
"I like being distracted by you, though," he murmured before he began placing kisses against my jaw, trailing his way down to my neck. Small shivers ran up my spine as his nose grazed the tops of my collarbones that were revealed by the t-shirt I was wearing. Each touch of his skin against mine sent jolts of happiness throughout my body. My mind felt so at ease with him around, and I was grateful for his re-entry in my life.
"Alright that's enough for now, I need some more sleep before I need to wake up in three hours." I squirmed away from his hold. Currently it was eleven at night, almost nearing midnight. We had decided to get to bed earlier considering my flight was so early. My sleep schedule was completely screwed up, so I probably wouldn't even get any sleep.
Groaning, Pete laid his arm across my waist, pulling me up to his chest. The top of my head was laying against his bicep as I stared up at the ceiling. Pete's face was nuzzled into the crook of my neck, and for some reason my mind tracked back to my times with Niall. The roles would be reversed, where I would be cuddled up against his warm and comfortable embrace. My head always found its way to Niall's beautifully sculpted neck with all of the freckles that were scattered throughout. Instead of continuing my reminiscences, I closed my eyes and forced myself to fall back asleep.
-
"Yes, Pete, I have everything for the hundredth time," I replied, tightening my hold on my carry on bag. Adam was too engrossed in his phone to even look away from it. Sometimes I really regretted the day I decided to get him a phone. Then again, what kid between the ages of ten and fourteen didn't have a phone? I don't even understand how he can not be tired this early in the morning. Pete and I barely made it to his car after waking up.
"Have a safe trip, okay? And if you need anything call me. I don't care what time it is," Pete stressed. I nodded my head, still trying to wrap my head around how sweet he was to me. Like I said before, I didn't deserve this. It didn't make sense for me to completely screw over one person, yet find happiness and love in another.
"I will, thank you Pete. For everything you've done for me. I may not show it all the time, but I'm so lucky to have you," I said as I pulled him in for a hug. He wasn't much taller than me, maybe two or three inches taller. His hands squeezed the small of my back in reassurance he felt the same. Our embrace didn't last too long before I heard that my flight was boarding in five minute. Pulling away from Pete, I turned back to face Adam who was rapidly tapping away at his phone.
"Your phone is more important than your sister?" I raised an eyebrow at him. At the sound of my voice, he final picked up his head before giving me a sheepish smile. I opened my arms as a sign for him to come say goodbye, and in no time my brother and I were in a tight embrace.
"You'll be good for Pete, right?" I said against his brown hair.
"Aubrey, I'm not a baby. Of course I will." I heard him scoff. I knew I treated him younger than his age sometimes, but I guess it was instinct. Adam would always be a little baby in my eyes; I cared too much for him to have anything bad happen to him. He was all the family I had left.
"Good, maybe this time I'll bring you back something good," I laughed. Adam shook his head against my arm in amusement.
"Have fun Aubs, I'll miss you although you can be a pain," Adam said as he pulled away. Rolling my eyes at him, I reached forward and ruffled his hair a little bit before giving him a roll of my eyes.
"Just doing my job bud," I joked, in response he rolled his eyes at me but was soon replaced with a grin. Right as he was about to reply, a woman's voice sounded through the intercom notifying me my flight was leaving. Hugging both Pete and Adam one last time, I reluctantly pulled away and made my way towards the entrance of my terminal. A few feet before I entered the terminal, I looked behind me to see Pete and Adam side by side, waving at me brining a large grin to my face. One final wave goodbye, I turned back around and made way towards my flight. This was going to be a flight.
-
For some reason, I always seemed to have problems navigating myself around airports, especially Heathrow Airport. Nearly eight hours later, I was aimlessly wandering around the crowded airport looking for someone holding up a sign with my name. All I knew was I supposed to meet someone named Alex Medlicot, yet that name could pass for either a girl or a boy. Carry on slung across my shoulder, rolling my two medium size suitcases against the marble floor, my eyes searched for any indication of this mysterious Alex person.
A huge neon yellow poster caught my gaze among the swarms of people. Alex was a girl, and I felt some sort of relief surge through me. It's been a while since I've had a girl to talk to. Rachel was too timid, and it was going to take some time to get her to feel relaxed with me. As for my best friend Lauren, phone calls weren't the same as seeing each other in person. Plus I left the country the same day she was returning home from her honey moon. I missed Lauren so much so it sucked not being able to be there and welcome her home. I trudged myself through the masses of people until I reached the overly happy, raven colored hair girl.
"Aubrey Simmons?" She asked in a heavy French accent. Her black hair went just last her shoulders, a wedge cut applied to both ends. She wore light eyeshadow and very sparkly lip gloss that made her lips pop out. A navy jacket covered her black striped tank top underneath, while dark black skinnies hugged her legs. Shiny black stilettos held her off the ground, yet in my opinion they looked like a nightmare to walk in.
"That's me," I smiled, putting out my hand for her to shake. To my surprise, she dodged my hand and enveloped me in a hug. A strong yet beautiful smell invaded my nostrils due to our close proximity. Then again it wasn't any wonder to me that she smelled so sophisticated. She probably was one of the biggest fashion executives working with People here in London.
"I've heard so many great things about you! It's an honor to meet you," she beamed at me as she grabbed at my suitcases. Surprised at her statement, I stared back at her with a blank stare. There wasn't much about me that made it an honor to meet me. Just an average twenty-four year old girl working to survive.
"Um thank you?" Unsure of my reply, I stared back down at my flats as we stepped outside where our taxi was awaiting us. London's weather was relatively similar to the one back home. Some clouds stood idle in the sky, hiding bits of the sun, and a cool breeze blew past us. Nonetheless, it was pleasant weather. Alex placed both my suitcases in the trunk, while I slung my carry on off and placed it side by side my suitcases. Once Alex and I were situated in the back seat, I leaned my head back to take a deep breath.
"So as you know I'm Alex. I work with the fashion portion of people, mainly the top styles of the season, and occasionally celebrity fashion," she began explaining as the taxi drove down the familiar streets. Flashbacks rushed through my brain as I was reminded of the first time I had ever stepped foot here. A small feeling of remorse formed in the pit of my stomach at my memories. I loved remembering all of my happy memories here, but along with those came all the negative thoughts.
"It's so great to meet you, really," I reassured her, looking at her dark brown eyes. She smiled back at me before she started explaining the schedule for the rest of the day. We were going to arrive at our hotel in less than twenty minutes, drop off my things in my room, then head down stairs to Alex's room. Lucky for me, she had an outfit already set out for me, and graciously volunteered to do my hair and make-up. As she explained all her plans for me, I felt myself go back to the days of when Lauren and I would ready ourselves for homecoming or prom.
It wasn't long before Alex and I were riding up in the red velvet covered elevator all the way to my pent house suite. Only a few feet away, my luxurious suite awaited my arrival with a queen size bed, nearly covered in gold satin covers accented with black and tan colored throw pillows. A large window in the center of the far right wall offered me a vast view of London, showing off all of its sleek and shiny skyscrapers. There was a small lounge area adjacent to the bathroom, but I doubt I would even be using it. It was just me on this trip, and the queen size bed was more than enough.
"Alright now that you're settled here, let's head back down so I can get you ready for tonight!" Alex excitedly said before she grabbed my wrist and basically she dragged me out of the hotel room. Maybe I was finally making more friends. I felt, at times, I didn't have enough friends. Quantity was never important to me, quality always mattered. But sometimes I felt like I needed to put myself out there and make more friends than I had. Pete, Lauren, Adam, and a few co-workers was all I really had contact with. Alex seemed to be a good a match for me.
Arriving in Alex's room, I wasn't surprised to see it looked very similar to my room, only a few things downgraded considering I had the most luxurious room in the hotel. On her bed, Alex had a a quarter sleeve black black chiffon dress that looked like it fell slightly past my mid thighs. Both sleeves had small ruffles within them offering an elegant touch to the dress. Along with the dress, she had gold glitter pumps, a matching clutch, and creme colored pearl earrings
"Alex, wow. I don't even know what to say." I truly was speechless at her choice. It wasn't too over the top nor was it too under dressed- it was perfect. To top things off, the entire outfit for my style. None of this would be something I would ever object to buying. Alex waved me off telling me it was no problem before she left the bedroom to allow me to dress.
After a bit of a rough struggle of trying to get out of my skinny jeans, I slipped off my cardigan and tank top. I mentally thanked myself for picking out a strapless bra earlier as I slipped the dress on. Just like any of my other dresses, it fit me like a glove. Rachel must have given her my size when she was organizing this whole trip for me. That girl was too good to me; I made a mental note to treat her when I get back home. Putting the earrings took no time at all, which only left the shoes for me to put on. The heels weren't too high, yet they weren't my preferred type. Only because this was a high end fashion show, I was making an exception.
"Look at you, gorgeous." Alex blew me a kiss once she re-entered the room. Instead of her previous professional outfit, she had changed into strapless tight fitting navy dress with a skinny, shining gold belt wrapped around her tiny waist. Her legs made my own look like thunder thighs, seeing how skinny her legs were. Harry and her probably could share skinny jeans. Regardless, she looked beautiful, especially with her flowing freely around her shoulders.
"I should be the one saying that to you," I laughed before I grabbed the clutch off the bed. "Thank you for this wonderful outfit. It's beyond gorgeous," I marveled at my clothing.
"Not a problem my friend, now come here so I can do your make up then we can leave. London's traffic is not fun," she groaned. Boy did I know how bad the traffic here was. Surprisingly, it wasn't too horrific on our way to the hotel, but that may have been a coincidence. My few months living here was enough for me to realize how crowded London is.
Within fifteen minutes, my make up was done which left my hair to do. A dark smokey eyeshadow covered my eye lids mixed in with a few grey shades and sparkles. Light shades of pink tinted my cheeks allowing my complexion to pop out just slightly. To finish my look off, a few coats of magenta lip gloss were applied to my pale lips. my reflection in the mirror left me speechless. Besides for Lauren's wedding, it had been so long since I actually took the time to dress up and look my best.
Not too much time was spent doing my hair since I wanted to keep it down as well. A few strands of my hair were tightly curled, while the rest of my hair was left in its plain wavy form. I always liked the simple routes, even with my hair. Double checking we had all of our belongings, Alex and I headed out towards the elevator to get to the lobby. A special car was waiting for us outside the lobby of the hotel. Everything was happening so fast, I didn't have time to process I was actually getting all of this special treatment. I was so used to having to hail a taxi or call my own ride, not be able to have this power in the palm of my hand.
Time rolled past us faster than we could blink. Our personal chauffeur pulled the sleek black Mercedes-Benz to a large white building surrounded with lights and floral decorations from every angle. Security guards and cars were in every corner, ensuring each entrance was safely protected. Swarms of people lined up at the front entrance, but the car simply drove past them and finally pulled up at closely guarded back entrance.
"Come on." Alex ushered me out of the car, linking her arm with mine leading us inside. Electronic dance music filled the atmosphere, each beat popping against my ear drum. A large run way took over the expanse of the large room we had entered. Rows and rows of chairs were placed all around the run way, only a few filled. Photographers had their own special section at the very front of the stage. Very minimal decorations surrounded the area near the runway- only a few lights and silver curtains.
"I have to go check us in, but feel free to walk around, chit chat, anything," Alex laughed before walking away in the opposite direction we came in. Envious of all her energy, I decided to go find somewhere to get a drink to recharge myself. Plus I had to go find Ellie Goulding since she is one of my main priorities while I'm here. After quickly chugging one of the mini water bottles I grabbed for myself, I went on a hunt for Ms.Goulding.
I decided to exit out the main entrance since that's where it would be most crowded. There would be no way I would find anyone in that mess. Aimlessly looking around the somewhat crowded room, I couldn't find her. This was a struggle within itself, I can only imagine what state my mind will be in when I find her. Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair before turning around to go back to my seat. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a familiar brunette. Her petite figure was no mystery to me. I couldn't forget one of the first people I had met when I came to London- Sophia Smith. From where I was standing, I couldn't entirely make out her entire face, but it looked a lot like Sophia. Please, dear god, don't be her. All I need is to find Ellie, get a few quotes, and get the hell out. I couldn't deal with anyone having any sort of connections to him.
Shaking my head, I tried to rid my mind of my negative assumptions. There were so many girls that looked like Sophia from the side, it couldn't possibly be her. Even if it was, it's not like she would recognize me or anything. In hopes I wouldn't have an encounter with the look alike, I turned back around towards the way I came from. But of course, clumsy me ended up stepping on someone's toe.
"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going," I began rambling off before I looked up at who's toe I stepped on. Holy fuck. I officially deserve the klutz of the century award. Of all people, it had to be the one person I was anxious of meeting. The minute my eyes locked with hers, I felt all of my blood seep to my feet. This definitely was not the impression I was aiming to make.
"It's alright," she brushed off, politely. Dressed in a white high-low dress, her tan legs were eye-catching especially in her strappy gold heels. Gold seemed to be the dress theme of the party, which gave me a slight confidence boost right there and then. "I think I'm supposed to be looking for you," she spoke in her distinguishable accent.
"Yeah, that's right. Um, how do you know who I am?" I asked confused.
"Who wouldn't know Niall Horan's ex-girlfriend?" She chuckled, making my cheeks flame. I didn't want to be known as the girl who broke the world's teen heartthrob's heart. I wanted to be known for my work, despite its content. Niall shouldn't be affiliated with me on a public level. Our history was only to stay between us, not spread all across the globe, yet I guess this was a taste of my own medicine. This is how Niall felt when he found out his secret was going to be spread all around the world. Karma truly was a bitch, but I deserved it.
"Yeah," I coughed out, unsure of how to continue this conversation.
"My manager also told me I was being interviewed by one of the most successful workers People magazine has to offer," she said, making a small smile replace my grimace.
"I just have a few questions and I'll stop bothering you," I joked, turning the recorder on my phone. Before I began my questionnaire with Ellie, she stopped me. "Didn't Niall introduce us to each other a few years ago at a New Years party in New York?" she questioned. At her question, my mouth went dry. Of course I remember New Years with Niall, how could I not. I just couldn't exactly focus my memory around the others involved besides Niall.
"I think so, it's been a while," I mumbled. Niall's name should not even have been mentioned. I came here solely for work, not to jog my memories of Niall.
"Oh I know, I was actually just telling Niall how long it's been since I've seen him and the other lads. Tour has stolen me away from London," she laughed, but I wanted to scream instead.
"Niall's here?" My voice shook with each word. Ellie nodded her head at me before looking down at her phone to check something. It was Sophia that was here, and that meant Liam was here too and of course the blonde and blue-eyed man I haven't seen in years. God no, this wasn't supposed to be happening. He can't know I'm here, and I can't run into him. It already hurts too much knowing we're only a short distance of each other, but there was no possible way I could face him as much as my heart ached to catch a small glimpse of the man that once had my entire heart.
Niall's P.O.V.
Fashion never struck me as something extremely intriguing or exciting. Girls always seemed to be fascinated by it, some guys too, but it was nothing that ever captured my attention. Sure, I liked to dress nice and look presentable, but wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt was stylish enough for me. If I don't look good enough in that, then screw whoever thought that because wearing them was comfortable as fuck. Unfortunately for me, I got dragged to a fashion show against my pleads of not wanting to go.
Louis and Eleanor were originally supposed to go with Liam and Sophia tonight, but of course they had to cancel last minute due to not finding baby sitter for Holly. Honestly, I would have watched her, but she was too attached to her mum for her to be comfortable with me. As much patience as I had with children, I didn't have enough to handle Holly's wailing and crankiness. So naturally Liam begged me, until my ear practically fell off from his pleading, to go with him and Sophia to the fashion show. That left one ticket, for my plus one, and the only person willing to go with me last minute was Mia. Neither Liam nor Sophia were huge fans of Mia, but they were willing to put up with her since they were such good friends of mine.
"I don't understand why you keep stringing that poor girl along," Liam said as we sat at one of the tables, sipping at our drinks. The fashion show had ended only a few minutes ago, and the after party was in full swing now. So many strange yet creative articles of clothing were modeled. Lots of people had showed up as well, but that was no surprise to me considering this was one of London's most exclusive events. Although, it was refreshing to see some faces I hadn't seen in a while. Rachel and Marvin showed up, chatted with Liam and I before they had to run. Then chatting with Ellie brought out some good laughs before she had to run and go find some interviewer.
"She's willin' t' go along with it. I told her she could opt out whenever she wanted." I shrugged before taking another sip of my martini. Liam disapprovingly shook his head at me, nothing new to me.
"You're horrible you know that right?" Liam narrowed his eyes at me. I knew he didn't mean it literally, but his words kind of stung me. What I was doing to Mia was shallow, but she was fine with it and willing for me to get out of this shell I had cocooned myself within.
"Just mind yer own business Payne," I chuckled before slapping his playfully shoulder. In a way I was glad Liam had decided to invite me to come along with him. It had been a while since I went out and had some real fun with one of my best friends. Not too long after, Sophia and Mia rejoined us at the table. The four of us chatted about a few random topics before Sophia dragged Liam off to introduce him to a designer she was completely fond of.
"They're really cute together," Mia gushed to me, her eyes transfixed on Liam and Sophia.
"I know t'at's why they're gettin' married," I chuckled. Mia shot me a look of annoyance, kind of reminding me of Aubrey reacting the same way. But I didn't need to think about her, I was here to move on with my life not dwell on the past.
"You know what I mean. Some day I want a relationship like theirs," she dreamily said.
"Mia, stop," I warned her. I knew exactly what she was hinting at. Dating was completely out of the question at the moment. Three years might seem like a long time, but there was no definite measure of time for my heart to heal. Aubrey completely shattered my heart, and I didn't know what the hell would piece back it together.
"You're an idiot, Niall," Mia huffed out.
"Hey ya can leave at any time, I'm not forcin' ya t' stay," I replied looking at the entrance behind her. My eyes nearly fell out of their sockets as I stared at a girl, no taller than Mia, her brown waves falling way past her shoulders. A tight black dress hugged her curves just as perfectly as the dress Aubrey had worn to Louis and Eleanor's wedding. Her skin wasn't tan, but it wasn't pale either- it was perfect. For some odd reason she looked really familiar, but my mind was probably playing mind games with me again. Some of the alcohol might be getting to me already resulting me in seeing things.
"Niall?" Mia waved her hand in front of my face. I snapped out of my trance, focussing my attention back on Mia.
"What the hell is wrong with you? I've been calling your name for the past two minutes and you've been staring at the wall the entire time," she snapped.
"Nuthin, jus' tired," I lied, biting my lower lip. Mia rolled her eyes at me before getting out of her seat, forcefully pushing her chair against the table, and storming off in the direction of the bathrooms. At least I think that's where the bathrooms are. Sighing, I pushed myself out of my own chair and decided to follow her out. After all, she was my date to this event; the least I could do was pay some attention to her.
Once I reached the exit of the hall we were in, I was confused about which way to take. Three different routes faced me, each with no clear indication to where they led. Simply choosing to walk in a straight line, I headed towards the northern route. Dim lights illuminated the narrow hallway I walked through. Many different classical paintings were hung across from each other, adding a sophisticated edge to the establishment. While I was admiring the paintings, I somehow ended up at the end of the hallway, which led to a large lounge room with Victorian style couches in the center and a large balcony showing the bright lights and tall buildings of London.
Nearing the large window that led to the balcony, I saw the same girl I took great notice of earlier was standing outside, her elbows perched up against the dark metal of the balcony railing. Quietly tiptoeing, I stepped only a few inches out into the cool night air. I was maybe fifteen or twenty feet away from this mysterious girl. She seemed to be lost in her own world, just gazing out into the city.
"Mind if I join ya?" I asked, a little anxious of her reaction. Once the words left my mouth, I noticed her entire posture tense up. It was as if she had been electrocuted and put into a state of permanent shock. I honestly don't think I said anything wrong. A few minutes passed by while I just stood there watching her in her frozen state.
"Look, I jus'-" I started before I noticed her shoulders relax, and her body began pivoting around. The minute her entire body faced my own, I wished I had never taken this stupid route in the first place. Against all the odds, she was the girl that stood out here. No wonder she looked familiar to me. I wanted to run away, sprint back towards the car that was outside waiting for me, or simply disappear from this exact position. I couldn't. All my feelings felt numb, even my brain felt like it was melting.
Aubrey stared back at me with wide, glossy eyes. Looking at her face, I noticed she hasn't changed one single bit. Of course her face matured a little bit more, but not by much. She was a little more taller, although she was wearing heels which was another surprise to me. I could never forget how much she hates wearing heels, even if we dated over three years ago. Her hair fell loosely around her shoulders, each brown curl standing out against her black dress. My eyes took in every aspect in, not fully believing this was actually Aubrey in front of me. She was actually here in front of me, and not some figment of my imagination.
"Hi Niall," her small voice broke the silence between us. Even her voice sounded the same. Despite the fact that I had talked to her on the phone about a week ago, it felt weird to hear it in person. Everything in my mind came to a halt, allowing me to freeze up.
"Hey," I mumbled loud enough for the both of us to hear. Her eyes went from staring at torso to staring at my face, directly at my eyes. Rage filled my insides as I stared at her entirety, but then when I caught her gaze, I couldn't helps but feel disappointment and sadness shadow over my not so pleasant emotions.
"It's been a while, hasn't it?" She said as she intertwined her frail fingers together. Nervous- Aubrey only ever played with her fingers in such a way only when she was nervous.
"Um, yeah," I awkwardly replied before I leaned my head against the white concrete of the building. A cool breeze blew past us, creating some sort of sound between us other than our awkward small talk.
"How have you been?" She asked, her voice a little shaken up. So many answers flooded my mind at her question. How could I even begin to answer such a question to the person who was the cause of all my misery and heart break?
"Okay, I guess," I answered her.
"Oh," she replied, playing with the ends of her hair. Her gaze was locked on both of our feet. Not once since the start of our conversation did she lift her gaze back up at me.
"You?" I politely asked.
"Same," she quickly replied. An awkward silence overtook us as we stood opposite of each other, each of us leaning against a different part of the balcony. Something deep within me kept me glue to the outside of this god damn balcony. More than anything I wanted to leave her sight, but there was a small part of me that wanted to stay here in her presence.
"So head celebrity editor of People Magazine, huh?" I said in an attempt to strike a conversation. I internally cursed myself for even furthering this conversation in the first place. Clearly there was no point if things were going to remain this awkward between us.
"Yeah, I've only had the job for a couple weeks now. Not too long," she said in a soft tone. Finally, her gaze was brought back up to me, and I didn't even realize she was wearing make-up when I first saw her. Every inch of her face looked flawless. She looked just as beautiful as she always had been, if not more.
"Ya like it?" I questioned. Again I had no idea what was possessing me to continue this conversation.
"I love it," Aubrey marveled. In that moment, I knew how much her position meant to her. Just the way her eyes immediately lit up at the mention of it gave me direct confirmation she was enjoying it. I continued to stare at her, while she went back to twiddling with her fingers. Another breeze blew past us, this time earning a few shivers from Aubrey who was in nothing but a short sleeve dress. Those were excuses for sleeves seeing as they barely covered much of her skin.
"Cold?" I raised an eyebrow at her. Aubrey stared back up at me with a confused expression.
"Just a little bit, I needed some fresh air though," she brushed off, averting her gaze back to the city. As if my arms had a mind of their own, I found myself slipping off my navy jacket and offering it towards her. At my gesture, Aubrey seemed more than speechless, she looked extremely taken back. She wasn't the only, though. I couldn't believe what the hell I was doing myself.
"Niall, I can't take this," she denied as she shook her head at me.
"No, I insist," I found myself saying. Aubrey stared at me for a few seconds, but it felt like hours, before she let out a breath and took the jacket out of my grasp. Effortlessly, she slipped it on, the ends of the jacket hanging very loosely around her small hands.
"Thank you." Her smile sent my mind into a frenzy, making me wonder what was going on with me. My stomach was churning with all sorts of strange feelings. None of it felt normal, it felt foreign in a way.
"Sure." I shrugged it off. "So ar' ya stayin' here long?" I asked.
"I'm leaving Monday evening, so not much," she giggled. God damn, her laugh was music to my ears. It felt surreal that after so long she managed to have some of the same effects on me as she did years ago.
"I see, an' yer stayin' nearby or?" To be honest I was unsure why I was asking her all of these questions. Each time I told myself I would shut my mouth, I found more and more words leaving my mouth.
"Yeah, at the Chamberlé Hotel about twenty minutes away from here," she explained, going back to pulling at the ends of her hair. Some things never change, apparently. I nodded my head at her before I took a few steps back inside. Maybe if I backed away, I would shut up and avoid any conversation deeper. There was no doubt I could feel the underlying tension between us, especially from Aubrey. I knew she could careless about all the shit we talked about; she wanted to talk about the past. Something I dreaded just thinking about, let alone discuss it with her.
"I gotta run, so have a good night," I said, unsure of how to word my departure.
"Um, thanks, you too, Niall." Hearing my name leave her mouth made me feel so many different ways. I wanted to yell at her for even saying my name, but then again I loved hearing it roll off of her tongue. "It was nice seeing you," she quickly added.
"You too, Aubrey. Ya look beautiful by the way," I breathed out. With that, I didn't waste another minute standing there in her presence. The longer I stood there, the more likely it was for me to say something I didn't mean, or even worse do something I would regret. My feet quickly strode along the red carpeting of the familiar dim light hallway. Ironically, each step closer to the light, I felt my heart burying itself back into the darkness.
A/N: hi!!! I know it's short, I'm sorry! But I promise the next chapter it'll be a lot longer and more detailed, from both of their views!! What do you guys think of their little meet up???I hope you guys are happy that Naubrey is finally reunited, well sort of haha.
It's been such a long week for me and I have so much to do before class starts back up, so bare with me on updates. thanks for being so patient with me! Again I appreciate every single bit of support you all give me! Without you guys I wouldn't be as motivated to write. love you all ❤️
Remember to vote and comments tons and tons! Also if you want please share this story with anyone that you think would be interested in it! I'd really appreciate it ❤️❤️ love you guys tons and tons ❤️