Chapter 9
Arianna's POV~
"Of course Niall! I would do anything to be your girlfriend!" I leap into his arms as he held me tightly.
"I'm glad." He wraps his arms around me and holds me closer.
I squeeze him tightly, finally knowing that he was mine.
A sensation of happiness flowed into my chest, making me feel the happiest I've ever felt in such a long time.
Niall, was now my boyfriend, and he loved me. He cared for me, like I cared for him.
"You make me feel so good, Arianna." He whispers into my ear.
His hands comb through my wavy hair and I gasp as they made their way down to wrap around my waist.
We pull back from the hug but still remained close with our bodies touching as he held me by my waist.
"May I?" He gestures his lips at me as I look into his blue eyes.
"Well, I am your girlfriend now, so.." As soon as those words escaped my lips, I didn't hesitate to pull his neck closer to me as I lean in and left a quick smooch on his lips.
I pull back, my cheeks tinting red. I can't believe I just did that.
Never in my life would I ever make the move first, but I really just wanted to feel his lips against mine. It made me feel connected to him even better than when we hugged.
"Wow," He chuckled. His eyes widen.
I smile, trying to flush away my cheeky shyness. He had gasped at me since I had kissed him first.
"You're so cute." He smirks.
I let out a small giggle, embarrassed at what I had just done. My phone vibrates in my pocket and makes me jump a little. Niall looks at me with a concerned expression.
"Excuse me," I turn away and Niall's arms leave their touch on my body.
I walk a little by the kitchen, where I could still see Niall as he sat down on the sofa and waited for me.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Arianna?" A deep voice boomed in the phone.
Shit.
My mouth gasps at the realization. I totally had forgotten tonight was the night Zayn was taking me to the concert.
"Can I pick you up at 7?" He asks.
My eyes wander to Niall. He looks at me with worried eyes. His eyebrows raise at me, asking if I was alright, I nod and give a little smile.
"Umm, yeah..sure." I said silently.
"Alright, I'll see ya." Zayn says before hanging up.
I quickly pressed the button on top of my phone to lock the system and the screen fades to black. I slipped it back into my pocket and wandered my eyes back to the boy on the sofa.
"Everything okay?" He pulls himself up from the sofa and walks towards me.
"Yeah, I just have to go somewhere tonight."
"Oh." A frown makes its way on his beautiful face.
I didn't want to leave him by himself. More than anything I wanted to spend more time with him, now that we were actually together.
But I had promised Zayn I would go with him, and I couldn't just leave him behind. It would just leave me feeling guilty knowing I had stood him up.
Niall's fingers raise towards my face and he pushes the strand of hair behind my ear. He leans down towards me and a bright smile appears on his lips.
"I wanted to be with you like this longer." He whispers.
I watch as his eyelashes fluttered onto his cheek, making me stare into his irresistible eyes.
"I won't be too long." I try to cheer him up. He sighs and plants a kiss on my cheek, causing me to gasp and turn red instantly.
"Be safe." He tells me before walking away into the living room, to sit back on his usual spot on the sofa.
I sigh, knowing he was upset.
I knew he hated being in this lonely apartment all by himself, and I wanted to spend more time with him too but I had to make time for Zayn.
He was my best friend. I was actually kind of excited to see him since he wasn't as depressing anymore. I still wondered why he acted the way he was.
I thought about asking him about it, maybe if I can get him happy enough.
.-.-.-.-.-.
"I'll miss you." Niall holds my hand tightly as I made my way towards the door.
"I'll try not to be long, for you, okay?" I rub my thumb gently on his soft chin.
He nods, and smiles as I walk out of the apartment. I heard the door shut behind me silently as I walked down the staircase. I scan the parking lot, seeing Zayn's car sitting by the curb.
He waves as I made my way towards his car, and I smile and wave back.
"Hey." He said as I climbed into the passenger's seat.
I look over at him as he pulled the car out of the lot. He was wearing a blue T-shirt that I found to be admiring.
"Thanks for taking me out." I say.
"Well, it's been awhile since we've shared some laughs together, thought we might as well take a break from all the classes and work, ya know?" He grins, while his one hand is on the steering wheel.
"Zayn, I want to ask you something." I decided I would ask him now, since it seemed to be the right time.He looks at me with a worried look.
"Ask away," He whispers.
"Have you been alright, lately?" I didn't hesitate.
He keeps his stare deeply on the road as he drove, not taking a second to glance at me. His almost smile wears away from his face, fading away slowly.
"What are you talking about, Arie?" His grip on the wheel hardens.
"Like, you haven't been yourself lately. You always seem to be depressed, and sometimes it's like a dark cloud follows you around." I spoke silently, staring directly at him.
He sighs, and keep his eyes straight on the road for a long 20 minutes. He was thinking. I could tell because he was staring right on the road.
After a while, he must've found what he wanted to say,
"So, you've noticed. I just..I've thought about my future about a year ago, and I still don't know what I'm doing with my life. I really don't know what's going on with me anymore, I don't know what I'm going to be, ya know?"
"Zayn," I interrupt. I finally knew what bothered him. It hit me hard, knowing I was the reason he was like this. If it weren't for me, he would've been what he wanted to be by now.
"I didn't know that it's been showing all this time, I tried my best to hide it. Sorry, Arie, I never wanted you to worry about me like that." The car comes to a stop, and Zayn looks at me, his eyes piercing with sadness.
"Zayn, if you would've told me before, I could've helped you. I mean, I can help you now, but you should've said something earlier," I tell him, making sure that he understood that I care for him.
He's helped me all this time, and all I've done was sit back and watch him torture himself. I was such a bad friend. I felt like crying, right there as I sat watching him with teary eyes.
"Thanks, Arie. Ah, we're here, so lets forget all the worries and just enjoy this night together, alright?" He finally smiles, and this time I knew it was real.
I smile back, "Finally, lets have some fun tonight!" I shout as I jumped out of the vehicle. I wait for Zayn as he locks the car, and makes his way to me.
A wide smile, that felt real as ever, and most warming, spreads on his face.
That's when I realized, I was going to pay him back for being such a caring friend.
It was my turn to make him smile, to get him back on his feet, and to protect him as much as he had protected me.